Flavio Cobolli (3,690 points), Arthur Fils (3,525), Frances Tiafoe (3,380), and Rafael Jodar (3,184) hold the remaining four spots right now. Alex de Minaur (3,160) trails Jodar by just 24 points, followed by Novak Djokovic (2,890), Taylor Fritz (2,885), and Tommy Paul (2,775). With 1,000 points for the champion, anyone who goes deep can change the Finals picture.<\/p>\n
2. Zverev’s First Tournament as World No. 1<\/p>\n
Alexander Zverev became world No. 1<\/a> on Monday, passing Jannik Sinner by 100 points in the official rankings, 9,550 to 9,450. He\u2019s now the 30th man to reach No. 1 and the second German after Boris Becker in 1991. Zverev is the top seed at this year\u2019s tournament, and last won Paris in 2024. After a first-round bye, he\u2019ll play Lorenzo Musetti, who beat Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(3), 7-6(10) on Monday. Beyond his two Gram Slam titles this year, Zverev recently lost to de Minaur in the Vienna semifinals and hasn\u2019t won a Masters 1000 title yet this season.<\/p>\n 3. Alcaraz Fresh Off a Title<\/p>\n Carlos Alcaraz is coming off a fresh title in Vienna<\/a>, where he didn\u2019t lose a single set all tournament and improved to a perfect 16-0 at ATP 500 events this season. Alcaraz looks to be nearing his peak just in time for the ATP Finals, and is the second seed at this year\u2019s Paris Masters.<\/p>\n Historically, Paris hasn\u2019t been kind to the Spaniard, losing in the second round in 2023 and 2025 and in the third round in 2024. He\u2019ll play either Alex Michelsen or Jiri Lehecka after his first-round bye, with Arthur Fils also in his quarter of the draw. Zverev and Alcaraz are on opposite sides of the draw and can only meet in the final. Alcaraz will look to keep his dominance going as he enters his second consecutive week playing on indoor hard courts.<\/p>\n 4. Injury Watch for Cobolli and Fils<\/p>\n Injuries have already plagued the field in Paris, with the defending champion Jannik Sinner out with a right knee injury, along with 2025 finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime and Joao Fonseca. Alexander Bublik, who retired with a right knee injury in Almaty, and Jakub Mensik, whose withdrawal is listed as a head injury, are also out.<\/p>\n Most notably, two Finals contenders retired with injuries in their matches last week. Cobolli, the fifth seed, withdrew on Monday after retiring in Vienna against Matteo Berrettini with a muscle strain. He said he still felt discomfort after trying to work out in the gym and didn\u2019t want to take any risks. Arthur Fils, who pulled out of his Basel quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz, said he feels confident about playing Paris, though we\u2019re still yet to see if he\u2019ll be 100%. <\/p>\n 5. Djokovic Faces the Basel Champion<\/p>\n
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