Who Will End the Year as World No. 1?

With just four weeks of the 2012 ATP season remaining, it looks increasingly likely that Novak Djokovic will end the year ranked world No. 1.

Having won a thrilling Shanghai Masters final against defending champion Andy Murray, Djokovic now leads third-ranked Murray by almost 4000 ATP points in the calendar-year Race to London. 

And with current world No. 1 Roger Federer losing to Murray in the Shanghai semifinals the Serbinator also leads the Swiss by more than 2000 points in this year's race.

Djokovic has relatively few points to defend for the rest of the ATP season, and plenty still available to him, in order to regain the No. 1 ranking, which he lost to Federer following this year’s Wimbledon.

By reaching the quarterfinals at Shanghai, Federer became the first man in tennis history to spend 300 weeks as world No. 1 - an incredible achievement.

2011 saw Federer end the year winning consecutive titles at Basel, Paris and London. That’s a lot of points to defend for someone who admitted after September's Swiss Davis Cup tie over the Netherlands to being totally exhausted and in need of a well-earned holiday.

Though fully refreshed, the points tally seems too loaded in Djokovic's favour for Federer to end the year world No. 1 and the GOAT will probably set his sites on winning in London.

Should be an interesting end to the year.

Remaining 2012 ATP Calendar:

15.10.12 - Vienna 250 – Defending champion: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

15.10.12 - Stockholm 250 – Defending champion: Gael Monfils

15.10.12 - Moscow 250 – Defending champion: Janko Tipsarevic

21.10.12 – Valencia 500 – Defending champion: Marcel Granollers

22.10.12 – Basel 500 – Defending champion: Roger Federer

29.10.12 - Paris Masters 1000 – Defending champion: Roger Federer

05.11.12 - ATP World Tour finals, London – Defending champion: Roger Federer

16.11.12 - Davis Cup final: Czech Republic vs. Spain