With two remaining weeks on the ATP World Tour calender, the world's best will gather in Basel, Switzerland, and Valencia, Spain to take part in two respective 500 point events.

After enduring a layoff after his US Open campaign, Roger Federer returns to the courts of his native Basel to defend his hometown tournament.

This year's edition of the Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel will hold particular importance for Federer, who is not only attempting to win his fourth consecutive title, but will be participating in a Stadium named after him.

With his French Open win earlier this year, tournament organizers thought it would appropriate to rename the grounds after the world No. 1.

Federer will be joined in Basel by an impressive cast of competitors which will include, No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic, No. 3 seed Fernando Gonzalez and No. 4 seed Marin Cilic.

The 32-man draw will feature other notables, Ivo Karlovic, Ivan Ljubicic and Richard Gasquet.

The first prize winner of the event will take home € 291,700, and as mentioned 500 ATP World Tour points.

Onto the inaugural Valencia Open event, and the return of Andy Murray.

The Scot has been sidelined since his Davis Cup participation in England, which took place shortly after his fourth round exit at the US Open. The world No. 4, who will be the top seed this week in Spain, will have a hefty cast of characters to deal with if he is to capture his sixth title of the season.

The beautiful state-of-the-art Agora building, which seats 5,500 spectators, truly stands alone in modern day tennis facilities. The fin shaped glass roof will overlook the weeks action, while adding natural light to all the day matches.

Murray will be joined in Valencia by, No. 2 seed Nikolay Davydenko, No. 3 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 4 seed Fernando Verdasco.

Other unseeded notables in the field will include, Valencia native Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tomas Berdych and Leonardo Mayer.

The first prize winner of the 500 point event will collect € 323,000 in prize money.

Without further adieu, let's take a look at the top and bottom halves of both the Basel and Valencia draws.

 

Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel

Top half:

The draw gods were certainly kind to Federer in his return to competitive play. The world No. 1 will take on a qualifier in round one, with either Andreas Seppi or Stephane Bohli being his second round opponent.

Seppi is a more seasoned player than his first round Swiss rival. However, Bohli is playing at home and could cause an upset. Either way, Federer should easily dispatch either foe to reach the quarterfinals.

In the final eight, the 15-time Grand Slam champ could face No. 8 seed James Blake or French sensation Jeremy Chardy. Blake and Chardy will face off in round, with the winner likely reaching the quarterfinals.

The good news for Federer is that he holds a 9-1 head-to-head lead over Blake, losing to the American during the 2008 summer Olympics.

Federer and Chardy have never met on Tour, with the young French star needing to become more consistent in order to scare the top seed.

Federer's semifinal opponent could very well be either No. 3 seed Fernando Gonzalez, No. 8 seed Philipp Kohlscrieber, Richard Gasquet or John Inser.

The Swiss holds a commanding 22-2 head-to-head lead over Gonzalez, Kohlscrieber and Gasquet combined, while ousting Isner during their lone battle at the 2007 US Open.

All in all, this week will marks Federer's return home for the first time since breaking the all time Grand Slam record at Wimbledon. A former ball boy at the event, Federer will be the odds on favorite to take home his fourth straight title and fifth of the season.

Pick: Federer

Bottom half:

No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic, who will be making his first appearance in Basel, will attempt to add to his recent good form on Tour, which saw him win the Beijing title and reach the semifinals at the Shanghai Masters 1000.

Djokovic will begin his Basel campaign against German Andreas Beck. Beck, who possesses a dangerous left-handed first serve, will provide a significant challenge for Djokovic in round one. The pair have never faced on tour, but with indoor courts being Beck's preferred surface, an early scare for Djokovic may be in order.

The quarterfinals could bring forth the challenge of No. 6 seed Stan Wawrinka or resurgent Croat Ivan Ljubicic. Wawrinka will be eager to put on a fine display for his hometown fans, while Ljubicic, who recently won in Lyon should be one to watch this week.  Djokovic holds a combined 10-3 head-to-head lead over Wawrinka and Ljubicic.

In the semifinals, Djokovic could face either No. 4 seed Marin Cilic, No. 5 seed Radek Stepanek, or ace machine Ivo Karlovic.

All three of this players possess great indoor games, with Cilic providing the overall arsenal to give Djokovic a run to the finals.

All in all, a No. 1 vs. No.2 clash in Basel seems to work out just fine this week. A potential prelude to the tour finale in London? Don't bet against it.

Pick: Djokovic

 

Valencia Open 500—Spain

Top half:

First time attendee Andy Murray will head a star-studded 32-man draw in the inaugural fall Valencia Open. The Spanish tournament has traded places with its previous calender slot, which was held in the springtime.

Murray, who will be returning to action after a left wrist injury, will begin his Valencia journey against Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Gimeno-Traver, who is one of 11 Spaniards entered in the main draw, has increased his ranking from No. 90 in the world at the beginning of the year to its current position of No. 75.

Murray could face a formidable foe in round two, with either Igor Andreev or Leonardo Mayer on deck. Andreev was forced to retire last week in St. Petersburg to Marat Safin, while Mayer, who has been recognized as another future star from Argentina, prefers fast hard-courts.

In light of Murray's injured wrist and suspect form, it's certainly plausible that either Andreev or Mayer could knock him out.

The quarterfinal round could see No. 8 seed David Ferrer, a Valencia native, lock horns with the top seed.

Ferrer has endured a turbulent season, which has been full of minimal success. Ferrer, who lives near event, will be full of vigor as he attempts to reach his second Tour final of the season in Spain (Barcelona).

Murray and Ferrer have split their two career meetings.

It seems that Murray will have to dispose of the entire Spanish Armada if he is to concur the Valencia event. The semifinals could bring forth the likes of, No. 4 seed Fernando Verdasdco, No. 7 seed Tommy Robredo, or rejuvenated Feliciano Lopez.

Regardless of his seeding, Verdasco may be the sternest test for Murray in this section. The Madrid native remains one of a hand full of players with a realistic chance of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour finals in London. Verdasco has minimal points to defend until the end of the season, and will fight to the finish in order to qualify for the Tour finale.

Lopez has been in form as of late, reaching the semifinals of Shanghai and the quarterfinals of Vienna. Robredo is certainly a wildcard pick in this section, historically struggling indoors.

All in all, Murray is the man to beat in his section, but with his wrist in doubt, and a top eight spot already secured in London, look for a player with much more to lose, and gain to prevail.

Pick: Verdasco

Bottom half:

This half of the draw should provide many close encounters, considering that four players, No. 2 seed Davydenko, No. 3 seed Tsonga, No. 5 seed Simon and No. 6 Gael Monfils all remain in hot pursuit of qualifying for London.

Davydenko, who is literally in arms length of reaching the London finale, faces a qualifier in round one, with one of two Argentines, Juan Monaco or Martin Vassallo Arguello in round two.

Davydenko should face relative adversity in defeating either South American.

Davydenko's quarterfinal round could bring forth a ground-stroking affair against Monfils. Monfils has been in respectable form as of late, holding the tools to upset Davydenko.

With the Russian splitting his four previous encounters with Monfils, the potential battle remains a toss up.

Another Frenchman may be lurking in the semifinals for Davydenko, with hard-serving Tsonga remaining a primary threat to the Russian's London hopes.

Tsonga will be looking for redemption after losing to countryman Arnaud Clement in Lyon, a loss that cost Tsonga valuable points towards the Tour finale.

Simon and Berdych, two dangerous indoor players also reside in this section, with Simon rounding out the cast of London hopefuls.

Simon also suffered an upset loss last week in Lyon, and will have to defeat the like of Berdych, Ferrero, or Tsonga to reach the final four.

Ferrero, who was born and raised in Valencia, has been training at the site for the past week, taking part in promotional events. Ferrero will be prepared for a deep run in Valencia.

All in all, this half appears to offer the strongest competition of the week. With the stakes high, look for Davydenko or Tsonga to continue their determined marches to the culminating Tour finale.

With no margin for error, the ice veins of the second seed should prevail.

Pick: Davydenko

Please check back throughout the week for continuing daily coverage from Basel and Valencia. The remaining two spot for London will likely be determined through the week. Stay tuned.