The Biggest Dates Left on the Tennis Calendar in 2014
Marin Cilic's cross-court backhand at the U.S. Open brought to a close the 2014 Grand Slams. However, for those players just above and below the Croat in the rankings the biggest dates in the calendar are yet to come.
With five places still to play for in the race to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London, the season is reaching a tense climax.
Grigor Dimitrov and Andy Murray are on the outside looking in as far as the current standings go. The two remaining ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, in Shanghai and Paris, will give the duo their best opportunities to crack the top eight.
The finals are certain to provide a wonderful spectacle, with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer the only competitors guaranteed to have a chance of toppling the holder, Novak Djokovic.
November will also see the Davis Cup World Group come to a close, with Switzerland and France set to face off in the final.
The aforementioned tournaments will prove critical for a select few. The following slides will offer analysis on who needs to take advantage of the events left to play and what impact this may have on the conclusion to their season.
China Open (29 September)
1 of 5
Location: Beijing
Dates: 29 September - 5 October
Time is not on Andy Murray's side.
His will to sneak through the back door and reach the ATP World Tour Finals is patent following his decision to take up a wildcard option at the China Open, according to BBC Sport.
The race to qualify takes on greater significance for Murray given his failure to win a title since Wimbledon last year. A dramatic route into the Finals would at least allow Murray the opportunity to take home a much needed trophy, despite the formidable opposition.
The China Open, as well as the Shenzhen Open, will offer Murray part of the lifeline he requires.
Serena Williams, fresh from her U.S. Open win over Caroline Wozniacki, is also expected to return to defend the title she won last year.
Victory in the final will secure the winner 500 points, contributing towards their overall end of season total.
Shanghai Rolex Masters (5 October)
2 of 5
Location: Shanghai
Dates: 5 October - 12 October
The penultimate opportunity to claim the big points of the season will have some competitors looking over their shoulder.
The 1000 points available to the winner will go a long way to determining who will claim one of the coveted final five spots for the ATP World Tour finals.
The hard courts in Shanghai will provide a stern test for those hoping to book a spot in London, with the likes of Tomas Berdych and Kei Nishikori needing wins to all but seal their places.
With Nishikori displaying his capability on hard courts in his magnificent U.S. Open tournament earlier this month, it would be difficult to look past the Japanese right-hander making at least the quarter-finals.
Novak Djokovic won the singles in Shanghai last year, with Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo winning the doubles.
BNP Paribas Masters (27 October)
3 of 5
Location: Paris
Dates: 27 October - 2 November
With 600 points available to the beaten finalist, it may yet prove pivotal for the chasing pack to at least earn a final berth.
If Novak Djokovic can discover the sort of form he found at the back end of 2013 to win last year's edition of this tournament, a defeated finalist spot may be all the likes of Dimitrov and Murray can hope for.
The tournament is the final event in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series and promises to provide a multitude of story lines.
Djokovic already has three wins in the series this year, while Stanislas Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won in Monte Carlo and Toronto respectively.
The hard court at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy will provide ample preparation for those who are pushing to compete in London. However, the finalists, should they make it to London, will have only seven days to prepare for November's showpiece event.
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ATP World Tour Finals (9 November)
4 of 5
Location: London, England
Dates: 9 November - 16 November
There may not be the same prestige attached to winning the World Tour Finals as a Grand Slam, but the vast O2 Arena is very much a grand stage.
The tournament places eight players into two groups of four. The round-robin format then pits the best two players from each group into the semi-finals.
Undoubtedly, the notion of gathering the best eight players in the world is an attractive proposition for sponsors, but for audiences the joy is just as widespread.
Traditionally a concert venue, the Arena appears the ideal setting for Novak Djokovic to get opponents dancing to his tune. A third successive World Tour Finals win in England's capital is very much a possibility for the Serbian.
Davis Cup World Group Final (21 November)
5 of 5
Location: TBC
Dates: 21 November - 23 November
France have gone 13 years without lifting the Davis Cup, a tournament dubbed "the World Cup of tennis." Their final opponents in November, Switzerland, will have little sympathy.
The Swiss, represented this year by Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka, Michael Lammer and Marco Chiudinelli, have never won the trophy.
However, Federer, written off by many this year, and Wawrinka, winner of the Australian Open in January, will have them believing 2014 can be their year.
The Davis Cup, an annual event originally contested by Great Britain and the United States, pits countries against each other over the course of a year.
While teamwork is a rarity in tennis, the prospect of winning a trophy for your nation with your countrymen will have Federer eager to claim one of the few successes to have eluded him.
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