Early Storylines Emerging Ahead of the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals

With the ATP Tour World Finals beginning in London on Sunday, we look ahead to the early storylines emerging from the annual end-of-season championships, generally considered the fifth-greatest title in tennis behind the four Slams.

Can Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic Rediscover Grand Slam-Winning Form?

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Stan Wawrinka has been out of sorts for months now, failing to beat a fellow top-10 player since winning in Monte Carlo in April.

Indeed, in that tournament he beat three, the same feat he had achieved three months prior on the way to winning his maiden Slam in Australia.

They remain his two titles of 2014, while he has now won only two matches since the U.S. Open.

While on the whole the Swiss has remained upbeat, there was an element of defeatism about his latest comments following his early exit in Paris, per Reuters' Julien Pretot: "I can't say everything is fine because I'm not winning many matches, but there is nothing much I can do about it.”

Marin Cilic, of course, won the U.S. title—also his first Slam—but recently withdrew from tournaments in Valencia and Paris to help his minor arm injury heal ahead of London.

His career record (13-43) against his seven opponents suggests progressing past the round-robin stage at his first Finals will be a tall order on his return, however.

With French Open champion Rafael Nadal missing through injury, it would be nice to see a Grand Slam champion of 2014 challenge Novak Djokovic at the final hurdle of the year—but I wouldn’t count on it.

Can Finals' Debutants Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic Cause a Storm?

As in the WTA Finals last month, where Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep made their first appearances, there are two debutants yet to reach the age of 25 at this year’s ATP Finals.

Kei Nishikori, 24, is currently at his highest career ranking at No. 5, while Milos Raonic, 23, outmaneuvered David Ferrer in qualifying for the Finals by reaching the final in Paris.

The Canadian was outclassed by Djokovic, however, and now has a 9-20 career record against his fellow competitors in London.

Nishikori—like Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray—has a positive overall record (17-14), however, suggesting the first Asian man to qualify for the Finals may be better served to cause an upset of the two debutants.

There is little doubt he has the greater all-around game, but Raonic’s big serves can disrupt any player on his day.

It will be interesting to see whether either can replicate Halep's heroics in reaching the final, or indeed fall the way of Bouchard in losing all three round-robin stage matches.

Can Andy Murray Build on Impressive Form for Next Year?

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After withdrawing from last year’s Finals due to injury, the Scot will be determined to make the most of it this year, having worked harder than ever to qualify.

After six weeks of consecutive, gruelling tennis, he couldn’t even find the energy to attend Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday to watch his mother Judy’s "very average dancing," as he told The Independent's Jenn Selby .

He has reached three semi-finals at the end-of-season championships in his career, and that will likely be his realistic aim once again.

After beating Grigor Dimitrov in Paris to ensure qualification, the 27-year-old sarcastically wrote “Bad Year” on TV cameras.

You can see where he is coming from; he has reached three quarter-finals and one semi-final in this year’s Slams—far from disgraceful, I’m sure you’ll agree—while his recent three title wins ensure a decent tally in that respect.

However, the fact he slipped outside the top 10 at one stage cannot be ignored.

A win against Federer or Djokovic would be particularly useful in terms of self-belief for next year given that he hasn’t beaten either since the 2013 Wimbledon final.

Roger Federer Deserves a Title to Represent a Superb Year

The Swiss maestro has only failed to progress past the round-robin stage once since qualifying every year since 2002, winning six titles along the way.

A seventh would be a fitting end to a fabulous year for the 33-year-old, who has displaced Nadal in the No. 2 spot behind the peerless Djokovic.

Indeed, pushing the Serb so close for the year-end No. 1 spot can be considered a great achievement, even though he fell short in Paris to the big-serving Raonic.

While finishing the year as No. 1 now appears out of reach, winning the Finals would be a far bigger achievement.

And it would be one the London crowd would equally cherish.

Can Novak Djokovic Be Stopped?

The Serb has all but secured the year-end No. 1 position after securing his seventh title of 2014 in Paris, opening up a 1,300-point gap over Federer in the rankings in the process.

Perhaps more intimidating for his upcoming opponents, he now boasts 27 straight wins on indoor hard courts since losing in Paris two years ago.

Moreover, he currently appears to be at the height of his powers, as pundit Leif Shiras, per Sky Sports, confirmed: "It is fun to see a guy at the height of his powers like this, and he has the chance to enter the pantheon of tennis greats."

Put simply, it is difficult to see anyone stopping the newly-announced father from winning his fourth end-of-season crown.