Tennis: Early Christmas Present Awaiting at Shanghai

   "Jingle Bells Jingle Bells jingle all the way,

    Santa Claus is coming along riding on a sleigh...."

It might seem very early to hum this tune, but for the stars playing at Shanghai, winning will be an early Christmas present for sure.

Each of the eight who have qualified for the Masters Cup have trudged a long and winding path to be here and now they have something more than the trophy to vie for.

For players like Tsonga, Simon, Murray and Del Potro, it is a first time honour and they would want to hit the bull's-eye: bang, on target!  For Djokovic, Davydenko and Roddick, it is a chance to finish the year on a high.

For Federer, it is much, much more than this. It is a chance for him to etch his name on yet another record and try to regain his número uno tag once again!

This year, the names of the players fighting it out was announced in a typical mandarin fashion: inside the famous Chinese fortune cookies but, no pun intended, the draw was not at all that fortunate. It is tougher and more competitive than one would have imagined it to be.

Also, combined with the fact that the event spans a mere week, the players will have to combine with strain and tiredness too.

Thus the road to the ultimate glory is filled with tangible and intangible obstacles, just as the winner of the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter's world gets 1,000 gold galleons there, here the winner gets 750 much desired points.  These points may prove crucial for the winner's ranking.

Finally, with just less than a day remaining for the start of the curtain finale 2008, it seems appropriate to hang a stocking and start wishing. Who knows, Santa Claus may just drop in at Shanghai and grant us what we want most!