Novak Djokovic, seeking to retain the world's No.1 ranking at year's end, will kick off his 2013 Paris Masters campaign against Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert while Japanese sensation Kei Nishikori and French veteran Joe-Wilfried Tsonga are set for an early round clash on Tuesday at Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy.
Nole Wants To Be No.1 Again
Even after losing the world's No.1 ranking to Rafael Nadal early this month at the China Open, Djokovic vowed to do everything he can to regain his old spot atop the ATP world rankings before the year ends.
Djokovic, fresh from a two-week break after back-to-back wins at Beijing and Shanghai, is seeking to claim another title, but this time a win in Paris could push him closer to Nadal, who holds a 2,060 margin over the Serb.
"Well, I'm still in this year. It hasn't finished," Djokovic told the press after his win against Juan Martin Del Potro in the final of Shanghai Masters via Super Sport. "I really will try to do my best till the end of the season, then I'm going to start thinking about what my goals are for next year."
The six-time Grand Slam winner is scheduled to face Herbert in his first match at Paris Masters. Djokovic hasn't faced the Frenchman before but Herbert will definitely come out firing in his first ever meeting with the former world's no.1
A second round victory by Djokovic will put him in a third-round clash against the winner of John Isner-Michał Przysiężny.
Second Round Delight
Tuesday's schedule features an early-round battle between Nishikori and Tsonga. Nishikori, rated No.19 in the world, booked his place in the second round with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Julien Benneteau.
Meanwhile, Tsonga received a first round bye from the Paris Masters organizers after landing the No.8 seed in the tourney.
Nishikori holds a 3-1 head-to-head record over Tsonga, but the Frenchman booked a 7-6, 6-0 win in their latest meeting at the Shanghai Masters, setting up an interesting match-up this early in the tournament.
Live Stream & Schedule
Tennis Channel will start airing Paris Masters matches from 6 a.m until 6 p.m Tuesday. Nishikori vs. Tsonga will kick off the double header at 2:30 p.m EST while Djokovic vs. Herbert match will begin at 4 p.m EST. Live Streaming of matches is available on ESPN Watch while live scores and statistics is available on Paris Masters website.