After reaching the finals of his home tournament, Roger Federer is all set to kick off his Paris Masters campaign as he takes on up-and-coming star Kevin Anderson of South Africa in the second round of Wednesday's action .
Swiss Feeling
Federer, who finished runner-up to Juan Martin Del Potro for the second straight year at Basel Open, will have a chance to further solidify his spot in the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals in the Paris Masters.
The Swiss tennis star is currently in a tight battle with rivals Stanislas Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet for the remaining berths in the season-ending tournament at the O2 Arena. A loss by Federer in the earlier stages of the tournament would mean the end of his 11-year run as a qualifier at the Tour Finals.
Rafael Nadal's Vote of Confidence
Rafael Nadal, who is undoubtedly the most successful man in the tourney, believes his Swiss rival will finish the season on a strong note and begin next year as one of the top contenders for the 2014 Australian Open.
"I am sure that he is not finished,' Nadal told reporters via IOL Sports. 'He had a very positive week in Basel and I have no doubt that he will be playing better now than what he has been doing this year.
"His goal will be to finish the year strongly and be ready to start in Australia. If that happens he will be one of the candidates to win the first Grand Slam of 2014. His talent allows him to keep being one of the favourites," he added.
Nadal and Federer have not played each other much on the court this year because of Federer's struggles to get past the quarterfinals of big tournaments. In Paris, the only chance of a Nadal-Federer clash is if both netters reach the finals.
Testy First Round Battle
Federer will play Kevin Anderson for the first time in his career. Anderson, who is 6'8" tall, arranged a showdown with the 17-time Grand Slam champion after his first round opponent Mikhael Youzhny retired in their match.
Federer, on the other hand, received a first round bye from Paris Masters organizers after taking the fifth seed in the tourney.
Live Stream & Schedule
Roger Federer vs. Kevin Anderson's match will begin at 2:30 p.m EST, and Rafael Nadal vs. Marcel Granollers will kick off at 1:00 p.m EST on the Tennis Channel. Live Streaming is available on ESPN Watch while live scores can be followed on ATP Tennis.
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