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Novak Djokovic continues to rewrite the record books, extending his sizable 'Big Titles' advantage by winning the Rolex Paris Masters on Sunday.

By defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the Paris-Bercy final, the Serbian claimed his 40th ATP Masters 1000 trophy, becoming the first player to reach that milestone.

Djokovic has now won 70 'Big Titles', which is a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals. 

Djokovic has won one ‘Big Title’ for every 3.1 events played (70/217). Only three other players have claimed 'Big Titles' at a rate better than one for every five events played: Nadal (1/3.5), Federer (1/4.4) and Pete Sampras (1/4.9).

The 36-year-old has won the Rolex Paris Masters seven times, also a record. Having also emerged victorious in Cincinnati this year, he has earned multiple Masters 1000 titles in 12 seasons during his career.

Novak Djokovic has moved within one set of a record-extending 40th ATP Masters 1000 crown after moving ahead in Sunday’s Rolex Paris Masters championship match against Grigor Dimitrov.

Djokovic leads 6-4 after pulling away from the Bulgarian following a cagey start inside Accor Arena. The Serbian, who is chasing a record-extending seventh title at the indoor hard-court event, won 88 per cent (15/17) of points behind his first serve in a largely solid first-set display.

That dominance behind his delivery allowed Djokovic to hit freely on return, and he clinched a decisive break in the seventh game as Dimitrov, who made a costly 19 unforced errors in the set, struggled to match the 36-year-old’s consistency from the baseline.

The World No. 1 Djokovic entered Sunday’s final on a 17-match winning streak and having won his past nine Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes with Dimitrov. Should he go on to complete victory in Paris, he will increase his Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin lead over Carlos Alcaraz to 1490 points and make it highly likely he will claim the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour for a record-extending eighth time.

More to follow…

Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin extended their late-season winning streak to eight on Sunday to clinch the title at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The seventh-seeded duo defeated Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 6-2, 5-7, 10-7 to lift the trophy at the ATP Masters 1000 event in the French capital. Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin converted both break points they earned to claim victory, holding firm after dropping their first set of the week in the championship match in Paris.

“The set we lost, it’s totally my fault. I did a pretty bad game in the second set, but Santi helped a lot at the changeover,” said home favourite Roger-Vasselin. “[He said] ‘It’s OK, we’re just going to fight every point and enjoy the crowd’. For me it’s super special to win here in Paris, so I’m really thankful to Santi. He played amazing all week, and I’m really happy to win this trophy here.”

The franchise players ⭐️⭐️

The moment @gonzalezsanty & @ERogerVasselin locked up the doubles title in Paris, defeating Bopanna/Ebden 6-2, 5-7, 10-7!@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/e5lP9GGm0w

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin, who also lifted the trophy in Basel a week ago, defeated the second, third and fourth-seeded pairs en route to their second Masters 1000 crown of the year. The duo has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where the pair will enter the prestigious season finale on a high.

The final ATP 250 action of 2023 takes place in Metz and Sofia, where a host of top stars line up at a pair of indoor hard-court events.

Alex de Minaur leads the field at the Moselle Open in Metz, where Karen Khachanov and Stan Wawrinka also feature in the draw. At the Sofia Open, Lorenzo Musetti, Adrian Mannarino and Jan-Lennard Struff are among the Top 30 players eyeing a successful end to the year.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch at each event.

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FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN METZ
1) De Minaur Headlines Draw: Although his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes were ended by quarter-final defeat at the Rolex Paris Masters, De Minaur will aim to cap a strong year with a deep run in Metz. The Australian, who lifted the biggest title of his career in Acapulco in March, will take on one of two home wild cards first up — Pierre-Hugues Herbert or #NextGenATP Arthur Cazaux.

Grigor Dimitrov has the chance to end a rock-solid year in spectacular fashion at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The Bulgarian has been the model of consistency in 2023, racking up a 41-20 record and reaching one tour-level championship match and four other semi-finals. Although the 32-year-old Dimitrov’s wait for his ninth ATP Tour title has now gone on for nearly six years, he is determined to be proactive in trying to change that in Paris-Bercy as he takes on Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final at the ATP Masters 1000. (Watch live from 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET)

“I think for me where I'm at right now, things in a way, they're going my way, but also I'm looking for them as well,” said Dimitrov after he overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas in Saturday’s semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event. “I'm not waiting for my opponent to do something with it or I'm not waiting for them to miss.

“I want to win or lose on my own terms… I can control my attitude, and I don't want to feel sorry for myself for the past years. I don't want to feel like I have missed opportunities. Have I? Yeah, of course, too many, if you ask me. Have I made mistakes? Yes, too many.

“There comes a point where it's like, okay, I'm accepting all that had been thrown at me, what I had to face, and I continue. I get to have another chance. So when you get that chance, try to use it. So I'm trying to give myself a chance.”

Novak Djokovic maintained his perfect record in semi-finals at the Rolex Paris Masters on Saturday evening, but not before overcoming a marathon hard-hitting test from Andrey Rublev in the French capital.

The World No. 1 prevailed 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5 against the fifth-seeded Rublev to move within one win of a record-extending seventh title at the ATP Masters 1000. Despite some uncharacteristically wayward baseline play and having treatment from the physio on his lower back between the second and third sets, Djokovic held firm in the decider to clinch a three-hour, two-minute triumph.

"Rublev was suffocating me like a snake suffocates a frog for most of the match," said Djokovic. "He was playing an extremely high level that he possesses, but today he was off the charts, honestly. I don’t think I’ve ever faced Rublev this good."

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Djokovic is now 9-0 in semi-finals in Paris-Bercy, where he will compete for his 40th Masters 1000 crown in Sunday’s championship match. His opponent there will be Grigor Dimitrov, after the Bulgarian earlier defeated Stefanos Tstisipas 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3).

Grigor Dimitrov’s late-season charge shows no sign of abating at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The Bulgarian held his nerve for a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 triumph against Hubert Hurkacz on Friday to book a semi-final spot at the indoor ATP Masters 1000 event. Dimitrov capitalised on a slow start from the 11th-seeded Hurkacz to race to the opening set at Accor Arena, before staying consistent in the decider to reach the semi-finals in Paris-Bercy for the second time.

“My body is feeling well for now, that’s the most important thing,” said Dimitrov, who also upset third seed Daniil Medvedev this week in Paris. “My head is good. If I’m able to play like that on a consistent basis throughout every game, I put myself in a position to do better.

“Today was no different. A completely different opponent again. Every day you have to adapt, and I’ve been able to do so these four or five days.”

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Running back into form without a moment to spare, defending champion Holger Rune has given himself the chance to reprise his stunning win over Novak Djokovic last year at the Rolex Paris Masters and boost his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals after a key win Thursday night.

The 20-year-old Dane produced a convincing 6-3, 6-3 win over German Daniel Altmaier to charge into the quarter-finals and set another meeting with the World No. 1, whom he denied a seventh Paris title in last year’s final.

Rune’s title run last year left him one place outside the cut for the Nitto ATP Finals, where he served as the alternate. This year he is trying to hang onto the eighth and final place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

How about Holger tonight? ?@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/rqZcATepud

In addition to his 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Djokovic in last year's final, the World No. 7 defeated the Serbian in three sets in the Rome quarter-finals earlier this year to take a 2-1 lead in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Novak Djokovic was on the brink of becoming the latest upset victim at the Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday night. Instead, he battled back from a set down to defeat Tallon Griekspoor and advance to his ninth straight quarter-final at the event.

The Serbian won the final eight points of the match to escape with a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory, extending his winning streak to 15 matches and tightening his grip on the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking. He now leads Carlos Alcaraz — who was upset by Roman Safiullin in his Paris opener — by 670 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer in the battle for year-end No. 1.

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Following the match, Djokovic revealed he was struggling with a stomach issue — though he was full of praise for Griekspoor's effort.

"I don't want to take anything away from his performance. He didn't drop the level," the Serbian said. "Maybe in the third set a few games he did a bit, but he was playing at a very high level and credit to him for that performance. If he would be the winner tonight, it would be absolutely deserved. 

"I started off well but I ran out of steam. I've been struggling the last couple of days with my stomach and I just didn't feel myself at all. I was just trying to hold my serve and get to a tie-break, which happened in the second. I got lucky on a couple of shots there. It could have easily gone his way, but overall I played a good tie-break and I started to feel better in the third. I'm really, really glad to overcome this challenge."

Can Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow ride their red-hot late-season form all the way to the Nitto ATP Finals?

The American pair maintained its push for a debut at the prestigious season finale Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where it overcame rivals Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-5, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals. Lammons and Withrow converted two of the seven break points they earned to clinch their 94-minute triumph and set a last-eight clash with Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.

Lammons and Withrow have lifted four tour-level titles since July (Newport, Atlanta, Winston-Salem, Astana) and their run so far on debut at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy has consolidated them in eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

An eighth-place finish won’t be enough for Lammons and Withrow to book a spot at the prestigious season finale this year, however, after Australian Open winners Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler’s qualification as the only Grand Slam champions to finish the regular season between eighth and 20th was confirmed earlier on Thursday. Lammons and Withrow therefore need to overhaul Gonzalez and Molteni in seventh to reach Turin — the Argentines are currently 355 points ahead of the Americans.

Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski extended their winning streak in Paris-Bercy to five matches by defeating Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6(5). The 2022 champions began their title defence by wrapping a 93-minute win to set a quarter-final with Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, whose Nitto ATP Finals qualification was also confirmed on Thursday.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year. The Greek will join Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev at the season finale, which will be played at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 12-19 November.

“It's awesome. What a great relief to finally get that spot,” Tsitsipas said. “I’ve been working extremely hard the whole year… and it's a moment of relief that I've made it to one of my favourite events of the year and I get the opportunity to play in from my Italian fans, but also get some Greek people in.”

? The 2019 #NittoATPFinals Champions has qualified ?

How will @steftsitsipas close the 2023 season? ? pic.twitter.com/QXS0EhOtyO

Tsitsipas made his debut at the year-end championships in 2019, capturing the prestigious title aged 21. The victory made him the youngest Nitto ATP Finals champion since a 20-year-old Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.

Now 25, Tsitsipas earned his way to the tournament with deep runs at some of the world’s biggest tournaments. The Greek advanced to his second major final at the Australian Open and also reached the championship match in Barcelona. 

The Stefanos Tsitsipas resurgence continues at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The seventh-seeded Greek powered past Alexander Zverev 7-6(2), 6-4 in a big-serving battle on Thursday afternoon at the French ATP Masters 1000 event. Tsitsipas struck 37 winners, including 10 aces, to notch his 50th tour-level win of the season and simultaneously seal his spot at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

With his one-hour, 59-minute triumph, Tsitsipas improved to 9-4 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Zverev. The 25-year-old, who reached the semi-finals in Paris in 2022, will take on Karen Khachanov next after the 16th seed overcame qualifier Roman Safiullin 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

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“It’s awesome. What a great relief to finally get that spot," said Tsitsipas after sealing his Turin place for the fifth consecutive year. "I’ve been working extremely hard the whole year to be in Turin, and it’s a moment of relief that I’ve made it to one of my favourite events of the year. I get the opportunity to play in front of my Italian fans, but also get some Greek people in.

Andrey Rublev became just the fourth player this year to earn 20 ATP Masters 1000 match wins when he brushed aside Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at the Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday.

The fifth seed was at his devastating best against the Dutchman, hammering 18 winners and committing just four unforced errors to advance to his 12th tour-level quarter-final of the season after 65 minutes.

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Rublev captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo earlier this year and holds a 20-7 record at this level in 2023. Only Carlos Alcaraz (25), Daniil Medvedev (25) and Jannik Sinner (21) have earned more wins at Masters 1000 events in 2023.

“Today it went my way,” Rublev said. “Early breaks gave me some confidence. From one set up you play with more freedom and then with a break in the second more free. Then you can go for even more.”

Two more doubles teams have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. Santiago Gonzalez/Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Rinky Hijikata/Jason Kubler are the sixth and seventh teams to guarantee their place at the season finale, which will be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 12-19 November.

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin have enjoyed a standout year in their first season as a team. The Mexican-French duo has claimed four titles, including an ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Miami.

The veteran pair — Gonzalez is 40 and Roger-Vasselin turns 40 later this month — also emerged victorious in Marseille, Los Cabos and Basel.

Gonzalez will make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, while Roger-Vasselin will compete for the third time with a third partner. In 2014, he played with Julien Benneteau and in 2020 he qualified with Jurgen Melzer and reached the championship match.

Hijikata and Kubler will both make their season finale debut in Turin. The Australians earned their spot at the year-end championships by winning the Australian Open and being the only Grand Slam champions to finish the regular season between eighth and 20th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

Rafael Nadal is a sporting icon and he provides a role model for fledgling stars who dream of their own career on the professional tour. However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion not only sets an example for young players, he is also a source of inspiration for the veterans

Enrique Ayala is one of them. The nonagenarian tennis player won the Over-90 Spanish Championship in June, defeating Manuel Villanueva in two sets in the final of the event, which was held at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.

There, on the clay courts of Manacor, as he received his trophy, he was unaware of the misfortune that would soon come his way. After returning from Mallorca, he caught COVID-19 and spent almost two months in critical condition in UCI.

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During his time battling with the virus, Ayala received a very special message. Nadal, upon hearing the news, did not hesitate to send him a video of support that, according to the patient himself, had “a great influence” on his recovery, along with the fact that he is so active so late in his life.

It is a big week for Holger Rune, who is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

Instead of wilting under the pressure against former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem on Wednesday evening, the defending champion rose to the occasion with a 6-4, 6-2 victory to reach the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters.

The 20-year-old is eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, the last qualifying spot for the season finale, which begins on 12 November. He is doing everything in his power to hold onto his position, with ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz 215 points behind.

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It has not been the easiest second half of the year for Rune, who has won just four matches since Wimbledon. But with former World No. 1 Boris Becker now his coach, the Dane found form last week in Basel, where he advanced to the semi-finals. And now he is back at the location of his maiden ATP Masters 1000 triumph.

France has rarely lacked entertainers when it comes to tennis. The country’s current crop of #NextGenATP talent is no different.

When Arthur Cazaux steps on court, he is not just thinking about continuing his rise up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 21-year-old is also driven by a need to follow in the footsteps of the sport’s great entertainers.

“I think it's good to keep our identity and put some show in the game,” Cazaux told ATPTour.com earlier this year. “It's important for tennis and also for the crowd, because people come to watch us for a show. So it's good to have these kinds of players, like Yannick Noah and now with Gael Monfils, with Nick Kyrgios. That's good.”

The World No. 124 Cazaux will have to the chance to demonstrate his own on-court charisma at home this week at the Moselle Open in Metz, where he competes as a wild card at the ATP 250. Currently 11th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah, it could be a decisive moment in his bid to make a late charge towards the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals.

With Arthur Fils and Luca Van Assche both in a strong position to make the eight-player field in Saudi Arabia, Cazaux could be the third Frenchman to qualify this year for the 21-and-under event. Like Fils and Van Assche, he is quick to pay tribute to the influence of the French stars of his childhood, some of whom are still playing and are now his colleagues on the ATP Tour.

Grigor Dimitrov advanced to his second ATP Masters 1000 final and first since 2017 on Saturday when he clawed past Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3) at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The Bulgarian is chasing his first tour-level trophy since 2017, when he won the Nitto ATP Finals trophy. The 32-year-old moved to within one victory of achieving that feat after producing a high-quality display against Tsitsipas to improve to 2-6 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. With little to separate them, Dimitrov produced free-flowing tennis in the third-set tie-break to build a lead, before he struck a backhand pass on match point to advance after two hours and 32 minutes.

"I am just happy I was able to get through that match in such a manner," Dimitrov said. "After that second set, especially the tie-break, it was getting very tricky again. 15/40 down in the third again and I was just thinking it can't keep going like this, so I have to change something. In order to beat someone like him I just had to step through. That is the only thing I could have done.

"Throughout the match I felt I was doing a lot of good things and in the middle of the second [set] he picked up his game and in the end I waited for the tie-break."

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Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden moved to within one win of capturing their third title of the season together on Saturday when they overcame Harri Heliovaara and Mate Pavic 6-7(3), 6-4, 10-6 at the Rolex Paris Masters.

In a hard-fought clash, the third seeds won 88 per cent (46/52) of their first-serve points and were strong in the key moments, saving all three break points to advance after 89 minutes.

If Bopanna and Ebden triumph in Paris, the Indian-Australian team would pass Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek by 60 points to become World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

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Bopanna and Ebden are chasing their second ATP Masters 1000 crown of the year, having triumphed in Indian Wells in March. They have won 12 of their past 14 matches, advancing to the final at the US Open and in Shanghai. They will aim to go one step further in Sunday's title match when they meet Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury or Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Paris is the city of love, but close friends Gael Monfils and Grigor Dimitrov had to put that aside briefly at the Rolex Paris Masters, where they competed in the latest Lexus ATP Head2Head Scavenger Hunt.

The former Top 10 stars raced in a Lexus vehicle to the historic Place des Vosges, where they worked through a scavenger hunt list. Dimitrov slid down a slide and Monfils did a quick dance.

At one point, Dimitrov sat down to pen a letter to Monfils nearby the Maison de Victor Hugo, which was once the home of famous writer Victor Hugo.

“Dear Gael,

So they say love is a bad thing to have in tennis, but this is all I have for you.