Thiem's farewell, pivotal week in Live Race: Basel & Vienna Scouting Report

The season is coming to a thrilling climax, with the best players in the world trying to earn their place at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The chase continues this week at ATP 500 events in Basel and Vienna, where plenty of points are up for grabs.

Andrey Rublev is the top seed at the Swiss Indoors Basel and Alexander Zverev is the top seed at the Erste Bank Open. It will be an emotional week in Vienna, where home hero Dominic Thiem will retire after a standout career in which he reached No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and won the 2020 US Open.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each tournament. 

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BASEL
1) Rublev Leads The Way: The top seed in Basel is Andrey Rublev, who is competing in the tournament for the first time. Every match, beginning with his opener against Portuguese Nuno Borges, is key for the 26-year-old. Rublev is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and attempting to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive season.

2) Felix Two-Time Defending Champion: Felix Auger-Aliassime joined an elite list last year when he won his second consecutive Basel title. The only other players to accomplish the feat are Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro, Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl. The Canadian’s two most recent triumphs have come at the ATP 500 and he will try to make it three in a row, beginning with his first-round clash against Argentine Sebastian Baez.

3) Stan At Home: Swiss great Stan Wawrinka headlines the wild cards on home soil. The 39-year-old enjoyed his best tournament of the year in Stockholm, where he advanced to the semi-finals, and will try to carry that momentum to Basel, where he seeks his first crown. Fellow Swiss Dominic Stricker and former Top 10 player Denis Shapovalov also are in the field as wild cards.

4) Ruud & Tsitsipas Players To Watch: There is plenty of more starpower in Basel. Second seed Casper Ruud, who is seventh in the Live Race, faces a tricky opening test against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas seeks his second title of the year and will begin his quest against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo. Sixth seed Ben Shelton is bringing his booming serve to Basel for the first time.

5) Koolhof & Mektic’s Turin Pursuit: The top seeds in the doubles draw are Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champions are seventh in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings and are trying to return to the season finale. They surged to their current standing by winning the ATP Masters 1000 title in Shanghai.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN VIENNA
1) Thiem’s Farewell: Thiem, one of the best players of his generation, is retiring after his efforts this coming week on home soil in Vienna. The 31-year-old won the title at the tournament in 2019 and owns a 16-11 record there, where he played his first ATP Tour event in 2010. That year, he competed in qualifying as a 17-year-old. Thiem will begin his event against Argentine Mariano Navone on Tuesday evening.

2) Zverev Top Seed: Zverev is atop the ATP 500 draw. The German has tallied a 9-2 mark in Vienna, where he lifted the trophy in 2021. With Nitto ATP Finals qualification already set, Zverev will try to add to his Rome triumph with a second 2024 victory. He plays wild card Joel Schwaerzler, an 18-year-old Austrian, in the first round.

3) Race Chase: Several players in contention for the Nitto ATP Finals will jockey for position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin in Vienna. Alex de Minaur is ninth in the Live Race, 275 points behind eighth-placed Andrey Rublev for the final qualification spot. With 500 points up for grabs this week, the Australian will try to make his move towards a debut in Turin. Grigor Dimitrov, the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion, and Tommy Paul, who are meeting in the Stockholm final, are right behind De Minaur, trying to move closer to a qualifying spot.

4) Tantalising First-Round Matchups: There are several intriguing first-round matches to watch. Seventh seed Jack Draper will take on former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, fifth seed Frances Tiafoe will play former Top 10 star Cameron Norrie and fourth seed Paul will try to defeat countryman Brandon Nakashima, the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion.

What on earth are we up to in Vienna? ? @jackdraper0 x @whatwillycook pic.twitter.com/x1qUyL5RPC

Other openers to watch include a battle of Italians between sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego, as well as a rematch of this year’s Newport final between Marcos Giron and #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen.

5) Arevalo/Pavic & Bopanna/Ebden lead the way: The top two seeds in the doubles field are reigning Roland Garros champions Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic & Australian Open winners Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden. Bopanna/Ebden face a tricky opening test against Robin Haase and Zverev, who received a wild card. Another team that won a major this year, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, will try to claim ATP 500 glory in Vienna as the third seeds.

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