Novak Djokovic's already brilliant season took on another dimension on Sunday when the world number one became the first man to win six Masters titles in a calendar year by dismissing Andy Murray 6-2, 6-4 in Paris.
Unseeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny denied top seed and defending champion David Ferrer a fourth Valencia Open title when he beat the world number three 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the Spaniard's home event on Sunday.
The Swiss played some of his best tennis this year but it was still not enough to stop him from being on the receiving end of a 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-4 defeat against the powerful Argentine and his 220 kph serve.
Roger Federer eased his way into the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-1, 7-6 (0) defeat of Canadian newcomer Milos Raonic in his opening round-robin match on Sunday.
A season that produced the biggest shake-up in men's tennis for more than a decade draws to a close next week with three ATP World Tour Finals debutants striving to sign off breakthrough years with a large exclamation mark.
Jack Sock became the first American to reach the last four of the ATP Finals in 10 years when he stunned world number three Alexander Zverev in a firecracker of a match on Thursday.
The spirit was as strong as ever but Rafael Nadal's troublesome knee failed him in the end as the Spaniard quit the ATP Finals after a painful defeat by Belgium's David Goffin.
A hoped-for fight to the finish for the year-end number one ranking at next month's ATP World Tour Finals in London will likely be a coronation for Rafael Nadal, who is virtually guaranteed ending 2017 top of the pile.
Novak Djokovic was dumped out of the Paris Masters in straight sets by Marin Cilic on Friday, opening the door for Andy Murray to end the Serb's two-year stranglehold on the world number one ranking.
The Big Four were always going to come into the year's first Grand Slam knowing fully well that their days of dominance are drawing to a close, if not already a thing of the past, says Dhruv Munjal.
Novak Djokovic may be asking Roger Federer for one or two tips in the coming weeks about how to combine parenthood with playing on the ATP Tour.
Roger Federer has his sights set on ending the year as the world's top-ranked player after the 33-year-old claimed his fifth title of the year in his home town.
Four more performances like that at the O2 Arena this week should guarantee Andy Murray will end 2016 leading the pack.
The triple grand slam winner, who will take over from Serb Novak Djokovic at the top when the rankings are updated on Monday, still went out on centre court for a practice session in front of a bemused crowd.
With three of the four Grand Slam titles and a record six Masters Series crowns scooped up in a year of domination, Novak Djokovic could be forgiven for using the ATP Tour Finals in London as a well-earned lap of honour.
World number one Novak Djokovic survived a second-set blip to reach the Paris Masters final with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 win over Stan Wawrinka, his 21st victory in a row.
Spain's Rafael Nadal was at his dominant best against Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday, brushing aside his compatriot 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to move into the fourth round at the Australian Open. Images from Day 6 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
Andy Murray has set up a mouth-watering clash with Grigor Dimitrov and a chance to avenge his defeat at Wimbledon after hammering Portugal's Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-1, 7-5 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open in Melbourne, on Friday.
Novak Djokovic boosted his chances of finishing the season as world number one when he became the first player to retain his Paris Masters title with a 6-2, 6-3 win over big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in the final on Sunday.
Roger Federer booked his place in the ATP World Tour Finals for a record-tying 12th consecutive year when he dismissed South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday.
Britain's Andy Murray believes Gala Leon's appointment as Spain's Davis Cup captain was handled "horribly".
Andy Murray took another step towards securing a berth at next month's World Tour finals when he fought off a typically dogged David Ferrer to win 6-4, 7-5 and move into the final of the Valencia Open on Saturday.
Roger Federer's hopes of knocking Novak Djokovic off the top of the ATP world rankings before the end of the year took a hit when he lost to big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in the Paris Masters quarter-finals on Friday.
Rafael Nadal's announcement on Friday that he will miss the ATP World Tour Finals because of appendicitis ended a difficult year for the Spaniard during which he has endured injury, illness and worrying defeats.
The 43-year-old, whose longevity is a talked about tale in world tennis, said the line-up that Spain has presented for the Davis Cup tie against India is a must watch for every single budding athlete in the country.
Japan's Kei Nishikori surged to a three-set victory over alternate David Ferrer at the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday before sitting back to watch his fate unfold in the night match.
'Goran had quite a big influence on me to change my mentality and focus on my game. He changed my serve, I started to get aggressive and that is what I needed in my career'
Images from Day 5 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Friday.
Roger Federer showed flashes of his best but Novak Djokovic exposed the Swiss maestro's fading powers with a three-set victory at the ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday.
Having bagged a gold medal from the 2012 London Olympics and won the 2013 Wimbledon championship, Murray will get his first chance to complete the hat-trick at the O2 next week.
International Ski Federation (FIS) president Gian-Franco Kasper has warned FIFA against holding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the same time as the Winter Olympic Games.
Croatian wunderkind Borna Coric offered emphatic proof of his potential when he crushed Rafael Nadal in the Swiss Indoor tournament on Friday before local hero Roger Federer cruised into the last four.
Rafael Nadal is recovering satisfactorily from appendicitis and will continue a course of antibiotics in a bid to be fit for the remainder of the 2014 season, the World No 2's spokesman said on Thursday.
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