Nadal, Djokovic Lead ATP's Best in World Tour Finals on ESPN3, ESPN2
Daily on ESPN3 November 4-11 from London; 10 Hours on ESPN2 November 7-11
Doubles Action Added as Bryan Brothers Seek Fourth Title
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic lead the exclusive field at the prestigious year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals starting Monday, Nov. 4, live on ESPN3, joined by ESPN2 from Thursday, Nov. 7, to the championship Monday, Nov. 11, at 3 p.m. ET. For the first time, ESPN will also present the year-end doubles competition, headlined by American twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.
ESPN3 will start each day from London's O2 Arena at 7 a.m. for seven days, from Monday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 10, with the doubles championship Monday, Nov. 11, at 1 p.m. ESPN2 will televise a singles match live Thursday and Friday, plus the singles semifinals live Sunday and the championship live Monday. ESPN tennis original and 2013 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Cliff Drysdale will call the action on ESPN2 with analysts Brad Gilbert and Patrick McEnroe.
All the action on ESPN2 (10 live hours) and ESPN3 (50 live hours) is also available through WatchESPN online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and on Apple TV. Launched in April 2011, it is accessible in 55 million households to fans who receive ESPN's linear networks as part of their video subscription via Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast Xfinity TV, Midcontinent Communications, Cablevision, Charter, Cox or AT&T U-verse.
Surveying the Field
Nadal and Djokovic - ranked 1-2 in the world with three major titles and seven of the year's eight (to date) ATP Masters 1000 titles between them in 2013 - lead the field of eight in round-robin play leading to the semifinals and championship. Last year, Djokovic won this event for the second time (2008); this title has eluded Nadal.
The field also includes former finalists David Ferrer (2007) and Juan Martin Del Potro (2009), ranked No. 3 and 5, respectively, plus Nos. 6-9:
· Tomas Berdych (making his fourth consecutive appearance),
· Six-time winner Roger Federer who qualified for the 12th consecutive year,
· Stanislas Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet.
(Andy Murray is ranked No. 4 in the world but has withdrawn as he recovers from back surgery. He is planning to return to the court in the Dream Cup Barbados, a two-day exhibition on ESPN3 on November 29-30 that also includes Del Potro, Richard Gasquet and Nicolas Almagro.)
Event Format
The eight players are divided up into two groups. All players play three round-robin matches against players in their group to determine a winner and runner-up from each group, who advance to the knockout stage of the tournament. The winner of Group A plays the runner-up of Group B and the winner of Group B plays the runner-up of Group A in the semifinals, with the winners advancing to the Championship. All matches are best-of-three sets.
Nadal-Djokovic By The Numbers
Matches Played 38 - most between any two players in the Open Era
Win-Loss Record Nadal leads 22-16
Win-Loss Record Indoors 2-2
Win-Loss Record Major Finals 3-3
Win-Loss Record Finals 9-9
* - They are the only male duo in the Open Era to have met in the final of all four majors.
In doubles, the Bryan Brothers will be seeking their fourth year-end ATP crown, to go with their long list of career accomplishments which include 15 major titles and the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal. The seven other duos include defending champions Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez. Like the singles, doubles matches start Monday, Nov. 4, and conclude with the championship a week later with all the action on ESPN3.
Date Time (ET) Match Network
Mon, Nov 4 7 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
9 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
1 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
3 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
Tues, Nov 5 7 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
9 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
1 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
3 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
Wed, Nov 6 7 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
9 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
1 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
3 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
Thur, Nov 7 7 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
9 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
1 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
3 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN2
Fri, Nov 8 7 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
9 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
1 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
3 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN2
Sat, Nov 9 7 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
9 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
12:45 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Round Robin ESPN3
2:45 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Round Robin ESPN3
Sun, Nov 10 7 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Semifinal #1 ESPN3
9 a.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Semifinal #1 ESPN2
1 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Semifinal #2 ESPN3
3 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Semifinal #2 ESPN2
Mon, Nov 11 1 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Doubles Championship ESPN3
3 p.m. Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Singles Championship ESPN2
About ESPN3
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a 24/7 destination that delivers thousands of global sports events annually via WatchESPN. It is available to 85 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
ESPN3 carries thousands of hours of tennis annually, including all four Grand Slam events, plus ATP 1000 and 500 tournaments and WTA Premier Events, and the season-ending championships for both tours.
ESPN - All Four Slams, All In One Place
Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year. ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 - 1993), and Wimbledon since 2003, with exclusivity for live television with all other rights extended in a 12-year agreement starting in 2012. Exclusivity for the US Open in an 11-year agreement begins in 2015.
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