The men's singles draw for the Paris Masters has been unveiled, with Djokovic opting out of the tournament.

The men's singles draw for the Paris Masters, the final Masters event of the 2024 season, was recently unveiled. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, as the top two seeds, head the lineup. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament, opting out of competition at this event. As for his participation in the year-end Finals, that remains uncertain.

The Paris Masters is a tennis tournament held annually in Paris, the capital of France. As one of the nine ATP 1000 events, the Paris Masters takes place every year from late October to early November, serving as a stop on the ATP Masters Series—and typically marking the final ATP Masters event of the year.

The Paris Masters tournament began in 1968. Held on indoor hard courts, it is one of the most prestigious indoor hard-court tennis events in the world. As of 2024, like the Shanghai Masters and the Monte Carlo Masters, the Paris Masters remains one of the nine ATP 1000 events that do not feature a women’s competition.

In addition to Djokovic, all of the world's top-10 players participated in this tournament. Sinner and Alcaraz are seeded No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, while the No. 3 to No. 8 seeds are Zverev, Medvedev, Fritz, Rublev, Ruud, and Dimitrov. The matchups among the top eight seeds are as follows:

[3] Zverev vs. Rublev [6]

[4] Medvedev vs. Dimitrov [8]

Due to Djokovic's withdrawal, Zhang Zhizhen has been selected as a lucky loser to enter the main draw, where he’ll face his longtime rival, Argentina’s Etcheverry, in the first round. If he manages to win, he’ll then take on Dimitrov in the second round. In fact, players ranked between 20 and 40 in men’s tennis tend to be quite evenly matched, making each round a tough challenge. For Zhang Zhizhen, climbing any further up the rankings will undoubtedly become much more difficult.

The biggest highlight of this tournament is the battle for the men's year-end finals berth. So far, Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, and Medvedev have already secured their spots, and Fritz, currently ranked fifth, is also virtually assured of making the cut. The main competition, however, will unfold among players ranked sixth through twelfth.

Djokovic is ranked No. 6 and will not participate in this tournament. Meanwhile, Ruud, Rublev, and Dimitrov occupy ranks No. 7, 8, and 9, respectively. Dimitrov, who sits at No. 10, is nearly 400 points behind Dimitrov, making it highly unlikely for him to directly qualify.

So the remaining three spots will likely be decided among Djokovic, Ruud, Rublev, and Dimitrov. Given the uncertainty surrounding Djokovic's participation, Dimitrov has a real shot at qualifying. Of course, Paul and Tsitsipas, ranked 11th and 12th respectively, aren’t entirely out of the running either.

The main tournament of this event will kick off on October 28, featuring several exciting first-round matchups, including Sheldon vs. Aliassime, Rune vs. Arnaldi, and Draper vs. Lehecka. Meanwhile, China's Zhang Zhizhen is expected to deliver a closely contested battle against Etcheverry in the opening round.