Paris Masters Final, as it happened : Djokovic beats Shapovalov, wins fifth title

Novak Djokovic beats Denis Shapovalov to claim his fifth Paris Masters title. Here's all the action, as it happened.

Novak Djokovic meets Denis Shapovalov in the final of the Paris Masters

LIVE:

Novak Djokovic wins the Paris Masters with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Denis Shapovalov. This is his 34th career Masters win. Novak did not drop a set in this campaign. Champion.

The players are out and ready to play. Novak Djokovic has been a little under the weather this week but he has been unplayable during key moments in the tournament. Shapovalov wins the toss and chooses to receive.
 

PREVIEW

All you need to know, in numbers

Novak Djokovic beat Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach his 50th Masters 1000 final and sixth at the venue. He will be vying for his 34th Masters trophy and his fifth title at Paris on Sunday.

Head to head
Djokovic and Shapovalov have faced each other thrice so far, with the former winning all three games. However, the duo has never faced off on indoor hard courts.

Shapovalov has won just one in eight sets played against Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal injury update
In what was an anticlimactic turn of events, the second semifinal ended before it began with Rafael Nadal withdrawing from the tie owing to an injury sustained during warm-up. The Spaniard later confirmed this to be a strain in the abdomen. This has put this participation in the ATP Tour finals in doubt.

"We saw something on the image, probably a small strain."
-@RafaelNadal

Rafa speaks about the injury that forced him to pull out of his semifinal just moments before the match.#RolexParisMasterspic.twitter.com/lZKTYkwnmV

— TENNIS (@Tennis) November 2, 2019

What Nadal's injury means to Djokovic's ranking chances
Nadal holds a 1,280-point lead over Djokovic as far as rankings are concerned. A victory on Sunday for Djokovic will reduce that gap to just 640 points, which will turn the spotlight on the proceedings at the ATP Finals in London.

If victorious campaign will give Djokovic 1,500 points and, you guessed it, the world no.1 ranking.

Nadal needs to compete in the ATP Finals and finish well to keep his hold on the lead tight.

What's at stake for Shapovalov
The Canadian will look to win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title. He will also become the first Canadian to do so if he does. It was also be his second title in fifteen days after his win in Stockholm.

When does the game begin?
The match begins at 7.30pm IST.

Where can I watch the match?
You can watch the Djokovic vs Shapovalov game on the Sony Pictures Network. The tie will also be streaming on Sony LIV.