London Calling

Will David Ferrer, Mikhail Youzhny, and Jurgen Melzer make late runs at the World Tour Finals?

Well, the 2010 Slam season may be behind us, but that doesn't mean that we can all take a long snooze and set our alarm clocks for the Australian Open. As the Asian swing gets underway, there are still a lot of reasons for the world's top players to put their best hardcourt shoes forward - nearly 2 million to be exact.

With only 54 days left until the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals begin at the sleek and sophisticated O2 Arena in London, there are still six spots up for grabs. While Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Robin Soderling appear to be all but a lock for the event, numbers six, seven, and eight in the rankings (also known as Berdych, Roddick, and Verdasco) might want to get a few wins under their belt because a man by the name of Dah-veed is more than likely going to make a run at one or all of them.

David Ferrer made good use of his one and only trip to the WTF's in 2007, when he won four consecutive matches on his way to a loss in the final to Roger Federer. The relentless warrior netted a cool $700,000 for his showing, and the way that Ferrer has played in 2010, there is absolutely no reason to believe that he couldn't sneak up on the field and do some damage under the bright lights of the O2 Arena.

Others on the outside looking in at the moment are Mikhail Youzhny and Jurgen Melzer, but both in-form players are a few good tournaments away from making the likes of Verdasco, Roddick, and Berdych have to work for their spots.

In Berdych's case, given his recent form, and the amount of energy he expended over the spring and summer, I'm not sure what he has left in the tank. Roddick too, has been in a funk.

In other words, the top-8 at the moment may not be the top-8 on November 21. It could make for some very interesting matches and tournaments as the long river of tennis that is the ATP season finally makes it's way
to the River Thames.

Both Berdych and Ferrer will be in Malaysia this week at a 250 event, and they could meet in the quarters. Youzhny, Soderling, and Davydenko will be there as well.

Who do you think will come out with the most points?