It will be an uphill battle for Novak Djokovic in Paris this year.
Chris OddoOctober 30, 20262 minute read
The Paris Masters is the last stop on the road to Turin, and there are still four spots for this year’s ATP Finals yet to be claimed.
On Friday the draw for the 56-player field was held, with Turin hopefuls like Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe, Rafael Jodar, Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur discovering their pathway to possible qualification.
It will be a particularly difficult road for seven-time champion Djokovic, who will have to get through a gauntlet just to reach the semifinals in Paris, and even that may not be enough for the 39-year-old, who is currently two spots away from qualification, barring any withdrawals.
Novak Djokovic’s Potential Path to the Semifinals – 2026 Paris Masters (if seeds hold)
| Round | Potential Opponent |
|---|---|
| First Round (R64) | Valentin Vacherot |
| Second Round (R32) | Luciano Darderi / Qualifier |
| Round of 16 | [8] Alex de Minaur |
| Quarterfinals | [1] Alexander Zverev |
| Semifinals | [3] Shelton or [7] Tiafoe |
Here is Djokovic’s projected path to the semis – note that he could face Alex de Minaur in what would be a showdown of two players on the fringe of qualification in the third round.
The third round is the sweet spot for many Turin aspirants. In addition to the potential Djokovic vs De Minaur tilt, Flavio Cobolli could face Rafael Jodar; Frances Tiafoe could face Tommy Paul; Arthur Fils could face Taylor Fritz.
Here are how the seeds shake out in their first matches:
2026 Paris Masters – Seeds and First Matches
| Seed | Player | First Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Zverev | Musetti / Hurkacz (after bye) |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Michelsen / Lehecka (after bye) |
| 3 | Ben Shelton | Norrie / Arnaldi (after bye) |
| 4 | Daniil Medvedev | Buse / Bergs (after bye) |
| 5 | Flavio Cobolli | Qualifier / Arthur Gea (after bye) |
| 6 | Arthur Fils | Kyrian Jacquet / Qualifier (after bye) |
| 7 | Frances Tiafoe | Quentin Halys / Arthur Fery (after bye) |
| 8 | Alex de Minaur | Andrey Rublev / Tomas Martin Etcheverry (after bye) |
| 9 | Rafael Jodar | Alejandro Tabilo |
| 10 | Novak Djokovic | Valentin Vacherot |
| 11 | Taylor Fritz | Qualifier |
| 12 | Tommy Paul | Holger Rune |
| 13 | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | Moise Kouame |
| 14 | Brandon Nakashima | Matteo Berrettini |
| 15 | Learner Tien | Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| 16 | Francisco Cerundolo | Arthur Rinderknech |
Main draw play in Paris begins on Monday November 2.
