Paris Masters draw: Nadal back in action, in same half with Djokovic; Alcaraz with Medvedev and Auger- Aliassime

It’s time for the last and final Masters 1000 event of the calendar year as Paris Masters on Friday revealed the draw for the 2022 tournament which will begin from October 31 onwards at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy.

Rafael Nadal will be returning to action in the tournament with it being his first appearance in competitive tennis since his early US Open exit. The draw will also have Novak Djokovic, who has already won two titles earlier this month and incumbent World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Alacarz has been seeded No.1 and has both Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz in his quarter, albeit he will have to face only one of them if he makes all the way to the quarterfinals before which he needs to negate Matteo Berrettini threat that looms in the third round. Meanwhile, Holger Rune, who recently won his second career title in Stockholm, will face Stan Wawrinka in his opening round.

The second half of the draw could witness a potential blockbuster quarterfinal clash between 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has been on a winning spree with title victories in Florence and Antwerp. But ahead of the quarters clash, both face a third-round obstacle with Medvedev likely to face Frances Tiafoe, while Felix will be up against Taylor Fritz.

The second half of the draw has both six-time winner and defending champion Novak Djokovic and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal. Djokovic faces an early threat from Jannik Sinner in the third round and could face one between Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud in the quarters.

Nadal, on the other hand, who is looking to claim his first ever Paris Masters title, could face compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round before setting up a blockbuster clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas.