World Tour Finals: Meet the elite eight

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Story highlights

The ATP World Tour Finals start Sunday and feature eight of the best players on the tour

World No. 1 and new dad Novak Djokovic is the two-time defending champion in London

Roger Federer and Andy Murray are among the others in action during the indoor event

Rafael Nadal misses the tournament after undergoing appendix surgery this week

London CNN  — 

After the grand slams, it’s the most prestigious men’s tournament on the tennis tour.

The World Tour Finals start Sunday in London and feature eight of the globe’s top players including two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic, six-time winner Roger Federer and Britain’s Andy Murray.

Apart from those familiar names, three debutants line up at the O2 Arena – a venue that normally hosts some of the world’s top musicians – in Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic.

One player who won’t be there, however, is Rafael Nadal – the Spaniard underwent appendix surgery this week.

The show goes on without Nadal and here’s a closer look at the combatants who’ll vie for a potential prize of roughly $2 million.

Group A

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Novak Djokovic

Rank: 1

Age: 27

Tournament history: Eighth straight appearance, two-time defending champion

Djokovic won another grand slam title at Wimbledon, but 2014 hasn’t been all good for the Serb. He suffered upset losses to Stan Wawrinka and Nishikori at the Australian Open and U.S. Open, respectively. With archrival Nadal absent at Flushing Meadows due to a wrist injury, “Nole” missed a huge chance to collect major No. 8.

Off the court, however, there was much happiness: Djokovic got married in July and became a new dad last month.

As the champion in 2012 and 2013 and having won 27 consecutive indoor matches, Djokovic begins the tournament as favorite.

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Stan Wawrinka

Rank: 4

Age: 29

Tournament history: Second straight appearance

From the middle of 2005 to the end of last year, only one player outside the “Big Four” managed to win a grand slam title – Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open. Wawrinka loosened the grip of the all-conquering quartet, though, when he toppled both Djokovic and Nadal at the Australian Open. He did get a bit of luck, mind you, as a back injury hampered Nadal in the final.

Weighed down by being in the spotlight and heightened expectations, Federer’s countryman has failed to maintain his lofty January level. He’s lost four of his last five matches.

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Tomas Berdych

Rank: 7

Age: 29

Tournament history: Fifth straight appearance

Berdych is popular on social media for his humor and has made waves with his attire at grand slams, particularly his shirt at the Australian Open that resembled Argentina’s football jersey and his flowery offering at Roland Garros.

It was another solid season for the Czech with the racquet in his hand. He achieved the quarterfinals or better at three grand slams and collected a landmark 10th career title.

Yet there’s still no grand slam title for the ever dangerous Berdych, and he hasn’t hidden his desire to hire Ivan Lendl as coach.

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Marin Cilic

Rank: 9

Age: 26

Tournament history: Debut

Not even Cilic could have imagined his reversal of fortune. He served a doping ban – later shortened – that forced him to skip the U.S. Open last year but 12 months later Cilic powered his way to the crown, easing past Berdych, Federer and Nishikori with the help of his potent serve.

The opening months of 2014 weren’t shabby for Cilic, either, as he went 16-1 during one stretch.

He has credited his high-profile coach, Goran Ivanisevic, for boosting his serve – and belief.

Group B

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Roger Federer

Rank: 2

Age: 33

Tournament history: 13th straight appearance, six-time champion

It’s been a fine campaign for Federer, the Swiss who often leads the conversation when discussing the greatest tennis players of all time. Hindered by a bad back in 2013, he finished last season at No. 6. But now he stands at No. 2 and even has an opportunity to eclipse Djokovic – his ouster in the Wimbledon final – as the year-end No. 1.

Will, though, Federer be distracted at the World Tour Finals? Switzerland meets France in the Davis Cup final – the team competition and Olympic singles gold are the lone two massive titles he hasn’t won in his record-breaking career – later in November.

Further, Federer landed in the tougher group.

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Kei Nishikori

Rank: 5

Age: 24

Tournament history: Debut

When Nishikori retired against Nadal in the final of the clay-court Madrid Masters in May with a back injury, one couldn’t help but think the flashy Japanese would be slowed by yet more injury problems – especially when he fell in the first round of the French Open weeks later.

Nishikori then didn’t play in the two most important U.S. Open warm-up events because of toe troubles. But in that instance he recovered, eliminating Djokovic and Wawrinka in New York en route to becoming the first Asian man to compete in a grand slam singles final. He capped a fabulous four weeks by triumphing in front of his adoring public in Tokyo.

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Andy Murray

Rank: 6

Age: 27

Tournament history: Sixth appearance

Murray didn’t surface at the year-end championships in 2013 as he continued to rehabilitate his back – and he had to work extremely hard to make sure he locked down a berth this year, playing for six straight weeks down the stretch.

If last year was Murray’s high-water mark – winning Wimbledon to end a 77-year wait for a British men’s singles champion – this year as a whole hasn’t been as prosperous. The influential Lendl left his team, Murray struggled to find his best form following the back operation and his tweet about Scottish independence attracted criticism.

Will all of the crowd be behind Murray, then?

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Milos Raonic

Rank: 8

Age: 23

Tournament history: Debut

If Nishikori is Japan’s trailblazer on the men’s side, Raonic is Canada’s equivalent. Whereas Nishikori defeated Raonic at the U.S. Open, the latter upended his slightly older rival on the way to a semifinal showing at Wimbledon. It came about a month after Raonic made a maiden grand slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros.

He’ll no doubt be confident, since Raonic beat Federer at last week’s Paris Masters and subsequently made the final.

Though he has made strides from the baseline and in his return game, the serve remains the overwhelming weapon. Raonic passed 1,000 aces for the second time in three seasons.

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