Advertising

We know what the World Tour Finals has lost this year: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. This match will show us what the tournament has gained. The 30-year-old Monfils and the 23-year-old Thiem are at different stages in their careers, but they both made their (losing) WTF debuts on Sunday. Now that they have a feel for the O2 experience, can they relax and come together to shake this event out of its early doldrums? The Frenchman and the Austrian have the shot-making skills to do it, but neither appears ready to close out the season on a high note. Thiem, who has played 27 tournaments in 2016, has looked burned out this fall; Monfils is coming off a rib injury and never found a groove in his first match, a straight-set loss to Milos Raonic. Thiem won their only meeting, in three sets on clay last year. I can see something similar happening here.

Winner: Thiem

Advertising

This evening-session matchup will likely determine who wins the Ivan Lendl Group. On Sunday, Djokovic bounced back from a first-set loss to beat Thiem in three, while Raonic ignored a balky ankle long enough to cruise past Monfils. Just as important as the results was Djokovic’s attitude; rather than the uncertain competitor we’ve seen of late, Djokovic was fully and aggressively engaged. He seemed determined, if all else failed, to will himself to victory over Thiem. Were his roars the sign of a No. 1 player who wants his ranking back? Was it an early message to Andy Murray, the man who has taken that ranking from him? We’ll find out more when he faces Raonic. But even a moderately fired-up Djokovic should be enough: In their seven meetings, Djokovic has lost just one set.

Winner: Djokovic