Djokovic could stand in Murray's way

Andy Murray may need to overcome nemesis Novak Djokovic if he is to realise his dream of playing in the season-ending Masters Cup.

The British number one has been seeded 15th for this week's Paris Masters, his final opportunity to earn the ranking points he needs to qualify for the Shanghai showpiece.

Only the top eight performers this year are eligible and Murray's victory at the St Petersburg Open on Sunday propelled him up to 11th place in the ATP Race. His seeding has earned him a bye into the second round in Paris, where he will play either Jarkko Nieminen and Juan Monaco and then Djokovic provided they both progress.

World number three Djokovic boasts a 3-0 record against the Brit since the pair turned professional.

Indeed, the Serb has only dropped one set to his rival and thrashed the Scot 6-0 6-1 in their most recent meeting in the semi-finals of this year's Miami Masters.

Murray needs to outperform Tommy Haas, Tommy Robredo and James Blake - who are eighth, ninth and 10th respectively in the Race - in Paris to reach the Masters Cup.

It appears extremely unlikely all three will fail to reach the third round, meaning Murray must advance to at least the quarter-finals.

That feat is definitely not beyond him, with the Scot arguably in the form of his career in recent weeks.

Where he to make it to Shanghai, it would undoubtedly be the greatest achievement of his young career.

"Of all the guys, I have the least pressure of making it into Shanghai because I wasn't expecting to have a chance of qualifying," Murray said after his win in Russia.