Injuries to Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic mean the two multiple-Grand Slam winners will miss the 2017 ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London, allowing the opportunity for some of the next-generation stars of the sport to qualify for the end of season event in November. Here is a look at the players who have the best chance of winning the tournament.

The return form of Rafael Nadal has been one of the big stories of 2017 in tennis. Rafa won two Grand Slam titles earlier this year, bringing his tally up to 16. His recent success in the US Open in New York suggests he is the in-form player at the moment in the game; therefore, he could be the player they all have to beat in London.

This is one of the few major events that Nadal has yet to win in his career so far, and as a result, the 31-year-old will be keen to put that right when he lines up later in the campaign. He has reached the final twice as he was beaten by Roger Federer in three sets in 2010, while in 2013 he lost in straight sets to Djokovic.

The ATP World Tour Finals will include the highest eight players in the rankings. As a sports fan, I like it when the tournament only features the best players: there are no boring games and the outright betting is competitive; you'll be able to pick up decent odds on Nadal, who looks the most likely winner in London, to lift the trophy.

Roger Federer

Like Nadal, Roger Federer has rolled back the years this season to win two Grand Slam titles – the Australian Open and Wimbledon. At the age of 35, the Swiss player has shown no signs of slowing down and is playing as well as he ever has.

Federer is a six-time winner of the ATP World Tour Finals, while he has been in the final a record ten times. The indoor court has been kind to the former world number one, who has already booked his spot in the tournament this year.

It has been a long season for Federer, however, although he has not played much competitive tennis since he lost to Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinals of the US Open. The break would have done him good so he could be rejuvenated for the season finale, which signals bad news for the rest of the field.

Alexander Zverev

20-year-old Alexander Zverev has been tipped to be a future number-one ranked player in the men’s game and after a fantastic season so far, where the German has won two Masters titles, he is now as high as number four in the world rankings. The 2017 Canada Masters champion is not afraid to play the big name players anymore and could be the underdog to lift the title in London in what will be his first appearance at the event.

The 2017 ATP World Tour Finals begins on November 12 and will run through to November 19 when the singles and doubles finals will take place on the same day.