London: The 2014 ATP World Tour season is about to reach its annual climax at the Barclays ATP Tour World finals and the elite field headed for The O2 in London is as diverse as we have seen for many years.

At one end of the scale, Novak Djokovic, who became a father just a couple of weeks ago, and the seemingly ageless Roger Federer are locked in an intense battle for the prestigious year-end Emirates ATP No. 1 ranking, while at the other some new and exciting faces will grace the court, with Japan’s Kei Nishikori, Croatia’s Marin Cilic and big-hitting Canadian Milos Raonic all making their thoroughly deserved debuts at the season-ending event.

Nishikori is the first Asian player to qualify in singles in the 45-year history of the event and 23-year-old Raonic becomes, not only the first Canadian to qualify for the singles event, but also the first player born in the 1990s to break into the exclusive field. Well done to both of those players and of course to Cilic, who has followed in the footsteps of his coach and mentor Goran Ivanisevic in reaching the ultimate event of the year.

While those players will be at The O2 for the first time from Sunday, Federer will be making an incredible 13th consecutive appearance and the 33-year-old will no doubt receive his traditional warm welcome from the fans.

Last year, more than 260,000 fans were treated to eight days of the highest quality tennis and, with ticket sales slightly ahead of last year, it’s shaping up to be another great event with a phenomenal atmosphere across the eight days. The O2 has enabled us to showcase the best of our sport like never before, and we’re very thankful for the support the event has received in London. We’ve welcomed more than 1.25 million fans to The O2 arena since 2009.

For many fans, the 2014 season has produced an interesting tussle between the established stars and the bold newcomers and we may well look back on 2014 as one of the most significant years ever on the ATP World Tour.

The Emirates ATP Race to London has been the closest since 2002 and many of the top names have been pushing hard in the closing stages of the season to earn the points necessary to qualify for London.

Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic, for example, played five weeks in a row to secure their spots and Andy Murray toiled for an incredible six consecutive weeks. It shows how much the year-end tournament means to them.

This is what the story of our season is all about, as players battle across the globe to seal their place among the elite eight in London and, of course, for the ultimate prize of finishing as year-end ATP World Tour No. 1.

The action has been fast and furious in doubles as well, with the elite eight-team field led by the spectacular Bryan brothers. Bob and Mike, the world No. 1 team, had a sensational year, highlighted by their victory at the US Open and six ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, becoming the first player or team to win that many in the same season. Their US Open victory was their 100th career title together and they will no doubt be very keen to add another highlight to their season while playing at The O2.

The event itself is due to be staged in London through to 2015 and, such has been its success, that we are currently in discussions with four other regions who are looking to become future host cities. Whether the event will move or stay in London is still undecided, but the strong international interest is a powerful reflection of just how successful the tournament has been at The O2.

Given what an amazing home The O2 has provided for our year-end tournament since 2009, staying in London is certainly an option we are evaluating.

Overall, it has been another spectacular season on the ATP World Tour, with great performances by the established stars and with the new generation starting to stake their claim. This year has, without question, set a fabulous foundation for a spectacular 2015 season and beyond.

Before then, the final chapter of the 2014 season will shortly be written in London, a city which has witnessed some of the most pivotal moments in the history of our sport. We’re incredibly excited with the product we have and we look forward to further showcasing the game as it grows in popularity and status around the world.

— Chris Kermode is ATP Executive Chairman and President