TENNIS in DEPTH.

Nadal now trails Federer by 945 points. It sounds like a lot of ground to make up, but with 1,500 points on offer to any undefeated champion in London, it’s not an insurmountable gap.

As the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world, Federer and Nadal will not meet in the round-robin stage, as they will be the highest seeds in their respective groups (which will be drawn Wednesday). But if they meet in the semi-finals, then that match could go a long way to determining who will be crowned 2009 ATP World Tour Champion.

Here are the key scenarios in the battle for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title:

1. If Nadal is an undefeated champion at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (winning all-three round-robin matches, a semi-final and final) he will earn the maximum 1,500 points. If that happens, Federer would need to either win all three round-robin matches OR reach the final to beat out Nadal for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title.

2. If Nadal goes 2-1 in round-robin play and wins the title he will earn 1,300 points. If that happens, Federer would need to either win two round-robin matches OR win one round-robin match and reach the final to beat out Nadal for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title.

3. If Nadal goes 3-0 in round-robin play, wins his semi-final but loses the final he will earn 1,000 points. If that happens, Federer would need only to win one round-robin match to beat out Nadal for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title.

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