Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal a week prior to the event seemed to open the door for Roger Federer and Andy Murray to take the title. Instead, the 2008 Masters Cup turned out to be the most unpredictable one in years.
The draw produced an incredibly tough red group with Federer, Murray, Andy Roddick, and Nadal’s replacement Gilles [...]

Say what you will about the integrity of it, but Novak Djokovic’s performance—or lack thereof—against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in round-robin player is the reason why he is in the Masters Cup title match.
Already 2-0 and assured of a semifinal berth by the time he faced Tsonga, Djokovic did not need a win in order to advance. [...]