David Ferrer's determination to qualify for the season ending World Tour finals is such is he has opted to play in the Vienna Open for the first time in 10 years.
The 32-year-old -- seeded top here -- has decided to compete in Vienna as has British number one Andy Murray as they search to accrue enough points to get in the top eight which entitles them to a place in the finals in London in November.
Ferrer and Murray are ninth and 10th respectively in the race for places in London, for which three remain unfilled.
Canadian Milos Raonic -- who is playing in Moscow this week -- in eighth spot at the moment, the Spaniard is just 35 points adrift of him and the Briton 95 in arrears.
Ferrer, who will play the winner of either Simone Bolelli and Tobias Kamke after he benefited from a first-round bye, said that he would battle till the end of the qualifying process to secure his place.
"Of course it is my goal, I'm fighting for," said Ferrer, who played in Shanghai last week losing to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
"It's important for me. We don't have too many tournaments. We have only three tournaments more to be in London."
Murray, seeded second, only springs into action on Thursday against against Canadian Vasek Pospisil, who beat German Daniel Brands 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/2).
Murray, who flew into the Austrian capital in a private jet after receiving his wild card entry, is due also to compete in Valencia again on a wild card entry next week and the Paris Masters.
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka have already qualified for the finals.
One will go to Marin Cilic as a Grand slam winner this season, leaving three available.
On the court spectators witnessed the first elimination of a seed as German Jan-Lennard Struff beat number seven seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-3, 6-4.
Source: AFP
