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World No 1 Andy Murray begins his World Tour Finals campaign against Marin Cilic in John McEnroe group on Monday night.The Scot completed an improbable climb to the top of the rankings on the back of a storming second half of the season which has seen him lose just two ATP regular season matches since the French Open - one of which came against his Monday night opponent. John McEnroe Group Andy Murray (Great Britain) Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) Kei Nishikori (Japan) Marin Cilic (Croatia) World Tour Finals: Shots to watch The trademarks to keep an eye out for at The O2 Cilic beat an exhausted Murray to the title in the Cincinnati Masters final. Murray appeared to be feeling the effects of his Olympic gold medal won the previous week as he suffered just a third loss in 14 career meetings with the Croatian having beaten him in three sets on the way to the title at Queens in June. Murray will be keen to improve on his seven appearances at the season-end tournament where he has only got out of the group on three previous occasions, the last of those coming in 2012. A look back at Andy Murrays year, which has seen him enter the World Tour Finals as the world No 1 All three of those semi-final appearances have ended in defeat, to Nikolay Davydenko in 2008, Rafael Nadal in 2010 and Roger Federer in 2012.Murray has also been eliminated in the group stage in each of the last two years in London but he heads to The O2 a different beast having caught and overtaken Novak Djokovic with a run of form that has seen him win each of his last four tournaments (Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna and Paris) as well as his second Wimbledon and Olympic titles. His finest achievement Mark Petchey on the Scots climb to the top of the rankings Marin Cilic beat Andy Murray to claim the Cincinnati Masters in August Murrays motivation now is to improve on his dismal World Tour Finals record and ensure he consolidates his position at the top of the standings by ending the year as the No 1.Cilic has also reached a career-high ranking, climbing to seventh in the standings on the back of a year that has seen him claim a first ever Masters title with the win over Murray in August. Cilics serve will prove a threat to Murray as the pair look to start their O2 campaign with a victory He also ended a 14-game losing streak to Djokovic with a quarter-final win in Paris last week and beat Kei Nishikori to the Swiss Indoors title in Basel the previous week.Cilic never quite kicked on after claiming the 2014 US Open but the second half of 2016 has seen him return to the top level of the game and he will hope to produce a better showing than in his only previous World Tour Finals appearance.He lost all three matches in 2014 but is in the sort of form that can give Murray cause for concern as the pair begin their campaign. Henri Kontinen and John Peers begin their doubles campaign on Monday night Kicking off the evenings action will be the second doubles match of the Fleming/McEnroe group with French Open winners Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez up against Henri Kontinen and John Peers. Fleming/McEnroe Group Pierre Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez Henri Kontinen and John Peers Raven Klaasen & Rajeev Ram The Spanish pair, who are not related, are seeded fourth after a consistent year that reached its high point at Roland Garros while Kontinen and Peers have claimed four titles this year, including the final event of the regular season, the Paris Masters.All the action from the World Tour Finals between November 13-20 will be live on Sky Sports across the week and if you are out and about you can follow on our Sky Sports apps and the website via our live blogs. Full schedule here.Also See:Murrays year in numbersMurrays milestonesWorld No 1 permutationsThe GroupsMike Singletary Bears Jersey . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Walter Payton Bears Jersey . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. https://www.bearssportsgoods.com/Womens-Mike-Ditka-Inverted-Jersey/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Mike Singletary Youth Jersey . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Akiem Hicks Bears Jersey .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The warning shot was delivered in person.It wasnt subtle, less of a tap on Alabamas shoulder and more of a punch right in the mouth.Ohio State announced not only that it was back as a legitimate powerhouse by knocking off Nick Sabans Crimson Tide on the first day of 2015 in the first College Football Playoff, it made it clear that it had every intention of becoming the No. 1 contender to dethrone the Saban dynasty and stake its claim as the nations preeminent powerhouse.And while dynasties obviously arent built on a single game, and the Crimson Tide responded immediately by winning the national championship again one year later, that Sugar Bowl still stands as a pivotal turning point in what has suddenly become a legitimate argument.In the span of a little more than four years, Urban Meyer has taken over a program that had a losing record in the season before he arrived and built the Buckeyes into a behemoth capable of standing toe to toe with the Crimson Tide -- and potentially elbowing them off the top of the mountain as the countrys top program.?Just look at before and after with Urban and what hes done, Todd McShay, ESPN Scouts Inc., director of college football scouting, said. If you look at the previous couple of years and what he inherited -- Ohio State has obviously been a big NFL pipeline traditionally -- but what kind of happened to the talent level in those previous couple years was very obvious.Lets put it this way, two years ago I thought there was a massive, massive gap between Alabamas roster and Ohio States. And now, I can honestly sit here and say I dont see any difference.Chances to measure them head to head are few and far between, of course. But the Buckeyes and Tide once again have positioned themselves for another chance to settle the debate in the College Football Playoff. The current polls have them at No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation nearing the midway point of the season, spots that have become familiar for both since Saban and Meyer got their programs up to speed and positions theyre every bit as likely to hold in the coming years.And it was obviously no secret to Meyer what he was chasing nationally when he took over the Buckeyes -- or as he prepared for the Crimson Tide in the 2014 playoff.Ive used Alabama [as a motivator], Meyer said in the buildup up to that game. Ive used any team at the top of the mountain, Ive used them.?Ive respectfully used them because they played very well.?Every year theyre in a championship hunt and Ive used them.I knew at some point, if youre going to reach for the top, that you have to go through the top. And the last several years Alabama has certainly been at the top of college football.The key for Meyer on Ohio States ascent has been his staggering success as a recruiter. His tireless work ethic and affinity for searching for talent has always been a significant part of his success, right along with his masterful ability to motivate and a sharp offensive mind.Taken individually, the Buckeyes haave become even more of a national brand under Meyer on the recruiting trail and appear to be even taking their approach to a higher level with a potentially historic 2017 class that is No.dddddddddddd 1 in the ESPN RecruitingNation rankings -- naturally one spot ahead of Alabama.He has pushed all the right buttons to get the best out of his team in the biggest moments, with his perfect 19-0 record in true road games particularly useful in showing his skills in getting his message across to the Buckeyes. When the roster is pared down for travel and the environment is hostile, Meyer comes up each week with a slogan or mission statement to rally his team, keeping things fresh by continually providing new challenges.And simply by bringing his power-spread offense to Ohio State, the program seemingly jumped light years ahead of where it was during a previous regime that was never accused of being overly innovative with the football.Combined with the resources provided by one of the countrys largest athletic departments, home-run coaching hires to fill out his staff and maybe even a little luck that the Big Ten was in the middle of a lull that may have helped him win an extra game or two when he arrived, Meyer has effectively provided the renovation on a historic powerhouse that simply needed a few upgrades.That Block O opens all the doors you need, co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said on signing day. National championship and all those things help, but the reality is that that Block O and the history -- what its done not just over a short period of time but a long period of time in my 14 years of recruiting, 20 years I say of being here -- you know, its always going to open the doors for you.And then the job that [Meyer] does and the way he motivates us and obviously the emphasis he puts on recruiting and him doing it himself, thats what really sells.And clearly the top prospects are buying it, which has provided the real indicator of Ohio States staying power.The truest test of it wasnt on Jan. 1, 2015. Its the way the Buckeyes have steamrollered through their first five games this season after losing a record-setting draft class -- one that included 12 overall selections with nine players leaving school early -- that strongly suggests they have reached that Alabama level of reloading instead of rebuilding.Being able to land the whatever-star prospects is one thing, but also its identifying players that fit what you do but also that you can develop, McShay said. Whatever their formula is, however they go about that, however Nick Saban goes about that or Urban Meyer goes about it -- they dont miss on a ton of guys they wind up recruiting and bring in. And then they develop them well.Thats a compliment to what Ohio State has done. They have come so far, so fast.And the Buckeyes no longer need to come from behind to tap on Alabamas shoulder. ' ' '