Often the last mandatory ATP 1000 event for the best male tennis players on the planet, the Paris Masters sees the globe's finest flock to the French capital in late October and early November for a week of absorbing action.
An indoor competition formerly held on the now seldom-seen carpet courts, the Paris Masters has been an event for the hard-court specialists since 2007, and the champion takes home an incredibly unique tree-shaped trophy with the names of former winners engraved on its branches.
Once the destiny of the Grand Slam titles have been decided, the Paris gathering acts as a final chance for players to take home a high-profile crown before the year-ending ATP Finals, and 56 men go for glory in the current format.
The top eight seeds all earn byes into the second round, and the usual suspects have dominated the Paris field ever since the tournament's inception in 1969, but there have been a few surprise victors along the way too.
Ahead of this year's Paris Masters, Sports Mole takes a look at all of the past winners of the ATP 1000 tournament, as well as the current champion and the player to have won the most titles.
Who is the current Paris Masters champion?
The 2023 Paris Masters was won by none other than Novak Djokovic, who defeated Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 in the showpiece event to take home an incredible 40th ATP 1000 crown, extending his own record in the process.
Djokovic had already eliminated 2022 champion Holger Rune en route to the showpiece event, while the unseeded Dimitrov had felled some formidable foes, sending Daniil Medvedev, Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas packing in the earlier rounds.
However, the unfancied Bulgarian - who had only ever won one Masters title heading into the 2023 final - was left inconsolable at the end of the evening, as Djokovic hoisted the bizarre and beautiful trophy aloft.
The Serbian will not be gunning for another slice of Parisian glory this time around, though, as he recently announced his withdrawal from the 2024 tournament following his run to the final in Shanghai.
Who has won the most Paris Masters titles?
Djokovic's crowning in 2023 saw the Olympic gold medallist win the Paris Masters for the seventh time, and he unsurprisingly sits head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to overall triumphs in the tournament.
The former world number one also came up trumps in the 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2021 editions, and he has only been beaten in the final twice, losing to Rune in 2022 and Karen Khachanov in 2018.
Having also conquered Paris every year from 2013 to 2015, Djokovic is the only player in history to win back-to-back Paris Masters crowns, while he also holds the overall records for matches played (59), matches won (50) and consecutive victories (17) at the tournament.
Paris Masters past winners
2023: Novak Djokovic (7)
2022: Holger Rune
2021: Novak Djokovic (6)
2002020: Daniil Medvedev
2019: Novak Djokovic (5)
2018: Karen Khachanov
2017: Jack Sock
2016: Andy Murray
2015: Novak Djokovic (4)
2014: Novak Djokovic (3)
2013: Novak Djokovic (2)
2012: David Ferrer
2011: Roger Federer
2010: Robin Soderling
2009: Novak Djokovic
2008: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
2007: David Nalbandian
2006: Nikolay Davydenko
2005: Tomas Berdych
2004: Marat Safin (3)
2003: Tim Henman
2002: Marat Safin (2)
2001: Sebastien Grosjean
2000: Marat Safin
1999: Andre Agassi (2)
1998: Greg Rusedski
1997: Pete Sampras (2)
1996: Thomas Enqvist
1995: Pete Sampras
1994: Andre Agassi
1993: Goran Ivanisevic
1992: Boris Becker (3)
1991: Guy Forget
1990: Stefan Edberg
1989: Boris Becker (2)
1988: Amos Mansdorf
1987: Tim Mayotte
1986: Boris Becker
1985: Not held
1984: Not held
1983: Not held
1982: Wojciech Fibak
1981: Mark Vines
1980: Brian Gottfried (2)
1979: Harold Solomon
1978: Robert Lutz
1977: Corrado Barazzutti
1976: Eddie Dibbs
1975: Tom Okker (2)
1974: Brian Gottfried
1973: Ilie Nastase
1972: Stan Smith
1971: Not held
1970: Arthur Ashe
1969: Tom Okker
