Hosted by the Tennis Foundation - Great Britain's leading charity for the sport - for the fourth successive year, the International Tennis Federation's season-ending event for the world's top singles players is due to be held at Loughborough University Tennis Centre for the first time.

The top-eight men's singles and women's singles players, and the top-six quad singles players on the UNIQLO rankings, as of the cut-off date of October 16, have qualified for the Wheelchair Tennis Masters.

Among the men's singles entries are four former champions, including current world number two Stéphane Houdet of France and world number six Stefan Olsson of Sweden.

World number seven Joachim Gérard of Belgium, who has won the Wheelchair Masters Tennis title for the last two years, and world number eight Shingo Kunieda of Japan are the others.

Completing the list are Argentina's Gustavo Fernandez, Great Britain's Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, and France's Nicolas Peifer. 

Eight of the world's top nine players feature on the list of women’s singles entries after current world number three Jiske Griffioen, the Wheelchair Tennis Masters champion for the last two years, announced last week that her playing career has come to an end.

In the Dutchwoman’s absence, current world number one Yui Kamiji of Japan and The Netherlands’ Aniek van Koot are the only former champions in this year's entries.

They are joined by Dutch duo Diede De Groot and Marjolein Buis, Germany's Sabine Ellerbrock, Britain's Lucy Shuker, South Africa's Kgothatso Montjane and Germany's Katharina Kruger. 

Reigning and nine-time champion David Wagner of the United States heads this year’s quad singles field of six players.

World number two Andy Lapthorne of Britain, world number three Dylan Alcott of Australia and world number four Lucas Sithole of South Africa are all former finalists.

The quad singles entries also include Australia's Heath Davidson and The Netherlands’ Sam Schroder, who are both set to contest the Wheelchair Tennis Masters for the first time.

NEC has been title sponsor of the Wheelchair Tennis Masters since its inception in 1994 and UNIQLO is an international sponsor.

Last year, Gérard beat Britain's Reid to seal the successful defence of his men’s singles title at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.

The Belgian came from behind to triumph 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. 

The defending champions in the women’s singles and quad singles also retained their titles as Griffioen and Wagner won the respective finals.

Rio 2016 Paralympic gold medallist Griffioen avenged her defeat to Kamiji in the pool stages by claiming a convincing 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Wagner, meanwhile, eased to a 6-4, 6-1 win over Israel’s Itay Erenlib to claim his ninth Masters crown.