The Numbers Game: 2015 Recap Part 3

Dec262015

In the final installment of a three-part series, ATPWorldTour.com examines the stories behind the numbers in 2015

GRAND SLAM WINS

Stan Wawrinka was the only player to defeat Novak Djokovic in Grand Slam tournaments this year, stopping the Serb in the final of Roland Garros.

Player	2015 Record	Titles
Novak Djokovic	27-1	3
Stan Wawrinka	21-3	1
Andy Murray	19-4	0
Roger Federer	18-4	0
Tomas Berdych	14-4	0
Richard Gasquet	14-4	0

TIE-BREAK WINS

Big serving helped John Isner, Ivo Karlovic, Kevin Anderson and Gilles Muller find success in tie-breaks in 2015. The four men also led the field in total aces on the year.

Player	Tie-Break Record	Titles
John Isner	40-28	1
Stan Wawrinka	34-11	4
Ivo Karlovic	32-44	1
Kevin Anderson	31-22	1
Gilles Muller	28-18	0

TOP 10 WINS

Djokovic became the only player to beat each player in the Top 10, compiling a tour-best 31-5 record.

Player	Top 10 Record	Titles
Novak Djokovic	31-5	11
Roger Federer	15-6	6
Andy Murray	12-10	4
Stan Wawrinka	9-8	4
Rafael Nadal	7-11	3

ATP MASTERS 1000 WINS

Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer (16-6) were the only players to claim an ATP Masters 1000 tournament this season.

Player	2015 Record	Titles
Novak Djokovic	39-2	6
Andy Murray	30-5	2
Tomas Berdych	22-9	0
Rafael Nadal	21-9	0
John Isner	20-9	0

DECISIVE SET WINS (Third or Fifth Set)

Kei Nishikori was the most accomplished comeback artist in 2015, leading the field in deciding set wins and also in wins after losing the first set.

Player	2015 Record	Titles
Kei Nishikori	18-6	3
Novak Djokovic	16-2	11
Gilles Simon	16-8	1
Steve Johnson	16-9	0
David Ferrer	15-2	5
Viktor Troicki	15-9	1
Joao Sousa	15-10	0
Ivo Karlovic	15-12	1

WINS AFTER LOSING FIRST SET

Player	2015 Record	Titles
Kei Nishikori	13-13	3
David Ferrer	12-15	5
Kevin Anderson	11-19	1
Fernando Verdasco	11-22	0
Ivo Karlovic	10-18	1
Feliciano Lopez	10-21	0

MATCH WINS

Player	2015 Record	Titles
Novak Djokovic	82-6	11
Andy Murray	71-14	4
Roger Federer	63-11	6
Rafael Nadal	61-20	4
Tomas Berdych	57-22	2

EMIRATES ATP RANKING IMPROVEMENTS (from year-end 2014 to 2015)

IN TOP 50 (25-more spots)

Britain’s Aljaz Bedene improved his Emirates ATP Ranking by exactly 100 spots and ended 2015 at a career-best No. 45. Benoit Paire returned from injury to reach No. 19 and win the Comeback Player Of The Year award.

Player	Ranking Jump	2014 – 2015
Aljaz Bedene	+100	145-45
Benoit Paire	+99	118-19
Viktor Troicki	+79	102-23
Borna Coric	+47	91-44
Marcos Baghdatis	+39	85- 46
Bernard Tomic	+38	56-18
Thomaz Bellucci	+28	65-37
Jiri Vesely	+25	66-41

IN TOP 100 (40-more spots)

Hyeon Chung secured the 2015 Most Improved Player Of The Year award by breaking into the Top 100 for the first time.

Player	Ranking Jump	2014 – 2015
Inigo Cervantes	+ 180	252 – 72
Yuki Bhambri	+ 156	249 – 93
Daniel Munoz-De La Nava	+ 134	209 – 75
Hyeon Chung	+ 122	173 – 51
Guido Pella	+ 82	156 – 74
Taro Daniel	+ 81	177 – 96
Steve Darcis	+ 77	163 – 86
Marco Cecchinato	+ 72	162 – 90
Thanasi Kokkinakis	+ 70	150 – 80
John Millman	+ 67	159 – 92
Lucas Pouille	+ 55	133 – 78
Alexander Zverev	+ 54	137 – 83
Denis Kudla	+ 52	121 – 69
Rajeev Ram	+ 51	140 – 89
Illya Marchenko	+ 49	143 – 94

Teenagers (10) in Top 200 (Listed by Age)

Player	Rank	Age
Frances Tiafoe	180	17 Years, 10 Months
Taylor Fritz	177	18 Years, 1 Month
Andrey Rublev	174	18 Years, 1 Month
Alexander Zverev	83	18 Years, 7 Months
Borna Coric	44	19 Years
Jared Donaldson	135	19 Years, 1 Month
Karen Khachanov	152	19 Years, 6 Months
Hyeon Chung	51	19 Years, 6 Months
Thanasi Kokkinakis	80	19 Years, 7 Months
Elias Ymer	137	19 Years, 7 Months

21 & Under (6) in Top 100 (Listed by Age)

Alexander Zverev took home the ATP Star of Tomorrow Award presented by Emirates for being the youngest player in the Top 100.

Player	Rank	Age
Alexander Zverev	83	18 Years, 7 Months
Borna Coric	44	19 Years
Hyeon Chung	51	19 Years, 6 Months
Thanasi Kokkinakis	80	19 Years, 7 Months
Nick Kyrgios	30	20 Years, 7 Months
Lucas Pouille	78	21 Years, 9 Months

17 & Under (5) in Top 500 (Listed by Age)

Player	Rank	Age
Duckhee Lee	230	17 Years, 6 Months
Orlando Luz	454	17 Years, 9 Months
Frances Tiafoe	180	17 Years, 10 Months
Stefan Kozlov	352	17 Years, 10 Months
Michael Mmoh	456	17 Years, 10 Months

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Serena Wins AP Athlete Of The Year

Posted: Dec 26, 2015

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Serena Williams has gotten yet another accolade for her phenomenal 2015 season, being named the Associated Press Female Athlete Of The Year for the fourth time.

In a vote by US editors and news directors, Williams was chosen in somewhat of a landslide, earning 50 first place votes – soccer star Carli Lloyd finished in second place with 14 first place votes. UFC stars Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm and basketball player Breanna Stewart rounded out the Top 5.

Williams had one of her very best seasons in 2015, collecting three Grand Slam titles – the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon – to bring her career haul to 21, holding the World No.1 ranking from start to finish, and winning a whopping 53 of her 56 matches during the year (the only losses coming to Petra Kvitova, Belinda Bencic and Roberta Vinci at Madrid, Toronto and the US Open).

Associated Press Female Athlete Of The Year is the latest in a long list of accolades Williams has received for her dynamite 2015 season – she earned the WTA Year-End World No.1 Singles Ranking presented by Dubai Duty Free, she was voted WTA Player Of The Year and Sports Illustrated Sportsperson Of The Year, and earlier this week she was named ITF Women’s World Champion as well.

She’s now been Associated Press Female Athlete Of The Year four times – 2002, 2009, 2013 and 2015. The only other women’s tennis player to win four is Chris Evert (1974, 1975, 1977 and 1980).

The only woman who’s won more than four times is Babe Didrikson (one for athletics and five for golf).

Other women’s tennis players to have received the award are Helen Jacobs, Helen Wills Moody, Alice Marble, Maureen Connolly, Althea Gibson, Maria Bueno, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Tracy Austin, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Jennifer Capriati.

Williams will kick off her 2016 season in two weeks at Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia. It’s a team exhibition event that includes singles and mixed doubles – she will represent the USA with Jack Sock.

The Associated Press is a global news network that delivers news from across the globe, 24 hours a day. It was founded in 1846 and has been the first to report many of history’s most important moments through its journalists, photographers and videographers. For more on the AP, visit www.ap.org.

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