The finish line rushes hard at you when you are losing. Changing anything from tactics, to a racquet, or even changing ends of the court can all be potential ways to wrestle back precious momentum.

In many ways, losing a set, or a match, simply means you ran out of time to unearth a winning strategy. When adversity strikes, the value of time skyrockets.

The best players in the world intimately know the importance of time, making matches last longer when they are under attack, giving them a few extra ticks on the clock to find an answer to their troubles.

An Infosys ATP Beyond the Numbers analysis of tour-level matches played by the Top 10 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings from the 2015 season up to the 2016 Australian Open shows how the various elite players successfully manage the asset of time. As a general rule, you want to play quicker when things are falling your way, not allowing time for any surprises to appear. It’s the complete opposite when the opponent is dominating.

Time Of Set

Roger Federer’s average time winning a set was the quickest of the Top 10 at 36 minutes. He will often breeze through a service game in barely a minute and some change. Federer also led the Top 10 in stretching out adversity, lengthening the sets he loses on average by 10 minutes, to 46 minutes

That’s very clever time management. What’s extremely fascinating is that the average time it takes Rafael Nadal to win a set (46 minutes), is exactly the same time it takes Federer to lose one. Different strokes for different folks. Tennis is such an empowering sport that allows a variety of contrasting game styles the ability to be successful.

Where Federer manages to play longer when losing a set, his compatriot Stan Wawrinka, is in stark contrast. Wawrinka averaged 42 minutes winning a set, which was exactly the same as the Top 10 average, but only 39 minutes when losing a set.

He was the only Top 10 player to play shorter when losing. The Top 10 averaged an extra four minutes longer playing sets they lose – prolonging the finish line four more minutes in the hope of somehow turning things around.

Time Of The Match
Federer earns the distinction of averaging the quickest match times when winning (89 minutes), and also the longest match times when losing (143 minutes).

Federer is clearly in a rush when ahead, but stretches time out when behind, exploring all strategic options.

What’s interesting is that the average match time (110 minutes) was only two minutes longer (108 minutes) than the winning average. Time is an omnipotent force that you can’t see or touch, but plays a pivotal role in riding out a storm, or storming to the finish line.

Dominic Thiem capped a sublime month of February with his fifth career ATP World Tour title and first at the 500 level, turning aside Bernard Tomic 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3 at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco.

Thiem finishes with a 13-1 record in February, having prevailed in Buenos Aires and reaching the semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro. The 22 year old, who will rise to a career-high World No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is the first Austrian to emerge victorious at the tournament since Thomas Muster completed a four-peat in 1996. Moreover, it was Thiem’s first ATP World Tour hard-court title, following four straight triumphs on clay.

“It was unbelievable,” said Thiem. “These three weeks have been amazing. Winning my first 500 title and first hard-court title, it was just perfect. It was how a final should be, between two young and up-and-coming players. I hope we’re going to play many more finals together. Both of us wanted to win so badly and I’m happy I was the one today.” 

Multiple Title Winners In 2016

A battle between two of the nine players born in the 1990s to win an ATP World Tour title, the youth movement was on full display as play commenced under the lights at the Hotel Princess Mundo Imperial.

Thiem had been dominant on Latin American soil throughout the month of February, unleashing his firepower with an aggressive game off the ground. But it was Tomic who had the upper hand in rallies early on, winning 14 of the first 20 baseline points. He would extract a forehand unforced error from Thiem to grab the first break of the match for 3-1.

Thiem has proven that if you leave the door ajar, he will bust it down, and he did just that with Tomic serving for the set at 5-3. A poor service game led to a break to love for the Austrian, who reeled off 12 straight points. The set would progress to a tie-break, where claimed the opener after 47 minutes.

In the second set, Tomic once again snagged an early break, edging ahead 3-2 after saving a pair of break points in the previous game. Thiem pressed to duplicate his first set comeback, but his Aussie opponent would deny a break point at 4-3 and another at 5-4 to force a decider.

Tomic would start the third set with a bang, inducing a forehand error that landed just wide of the tramline to break in the first game. But Thiem broke right back, reeling off six of the next eight games to secure the ‘Guaje’ trophy after one hour and 56 minutes.

ATP World Tour Finals Between Players Born In The 1990s

Thiem, who fired 22 aces, takes home 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $321,625 in prize money. His 18 match wins in 2016 lead the ATP World Tour, moving two ahead of Roberto Bautista Agut.

Tomic, meanwhile, earns 300 points and $151,050 for his efforts. He was bidding to win a fourth ATP World Tour title in his fifth final. The Australian had lifted a trophy in each of the previous three seasons.

“It’s not easy, I’d love to win,” said Tomic. “It could have been huge if I won, but I had my chances. That’s the biggest disappointment, having the chance to win. I’m frustrated with myself… I was leading in the first set and then I lost it and I was up a break in the third and gave away my serve straight away.

“But he was playing very well and he’s an amazing competitor. Every point he’s competing. He was feeling good on court and has been playing well all week. In the final of big tournaments, you have to take your chances in the big moments. I didn’t take it.”

Former World No. 1 Max Mirnyi pulled to within two match wins from joining the ‘700 Club’ after capturing the doubles title at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel on Saturday with Treat Huey.

Fourth seeds Huey and Mirnyi defeated third seeds Alexander Peya and Philipp Petzschner 7-6(5), 6-3 in one hour and 26 minutes. The Belarusian-Filipino duo saved seven of eight break points, claiming victory in their first final together.

“I told Treat that even though we’ve only been together for two months, we’ve been through a lot,” Mirnyi said. “We’ve improved on our teamwork and things we need to do. Luckily today, in a big tournament like Acapulco, everything clicked. We played well at the same time which was important.

“The margins are so small in doubles, often coming down to Match Tie-breaks and we kept our focus on things we needed to do. It’s good to see it pay off so quickly… I’m thrilled and looking forward to having more productive weeks. I get a lot of joy in improving every week as a team.”

Individually, it was Mirnyi’s 49th doubles title and first since Beijing in 2013. He went one step further after finishing runner-up in Acapulco with Feliciano Lopez in 2014. For Huey, it was the former University of Virginia standout’s seventh career crown. He is now victorious in four straight ATP World Tour finals, with three different partners.

Peya and Petzschner raced to a 3-1 lead in the first set behind an early break, but Huey and Mirnyi fought back, drawing level at 4-4 before claiming the opener in a tie-break. They would break twice in the second set and seal the win on their first match point, taking home 500 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and splitting $94,800 in prize money. They had saved two match points in a first-round victory over Chris Guccione and Bernard Tomic and upset top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the semis.

“It was a tough first round match against Guccione and Tomic and we somehow came out with the win there 14-12 in the tie-break,” said Huey. “We took a lot of momentum from that. I was feeling pretty sick the first few days and could barely get out of bed, but as Max said we just need to find a way. We did and we’ve been playing great tennis all week. It’s great to win a title and we’re having fun. The tournament here in Acapulco is unbelievable.”

Playing in their fourth ATP World Tour final as a team, Peya and Petzschner fell to 0-4. The Austrian was seeking his 15th individual crown in 37 finals, while his German partner fell to 6-6 in title matches.

Pablo Carreno Busta will represent the whole of Spain in the Brasil Open final after downing countryman Inigo Cervantes 6-1, 6-1 on Saturday in just 52 minutes to advance to his first ATP World Tour final. Currently ranked No. 67 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Carreno Busta will reach a career-high rank next Monday.

“I did not expect to win like this,” Carreno Busta said. “I played against Inigo a couple of weeks ago and it was a very difficult match, so I expected the same today, but it was not like that.

“I think I played well, not as well as yesterday but also I think he was a little bit nervous. I took advantage of that. I’m very happy to make my first final. It was my third semi-final and finally I ended as a winner. I’m very happy for that, but especially because of the way I’m playing at the moment.”

Carreno Busta’s Brazil swing has been full of run-ins with familiar opponents. The 24 year old was eliminated by Rafael Nadal in Rio de Janeiro last week before defeating four fellow Spaniards (Ramos-Vinolas, Gimeno-Traver, Carballes Baena and Cervantes) en route to the Sao Paulo final.

In the final, Carreno Busta will face defending champion Pablo Cuevas. The 30-year-old Uruguayan used his experience to down Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4 and will be going for a second title in two weeks after winning in Rio. Cuevas outplayed his Serbian opponent on big points, converting all three break point opportunities while holding Lajovic to one service break (1/8).

“I’m playing very calmly right now, with a lot of confidence,” Cuevas said. “I know there will be difficult moments during the match but I’ll be facing those with tranquility and confidence.”

The two Pablos have met once at tour-level, with Cuevas leading the FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry thanks to a win on hard court in Valencia 2015.

“[Cuevas] just came off a great tournament last week in Rio, beating great players and winning the trophy and that speaks to his level right now,” Carreno Busta noted.