Founded in 1881, the Surbiton Racket & Fitness Club’s rich history permeates throughout this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event here, providing a genteel and traditional setting that the players overwhelmingly appreciate.

Located 15 minutes from central London, the club has become a popular attraction with more than 1,500 members. The members can enjoy amenities including 20 tennis courts (11 grass, three clay and six hard, two of which are covered for indoor play), a gym and a bar/lounge area, or simply congregate in the club’s main pavilion that was built in 1900.

They can also take in world-class tennis at this week’s $50,000 event. Some of the members have even offered to donate their time to ensure the tournament runs smoothly.

“We have around 80-100 volunteers do jobs at the event, including stewarding, driving and supporting the tournament in all aspects,” said Roy Staniland, director of the Surbiton Racket & Fitness Club for the past 30 years. “Some put up players in their own houses and really embrace the event. The members are very proud that their club is hosting such a prestigious tournament.”

The club first held its ATP Challenger Tour event in 1998 and ran it for 11 consecutive years, with past champions including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mardy Fish. After a seven-year absence, it returned to the calendar this year and established itself as one of the toughest $50,000 events this season. Five players in the draw are ranked inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, including top seed and local favourite Daniel Evans.

“It’s good to be playing at home and being around the other British boys,” said Evans. “The club has a traditional English feel to it and it’s nice that there’s a lot of people here watching.”

Far more planning was devoted to organising the tournament this year than when it first launched. Preparations began 10 to 11 months away from when the first ball was hit and two weeks were devoted to building the venue out to accommodate spectators, compared to the three-day build in the tournament’s first year.

“Since the London Olympics, there are a lot more sporting events taking place,” explained Staniland. “We need to make sure we’ve got the right equipment, marquees and stands well ahead of time to ensure we have a good fan experience. I’ve seen a lot of changes at the club and a major upgrade of the facilities.”

With Surbiton back as an ATP Challenger Tour special for the foreseeable future, ATP Vice President of Player Relations and former doubles player Ross Hutchins said the hope is to continue drawing more fans each year while continuing to host a quality field.

“Growing up as a British tennis player, the summer grass court season has such prominence in the tennis calendar,” said Hutchins. “Being in London always has and still attracts such strong players. The feel of the club is very unique and the fans are close to the action. And for the players, the traditional feel of the club makes them feel like they are part of the history of tennis.”

Gilles Muller fired 17 aces en route to a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) upset of top seed David Ferrer at the Ricoh Open on Friday. The powerful left-hander saved four of five break points and secured victory on his third match point. He will face another big server, Ivo Karlovic, in the semi-finals.

“I’ve lost a few very close matches this year, so it feels good to win like that,” Muller said. “David is a great returner, so that pushed me to serve very close to the lines and to make it too good. He forced me to miss a lot of first serves. Today was a very up-and-down match, so if I want to improve, I have to stay calm and focus on what I can do.”

After dropping the opening set, Muller scored his lone service break of the match on the final point of the second set. The Luxembourg native then saved three break points in the final set to secure his first win against Ferrer, the 2008 and 2012 ‘s-Hertogenbosch champion. The pair’s lone previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting came at the 2004 Australian Open.

The 33-year-old Muller and Karlovic, 37, have never faced each other at tour-level. However, last year’s semi-finalist has a definite idea of how his opponent will play, especially on a fast grass court.

“I expect him to serve some aces. He’s probably the best server out there. I’ll have to do my best to put the ball in the court on my returns,” added Muller.

True to form, Karlovic struck 22 aces in defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4. The Croatian only dropped three points on his first serve and was not broken in the 62-minute encounter.

Fifth seed Sam Querrey ended the run of 18-year-old Stefan Kozlov with a 6-3, 6-0 semi-final victory. Querrey did not drop serve and broken his countryman four times in the 55-minute match. Kozlov was making his first quarter-final appearance at an ATP World Tour event.

Roger Federer’s love for the sport is undiminished in his 19th season as a pro.

In beating Florian Mayer at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart today for his 1,072nd victory, he moves past Ivan Lendl for second place in the Open Era match wins list. Only Jimmy Connors, with 1,256 career match wins, stands in front of Federer now.

“I never thought I would be playing for such a record,” said Federer. “Of course I take them with a smile and now that I’m on the same level as Ivan Lendl or I’m chasing Jimmy Connors in terms of match wins. For me they were unreachable tennis players when I was growing up, because I never had any chance to play against them. I only knew them from TV and they were the best players we had in the game. For me to be at that level now, can motivate me for more wins in the future.”

Two months shy of his 35th birthday, the Swiss superstar remains dedicated and committed to working hard in order to play consistently well. Federer has striven to improve and evolve ever since his ATP World Tour debut at Gstaad in 1998. For the past 14 seasons he has been one of the world’s premier sportsmen.

Today’s feat reflects his desire and his hunger to extend his longevity at the highest level.

CAREER MATCH WINS LEADERS (Open Era) – Roger Federer is one of only three players in the Open Era (since 1968) to win at least 1,000 singles matches on the ATP World Tour. He became the first player since Ivan Lendl in 1992 to reach 1,000 match wins on 11 January 2015 in Brisbane. Here is a breakdown of some Hall of Fame careers:

MATCH WINS MILESTONES – Here is a look at Federer’s milestone match wins throughout his outstanding career. Six times Federer has reached a match milestone and gone on to win the tournament title:

MOST WINS (10 or more) BY COUNTRY (28 TOTAL) – Federer has won 1,072 matches in 28 different countries. Here is the breakdown:

MATCH WINS BY SURFACE

Special statistical assistance courtesy of Graham Edgar and Greg Sharko.

Roger Federer moved to second place in the Open Era match wins list on Friday when he booked a spot in the Mercedes Cup semi-finals. The Swiss passed Ivan Lendl for 1,072 match wins with a 7-6(2), 7-6(1) victory over qualifier Florian Mayer in Stuttgart. Only Jimmy Connors (1,256) has won more career matches.

“I think it was a good match really, with long rallies,” said Federer. “I thought that I played much better. I’m not sure if the stats showed it, but I felt [that] I served better. I’m really pleased how I felt this morning, my shoulder is a little sore having served a lot against [Taylor] Fritz. But that’s exactly the kind of thing I need to feel having gotten back onto the match courts.”

Federer improved to 7-0 lifetime against Mayer, who saved one set point at 5-6, 30/40 in the first set. Federer also recovered from 15/40 and saved three set points at 5-6 in the second set.

Top seed Federer will play the newest member in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, No. 7-ranked Dominic Thiem, in Saturday’s semi-finals. “I’m now really excited about the semi-final against Thiem, who has had a great run this year,” said Federer. “It will be a tough match, but I hope my experience will help me.”

Third seed Thiem improved to 43-11 on the year, which includes three ATP World Tour titles, after he defeated 2002 champion Mikhail Youzhny 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 51 minutes.

“It was my best match on grass so far, against a very good and experienced player on this surface,” said Thiem. “It was a very close match and it would have gone in any direction. [Looking ahead] it’s tough to play Roger on any surface, but especially on grass.”

Later in the day, seventh seed Philipp Kohlschreiber got the better of qualifier Radek Stepanek for the first time in more than nine years. Kohlschreiber, the 2013 runner-up when the event was played on clay courts, won 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 42 minutes.

“I’m very happy especially on grass, particularly when I knew he had beaten me a few times in the past,” said Kohlschreiber. “It was a big challenge today and I am happy to have solved all the problems he gave me. I was very strong in the crucial moments.”

He will next meet 2008 champion Juan Martin del Potro, who rallied to post a 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-0 win over fourth seed Gilles Simon. The Argentine did not drop serve during the match, which lasted two hours and four minutes. In the deciding set, he only lost three points on serve and won 68 per cent of points against the Frenchman (28/41). Del Potro’s most recent ATP World Tour title came in Sydney two years ago.  He is one win away from reaching his first career grass-court final.

Top Seeds Upset In Doubles

Oliver Marach and Fabrice Martin edged Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 7-6(1), 7-6(6) for a place in the doubles final. Marach/Martin hit 18 aces and saved all four break points faced in the 85-minute victory. No breaks of serve were recorded during the encounter as both teams won over 80 per cent of first serve points.

It was the third meeting of the year between the two teams. Marach/Martin were victorious in the Delray Beach final while the Bryan Brothers came out on top in the second round at Roland Garros.

World No. 5 Stan Wawrinka has bolstered his coaching team for the grass-court swing by adding 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek.

Krajicek, who is the tournament director of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, will join Wawrinka’s regular coach, former World No. 2 Magnus Norman, and Yannick Fattebert over the next four weeks.

“As I’m always looking to improve on court, I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I have added Richard Krajicek to my existing coaching staff to help during the grass court season for the next four weeks,” Wawrinka wrote on his Twitter feed.

“Magnus, Yannick and I are really excited about the new addition to our team – adding a former Wimbledon Champion can only further my knowledge and understanding of the grass. It’s a real privilege and honour to add such a champion to my corner.”

The 31-year-old Swiss will compete at next week’s Aegon Championships in London.

Wawrinka has reached the quarter-finals at The Championships, Wimbledon, for the past two years. In 2014 he lost to his Swiss compatriot Roger Federer and last year he fell to Richard Gasquet.

Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski are a stalwart doubles pairing, with the brothers recording 10 ATP Challenger Tour titles as a duo. Competing this week in front of a home crowd in Surbiton, England, the top seeds and defending champions give us an inside look at a day in the life at an ATP Challenger Tour event. Neal chronicles their Thursday for us from start to finish: 

7:45am: The alarm goes off and I get straight up. Ken is used to being awake before the alarm goes off because he’s got two kids at home (he’s an early person). We eat a protein breakfast to start the day: Oatmeal and eggs and a coffee to wake up!

9:34am: We leave the National Tennis Centre, where we’re staying, and make our way to Surbiton for our morning practice.

10:10am: We pass time while the grass dries from overnight rain. Dustin Brown is in an intense game of Sequence on the next table!

10:56am: The wait continues. No play before 1:00pm.

12:18pm: Adil Shamasdin, Ken and Jonathan Marray warm up for practice on the bikes to get the heart rate up.

1:38pm: We warm up for our match – a lot of work around the net to be sharp from the first point.

2:00pm: No play before 3:45pm, so we head to the National Tennis Centre to practise and eat. Ken had a chicken salad and I had a baked potato with tuna, plus water and energy drinks for hydration.

3:53pm: The waiting game continues! I’m catching up with all the latest England news before Euro 2016 starts on Friday. I’m thinking England will make the semi-final, but the winners will be Spain. Ken thinks England in the quarter-finals and the winners will be Germany.

5:15pm: We’re warming up for our quarter-final match against Luke Bambridge and Joe Salisbury. Started on the treadmill for five minutes, five minutes of plyometric, five minutes of hand-eye coordination drills and then bands for shoulder maintenance.

7:15pm: Won our match 6-4, 7-6(5) against Bambridge/Salisbury! 

7:30pm: Time to cool down and stretch after the match – five minutes of biking then 10 minutes of stretching.

8:00pm: A repeat of last week’s final in Manchester is still possible with good friends Purav Raja and Divij Sharan, but there are still a few matches to go! Semi-finals tomorrow.

8:12pm: Dinner at Nandos, one of our favourite places to eat along with Chipotle and Wagamama. Tonight we plan to watch some television, FaceTime the family and chat football with Raja and John Millman on a WhatsApp group. We are all mad Liverpool Football Club fans! 

10:30pm: Bedtime after an episode of “Love Island” on television. Good night, everyone! See you tomorrow in Surbiton.