A LOOK BACK

Torneo Internacional Challenger (Leon, Mexico): Adrian Menendez-Maceiras lifted a trophy for the first time in a decade to cap an astonishing week in Mexico. The 31 year old had lost his past eight finals on the ATP Challenger Tour, but prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 against Roberto Quiroz in the first all-qualifier Challenger final since 2010.

Menendez’s reward for his second Challenger title, his first since Cordoba in 2007, is for the Spaniard to climb up 70 places to No. 210 in Emirates ATP Rankings.

Open Harmonie Mutuelle (Saint-Brieuc, France): Austrian top seed Gerald Melzer lost in the opening round at Saint-Brieuc. His conqueror Egor Gerasimov won seven matches in eight days as a qualifier to clinch a second Challenger title.

The 24 year old is the lowest-ranked title winner in 2017 (No. 404) and as a result surges up 141 spots to No.263 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Also, Gerasimov is the first Belarusian winner on the Challenger Tour since he won his maiden title in Bratislava in 2015.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Menendez-Maceiras: “This is really important for me. I can’t say how many finals I lost over the last 10 years, so this is very, very important. With hard work and patience I won this tournament with my level. I hope to return next year and fight for the title again.”

A LOOK AHEAD

Onto the clay and there are two Challengers on the schedule this week, leading with the €64,000 event in Sophia Antipolis, France. World No.40 Benoit Paire enters as a wildcard to take the top seeding, alongside a strong field in France, which includes former Top 10 player Nicolas Almagro and fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. #NextGenATP player Stefanos Tsitsipas has taken a wildcard into the clay court event.

The $50,000 tournament in Panama City, Panama, is back on the calendar following a two year absence. 2012 champion Rogerio Dutra Silva returns to try and reclaim his title, with Argentine Horacio Zeballos playing as top seed. Victor Estrella Burgos will also be a threat in Panama, having taken his third-straight title on the clay at the Ecuador Open in February.

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ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: The ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.

Gregarious Italian Fabio Fognini moved up 12 places to his highest position in the Emirates ATP Rankings since 15 February 2016 (at No. 24) courtesy of reaching the semi-finals at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The World No. 28 won five matches in Florida, including a straight-sets victory over second seed Kei Nishikori, to earn a spot in his first Masters 1000 semi-final since 2013, when he played the last four in Monte-Carlo (l. Djokovic).

Donald Young continues to build on his impressive start to 2017, as he climbed nine places to No. 42. The American secured semi-final spots at the Memphis Open and Delray Beach Open. Then at Indian Wells he toppled Abierto Mexicano Telcel champion Sam Querrey and World No. 17 Lucas Pouille en route to the fourth round.

View Latest Emirates ATP Rankings

The 27 year old edges nearer to his career-high ranking of No. 38 (27 February 2012) after another Masters 1000 fourth round showing in Miami. Victories over Dustin Brown, Pouille and Benoit Paire produced another fine tournament, before Fognini prevailed in straight sets.

A trio of #ATPNextGen players have made significant rises in the rankings this week. Jared Donaldson enjoyed a remarkable run in Miami to achieve his first Masters 1000 fourth round. The 20 year old has risen up 20 places to World No. 75 after coming through qualifying in Florida, finally falling to Jack Sock in the Round of 16.

Frances Tiafoe also impressed in Key Biscayne. The 19 year old advanced through qualifying to play eventual champion Roger Federer in the second round. Tiafoe managed to take the Swiss maestro to a tie-break in a 7-6(2), 6-3 encounter and moves up 12 places to World No. 89 following his endeavours in Miami.

Ernesto Escobedo is the the third #NextGenATP player who caught the eye in Miami. The American has cracked the Top 100 for the first time, having qualified for the main draw and defeated World No.44 Daniel Evans. His Miami progress was halted 7-6(9), 7-5 by Fernando Verdasco, but moved Escobedo up 13 places to No. 95 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Henri Kontinen is the new No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, ending the 38-week stint of France’s Nicolas Mahut at the summit of the professional game. He is the first Finn and 50th player overall since the establishment of the team rankings in March 1976 to become World No. 1.

Just as hard-graft helped Jarkko Nieminen become world-class for a place in Finland’s sporting history, alongside the likes of Janne Ahonen, Mika Häkkinen, Sami Hyypiä and Teemu Selänne, Kontinen’s determination to succeed has also helped his talent blossom. In four short years, the 26 year old has risen from competing in ITF Futures tournaments on the comeback trail from injury, uncertain of his future, to today leading the team sport.

“In doubles, you win and lose as a team so you set shared goals,” Kontinen told ATPWorldTour.com. “I never set out to be No. 1, you always try to improve and string together results to build up confidence. But it’s pretty cool to know I’ve got to No. 1.”

When it became official, the 26-year-old Kontinen was fast asleep in Tampere, a city in southern Finland, in preparation to joining his friend at an ice hockey match on Friday. So it was the fate of a friend to inform ‘Henkka’ of the news that Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock had beaten Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, the leaders of professional doubles over much of the past 15 years, at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

With the help of his Australian partner John Peers, Kontinen has risen from No. 40 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings 12 months ago. The pair has put together a 25-6 record since mid-October 2016 – picking up the Paris Masters, ATP Finals and Australian Open titles.

“It really is an amazing accomplishment for Henri to become World No. 1 and the first Finnish player to do so as well,” Peers told ATPWorldTour.com. “He continues to break records for Finnish tennis and the sky is the limit for him. It certainly is a great feeling to be able to do what we have done together so far. I am hoping this is just the start of what we can accomplish.”

But it could have been very different for the relaxed and easy-going Kontinen, who, aged 21 had two knee, two right wrist surgeries and shoulder problems on the horizon. It wasn’t until June 2013 that the likeable Finn felt ready to compete. Having moved with his family to the Czech Republic aged 15, competing at the highest level, for which he’d been touted, was a distant goal.

“It was hard to take and certainly the toughest moments of my career, being so young and realising that a career of playing tennis in the future might not happen,” Kontinen told ATPWorldTour.com. “Injuries are a part of the deal when you play sport. I was unlucky early on, but I worked hard on my fitness to get stronger, and now manage my knee and be careful.”

As Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer contested arguably the greatest match in tennis history: the 2008 Wimbledon final, 100 yards away on No. 1 Court, Grigor Dimitrov and Henri Kontinen were competing in the boys’ final. It proved to be a high point for the big fish of the junior world. Shortly after helping Finland to a 3-2 victory over Poland in a Davis Cup zonal tie in September 2011, Kontinen underwent surgery on a left knee injury that had gotten progressively worse.

Robert Lindstedt, who trained with Kontinen when he partnered Nieminen, told ATPWorldTour.com, “We all used the same physio, Jarmo Ahonen, and I used to go to Helsinki a lot. At one stage we were both so injured that we were not allowed to play tennis and we did fitness together. I told him in a text message the other day, who would have thought that all we were allowed to do was slowly jog around a track, years later he would be a Grand Slam champion and now World No. 1.”

“I love the sport, watch it and study it,” said Kontinen, who also grew up playing football and basketball. “When I turned my focus to doubles, upon returning from injuries on the Futures circuit with my former junior partner, Christopher Rungkat [winners of the 2008 Roland Garros boys’ doubles title], I had to learn and get used to where to position myself. In teaming up with John, he has helped me a lot with his greater doubles experience. So I’ve found that the best way is to learn as a team.”

In recent years, Kontinen has been able to develop and improve his game consisting of a huge serve, good feel at the net, a single-handed backhand and an attacking attitude. Relaxed and easy-going Kontinen combines finesse with serious firepower and an ability to focus and thrive on big points.

Today, it has helped him become the youngest player to reach No. 1 since the Bryans (aged 25) on 8 September 2003. Belarus’ Max Mirnyi was also 25 when he reached No. 1 for the first time on 9 June 2003.

TRIBUTES TO THE NEW WORLD NO. 1

Max Mirnyi: It’s great to see fresh, young blood in the game! Henri has shown that he is good all-around player and has been playing consistently for a couple of years already with winning some of our biggest tournaments. Congratulations, Henri, on accomplishing this special feat!!! Enjoy the leadership and continue to promote and grow the great game of doubles.

Nenad Zimonjic: I’d like to congratulate Henri, a relaxed and easy-going guy. He definitely deserves it as he’s been winning a lot. Rankings don’t lie and he’s now one of the youngest No. 1s in ATP history.

Jean-Julien Rojer: I would like to congratulate him for this amazing achievement. It is even more impressive for me because he’s one of the younger doubles players on Tour and how quickly he’s got up there. Everybody knew that he was super-talented and he’s now put it together mentally as well. As good as he is on the court, he is off the court. He’s a very nice, easy-going guy that everyone gets along with and very respectful. Congrats to him, and a tip of the cap!!

Horia Tecau: It’s a well-deserved ranking for Henri. It’s very impressive to reach No. 1 in such a short time being on Tour. Good for him! He’s a complete player, owns all the weapons in the game and managed to dominate at the end of 2016 and the start of 2017 together with his partner, and the guy who deserves to get recognition for the No. 1 spot as well, John Peers.

Robert Lindstedt: He is one of the really nice guys on Tour and I am really happy for him. Not only because I have known him for so long, but also because I know the physical struggles he has had with injuries – and to overcome that is, to me, a true sign of a champion.

Treat Huey: Huge congratulations to Henri for reaching World No. 1. He’s one of the younger doubles guys on the Tour right now and is an incredible shot maker. He’s a good dude that enjoys himself on the court and Tour and he’s going to be around the top of the game for many years to come.

Let’s be clear about one thing: While Roger Federer would welcome a thoroughly unexpected return to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings, he has no interest in grinding his way back to World No. 1.

At 35, No. 1 is not the priority. Physically and mentally, it can’t be. Winning Grand Slams and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, leading a balanced family life and staying healthy and motivated is what’s most important to the Swiss, who holds the record for spending 302 weeks at the top spot.

Andre Agassi (33 years, 4 months) was the oldest man to reign as World No. 1. Federer, who was last No. 1 in October 2012, would be more than two years older than the American should he reclaim top spot later this year.

After sweeping the March Masters at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open presented by Itau, Federer said that he would likely shut it down this month and next before returning for Roland Garros (beginning 28 May). Currently 1,810 points clear of second-placed Rafael Nadal in the calendar-year Emirates ATP Race To London (a predictor of the year-end rankings), Federer’s sabbatical will see the Spaniard cut or possibly wipe out the Swiss’ lead in the Race during the clay swing.

ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert, a former World No. 4 and a winner of 20 titles, says, “Right now Fed’s got a better than 50 percent chance of finishing the year No. 1. When you look at how far Djoker and Murray are behind, I think it’s going to come down to Roger and Rafa.

“Roger has finished the year No. 1 five times and in four of those five times he’s left Miami first in the Race. He told me after the match that he’s not 24 anymore and that possibly he’ll only play the French. That’s three Masters 1000s out of the way, but he can finish No. 1 if he wins one of the last three majors, which is certainly possible. He belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of the seven greatest athletes of all time, along with Michael Jordan and Tom Brady.”

Federer told Gilbert and ESPN viewers on court that he was “focussing on the French, the grass and then the hard courts is going to be the key for me. And if things happen for World No. 1 that would be great, but I still believe I’m a long way away.”

Later, in his press conference, Federer expanded on his goals for the rest of the season, saying, “Wimbledon has to be the biggest goal… but all of the grass really is important to me because I’ll play Stuttgart and Halle there, too. Then of course I am looking very good for the [ATP] Finals, for the year-end championships, where I’ve been very successful. I like the indoors as well. So for me basically the second half of the season is a big priority now. That’s why I’ll take a break.”

Federer has opened a significant gap on the rest of the field in the Emirates ATP Race To London after winning the three biggest titles so far this year: The Australian Open and ATP World Tour Masters 1000s in Indian Wells and Miami. At the beginning of the season it looked like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray would battle each other for No. 1, especially after they played an epic final in Doha in the first week of the season.

But unpredictability is one of the beauties of sport, and after a stunning first quarter of the season that no one saw coming, Murray (840 points) is 12th in the Race, 3,205 points adrift of Federer, and Djokovic (475) is 22nd, 3,570 points behind the Swiss. With Federer (4,045) first and Nadal (2,235) second, it feels more like 2007 than 2017.

Except for one thing: Gilbert believes Federer is playing better today than 10 years ago.

“I’ve been watching Roger since 1998 and in my humble opinion he is playing better tennis than at any point in his career,” Gilbert says. “He’s been forced to get better and he’s had to raise his backhand and return of serve. He’s playing more complete tennis. I look at the numbers and sometimes when something goes up, something goes down.  But Roger’s breaking five per cent more while still holding 90 per cent of the time. And he’s converting 50 per cent of break points.”

Federer is determined that another key measure – his fitness – also remains in positive territory, hence his decision to embark on an extended break now. “I’m not 24 anymore. I have to pick my moments where I can peak and stay healthy,” Federer said in his presser.

“At the end of the day, I need to look out for my health, that I’m happy in all parts of my life, personal, private, on-court life, professional life, and I can’t keep this pace up on every single day. Just too much and I’ll run out. The desire will run out.

“I would rather take a step back and then really come back with a lot of energy and happiness. Then I can share that with everybody. Otherwise you’ll see me here and you will see that all I want to do is get out of here. I don’t want to be that guy. I really don’t.”

It took three months, three “Big Titles” and a 19-1 start to the 2017 season, but Roger Federer has officially declared the “comeback” portion of his season finished. The 35 year old, who took five months off last year to rest his surgically repaired left knee, made the announcement after dominating another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final on Sunday for his third Miami Open presented by Itau title.

“The comeback is over,” Federer said. “I’m happy that nothing major happened throughout this period. It’s been a dream run on the court, off the court as well. My body has reacted very well and I couldn’t be happier, of course.”

Federer captured his 26^th career Masters 1000 crown by beating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in the South Florida sun. The Swiss also claimed his third “Sunshine Double” after winning the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last month. Federer has now won 11 consecutive matches and is 7-0 against Top 10 players in 2017.

Few, including Federer, would have predicted such a fast start three months ago when he began his comeback Down Under. All kinds of questions surrounded Federer, as he reminded on Sunday.

“Let’s see how the knee is going to feel in Australia. How is the body going to be in the Middle East? How is the body going to be West Coast, East Coast?” Federer said, tracking his season, which started at the Australian Open, then went to Dubai and then Indian Wells and most recently Miami. “There is a lot of traveling, and the knee can act funny when you travel and fly transatlantic and all that stuff. It’s not like I went home and all I did is take a warm shower. I had to do a lot of stretching, massage, and sleep well… I needed to be very professional to wake up every morning and be ready to compete.”

Federer, who tore his meniscus in his left knee in January 2016, began this season with modest goals. “I told Severin, my coach, when I was warming up if I would have just played the Miami finals, no Indian Wells, no Australian Open, we would still be very happy right now,” Federer said. “But I have way more.”

For Federer, winning begets winning. The confidence he earned from his earlier titles in Australia and Indian Wells during his “comeback” helped him in Miami and against Nadal, whom he was playing for the 37^th time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry.

“You win a big tournament like the Australian Open, or any big tournament for that matter, you can just bank on some confidence. That confidence gets you through a lot of the tough matches that nobody ever speaks about again,” Federer said.

In the third round, Federer beat Juan Martin del Potro to reach the Round of 16. There, he survived two tight tie-break sets against Roberto Bautista Agut to make it to the quarter-finals.

In the last eight, Federer had to save two match points to outlast Tomas Berdych 7-6(6) in the third set. In the semi-finals, Federer again came through in a third-set tie-break, beating Aussie Nick Kyrgios 7-6(5) in the decider. For the tournament, Federer was 6-1 in sets that ended in tie-breaks.

“I think I am definitely profiting from confidence, and then also from the right mindset. [I’m] able to compress all my energy into one single match and not be distracted by everything else going on around me,” Federer said.

Against Nadal, the Swiss star again focused on the match in front of him. “I was trying to remind myself just to play without pressure. Just do it one more time and go out there and be brave on the big points. I think I was able to do that,” Federer said. “I think it’s been a challenging four weeks because you have to be focused for a long time. I was able to do that and I’m very happy.”

Federer now plans to take an extended break before playing Roland Garros and a full grass-court schedule.

Re-live eight great hot shots from the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open presented by Itau, and help crown the Golden Hot Shot from the season’s first two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.

Watch the clips and cast your vote before the poll closes at 6pm CEST/noon EDT on Friday, 7 April. Here are the candidates:

Indian Wells
Del Potro Lands Tweener
Djokovic Quick Hands
Cuevas Left Bloodied & Bruised
Soares Goes Behind The Back

Miami
Federer Soft Hands
Nadal Laces Passing Shot
Kyrigos Hits Between The Legs Winner
Verdasco Rifles Mammoth Forehand

Subscribe to our Hot Shot playlist, and watch match replays on TennisTV.

Never compromise what makes you great.

Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in a close Miami Open presented by Itau final, with Federer’s forehand serving as the difference maker. Nadal’s forehand, on the other hand, failed to have its usual impact in the match, primarily because he was not as committed to hitting it as much as he normally is – especially as the first shot after the serve.

With Federer winning their past three matches, it’s understandable that Nadal was looking for variations and creases to his normal strategy. It’s smart to look for counter moves, offer different looks and to try to rattle the cage in Federer’s mind. But ultimately, Nadal adjusted too far and strategically lost his way. His forehand got lost in the shuffle.

Nadal normally hits a forehand around 80 per cent of the time after his serve and wins approximately 65 per cent of those points. It’s without question the engine room.

But in this final, Nadal hit forehands as his first shot after the serve exactly 50 per cent (22/44) of the time, drastically down from his career average. It may be as low as he has ever been in this strategic area on such a big stage.

Nadal Serve +1

• Serve +1 forehands = 50% (22/44)

• Serve +1 forehand win percentage = 55% (12/22)

• Serve +1 backhand win percentage = 41% (9/22)

As you would expect, Nadal won a higher percentage of Serve +1 forehands (55 per cent to 41 per cent). The last time Nadal defeated Federer was in the semi-final of the 2014 Australian Open. In that match, Nadal hit 73 per cent (45/62) Serve +1 forehands, winning a dominant 69 per cent (31/45) of those points. It’s that important, and then some.

Nadal is normally locked onto hitting Serve +1 forehands. For example, when he defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-2 in the 2015 ATP Finals, Nadal hit a Serve +1 forehand 89 per cent of the time (33/37).

The Spaniard normally loves to blast forehands through Federer’s backhand. But the 2017 version of Federer’s backhand is like nothing Nadal has ever seen, and in the process of adjusting to it, other parts of Nadal’s game have suffered. Federer, on the other hand, dictated throughout the Miami final with his Serve +1 strategy, hitting a forehand after the serve 82 per cent of the time.

Federer Serve +1

• Serve +1 forehands = 82% (32/39)

• Serve + 1 forehand win percentage = 63% (20/32)

• Serve +1 backhand win percentage = 71% (5/7)

Federer got to play in his comfort zone, racking up 19 forehand winners to Nadal’s eight.

Serve Location

Nadal also went with secondary serve patterns much more than usual. It used to feel like Nadal directed 100 per cent of his serves at Federer’s backhand, but in this match Federer actually hit more forehand returns (34) than backhands (26).

Of the 26 backhand returns Federer hit, he came over 24 of them, only slicing two because of the quality of Nadal’s delivery. Federer’s backhand return found Nadal’s Serve +1 backhand eight times, while 14 went to the forehand, and four were return errors. Federer’s new and improved backhand return is clearly wrecking havoc with Nadal’s Serve +1 forehand intentions.

Federer stuck with his typical serve patterns, making Nadal hit 68 per cent (38/56) backhand returns for the match. In the deuce court, Nadal typically serves down the middle against Federer, but the Spaniard landed only five serves there, winning two of those points. By comparison, Nadal made 12 first serves out wide to Federer’s forehand, winning just 50 per cent (6/12).

In the ad court, Nadal won a healthy 80 per cent (8/10) of his first serves out wide. The left-hander won 53 per cent (9/17) serving at the body in the deuce court and 67 per cent (8/12) in the ad court.

With Nadal serving at 3-4, 30/40 in the second set, with the match squarely on the line, he hit an 89 mph second serve at Federer’s backhand. The Swiss stepped into the court and hit a backhand return down the line to Nadal’s backhand. Nadal missed four Serve +1 backhands for the match, including this one, and Federer would serve the match out in the following game.

Nadal will ultimately look back at the four break points he didn’t convert in the opening set as key moments that could have led to victory. One thing is for certain. Nadal must get back to doing what makes him so great against Federer. Nadal’s forehand has more to do with the lopsided 23-14 scoreline he owns in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry than basically everything else combined.