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Top 5 on serve & return, Zverev is double trouble for opponents

  • Posted: Sep 11, 2024

Alexander Zverev has made a career of holding serve with ease, racing through his service games by overpowering opponents with his hefty first delivery. But the German has been equally as effective on return in 2024, making for a troubling combination for opponents.

His complementary serve and return performance has helped him tally a season-leading 56 match wins and secure qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals for the seventh time.

The 27-year-old is notably among the Top 5 in both serve (8.8) and return quality (7.49), according to Tennis Data Innovations, in partnership with TennisViz. Shot Quality is calculated in real-time by analysing each shot’s speed, spin, depth, width and the impact it has on the opponent. Zverev has an impact by mixing firepower with hefty spin.

A significant improvement in his forehand Shot Quality has provided a boost to Zverev on both serve and return points. In 2023 Zverev was 13th on the forehand Shot Quality index; this year he has surged to fifth. (He is fourth on the backhand leaderboard, the same position he held in 2023.)

“Sascha likes to serve big, return big, but he’s also intelligent on court, he can read the game very, very well,” said Mischa Zverev, former No. 25 in the PIF ATP Rankings and an established member of his brother’s team.

Zverev this season is hammering his first serve at an average of 129 mph, compared to the tour-average 116 mph. It does not get much easier to return his second serve. The 22-time tour-level titlist hits his second serve on average at 105 mph, 11 mph faster than the average.

Zverev’s Serve In 2024:
1st Serve Speed = 129 mph (Tour Avg. = 116 mph) 
1st Serve Accuracy = 59 cm from the sideline (Tour Avg. = 58 cm) 
1st Serve Effectiveness* = 67.1% (Tour Avg. = 60.9%) 
2nd Serve Speed = 105 mph (Tour Avg. = 94 mph) 
2nd Serve Effectiveness* = 26.2% (Tour Avg. = 23.4%) 
*effectiveness is the % of serves that are a combination of aces, unreturned and number of times the server is in an attacking phase on serve+1

Zverev has also notched impressive gains in other key Insights fields. He has surged to 13th (from 61st) in the Steal category, winning points 37.2 per cent of the time from a defensive position. He has jumped from 95th to 44th in Conversion, winning 68.1 per cent of points when in attack.

And he is playing more aggressive tennis, moving from 39th to 22nd on the In Attack leaderboard, reflecting which players spend the most time in attacking positions.

When the tennis balls get sent to the opponent’s end of the court, there is not much breathing room for whomever is across from Zverev.

This year’s Roland Garros finalist is taking an aggressive approach on return, especially should he get a look at a second serve. According to TDI Insights, Zverev is making more returns than the tour average, all while hitting the ball with more speed and spin. His return speed is notably eight mph faster than the average speed.

It is no wonder why on Monday Zverev returned to his career-high No. 2 PIF ATP Ranking, which he last was at in August 2022, when he was sidelined with a severe ankle injury.

Zverev’s Return In 2024:
1st In % = 66% (Tour Avg. = 62%) 
1st Speed = 67 mph (Tour Avg. = 59 mph) 
1st Spin = 1,735 rpm (Tour Avg. = 1,677 rpm) 
2nd In % = 85% (Tour Avg. = 82%) 
2nd Speed = 77 mph (Tour Avg. = 69 mph) 
2nd Spin = 2,078 rpm (Tour Avg. = 1,778 rpm) 

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Q3 In Review: Sinner, Djokovic, Popyrin lay markers

  • Posted: Sep 11, 2024

In a summer of transition from the clay courts of Europe to the hard courts of North America, the third quarter of the ATP Tour season was filled with new records and a wave of first-time champions.

Jannik Sinner’s dominance continued as he clinched his second Grand Slam title at the US Open, while the World No. 1 also won his third ATP Masters 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open. Novak Djokovic took a long-awaited first gold medal home at the Paris Olympics. In early August, Alexei Popyrin became a first-time ATP Masters 1000 winner by clinching the Montreal crown.

ATPTour.com reflects on the champions from the third quarter of 2024.

[ATP APP]

Jannik Sinner: US Open and Cincinnati
The Australian Open champion and World No. 1 solidified his position atop the PIF ATP Rankings with wins at the US Open and the Cincinnati Open. Enjoying his best season on Tour, Sinner beat American Taylor Fritz in the final of the US Open to become the first Italian man to win the hard-court major. With the title in New York, he also became the youngest man to win both hard-court Grand Slam titles in a single season.

“So many big wins for me this season, starting off with Australia,” said Sinner after winning the US Open. “Playing so well there gave me confidence. The work never stops. I know I can still improve, as we saw today, a couple of things. But you have to be proud with what you have and the rest you have to work for it. I can’t wait for my continued process.”

Earlier in August, Sinner also won the Cincinnati Open, defeating home favourite Frances Tiafoe in the final. With the win, he became the only player to win two ATP Masters 1000 titles so far in 2024.

The Italian, who missed the Olympics due to tonsilitis, qualified for November’s Nitto ATP Finals when he reached the quarter-finals in Montreal. The 23-year-old has won a Tour-leading six titles this season, with his title runs coming at the Australian Open, in Rotterdam, Miami, Halle and Cincinnati, and at the US Open.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/08/22/02/sinner-us-open-2024-trophy-shot.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Jannik Sinner” />

Jannik Sinner lifts the US Open title. Photo Credit: Kena Bentacur/AFP via Getty Images

Novak Djokovic: Paris Olympics
Djokovic withdrew from the quarter-finals of Roland Garros due to a right knee injury and underwent surgery on a torn meniscus early in June. Two months later, he returned to Court Philippe-Chatrier and fulfilled his pursuit of a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, without dropping a set.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion beat Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who took his first Olympic (silver) medal home, in the final. Djokovic became the first player to have won an Olympic singles gold, all four majors, and all nine Masters 1000 events. He also became the third man alongside Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal to complete the career Golden Slam.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m still in shock, honestly. I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family, my everything on the line to win Olympic gold at age 37. I finally did it,” he said.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/08/04/15/25/djokovic-olympics-match-point.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Novak Djokovic celebrates the moment he clinches the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.” />

Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning gold at the Paris Olympics. Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Alexei Popyrin: Montreal
Popyrin’s breakthrough title run at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers in Montreal was one of the surprise title runs of the season so far. The Aussie upset five Top 20 players (including three Top 10 players) to win his first Masters 1000 title. He beat World No.13 Ben Shelton in the second round and saved three match points to upset No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. He then defeated No. 6 Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals, No. 16 Sebastian Korda in the semi-finals, and No. 5 Andrey Rublev in the final.

Coming into the tournament as World No. 62, Popyrin jumped to a career-high No. 23 in the PIF ATP Rankings after the victory. With the win, he became the first Australian Masters 1000 winner since Lleyton Hewitt captured the Indian Wells crown in 2003.

“Not just me, but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me. They have sacrificed their whole lives for me and for me to win this for them is just amazing,” said Popyrin after the win.

Two weeks later, Popyrin sprung another upset by ousting defending champion Djokovic in the third round at the US Open. He became the first player to defeat Djokovic before the fourth round at the hard-court major since fellow Australian Hewitt achieved the feat in the third round in 2006.

Fils, Korda make ATP 500 breakthroughs
The #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils clinched his second ATP Tour title at the Hamburg Open by defeating Alexander Zverev on his home turf. In a rematch of their 2023 semi-final, Fils avenged his loss to the German by saving 21 of 22 break points in the final. Fils made his Top 20 debut in the PIF ATP Rankings as a result of the win.

Sebastian Korda also won his second ATP Tour title at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The American saved two match points against Thanasi Kokkinakis in the third round en route to the trophy. With the win, he became the second American since Andy Roddick in 2007 to win the title. Korda’s father Petr Korda won the tournament in 1992, making them the first father-son duo to win the same title in ATP Tour history.

Berrettini goes back-to-back in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel
The former World No. 6 Matteo Berrettini won the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad by beating Quentin Halys in the final. He also secured impressive wins against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to the title at the clay-court ATP 250.

The Italian carried his momentum into the following week to win his third tour-level title of the season, and 10th overall, at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel. The 2021 Wimbledon finalist did not drop a set across the two weeks.

Other Q3 Champions…
Marcos Giron and Nuno Borges became first-time ATP Tour title winners with their wins in Newport and Bastad, respectively. Giron won his maiden crown at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open. The 30-year-old saved a championship point against fellow American #NextGenATP countryman Alex Michelsen in the final.

Borges claimed his first trophy at the Nordea Open. The Portuguese defeated Rafael Nadal in the final and only dropped one set on his way to the title.

Yoshihito Nishioka and Francisco Cerundolo won their first titles of the season. Nishioka clinched the Atlanta Open crown after notching a notable quarter-final victory over home favorite Tiafoe. Cerundolo won the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag to capture his third career title. The Argentine defeated top two seeds Rublev and Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-final and final, respectively.

Lorenzo Sonego won his fourth tour-level title at the Winston-Salem Open without dropping a set. The Italian beat Michelsen in the final, who is currently second in the PIF ATP Race to Jeddah.

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Alcaraz helps Spain to win over Czechia

  • Posted: Sep 11, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz and Tomas Machac were locked at a set a piece Wednesday when the 23-year-old from the Czech Republic was forced to retire due to cramps in the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage clash. Roberto Bautista Agut won the opening singles match against Jiri Lehecka 7-6(1), 6-4, ensuring that Spain would later secure a 2-0 win against the Czech Republic in Group B action.

Alcaraz dropped the opening set 6-7(3), but fought back to level the match with a convincing 6-1 second set. Machac retired in the opening game of the deciding set after one hour, 38 minutes of play in Valencia. When Machac could not continue, he hunched over his knees and struggled to walk towards the net. Alcaraz warmly embraced his opponent.

“I think after a really difficult and tough first set, I knew that I had to stay tough, stay positive and play long rallies,” Alcaraz said. “I think he played more matches in the American swing. He played tough matches in New York. Then coming here, different conditions, different everything. It’s difficult to get used to.”

The World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings dropped just four points behind his first serve and produced superb all-court coverage throughout his first match since falling in the US Open second round. Machac enjoyed a career-best Slam result at Flushing Meadows, where he reached the fourth round before falling to eventual semi-finalist Jack Draper.

Alcaraz, 21, is competing in Davis Cup for the first time since September 2022. He will later partner Marcel Granollers to go against Jakub Mensik and Adam Pavlasek.

“It’s a special feeling for me playing here in Valencia, Davis Cup. I missed last year,” Alcaraz said. “This year, I’m really excited about it.”

Spain’s next tie will be against France on Friday. Czechia meets Australia on Thursday.

In Group A action, Italy’s Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi helped their home country defeat Brazil 2-0. Berrettini ousted #NextGenATP 18-year-old Joao Fonseca 6-1, 7-6(5), during which the Italian rallied from 0/4 in the second-set tie-break to avoid a decider.

Arnaldi, 23, escaped a thrilling three-hour, 39-minute battle against Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5). The World No. 33 overcame a late scare in the third-set tie-break, when he slipped and fell at the back of the court. But Arnaldi shook off the pain and continued his charge to victory.

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Opelka, Nakashima survive 'epic day' to help USA past Chile

  • Posted: Sep 11, 2024

The United States swept Chile 3-0 in Wednesday’s Davis Cup Finals Group Stage clash, but the victory was less straightforward than the scoreline suggested. The Americans needed a deciding-set tie-break in all three matches in Zhuhai.

Reilly Opelka and Brandon Nakashima led the singles charge before Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram secured the clean sweep for Team USA.

“It was truly an epic day of tennis for both teams,” said United States team captain Bob Bryan. “Everyone showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts. Hats off to the Chileans. Hats off to our guys who were really digging deep, especially in the big moments.

“I don’t think it’s ever happened in Davis Cup that all matches went to the third-set breaker… historic day. Just feeling very, very proud of the players.”

[ATP APP]

Opelka began the day by hammering 27 aces to edge past Cristian Garin 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) and improve to 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“My serve is the shot that had been taking me the longest to get back since my injury,” said Opelka, who is playing just his seventh event of the season.“I didn’t serve well at the US Open, but every week it’s been getting better. I’ve been starting to get the accuracy back.

“I think it’s going to continue to progress and get a little bit better and back to where it was, because you know I think it was one of the best.”

Nakashima, fresh off a career-best fourth-round run at his home Slam, made his Davis Cup debut in style. The 23-year-old overcame World No. 22 Alejandro Tabilo 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-6(3) after two hours, 44 minutes in humid conditions.

“It feels amazing,” said Nakashima. “It was my first ever Davis Cup win and to do it like that was super special. To get the win for the team was super important. I was really happy with the way I was playing.”

Krajicek and Ram, who partnered to win the Paris Olympics silver medal, closed the day by rallying past Tomas Barrios Vera and Matias Soto 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3). The Americans won 85 per cent of their first-serve points and saved four of the five break points they faced.

The United States will next clash against Slovakia on Friday. Chile faces Germany on Thursday.

Contribution from daviscup.com in the report.

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Best In Class: Sinner tops forehand AND backhand shot quality indexes

  • Posted: Sep 11, 2024

The sound is thunderous, yet crisp and precise. Ballstriking that features a skillful blend of finesse and ferocity — each shot impeccably clean, but carrying a lethal force that overwhelms opponents.

Regardless of wing, Jannik Sinner is dominating the ATP Tour this season from the back of the court. The longer the rallies, the harder he pummels the ball, without dropping in consistency.

The Italian’s groundstrokes, intimidating as they are technically flawless, have placed him in a rare position of holding first place in both forehand shot quality (8.8) and backhand shot quality (8.48), according to Tennis Data Innovations, in partnership with TennisViz. It makes sense why Sinner is the runaway leader in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, tallying 9,000 ranking points, 2,885 more than second-placed Alexander Zverev.

The World No. 1, who also leads in return quality (8.04), is crushing his forehand at an average speed of 78 mph this season, five mph faster than the Tour average. It is a similar story with his two-handed backhand, which the 23-year-old hits on average at 73 mph, compared to the Tour-average 66 mph.

Sinner makes it even trickier by piercing both groundstrokes with a flatter trajectory. Compared to the rest of the field, Sinner’s forehand registers two centimetres lower over the net and his backhand five centimetres lower.

Given his baseline dominance, it’s little wonder that Sinner tops the leaderboard in another key category: Conversion. When in an attacking position in the point, the two-time major champion wins a tour-leading 73 per cent of points.

But Sinner, who also leads the Return shot quality index, is also one of the best performers when caught playing defence. When the US Open champion is pushed deep beyond the baseline, perhaps forced to hit an open-stance backhand, Sinner is still very much in the point. In fact, he may be favoured to claw his way back in the forecourt and strike a winner. Sinner is 10th in the Steal metric, winning 37.5 per cent of points during which he found himself playing defence at some stage in the point. 

Sinner’s coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi have seen their charge’s transition game improve firsthand, and Insights from Tennis Data Innovations are evidence of the team’s hard work.

“I think that Simone has done an amazing job over the past couple of years, working on errors of [Jannik’s] game, both transition from defence… and to get some power on those in the corners,” Cahill told ESPN after Sinner won in Flushing Meadows.

“But also getting back and taking the point over and transitioning into offence as well. Simone has been an amazing coach. He’s done a great job the past two and a half, three years. And it’s been an absolute honour to work with him and see how he’s been able to evolve Jannik’s game.”

Jannik Sinner in 2024:
Forehand Speed = 78 mph (Tour Avg. = 73 mph)
Backhand Speed = 73 mph (Tour Avg. = 66 mph)
Forehand Spin = 3,049 rpm (Tour Avg. = 2,708 rpm)
Backhand Spin = 2,235 rpm (Tour Avg. = 1,977 rpm)

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