Tennis News

1,000 Wins! The Stats Behind Rafael Nadal's Milestone

Rafael Nadal earned his 1,000th tour-level match win on Wednesday, defeating Feliciano Lopez to reach the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters. The Spaniard is the fourth player to reach the milestone in the Open Era, joining Jimmy Connors (1,274-283), Roger Federer (1,242-271) and Ivan Lendl (1,068-242).

Nadal leads all players in the Open Era with an 83.3 winning percentage (1,000-201). To celebrate the 34-year-old’s achievement, ATPTour.com looks at the stats behind Nadal’s journey to 1,000 victories.

1 – Career-High FedEx ATP Ranking
2 – Wimbledon titles
3 – Tour-level victories before cracking the Top 100 for the first time. The next 997 wins of his career have come from inside the Top 100
4 – US Open titles
5 – Year-end No. 1 finishes
6 – Victories against one of his coaches, former World No. 1 Carlos Moya
13 – Roland Garros titles
15 – Age when Nadal won his first ATP Tour match
16 – Consecutive qualifications for the Nitto ATP Finals from 2005-2020
18 – Age when the Spaniard won his first ATP Tour crown
20 – Grand Slam championships
21 – Victories against the player ranked World No. 1 at the time of their match
22 – Hard-court trophies
24 – Age when Nadal became the youngest player to complete the Career Grand Slam
31 – Number of matches Nadal won at Roland Garros before his first loss at the major in 2009
34 – Top 20 wins as a teenager
35 – ATP Masters 1000 titles
50 – Consecutive sets won on clay during an Open Era record streak that ended at the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open
51 – Combined wins against Roger Federer (24) and Novak Djokovic (27)
55 – Percentage of total points won
56 – Most consecutive weeks at World No. 1
60 – Clay-court titles
69 – Winning percentage in deciding sets (164-73)
70 – Winning percentage in finals (86-37)
71 – Grass-court wins
81 – Consecutive matches won on clay between April 2005 and May 2007. That is a single-surface Open Era record
82 – Most wins in a season (2008)
86 – Tour-level titles
88 – Winning percentage against lefties, the best rate on record (105-15)
90 – Indoor wins
95 – Winning percentage after winning the first set
99 – Wins against players who have reached World No. 1 (99-63)
100 – Wins at Roland Garros
116 – Wins after losing the first set
123 – Tour-level finals
172 – Wins against Top 10 opponents
197 – Wins as World No. 1
209 – Weeks at No. 1 
246 – Tie-breaks won (246-157)
282 – Grand Slam victories
310 – Most aces in a season (2010)
324 – Wins against players who have reached the world’s Top 5 (324-126)
387 – ATP Masters 1000 triumphs
445 – Clay-court triumphs
482 – Hard-court victories
909 – Lowest-ranked player Nadal has beaten in a tour-level match. He defeated Denmark’s Mikael Torpegaard 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in 2015 Davis Cup action
910 – Outdoor wins
1,000 – Wins

– Statistical assistance provided by Joshua Rey

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Zverev Charges Into Paris Third Round

Alexander Zverev continued his strong run of indoor form on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The World No. 7 needed just 55 minutes to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2, 6-2 and extend his winning streak to nine matches. Zverev is attempting to capture his third straight trophy on the ATP Tour after back-to-back title runs at indoor tournaments in Cologne last month.

The 23-year-old is aiming to emulate his coach, 2012 champion David Ferrer, by lifting his first trophy in Paris. Zverev, who owns a 24-8 record in 2020, is through to the third round at the ATP Masters 1000 for the third straight year.

“[David] has great memories of this tournament,” said Zverev. “I hope I can do the same [thing] he did in 2012. We will see how it goes.”

Zverev will face Adrian Mannarino for a place in the quarter-finals. The Nur-Sultan runner-up saved six of seven break points to beat Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3. Fourth seed Zverev owns a 4-0 ATP Head2Head record against the Frenchman, which includes a three-set quarter-final victory at last month’s bett1HULKS Championship.

Of the 20 winners struck in the first set, 18 came from the racquet of Zverev. The German overpowered Kecmanovic from the baseline, particularly on his forehand, to claim the opener in 25 minutes.

Zverev continued to impose his game on Kecmanovic in the second set. The German extracted forehand errors from Kecmanovic and won all nine of his first-serve points to clinch victory in 55 minutes.

London Hopes Murray/Skupski Set Kubot/Melo Rematch
Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski improved their chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Wednesday with a 7-5, 7-6(5) win against Hugo Nys and Artem Sitak at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The Vienna finalists won 79 per cent of first-serve points (34/43) to advance to the second round in Paris. Murray and Skupski are currently in seventh position in the FedEx ATP Battle For London.

In their next match, the British pair will meet fellow London contenders Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo. Kubot and Melo claimed their third team title in Vienna last week with a straight-sets win against Murray and Skupski in the championship match.

Max Purcell and Luke Saville’s chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals were dealt a blow when they fell in straight sets on Court 2. Austin Krajicek and Franko Skugor converted five of six break points to eliminate the Australian Open finalists 6-3, 6-3.

Nur-Sultan champions Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen kept their London hopes alive with a 4-6, 7-6(3), 10-8 comeback win against Daniil Medvedev and Jan-Lennard Struff. The Belgians will face second seeds Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares in the second round.

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Finals Contender Schwartzman Moves Into Paris Third Round

Diego Schwartzman, who controls his own destiny to clinch the final spot at this month’s Nitto ATP Finals, booked his place in the Rolex Paris Masters third round on Wednesday.

The sixth-seeded Argentine snapped a three-match losing streak against France’s Richard Gasquet with a 7-5, 6-3 victory in 84 minutes. Gasquet had previously been 6-0 in sets against Schwartzman, who next plays Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The Spanish qualifier was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over wild card Benjamin Bonzi of France.

Schwartzman currently sits in the final automatic qualification spot for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November. If the World No. 9 reaches the Paris semi-finals (among other scenarios), he will qualify for the first time to the season finale.

Schwartzman won the first three games against Gasquet, who began his comeback at 1-4 down and broke in the seventh game of the first set, which turned at 6-5 back in Schwartzman’s favour. Schwartzman again opened up a 3-0 lead in the second set and this time held his nerve.

The 28-year-old now has a 24-11 match record on the season, which includes runner-up finishes at the Cordoba Open (l. to Garin), the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (l. to Djokovic) and the bett1HULKS Championship in Cologne (l. to Zverev).

Elsewhere, third-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev was leading 5/2 in the first-set tie-break when Kevin Anderson of South Africa retired with a right leg injury. Anderson had beaten Medvedev 6-4, 7-6(5) in last week’s Erste Bank Open quarter-finals in Vienna.

Medvedev awaits the winner of Australian No. 16 seed Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Sonego of Italy.

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ATP Launches Ultimate Prize Draw In Aid Of Cancer Research UK

The ATP, in collaboration with ATP players, has launched an Ultimate Prize Draw in aid of Cancer Research UK, the official charity partner of the Nitto ATP Finals.

The initiative gives tennis fans the chance to win exclusive signed memorabilia, a once-in-a-lifetime Nitto ATP Finals experience in 2021 in Turin, and a private serving masterclass with John Isner, passionate supporter of cancer charities. Priced at £10 per entry, all proceeds will go towards supporting the critical work of Cancer Research UK, which has seen fundraising heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Details of the available prize packages:

A: “Take the Nitto ATP Finals Home” – The Ultimate London Memento
• The official ATP Tour net used on Centre Court at The O2
• Signed “Coin Toss” coin from the final Nitto ATP Finals match at The O2
• Personalised Video Message from this year’s champion
• Signed Official Photos from previous editions of the Nitto ATP Finals

B: “Thank You London” – The Ultimate Memorabilia Package
• 2020 Nitto ATP Finals Official Photo, signed by all eight singles players
• Signed apparel from this year’s qualified players
• Signed racquet of the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion

C: “Welcome to Turin” – The Ultimate VIP Experience
• Two tickets to the semi-finals and finals of the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin
• Two-night hotel stay at the Official Tournament Hotel
• VIP hospitality and Behind the Scenes Tour
• Meet-and-Greet with the singles champion

D: “Acing Cancer” – The Ultimate Serving Masterclass
• 1-1 ZOOM serving masterclass with John Isner, former Nitto ATP Finals competitor and winner of 15 ATP Tour titles
• Review personal footage and receive individualised tips and advice from and one of the greatest servers in the history of tennis. According to the Infosys ATP Stats Leaderboard, Isner currently sits atop the all-time Serve Leaders list
• Open Q&A session, providing insight into a champion’s mindset and training routines

Four lucky winners will be selected on 12 November and invited to join an exclusive ZOOM call with the official host of the Nitto ATP Finals and an ATP player, to draw their respective prizes.

“The events of this year have shown how important it is to rally together,” said Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO. “Cancer Research UK, like many charities, has had its fundraising heavily impacted by the pandemic. I’m thrilled we can support our charity partner in continuing their vital work, by leveraging our platform, showcase-event and biggest stars in a creative way.”

“We are thrilled that ATP will be running a prize draw in aid of Cancer Research UK (CRUK). 2020 has been an especially tough year for CRUK given the pandemic, therefore it is more important than ever that we work with our partners, like ATP, to ensure we raise vital funds for our life-saving work,” said Eve Mitchell, Head of Partnerships CRUK.

For more information and to enter the prize draw please click here.

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Humbert Outlasts Tsitsipas In Paris Thriller

Ugo Humbert added another highlight to his breakthrough 2020 ATP Tour season on Tuesday, as he earned one of the biggest victories of his career at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The talented left-hander struck 46 winners to defeat second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 7-6(3) in three hours and 16 minutes. It is Humbert’s second Top 10 win, following his straight-sets victory against World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev at the Hamburg European Open in September.

“I’m super happy, super proud of myself,” said Humbert. “I was mentally very strong to win this match against Tsitsipas, one of the best players in the world.”

Humbert appeared to be on the cusp of victory in the second-set tie-break, as he played with aggression to rush his opponent into multiple errors. But Tsitsipas served well and attacked with his backhand to save three consecutive match points from 3/6 down and force a decider. World No. 34 Humbert returned with depth and struck forehand winners up the line to extend his winning streak to seven matches.

“It was very, very hard at the end of the second set because I was a little bit stressed and tight to finish the match,” said Humbert. “I tried to play one by one [and] gave what I can.

“I was very relaxed [in the third set]. I tried to serve well. It’s very nice to win this kind of match like this.”

Humbert is making his first appearance since his second ATP Tour title run at last month’s European Open in Antwerp. The Frenchman, who also won the ASB Classic in January, owns a 23-11 record in 2020.

This is the second straight match that Humbert has won in a final-set tie-break. The 6’2” left-hander earned a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(1) win against Casper Ruud in the first round.

Tsitsipas will now prepare to make his second straight appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. The Greek claimed the trophy on his tournament debut last year with back-to-back wins against Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem. The elite eight-man event will be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November.

“He was just creating a lot of opportunities from his forehand side and doing a lot of damage from there,” said Tsitsipas. “His serve was very consistent. Despite having opportunities where he would serve second serves [and] I could come in [and] be more aggressive, it didn’t seem as easy as I had it planned in my head.”

After a slow start, Humbert attacked with his forehand to recover the early break he had conceded. The Frenchman grew in confidence as the set progressed and attacked Tsitsipas’ forehand to extract multiple errors in the first-set tie-break.

Humbert continued to find success on his forehand in the second set, but failed to convert three match points in the tie-break as Tsitsipas levelled the match. But Humbert recovered quickly, as he ripped a forehand winner down the line to break serve in the first game of the decider. Despite dropping serve at 3-2, Humbert played with aggression on his return and landed a forehand winner up the line to book a third-round meeting against Marin Cilic.

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The Last Time… With Alex De Minaur

“The Last Time” that rising Australian player Alex de Minaur hit the indoor hard-courts in Europe, he sped through the draw to his seventh career ATP final at the European Open. “The Last Time” he tried to string a tennis racquet? That was much longer ago, and was a much less a successful attempt. 

The 21-year-old Aussie claimed three titles last year to hit a career-high ranking of World No.18, and he’s eyeing a fourth trophy at the Rolex Paris Masters. 

Currently in the second round in Paris, De Minaur caught up with ATPTour.com after his opening victory to reveal the last time he… 

Missed a flight?
I can confirm that I’ve never missed a flight. So I’m pretty good with that. I’m going to have to throw Marc Polmans under the bus there. He forgets things… I think he’s the one.

Lost something important?
I lost the keys to my house. And that was… that was on a night that I came back home probably a bit too late. I may or may not have had to sleep outside. 

Paid money to rent a court?
That’s… that’s a long time. I honestly cannot remember. I reckon I probably never have had to, because I’ve always been training, you know?

Being famous helped me?
Maybe on the flight back from Australia. I got an extra bag at check in. You know, she felt bad for me for having to withdraw from my home Slam and everything so she gave me, like, a pity extra bag.

Strung a racquet?
I’ve only strung my racquets twice. And it took, my first time two hours and the second time an hour and a half. And I skipped a couple of strings, so I can confirm that I’ve never done it again. 

Cooked for myself or others?
Quarantine, actually. I live by myself so I took it upon myself to try it out and see how it went. And, yeah, it wasn’t horrible! My go-to dish? I would probably go either chili con carne or just some chicken fajitas. 

Met a childhood idol?
I’ve been fortunate to meet a lot of childhood idols and people I’ve looked up to, especially in the tennis world as Australia has such a rich history. I’ve been lucky enough to get my Davis Cup jacket from Rod Laver, I’ve been fortunate enough to have dinner with Muscles [Ken Rosewall], I’ve had Tony Roche as a Davis Cup coach. I’ve been very fortunate.

Shared a hotel room with another player?
I reckon it’s probably juniors. Juniors, I would say. Blake Ellis is the last person I probably shared a room with. 

Asked someone famous for a selfie?
Probably Hugh Jackman, about maybe a year ago. We were lucky enough to get invited to see The Greatest Showman here in Paris, and we managed to see him backstage and get a nice selfie with him.

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Carreno Busta Continues Bid For London Spot In Paris

Pablo Carreno Busta kept his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals alive on Tuesday, as fellow London contender David Goffin’s bid was ended in the Rolex Paris Masters second round.

The Spaniard, who must win the tournament to extend his London qualification bid, won 87 per cent of first-serve points (26/30) to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(3), 6-2. Qualifier Norbert Gombos brought Goffin’s London qualification attempt to an end with a 6-4, 7-6(6) triumph.

Carreno Busta improved to 19-11 this season with his fourth win in six ATP Head2Head matches against Struff. The World No. 15 has shown impressive form since the resumption of the ATP Tour in August, with a semi-final run at the US Open and a quarter-final finish at Roland Garros.

”My confidence was very high today,” said Carreno Busta. “I was serving really good, but I think the key was the first and the second balls after [the] return and after [the] serve. I think that I played very aggressive on these balls and I made a lot of winners from everywhere. I’m happy for the victory, because Jan-Lennard on this surface is a really tough guy.”

Carreno Busta will meet Gombos for a place in the quarter-finals. The World No. 105 defeated Carreno Busta in the pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head contest at the Open Sud de France in February.

Gombos saved three set points in the second-set tie-break to earn the biggest win of his career against Goffin after one hour and 36 minutes. The Slovakian, who is through to the third round at a an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time, saved four break points at 2-2 in the first set and began to dictate with aggressive groundstrokes.

The 39-minute opener, which ended with three straight service breaks, finished when Goffin hit a forehand long.The Belgian regrouped and came within one point of a 5-2 advantage in the second set, but Gombos rallied to win 10 of the next 13 points to put pressure back on the shoulders of the World No. 14. Goffin held firm and in the tie-break held three set points at 6/3, but three consecutive groundstroke errors put Gombos in the ascendancy.

The 30-year-old wrapped up his seventh tour-level win of the year when Goffin over-hit a forehand — his 46th unforced error. Goffin, who is currently No. 14 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, drops to a 12-11 match record in 2020.

Miomir Kecmanovic ended John Millman’s winning streak with a 6-4, 6-2 win on Court 1. The Serbian broke the Nur-Sultan champion’s serve on four occasions to book a second-round clash against fourth seed Alexander Zverev.

Vienna runner-up Lorenzo Sonego added to his recent run of form with a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Alexander Bublik. The Italian will face 16th seed Alex de Minaur in the second round.

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Raonic Solid On Serve In Paris

Milos Raonic produced a clinical serving performance on Tuesday to book his place in the Rolex Paris Masters second round.

The 2014 runner-up dropped just six points on serve (37/43) to move past Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-2 in 63 minutes. Raonic, who owns a 12-5 record at the ATP Masters 1000, broke serve on three occasions to extend his unbeaten ATP Head2Head record against Bedene to 5-0.

This is the second time in three weeks that Raonic has defeated Bedene in a first-round match. At last month’s European Open in Antwerp, Raonic overcame the Slovenian 6-3, 7-6(4) en route to the quarter-finals.

Raonic will face home favourite Pierre-Hugues Herbert for a spot in the third round. The Frenchman recovered from a set down to beat Tennys Sandgren 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(4).

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Wawrinka Hits 35 Winners To Reach Paris Second Round

Stan Wawrinka raised his game at the right times on Tuesday to book his place in the Rolex Paris Masters second round. The Swiss No. 12 seed recorded his 13th match win of the year with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Briton Daniel Evans in one hour and 33 minutes.

“I’m really happy with my level today, I was serving and moving well,” said 2015 semi-finalist Wawrinka, who awaits France’s Gilles Simon, the 2012 semi-finalist, or Tommy Paul of the United States.

Evans was left to rue missing out on two break points at 1-1 in the first set, with Wawrinka serving at 15/40. Having held serve, Wawrinka put his foot down and broke for a 3-1 advantage with a backhand volley winner. In a competitive second set, Wawrinka won four straight points from 2/2 in the tie-break and closed out with an unreturned serve.

Wawrinka, who struck 35 winners, is now 5-0 lifetime against Evans in their ATP Head2Head series. They met last month in the St. Petersburg Open first round, with Wawrinka saving three match points in a 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 win.

Later in the day, France’s Richard Gasquet broke a four-match losing streak to overcome Taylor Fritz of the United States 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour and 36 minutes for his 15th victory of the reduced 2020 season. Gasquet will next play sixth-seeded Argentine and Nitto ATP Finals contender Diego Schwartzman.

“I am home and I like to play here in Bercy, even if there is no crowd,” said Gasquet, in a post-match interview. “I am very happy with the way I played. It is very difficult to play without the support of a crowd.”

Gasquet completed the 25-minute opener with an ace, before Fritz worked his way back into the match, breaking for a 5-3 advantage in the second set when Gasquet made a forehand error. Fritz, who completed the second set with an ace, could not convert three break points early in the decider and paid the prize at 1-2, when he was broken to love.

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Paris Masters: Dan Evans beaten by Stan Wawrinka in first round

British number one Dan Evans falls to a straight-set defeat by Stan Wawrinka in the first round of the Paris Masters.

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