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2020 Nitto ATP Finals Caps Off Successful 12-Year Stay In London

  • Posted: Nov 26, 2020

The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals, played for the final year at The O2 in London, has marked the end of a remarkable 12-year run in the English capital for the prestigious season-finale of the ATP Tour.

Played on the 50th anniversary of its inaugural edition in Tokyo in 1970, this year’s tournament once again provided a thrilling close to the season, with the top four singles seeds reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 1990. In the final, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev defeated Austria’s Dominic Thiem 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 to claim the biggest title of his career. In doubles action, Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic triumphed over Jürgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 3-6, 10-5, to capture their first title as a team.

Medvedev’s victory bookends the tournament’s time in London with Russian champions, following compatriot Nikolay Davydenko’s triumph in 2009. It also marks the first time in tournament history that any player has defeated the top three players in the FedEx ATP Rankings, with victories over World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in addition to World No. 3 Thiem.

Nitto ATP Finals

Since moving to London the event has welcomed more than 2.8 million spectators and generated a cumulative global broadcast audience of over 850 million. The tournament’s status as the crown-jewel of the ATP Tour season has been further underscored by long-term commercial support of globally renowned brands.

The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals, played behind closed doors, delivered unprecedented levels of fan engagement through digital and social media, generating 131 million video views and 9.6 million interactions across ATP Tour and Tennis TV social media accounts. #NittoATPFinals content, including bespoke 50th anniversary programming and behind-the-scenes content, generated additional earned engagement via interaction by influencers and popular digital channels, including Cristiano Ronaldo, 433 and Visubal. In addition, ATP and ATP Media provided premium content to support a daily show by Gael Monfils on Twitch, which featured guest host Andy Murray and reached over one million unique viewers.

This year’s event also capped off a challenging ATP Tour season, which was suspended for five months in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since restarting in August, a total of 16 ATP Tour and Grand Slam events were staged, bringing the prize money total for the season to US$120.8m.

Nitto ATP Finals

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “Bringing tennis back to our fans this season has been a huge collaborative effort. Witnessing the professionalism and dedication of the world’s best players competing their hearts out last week at the Nitto ATP Finals, in an empty stadium, is something I will never forget. The players deserve all the credit. We wish fans could have been with us to celebrate the event’s 50th anniversary, however the ATP will always remember the 2.8 million passionate spectators that came through the gates of The O2 over the years. London has been an incredible host, and I would like to thank AEG and all our event partners, in particular Nitto, without whose support this event would not have been possible.”

Alex Hill, President & CEO of AEG Europe commented, “I’m enormously proud of everything AEG and The O2 have achieved over the past 12 years with the ATP on our partnership for the Nitto ATP Finals, and wish them and the city of Turin all the best as the event moves to Italy. Hosting this prestigious event has cemented The O2’s position as a major international sporting arena and we look forward to a busy calendar of new and returning sports events over the coming years.”

From 2021-2025, the Nitto ATP Finals will relocate to its new home in Turin, Italy, with the continued commitment of title sponsor Nitto.

BY THE NUMBERS:
2020 NITTO ATP FINALS

• 131,000,000 – video views on ATP Tour and Tennis TV social media channels (+88% YoY)

• 9,500,000 – earned video views (+229% YoY) of Nitto ATP Finals content, including interaction and resharing by Cristiano Ronaldo, 433 and Visubal

• 1,910,138 – streams watched on Tennis TV during the 2020 tournament (+21% YoY)

• 1,200,000 – total streams of Gael Monfils’ daily show on Twitch across the event

• 8,000 – masks donated by Nitto for the event to protect players and their entourages, officials, drivers, security personnel and staff

• 2,353 – COVID-19 PCR tests administered throughout the event

NITTO ATP FINALS IN LONDON (2009-2020):

• 850,000,000+ – cumulative global broadcast audience, across more than 175 territories

• 78,840,000 – total prize money ($US) paid to players

• 2,803,964 – cumulative on-site attendance at The O2

• 2,000,000+ – amount of money raised ($US) for charity, in aid of the likes of Cancer Research UK, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Save the Children and UNICEF 

• 50,336 – total points played (singles & doubles)

• 34,297 – total minutes played (singles & doubles), equivalent to 24 days of action

• 163 – minutes played in the longest singles final (Medvedev d. Thiem, 2020)

• 101 – total participants across singles and doubles competitions

• 36 – nationalities represented by event participants

• 21 – age of the youngest singles champion in London (Tsitsipas, 2019)

• 4 – Year-End Singles No.1s crowned (Djokovic, Federer, Murray, Nadal)

• 1 – thing left to say: Thank you for your support!

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Twitch Takes: Monfils And Murray Build The Perfect Player

  • Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Would you rather have Ivo Karlovic’s serve or Rafael Nadal’s forehand? When you think of the best return in the game, is it Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray whose name springs to mind? What would your perfect tennis player look like?

This was the topic that Gael Monfils and Murray tackled on Twitch during their Nitto ATP Finals coverage on Sunday, as the pair live-streamed their commentary and banter while watching Daniil Medvedev’s three-set championship clash with Dominic Thiem.

When it came to one of the most important shots in the game, Murray gave honourable mention to big servers John Isner and Ivo Karlovic, but ultimately opted for Nick Kyrgios’ powerful first delivery.

“Honestly, I would have picked the same, also Kyrgios,” Monfils replied. “For me because it’s definitely tough to read. It’s fast, accurate, he can do anything with it. It’s definitely one of the bigger serves I’ve ever seen on the tour.”

Novak Djokovic’s groundstrokes also received a lot of praise from Monfils and Murray, with both players unanimously picking the World No. 1’s return as the best on the tour. 

“He’s not an unbelievably aggressive returner, it’s not like he’s hitting lots of clean winners on the return. But he’s just got great depth,” Murray said. “He doesn’t miss many. He returns well on the first and second serve, I think overall he’s the best returner. And when he’s on with the return, you’re getting hardly any free points, which is big.”

“He builds a lot of pressure on your serve, to do something, to force a little bit sometimes or even to slow down a bit and mix up the speeds,” Monfils added. “But when he’s on, his return is unbelievable. I’ll go for Novak as well.”

The pair were split when it came time to choose a forehand, with the Frenchman naming Juan Martin del Potro’s shot as his top pick.

[WATCH LIVE 3]

“The consistency, the power, the accuracy – for me it’s one of the biggest forehands we have on the tour,” he said. “He can hit forehands from, I feel like, anywhere on the court. It can be a winner with his forehand.”

“I’ll take Rafa’s forehand,” Murray countered. “I rarely see Rafa’s forehand being the reason he’s lost matches. And it’s never really let him down in very big matches and big moments. I feel like it’s extremely reliable.

“I think it’s been a huge reason for the 13 Roland Garros [titles] that he’s won. That’s 13, one-three.”

Check out Monfils’ Twitch channel to see the rest of their picks as Monfils and Murray built their perfect players – and find out which of their own shots and qualities they named to the list.

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Djokovic & Nadal Finish Inside Top 2 For Third Straight Year

  • Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will finish 2020 as the Top 2 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the third consecutive year and the fifth time overall when the year-end Rankings are officially released on 7 December.

Djokovic will tie Pete Sampras’ record with a sixth year-end No. 1 finish. It is the ninth time in the past 10 seasons he has earned a Top 2 spot. Nadal now leads the ‘Big Three’ — Djokovic and Roger Federer — with 12 Top 2 finishes. It is the seventh time he has ended a season as World No. 2.

 

Year-End Top 2 Finishes As A Pair

 Federer & Nadal  7
 Djokovic & Nadal  5
 Djokovic & Federer  2

Federer did not compete after reaching this year’s Australian Open semi-finals due to injury, but he will be the year-end World No. 5. The Swiss, who has finished in that elite group 16 times, has previously finished inside the Top 2 on 11 occasions, including five year-end No. 1 finishes.

[ATP HERITAGE]

Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have made up the Top 2 in the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings in 14 of the past 16 seasons. The only player to break the trio’s streak was Andy Murray, who was year-end No. 1 in 2016 and No. 2 in 2015.

The official year-end FedEx ATP Rankings will be released on 7 December. Since there will only be ATP Challenger Tour events until then, there will be no changes near the top of the Rankings.

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Schwartzman, DelPo, Nadal Lead ATP Tributes To Maradona

  • Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Tributes are pouring in from around the tennis world after football legend Diego Maradona passed away on Wednesday at the age of 60. 

Current and former ATP Tour stars from Argentina and beyond took to social media to pay their respects to the World Cup winner’s legacy, led by his countryman and namesake Diego Schwartzman. 

“How could you not be named Diego? I love you forever D10S (‘god’),” Schwartzman posted.

“I feel like you’re returning to where you belong, to HEAVEN. For me you will never die,” said fellow Argentine Juan Martin del Potro. 

“Today the world of sports in general and football in particular has a void,” said Spain’s Rafael Nadal. “One of the greatest sportsmen in history, Diego Maradona, has left us. What he did in football will remain. My deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his family, the world of football, and to all of Argentina.”

“You’ve made us all very happy here, rest in peace Diego,” added retired Argentine player Juan Monaco.

See more social media tributes as the tennis world mourns the passing of Diego Maradona:

 

View this post on Instagram
 

A post shared by Charly Berlocq (@charlyberlocqok)

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Medvedev Reveals Tennis' New Game Style: Assassin

  • Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Tennis has a new game style. Assassin.

It’s easy to identify a serve-and-volleyer, an aggressive baseliner, a counter-puncher, or a pusher. Creating a game plan against them is relatively straightforward.

And then there is Daniil Medvedev – a mercurial master of them all. Take your eye off him at your own peril. There is a much better chance he has you in his sights than the other way around.

His cunning mix of strategies often ends with a surprise attack you didn’t see coming. He obfuscates his game plan by launching attacks from every inch of the court. One moment he is returning serve six metres behind the baseline. The next, he is successfully serving and volleying behind an 84mph second serve facing break point. He spectacularly blurs the lines between traditional game styles to baffle and bamboozle opponents.

The Russian assassin has taken #NextGenATP to next level.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Medvedev’s five victories at the Nitto ATP Finals uncovers five ways that he built control of the point, oftentimes without his opponent being aware that is was happening.

The five matches in the data set are:
Round Robin: def. Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4
Round Robin: def. Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3
Round Robin: def. Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-3
Semi-Final: def. Rafael Nadal 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3
Final: def. Dominic Thiem 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4

1. Backhands Hit Inside The Baseline
Medvedev: 26%
Five Opponents: 12%

Medvedev loves to lean on his backhand and hit it flat as a pancake. In theory, opponents should be able to step forward and attack the spin-less ball at will. The exact opposite happened at The O2. Overall, Medvedev made contact with his backhand inside the baseline 26 per cent of the time. His five opponents combined to hit only 12 per cent of their backhands inside the baseline, less than half of the Russian’s total. In the final, Medvedev made contact with 35 per cent of his backhands inside the baseline. Thiem only managed 12 per cent. Medvedev’s average backhand speed was 67 mph, with his five opponents a few notches lower at 64 mph.

Medvedev’s Backhand Hit Point vs. Thiem

Medvedev Hawkeye

Thiem’s Backhand Hit Point vs. Medvedev

Thiem Hawkeye

2. Aces
Medvedev: 43
Five Opponents: 14

Medvedev completely out-performed his five opponents in this area, hitting more than triple the total of aces. In the semi-final against Nadal and the final against Thiem, Medvedev clubbed 25 aces. His opponents only managed eight.

3. Groundstrokes = Lower, Deeper, Harder

Medvedev’s average net height was 67cm above the net, while opponents were up higher at 74cm. You would think the higher ball over the net would travel deeper, but it wasn’t the case. Medvedev hit 86 per cent of his groundstrokes past the service line, while opponents were at 83 per cent. One explanation for that is that Medvedev played with superior velocity, averaging 72 mph on his groundstrokes to 70 mph for his five opponents.

4. Second-Serve Points Won
Medvedev: 48% (63/132)
Five Opponents: 42% (60/144)

Winning the second serve battle is always critical. Medvedev impressively won this match metric by six percentage points. Rafael Nadal led the ATP Tour in 2020 in second-serve points won at 57.8 per cent (527/912). In the semi-final, Nadal only won 37 per cent (19/51) against Medvedev, who countered by winning 48 per cent (12/25) of points behind his second delivery. The fact Nadal struck 51 second serves to Medvedev’s 25 is yet another small battle won by the Russian.

5. First-Serve Return Points Won
Medvedev: 29%
Five Opponents: 22.5%

Medvedev eclipsed his five opponents in this key area, who on paper should be superior to the Russian in this specific statistic. In 2020, Nadal was rated No. 1, Djokovic No. 3, Schwartzman No. 4, Zverev No. 9, and Thiem No. 11. Medvedev punched in at 16th-best, but he cut all five opponents down to size at the year-end event, winning 29 per cent to 22.5 per cent. Medvedev’s average first-serve return speed for the tournament was 68mph, while his five opponents were significantly in arrears at 57 mph. That’s a testament to how much blocking, chipping and defending they had to do against Medvedev’s lethal first serve.

Medvedev’s match metrics were overwhelmingly superior to his five opponents at the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals. Sometimes it requires a spreadsheet to uncover just how the person on the other side of the net is taken down.

– Hawkeye graphics courtesy ATP Media

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Thiem To Compete In 2021 Laver Cup

  • Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Dominic Thiem will compete in the next Laver Cup, to take place at the TD Garden in Boston from 24-26 September 2021.

Thiem will play in the team event for the third time following his participation in 2017 (Prague) and 2019 (Geneva). The Austrian holds a 2-1 record representing Team Europe, with his victories coming against Team World’s John Isner and Denis Shapovalov. 

“The Laver Cup is a fantastic event and I’m really excited to be a part of Team Europe for the Boston edition,” Thiem said.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be on the winning side at two of the three Laver Cups so far – in Prague and Geneva, and it’s a really unique event, like no other on the tour.  I’m really looking forward to helping Team Europe capture a fourth title. 

“It’s so cool to be competing as part of a team with guys I’m normally facing across the net. We have so much fun together, but I also still learn a lot from the likes of Roger and Bjorn, who have so much experience in the game.”

The 27-year-old is flying as high as ever, fresh off his second consecutive trip to the championship match of the Nitto ATP Finals. Thiem won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open and he is at a career-high No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Former World No. 1 Bjorn Borg is still the captain of Team Europe, and the Swedish legend is excited to have the Austrian on his side.

“Dom has had an incredible season, despite the unprecedented circumstances. He consistently performs at the top level and it was great to see him win his first Slam earlier in the year in New York,” Borg said. “With him and Roger confirmed I feel we’ve got a great foundation, but for sure we’ll need to be in top form as each year Team World gets tougher and tougher and my great friend and rival John McEnroe will be hungrier than ever to win in front of a home crowd!”

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