Rafael Nadal won a record 81 consecutive tour-level matches on clay from 2005 to 2007. During that winning streak, the Spaniard made his mark in Båstad.

The lefty began the 2005 season with one ATP Tour title. Not only did he claim a career-high 11 trophies that year, he won his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros and his first four ATP Masters 1000 crowns. But Nadal entered that July’s Nordea Open seeking a turnaround.

After triumphing at Roland Garros, Nadal only won one of three matches during his grass-court season. In his third appearance in Båstad, the 19-year-old wanted to get back on track. He didn’t just get back on track; Nadal gained plenty of momentum, winning the title with the loss of just one set, against Tomas Berdych in the final.

“Berdych was tough and aggressive,” Nadal said. “In the first set he played so good, I couldn’t do much.”

A teenage Nadal showed similar qualities to the legendary champion he has become. The Spaniard dominated his first four matches, each against a clay-court standout. Nadal didn’t lose more than four games in a set, rolling past Juan Monaco, Alberto Martin, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo.

“I’m very happy to have reached another final and the first here in Båstad,” Nadal said.

Berdych, the big-hitting Czech, was No. 42 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. But he had already proven his abilities against the top players in the sport, stunning World No. 1 Roger Federer at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Berdych came out firing, cracking a forehand winner in his first return game to break World No. 3 Nadal. But like he has since done so many times in his career, Nadal found another gear to triumph 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

“I played a little bit more aggressively in the second set and I played with deeper shots,” Nadal said. “I got to 4-0 [in the second set] very fast and that was important for the confidence.”

After the match, a reporter asked Nadal if he had his sights set on the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings, to which the Spaniard replied, “I’m not ready for it. I need to improve in my game. I will need to improve my serve and find regularity in it and I have to become more aggressive on my forehand.”

Just more than three years later, Nadal reached World No. 1, a spot he has held for 209 weeks throughout his career.

There are many ways to describe doubles: fast-paced, thrilling and nail-biting among them. Doubles players show a wide variety of jaw-dropping shots and skills that make for compelling competition.

Over the course of the next nine weeks, some of the best doubles players in the world will analyse key elements of the discipline: the serve, aggressive return, consistent return, x-factors, overhead, feel, forehand volley, backhand volley, half volley and toughest opponents to give fans an unprecedented look inside doubles. This is the ATP Tour’s ‘Ultimate Doubles Player’ series.

But first, what makes a great doubles player?

“When things go fast, I’m better,” said former World No. 3 Robert Lindstedt. “If you’re not comfortable in a fast-paced environment on court, go home.”

Sometimes the reason a player struggles on the singles court could lend itself to success on the doubles court. Lindstedt says his reactions have always been better than his decision-making. He was capable of hitting any shot he wanted, but having time on the singles court led to poor shot selection. He believes he thrives without time to think.

“You have to have good reactions. The quick decision has to come naturally for you, otherwise you’re going to be left standing on your back foot not knowing where to go or what to do,” Lindstedt said. “It’s about getting your nervous system to fire up and see what’s happening quicker, and that’s basically practising at a higher pace than you’re used to for a longer period of time. Slowly you raise your level. Some are born with it easier than others.

Lindstedt turned pro in 1998 and at 43 years old, the Swede remains inside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings. During those 22 years, he has seen how doubles has changed.

“When I came on Tour, fitness wasn’t a major part of doubles,” Lindstedt said. “But I feel like that has really, really developed into [a big part]. I learned to be a hard worker, so I’m really happy to see that.”

Another veteran who has long enjoyed success is Bruno Soares, a 32-time tour-level titlist. The Brazilian believes that while strokes and fitness are very important, there are intangibles that are vital to a doubles player’s success.

“We all know the great players have [weapons]. I think in doubles what makes a great player is his ability to adapt,” Soares said. “We’re constantly adapting to different conditions — fast court, slow court, fast ball, slow ball, altitude, sea level, clay, grass, hard, different partners, different weeks… I think a great player is someone who of course has amazing strokes, but a great ability to adapt to all the different situations that we are exposed to throughout the year.”

Bruno Soares defeat Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo to win the Rolex Shanghai Maters on Sunday.” />

Over the course of the next nine weeks, a variety of active doubles stars from different generations and tennis backgrounds will analyse the shots and skills that define doubles. They will not only share who they feel is the best at a particular shot or skill, but explain why it is important.

The participating players are: Juan Sebastian Cabal, Robert Farah, Raven Klaasen, Robert Lindstedt, Marcelo Melo, Jurgen Melzer, Jamie Murray, Filip Polasek, Rajeev Ram, Joe Salisbury, Ken Skupski, Neal Skupski and Bruno Soares.

Novak Djokovic activates the scoreboard as a secondary opponent better than any player in the past three decades.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of players who win the highest percentage of games in set one finds the Serbian at the top of the tree, winning almost six out of 10 games in the opening stanza. The data set includes 442 players who have competed in at least 100 ATP and Grand Slam matches from 1991-2020.

Djokovic is a phenomenal front-runner, quickly jumping out of the blocks to win 59.58 per cent (5990/10,053) of games in set one to immediately hold the upper hand in the match. He does not ease his way into the encounter. He actually tries to end it – at least mentally and emotionally in his opponents’ mind – before it begins.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were the only other two players since 1991 to cross the 58 per cent threshold, with Nadal winning 59.43 per cent and Federer winning 59.03 per cent. Interestingly, the Big Three are all within half a percentage point of each other, all feeding off each other to take the game to new levels.

When players obtain an early lead in a match, opponents often feel compelled to gravitate to higher risk patterns of play, such as going for more winners early in the point to get back into the contest. By getting ahead early, Djokovic can keep playing his high percentage patterns of play, while opponents feel like they have to “red-line” their game to hang with him because they are already in an early hole. The scoreboard simply becomes a silent weapon for Djokovic.

The leading 10 players since 1991 with the highest percentage of games won in the opening set are in the table below.

Set 1: Percentage Games Won 1991-2020

Djokovic slightly elevates his win percentage when you filter the data set to include only hardcourt matches. The leading five players on hard courts are:

1. Djokovic = 60.13%
2. Federer = 59.37%
3. Sampras = 58.66%
4. Agassi = 58.32%
5. Ivan Lendl = 57.33%

Djokovic is the only player who has won the “Career Golden Masters” by triumphing in all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. He has performed best in Shanghai, Indian Wells and Miami, winning north of 60 per cent of games in the opening set at all three events.

Masters 1000 & Nitto ATP Finals: Djokovic Games Won Percentage In Set 1

Djokovic’s visible weapons in a match include his aggressive forehands, rock-solid backhands, and a potent return of serve that quickly rebounds deep down the middle of the court, right back at the server. When you look at the scoreboard and see him ahead in the game count, you can add that to the extensive list.

Mardy Fish is known for his efforts on the tennis court, climbing as high as No. 7 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and winning six ATP Tour titles. But the American showed his prowess for another sport this past weekend: golf.

The 38-year-old won the American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament with the $600,000 purse going to charity. Fish competed against superstars from throughout the sports world, including Stephen Curry, Jerry Rice, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Canelo Alvarez. 

“This is the least amount of golf I’ve played going into one of these things, so maybe there’s something to that. Maybe there’s something to riding in the cart with no caddie, maybe,” Fish said. “But maybe I was just due for a win here.”

Mardy Fish” />

The three-day event is based on the Stableford scoring format, in which players are awarded points depending on how they score on a hole compared to their handicap. In normal golf scoring, Fish shot a 63 on Saturday to put himself in great position for the win.

“I can hit it with most people. And then if I can make some putts, I can play really well,” Fish said. “I didn’t light it on fire today or the first day. So I had one great day, but it was enough.”

Former World No. 4 James Blake also played the tournament, finishing in a tie for 26th.

The Hamburg European Open will always hold a special place in Roger Federer’s career as the site of his first ATP Masters 1000 title in 2002.

Prior to arriving that year, Federer had little reason to be confident about his clay-court game. He endured convincing early-round defeats in Monte Carlo and Rome, and stared down a draw in Hamburg that featured nine of the Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The No. 11 seed also received one of the most challenging first-rounds opponents he could have faced  in former Top 10 player Nicolas Lapentti.

But the 20-year-old found his form from the first ball in Hamburg. He powered into the quarter-finals without dropping a set before taking out second seed Gustavo Kuerten in a three-set affair, which included blitzing the Brazilian 6-0 in the opening set. Another quick victory soon followed against Max Mirnyi before Federer dominated sixth seed Marat Safin 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match.

“I find it incredible what has happened,” Federer said afterwards. “I lost my first 11 [tour-level] matches on clay, played badly here before, and in Monte Carlo and in Rome, and felt negative coming into the tournament. I never thought that I would take a title on this surface.”

Federer reduced Safin to a spectator in the first half of the match, launching winners from all parts of the court as he stormed to a 6-1, 5-1 lead. Although the Swiss still performed at a high level in the latter stages of the match, he admitted that his dip in form was due in part to seeing the finish line too quickly.

“At 6-1, 5-1, you think ‘How am I going to celebrate?’ and ‘What am I going to say?’” Federer said. “These things come into your mind. You just can’t help it.”

His title defence the following year resulted in a third-round defeat to Mark Philippoussis, but Federer rebounded by scoring a hat-trick of victories in Hamburg. He prevailed in 2004 (d. Coria) and defended his crown by powering through the field in 2005 without dropping a set (d. Gasquet). Federer missed the 2006 edition of this event, but returned to score one of the most significant victories of his career.

Following wins against Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Ferrer and Carlos Moya, Federer rallied from a set down in the 2007 final to stun Rafael Nadal 2-6, 6-2, 6-0. The match ended Nadal’s 81-match winning streak on clay dating back to April 2005 and also marked Federer’s first victory over the Spaniard on this surface. He lifted his head to the sky and yelled in delight after a Nadal forehand found the net on match point.

Roger Federer owns a tournament record four titles at the Hamburg European Open.” />

“It’s an absolute breakthrough,” Federer said. “It’s just nice to be playing well again. It’s not that I was playing so badly, but it’s my first clay-court title in a couple of years, so that’s great.”

Nadal would get revenge by defeating Federer in the 2008 final, but by that point the Swiss had established himself as the only player in tournament history to win four singles titles. It’s a record that has yet to be matched more than a decade later.

Kevin Anderson already has a pair of Grand Slam finals (2017 US Open, 2018 Wimbledon) and a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 5 to his name. When action resumes on the ATP Tour, the South African is determined to push well beyond those career highlights.

“In 2021, If I’m a Grand Slam champion with some ATP Masters 1000 titles, that would be a very successful year-and-a-half,” Anderson told ATP Tennis Radio. “That’s what I’m aiming for along with my team. I’m really looking forward to pushing myself and giving myself that opportunity.”

The 34-year-old knows doing so will require being at full health. Anderson has endured a challenging 18 months between injuries and the current suspension of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Issues with his right knee limited him to six tournaments since February 2019 and required a pair of surgeries last September and this February. But the always-determined Anderson found a silver lining and used the extra time at home to strengthen his body.

“At this point in my career, it’s the most important thing for me. Everything revolves around that,” Anderson said.  “We probably err on the side of caution right now, whereas with tournaments, you might push through a little bit. I extended my recovery period by four or five weeks before getting back on court. I’ve been training and have a friend who has a court at his house, which has been a nice setup.

“It’s been quite some time since I was in that regular routine of competing and playing in tournaments. I’m trying to take care of my body as much as I can. Hopefully I can take this six months that I haven’t been playing and add that to the end of my career.”

Anderson has had plenty to keep him busy while at home in Florida. He and his wife, Kelsey, welcomed their first child last September, a baby girl named Keira. He also serves as Vice President on the ATP Player Council and has remained an active presence.

But Anderson has also worked on continuing to embrace the concept that sometimes less is more. He’s long been known as one of the hardest-working players on Tour, which prompted one of his coaches, Jay Bosworth, to encourage the South African to trust his training and adopt a more relaxed approach mentally. Although shifting his mindset wasn’t easy at first, Anderson believes it will serve him well in the long run.

“Some of my biggest strengths that helped me get to where I was [in 2018] needed to change a little bit. I’ve always had a good work ethic and always wanted to keep improving… But I also needed to trust my abilities and the work I had put in,” Anderson said. “That was a very difficult change for me at first. Stepping out of your comfort zone and seeing what needs to be done can be challenging, but it’s something I’ve embraced and I can see how it helps you become a tennis player.”

For more than a decade, the ‘Big Four’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have used their skill, fitness and determination to create ATP Tour history.

In the latest prize draw in support of the ATP Coach Programme, all you will need is a slice of luck to take home a dream prize. The historic group, which owns a combined 313 tour-level singles trophies, each donated a signed racquet to create a framed collection of four racquets for one lucky entrant to win. 

Enter Now!

Funds raised from the ‘Big Four’ prize draw will be allocated by the ATP Coaches Committee to support the members of the ATP Coach Programme, whose ability to work has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic. In addition, a part of proceeds will be donated to a global COVID-19 relief fund.

The prize draw follows an initial three-week bidding window, which ended on 29 June, for a range of private coaching experiences with legendary ATP Tour coaches. A two-hour session with Ivan Lendl at the 2021 US Open, complete with an exclusive VIP experience package, raised US$19,000 for the programme.

Other items up for grabs this round include packages headlined by a hit with Andy Murray at Wimbledon, a session with Stan Wawrinka and his team at an event to be determined and much more.

Held the week after Wimbledon, the Normea Open is one of two Swedish events on the ATP Tour alongside the Stockholm Open.

The ATP 250 tournament would have been held this week if not for the Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the ATP 250 tournament.

A Player Favourite
ATP Tour players voted the Normea Open as ATP 250 Tournament of the Year for 11 straight years between 2002 and 2012. Based in Båstad, one of Sweden’s most popular summer tourism destinations, the event has been held each year since 1948 and has consistently improved its venue. Held at Båstad Tennisstadion, the tournament is located just minutes away from the local harbour and beach.

Swedish History
Since the beginning of the Open Era in 1968, the tournament has consistently crowned Swedish champions in both singles and doubles. Sixteen editions of the singles tournament have been won by Swedish players and 27 editions of the doubles event have featured a Swedish winner.

Magnus Gustafsson owns an Open Era record four singles trophies in Båstad, followed closely by three-time champions Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilander. Magnus Norman and Robin Soderling own two titles at the event, while Henrik Sundstrom and Joakim Nystrom both earned single tournament victories.

Between 1982 and 2014, only seven editions of the doubles tournament did not feature a Swedish champion. During that time, Jonas Bjorkman captured an Open Era record seven doubles trophies at the event.

Nadal Begins Rivalry In Memorable Fashion
After quarter-final runs in 2003 and 2004, Rafael Nadal returned to Båstad in 2005 as the World No. 3 and newly crowned Roland Garros champion. The 19-year-old cruised through to his eighth final of the season without dropping a set, following wins against Juan Monaco, Alberto Martin, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo.

In the championship match, Nadal recovered from a set down to defeat Tomas Berdych in their first ATP Head2Head encounter. The Spaniard won 20 of 24 meetings against Berdych, including their only other final clash at Wimbledon in 2010.

Cuevas’ Maiden Moment
Pablo Cuevas owns six ATP Tour trophies on clay and reached a career-high No. 19 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2016. But when the Uruguayan arrived in Båstad in 2014, he was attempting to reach his first ATP Tour championship match.

Ranked No. 111, Cuevas dropped just one set en route to a final clash against Joao Sousa. The 28-year-old dropped just three games against the World No. 40 to take the trophy after 59 minutes. Following the event, Cuevas jumped 50 positions to re-enter the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time in almost three years. The six-time ATP Tour titlist is the lowest-ranked Båstad champion in the Open Era.

Ferrer’s Record Run
Alongside Borg and Wilander, David Ferrer is one of three players to have lifted the Båstad trophy on three occasions in the Open Era. The Spaniard beat Nicolas Almagro in both the 2007 and 2012 championship matches, before a record-breaking run in 2017.

The World No. 46 overcame Federico Delbonis, Dustin Brown, Henri Laaksonen, Fernando Verdasco and Alexandr Dolgopolov to capture his 27th and final ATP Tour title. Aged 35, Ferrer became the oldest Båstad champion in the Open Era.

David Ferrer owns three Normea Open titles.” />