Andrey Rublev’s ATP Tour breakthrough almost ended before the main draw of the 2017 Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag began. Hungarian Attila Balazs beat the 19-year-old in straight sets in the final round of qualifying.

But Borna Coric withdrew, Rublev entered the main draw as a lucky loser and he never looked back. The Russian beat fourth seed Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-2 in the final for his first tour-level title.

“I have no words to explain it, especially after this tough week,” said Rublev. “Now I’m here and it’s amazing.”

It capped a dream week for the teen, who had defeated third seed and defending champion Fabio Fognini in the quarter-finals and home hope Ivan Dodig in the last four to reach his first ATP Tour final. Rublev was the seventh lucky loser to win a tour-level title and the first to do so since Rajeev Ram triumphed at 2009 Newport.

“I lost in the qualies, which should have been bad for me. Now I’ve won this tournament and everything is perfect,” Rublev said. “You can win one day and lose the next day. You can lose and you can win. The main thing for me is to do my best every day.”

Rublev tried to maintain the same routine throughout the week. He always sat in the front seat of the tournament transportation, for example.

“My coach was wearing the same t-shirt, my t-shirt, for the past three days. During the day, I would always go back to my hotel room. All these little things I was trying to do the same,” Rublev said. “The past three days were really tough mentally. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t talk normally. There was so much stress, it was really tough. I’m really happy that it’s over and I won the tournament.”

When Rublev was a kid, he watched the world’s best tennis players compete on television, battling for trophies. He wanted to be in that position.

“I’ve won my first ATP title and it’s amazing,” Rublev said. “Now it’s time to work and to try to do it again.”

The Russian didn’t let the big win change his mentality. He was excited to lift the trophy, but aware that there was plenty of work to do.

“I have no goals,” Rublev said. “I just want to do my best, to improve on the things I need to improve on and that’s it.”

Rublev was the No. 74 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings that week. Three years later, the Russian is World No. 14 and he owns four ATP Tour titles.

There’s no greater pressure in tennis than facing match point. If you lose the point, you lose the match. There have been memorable moments over the years when players saved match point and eventually triumphed.

Alexander Zverev did this in an extreme way at the 2017 Coupe Rogers. In his opening match, the German saved three match points before defeating Richard Gasquet in a third-set tie-break. One of those match points, at 5-6, 30/40 in the decider, featured a 49-shot rally, which Zverev finished off with a forehand winner.

“It definitely helped that I won the point against Gasquet, otherwise I would be in Cincinnati right now,” Zverev said after his next match against Nick Kyrgios.

Zverev took full advantage of that save, going on to lift the trophy in Montreal with wins over Kyrgios, Kevin Anderson, Denis Shapovalov and Roger Federer.

At the same tournament, Gael Monfils saved four match points before defeating Kei Nishikori in a final-set tie-break to reach the Round of 16.

“I’m more than happy because I fought through the toughness, because it was tough for me,” Monfils said. “It was a bit like a rollercoaster.”

Other memorable match point saves include when Rafael Nadal battled from the brink against Novak Djokovic at the 2009 Mutua Madrid Open and Andy Murray saved seven match points against Philipp Kohlschreiber at the 2017 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan have won 119 tour-level titles together, setting countless doubles records. What has it taken to enjoy so much success?

“You’ve got to be crazy to be around someone like this for this long,” Mike said on this week’s episode of Tennis United.

“This doesn’t last unless we have the same DNA, the same blood. Our teeth are the same, we’ve got our braces on and off the same day. His retainer fit my mouth, it was just weird,” Bob said. “We’ve been connected at the hip since birth. I think twins are weird. It’s not normal to be this close to someone that’s not your spouse. It’s an unbreakable bond. It had to be a twin relationship for this to last this many years.”

Winning on the court is one thing, but maintaining your relationship with a partner is another. It’s unheard of for partners to stay together throughout their careers like the Bryan Brothers have.

“You have to be able to be around them all day with the practice, eating lunch. You’re a package deal. It is like a marriage and then you’re going through ups and downs weekly,” Mike said. “When stress gets involved, things could be said and if you lose matches you never want to look in the mirror and say, ‘I could have done this.’ We never had that vibe.”

“You play doubles with a guy for a couple years and he starts to get on your nerves and you’re looking for someone new,” Bob added.

It was doubles week on Tennis United. Co-hosts Vasek Pospisil and Bethanie Mattek-Sands are both Grand Slam doubles champions. They spoke to several doubles stars, including Rajeev Ram, Jack Sock, Jean-Julien Rojer, Kevin Krawietz, Andreas Mies and Marcelo Melo.

“My favourite thing about doubles is [it happens] so quickly,” Melo said. “We can have fun sharing the court with someone. You always have to be ready to make some reflex volleys. You have such entertaining points, so that’s why I love to play doubles and for sure many people do as well.”

Lucas Arnold Ker calls himself a tennis lover and does not hesitate to acknowledge that racquets and tennis balls were “everything” for a large part of his life. The 45-year-old Argentine, for whom tennis runs in the family with his father and brother both playing professionally, reached the doubles final at Roland Garros in 1997 and climbed as high as No. 77 in FedEx ATP Rankings.

One thing he’ll never forget is facing Roger Federer at the 1998 Swiss Open Gstaad, Federer’s ATP Tour debut. Arnold Ker defeated the 16-year-old home favourite 6-4, 6-4 in 80 minutes. 

“I’m often reminded that I beat him… but not many know that it was his first match on the ATP Tour,” Arnold Ker told ATPTour.com. “I never thought or imagined that Federer was going to be one of the best in the world and in history, I really didn’t.”

At that tournament Arnold Ker, then No. 88 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, fell in the final round of qualifying. He competed in the main draw as a lucky loser thanks to Tommy Haas’ withdrawal due to food poisoning. Arnold Ker had never set eyes on Federer, who had just been crowned the Wimbledon boys’ singles champion. 

“I had to play a Swiss junior and at the time Switzerland didn’t have much of a [tennis] history,” Arnold Ker said. “They weren’t very good players.”

That match, on 7 July 1998, was the first of over 1,500 tour-level matches for Federer. Arnold Ker broke the Swiss four times in his triumph.

“Roger had a good serve, a good forehand… but his backhand was stunted, not good at all,” Arnold Ker said. “I remember moving him over there all the time and that allowed me to beat him solidly in two sets.”

Did Arnold Ker imagine at the time that he had just faced a future World No. 1 and the winner of 20 Grand Slam titles?

“It’s incredible that he progressed as a player to be one of the best in history,” Arnold Ker said.

Federer also recalled the match a few months back in an interview with Argentine newspaper La Nación.

“I was disappointed because I was supposed to play Tommy Haas, but he had a stomach bug and, instead of playing on Centre Court, they put me on Court 1,” Federer said. “But it was still full of fans and it was really crazy, because I had won [the] Wimbledon juniors.

“I remember Lucas, who was from the generation of players who played serve and volley. He served to my backhand with spin and I had come from Wimbledon, where the ball bounces at a different height and I struggled. He was more experienced. I played well from what I remember. I lost 6-4, 6-4, but it was a great experience to have the media spotlight on me playing in front of a lot of people, getting used to that kind of pressure.”

For his part, Arnold only crossed paths on court with Federer one more time, in doubles. When he talks about tennis with his students today and remembers old times, the Argentine normally tells them to keep an eye on the Swiss legend. Federer still surprises him by continuing to improve despite his greatness.

Arnold Ker teaches tennis “more socially than competitively” because he prioritises his family, even moreso since battling testicular cancer in 2007, which he beat after countless chemotherapy sessions.

“Until I was probably 30, I spent 24 hours a day thinking about tennis,” Arnold Ker said. “Since I was little I knew I wanted to be a professional and I can say that I gave it everything.”

The ATP has announced the cancellation of the 2020 China tournament swing, following a Chinese government directive relating to sporting events in continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The directive, issued earlier this month by the General Administration of Sport in China, mandates that no international sporting events will proceed in China for the remainder of the year. As a result, the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Asia’s only ATP Masters 1000 tournament, the China Open in Beijing, an ATP 500 event, as well as the Chengdu Open and Zhuhai Championships, ATP 250 events, will not take place in 2020.

In addition to the four ATP Tour events affected, the policy also applies to other major international sporting events scheduled to take place in China.

“Our approach throughout this pandemic has been to always follow local guidance when staging events. We respect the Chinese government’s decision to do what’s best for the country in response to the unprecedented global situation,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman. “It’s with a heavy heart that we announce ATP tournaments will not be played in China this year. These important events have been a cornerstone of the Tour’s presence in Asia and I want to thank the organizers for their commitment and cooperation. Chinese fans are some of the most passionate in the world and I know players will be looking forward to the next opportunity to play in front of them.”

The ATP continues to work on a revised calendar for the final section of the 2020 season, through to the Nitto ATP Finals in November. A further update is expected in the next fortnight on a provisional schedule of events.

The 2020 ATP Tour provisional calendar can be found here.

Grigor Dimitrov is one of the most exciting players on the ATP Tour, with his all-court game drawing ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ throughout the world. Now one lucky auction winner will hit with the Bulgarian while supporting members of the ATP Coach Programme in need.

Former World No. 3 Dimitrov, who won the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals, and his coaching team will spend one hour on court with an auction winner and their guest at an ATP Tour event in Europe or the Americas between January and July 2021. The auction ends on 27 July.

Learn More & Bid

This auction is one of several fan experiences featuring top ATP players and coaches, with funds raised being allocated by the ATP Coaches Committee to support coaches whose ability to work has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of the proceeds will be donated to a global COVID-19 relief fund.

“It has been really exciting to see the response the initiative has received so far. It’s fair to say it has exceeded all our expectations and will go a long way to help coaches,” said Dani Vallverdu, an ATP Coach who used to work with Dimitrov. “I want to thank everyone for their generous contributions and look forward to fans enjoying the incredible experiences lined up in the second round.”

View All Auctions & Prize Draws

Other fan experiences available include an hour on court with Feliciano Lopez, who has cracked the Top 20 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and the FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings, at the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open. The winning bidder will also receive two premium tickets for the men’s singles semi-finals and exclusive access to the ATP Masters 1000 event’s VIP village.

Former World No. 1 Carlos Moya will spend an hour on court with the winning bidder and a guest at 2021 Roland Garros. The Spanish legend is currently a member of Rafael Nadal’s coaching team.

One of Rafael Nadal’s greatest strengths is to maul an opponent’s second serve until it’s unrecognisable.

For 11 straight years from 2004 to 2014, Rafael Nadal lacerated Roger Federer’s second serve to build a 23-10 lead over the Swiss star in their ATP Head2Head series, during the prime of Federer’s career. Federer was ranked No. 1 in second-serve points won for seven seasons during this period and was never ranked below fifth-best in this category.

For over a decade, Federer’s second-serve metrics against the rest of the Tour were from another planet. But against Nadal, the Spaniard surgically moved Federer’s second serve from the asset to the liability column.

This rivalry exists in two stanzas – the first 11 years (2004-14) when Nadal built a 23-10 lead, and the past five years from 2015-2019, when Federer won six of seven clashes, including five on the trot. The canary in the coal mine has been Federer’s second-serve performance.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the vaunted Federer vs. Nadal rivalry identifies second-serve performance as a critical factor when these two titans faced off. From 2004-2014, Federer’s second-serve performance was exceptional against all players on Tour – Nadal excluded – winning a jaw-dropping 58 per cent of second-serve points. Nobody else put up such lofty second-serve numbers over that period of time.

But when Federer faced Nadal from 2004-2014, the Spaniard racked up 23 wins while yielding just 10 losses by knocking Federer’s second-serve win percentage below the 50 per cent mark.

2004-2014: Federer Second-Serve Points Won

•Against Nadal = 48.7% (589/1209)
•Against Everyone Else = 58.3% (13,593/23,302)

Nadal was especially ruthless on clay during this period against Federer’s second serve, where the Swiss only won 44.3 per cent (259/585) of second-serve points. Federer never won more second-serve points than he lost against Nadal at any of the five clay-court tournaments they competed in.

2004-2014: Federer Second-Serve Points Won v Nadal On Clay

•Hamburg = 40.7% (33/81)
•Monte Carlo = 42.6% (49/115)
•Roland Garros = 43.1% (88/204)
•Rome = 46.2% (42/91)
•Madrid = 50.0% (47/94)

In 2008, Nadal won all four finals they squared off in (Monte Carlo, Hamburg, Roland Garros, Wimbledon). The Roland Garros final, which Nadal won 6-1, 6-3, 6-0, was particularly brutal in this specific area. Nadal won a head-turning 65 per cent (11/17) of his second-serve points, while Federer managed to win just 21 per cent (5/24).

But how did Nadal’s second serve stand up against Federer during this 11-year period? Actually, just fine. While Federer struggled to win 48.7 per cent against Nadal, the Spaniard won a healthy 55.9 per cent (337/603) of second-serve points against the Swiss.

Overall, Nadal and Federer sit at the very pinnacle of second-serve points won since 1991, when official statistics were first recorded.

Career Second-Serve Points Won (1991-2020)

1. Nadal = 57.4% (15,308/26,664)
2. Federer = 56.8% (24,303/42,760)

Federer sits second on the all-time list, winning 56.8 per cent of second-serve points. But his career second-serve points won from 40 matches against Nadal sits at 49.7 per cent (707/1423). His record just against Nadal would have Federer sit at No. 177 on the list.

2015-2020: Federer Second-Serve Revival
After winning only 10 of their first 33 meetings, Federer has won six of seven encounters from 2015-2019, including five in a row. Federer also won the last time they played, squeaking by the Spaniard 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the 2019 Wimbledon semi-finals and winning 62 per cent (23/37) of second-serve points to Nadal’s 48 per cent (22/46).

A massive part of Federer’s recent revival against Nadal is moving his second-serve win percentage back into positive territory. Federer has won an impressive 55.1 per cent (118/224) of second-serve points from 2015-2019 against Nadal, while Nadal has dropped off slightly to win 54.1 per cent (96/214).

When analysing overall performance in this area, part of the focus needs to be on the quality (depth, direction, speed, spin) of the second serve and the Serve +1 groundstroke that immediately follows it, along with the ensuing tussle for control for the rest of the point.

Drilling down into data tables sheds light on where players really forge their advantage. The second-serve battleground repeatedly takes centre stage when looking at what matters most to winning at all levels of our sport and begs the question: Have you worked on your second serve lately?