Arrows versus boomerangs.

We tend to think of the serve as like shooting an arrow. A weapon and a target. A one-way trip. It’s much better to strategically visualise the serve as a boomerang and be prepared for the ball returning back to you where it started its journey: back on your racquet.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of first and second-serve returns made from 2018-2020 at ATP Tour events on Hawk Eye courts identifies Gael Monfils as the clear leader in putting first serves back in play and Daniil Medvedev topping the list returning second serves back into the court. The data set includes players that have competed in a minimum of 30 matches on Hawk Eye courts from 2018-2020.

1st Serve Returns Made

Monfils was the only player that was able to put more than three out of four first serves back in the court, making 75.37 per cent from 56 matches. Monfils typically bends over at 90 degrees from his waist as the server bounces the ball ready to deliver his powerful blow. Getting his eye level down to where contact will typically be made in a few seconds time may be a hidden key to his success. The Frenchman then uses a short, abbreviated swing to make contact, essentially rebounding, or “boomeranging” the server’s power right back at him.

The leading 10 players in the data set that put the most first serves back in the court were: 

1. Gael Monfils = 75.37%
2. Rafael Nadal = 72.83%
3. Daniil Medvedev = 72.29%
4. Roger Federer = 72.12%
5. Alexander Zverev = 70.33%
6. Taylor Fritz = 70.32%
7. Fernando Verdasco = 69.99%
8. Stan Wawrinka = 69.91%
9. David Goffin = 69.53%
10. Benoit Paire = 68.89%

Overall, all players in the data set combined to average putting 67.4 per cent of first serves back in play. A good way to visualise the behavior of the first serve is that one of three is an arrow (does not return), while two out of three are a boomerang, coming back into the court for the server to hit another shot.

2nd Serve Returns Made

Daniil Medvedev was third on the list with first serves made and elevates to the top spot with second serves made at 88.98 per cent from 65 matches. The 24-year-old Russian typically likes to stay deep in the court to return both first and second serves, which lets the ball slow down to a more manageable pace and provides more time to get prepared for the return.

The leading 10 players in the data set that put the most second serves back in the court were:

1. Daniil Medvedev = 88.98%
2. Roberto Bautista Agut = 88.82%
3. Filip Krajinovic = 87.41%
4. Rafael Nadal = 87.12%
5. Novak Djokovic = 87.10%
6. Alexander Zverev = 86.92%
7. Gael Monfils = 86.84%
8. Milos Raonic = 86.29%
9. Fernando Verdasco = 85.83%
10. Alex de Minaur = 85.78%

Overall, all players in the data set combined to average putting 83.6 per cent of second serves back in play. Rounding those numbers to eight boomerangs and two arrows clearly shows that the serve is not a shot that exists primarily in isolation, and should be practised as one strategic unit with the first shot after the serve, commonly known as the Serve +1.

Practice courts should be filled with two-shot combination drills, hitting a serve and then a Serve +1 shot. After all, that’s what best mirrors the reality of the match court.

After 17 years on Tour, Novak Djokovic believes that his most memorable accomplishments are still to come.

The World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings sat down for a feature profile on ‘In Depth with Graham Bensinger’ that was released this week. Djokovic discussed his 2020 form, including a flawless 18-0 record, and candidly admitted his on-court objectives that could change the conversation about his place in tennis history.

“I think that I still have things to do here in this sport. I believe that I can win the most Slams and break the record for [most weeks] at No. 1. Those are definitely my clear goals,” Djokovic said. “But at the same time, they’re not the only thing that motivates me… What fuels me every day is something more related to my growth personally.”

With 17 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic is third on the all-time list and within striking distance of Rafael Nadal (19) and Roger Federer (20). He’s also third on the all-time list for most weeks at No. 1 (282), trailing Pete Sampras (286) and Federer (310). [Editor’s note: The FedEx ATP Rankings are currently frozen due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Djokovic is not adding weeks onto his tally.]

Djokovic’s motivation is a stark contrast from where he found himself at the beginning of 2018. His wife, Jelena, revealed that the Serbian was mentally worn down from a two-year battle with a right elbow injury, which required surgery that February. After rushing back to action following the procedure and suffering opening-round exits in Indian Wells and Miami, he called his family together and said that he was hanging up his racquets.

“He just gathered all of us and said, ‘You know, guys, I’m done… I don’t know if I’m stopping for six months, a year or forever,” Jelena recalled. “Then we went on a holiday… I love tennis and kept taking the kids with me to play. He showed up [to the court] on the third or fourth day and saw how much fun were were having… After that, he started coming with us to play every day.

“On the last day, he took the shoes and properly dressed himself and said, ‘I’m going to call Marian [Vajda] and ask him to be my coach again.’ He needs to drop completely down [and] lose everything so he can start to build another tower. And it’s an amazing tower.”

The World No. 1 turns 33 on 22 May, but isn’t in a rush to accomplish his two main goals. He believes that time is on his side and that playing until age 40 isn’t out of the question.

“I don’t believe in limits. I definitely want to go for a long time… But I’m aware that the amount of tournaments I’m playing is going to decrease very soon,” Djokovic said. “I will not be able to play at this intensity, with this many tournaments and this much traveling, for a long time. I might be playing at 40, but then there will probably be a focus on the biggest tournaments and the tournaments that mean the most to me.”

British superstars Andy Murray, the former World No. 1, and Marcus Rashford, the Manchester United centre forward, spring a special surprise on a healthcare worker in the sixth episode of Tennis United, which will premiere on the ATP Tour’s Facebook page Friday.

John Isner checks in with a very special fan, 12-year-old Chris from California, who recently wrote a song about how much he misses the ATP Tour. Isner is Chris’ favourite player, and the pair also met at last year’s BNP Paribas Open and US Open.

Also on this episode, Leander Paes and Martina Hingis test their knowledge of each other’s career, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Shelby Rogers face Coco Vandeweghe and Jennifer Brady in a game of charades and more.

Ask tennis fans to name a hero and Roger Federer will be at the top of the list. But the Swiss star recently took time to thank heroes from a more important field: frontline healthcare workers risking their lives to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christianne Calderon is a nurse practitioner at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she has been on the frontlines battling against the coronavirus. ESPN recently gathered some of the world’s best athletes, who gave their thanks to Calderon, including Federer.

“You are the hero.” ?

The moment @rogerfederer surprised a health worker in New York with a message of support!

?: @ESPNtenis #COVID19pic.twitter.com/C31KidJbO3

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 15, 2020

“Oh my God!” Calderon said when she saw Federer appear on a screen. “I’m shaking.”

Federer is in Switzerland, but he wanted to make sure Calderon and other healthcare workers like her know that they have fans throughout the world.

“People think we are superheroes, we the athletes,” Federer said. “But we think the same about somebody like you Christianne, you are the hero because you actually do save lives, you actually do make that difference.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime is doing his part to support Quebecois people struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The #NextGenATP Canadian announced Friday that he is donating a signed racquet from the 2018 season to support the Solidarity Challenges, which aims to provide 1.6 million meals to Quebec food banks.

Ravi de participer aux Défis Solidaires qui ont pour objectif de produire 1 600 000 repas afin de regarnir les frigos des Banques alimentaires du Québec. Ma raquette de la saison 2018 est aux enchères ! Rendez-vous au https://t.co/PAmM0uF6Ib pour participer.?? pic.twitter.com/ZkFXh51Ce8

— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) May 15, 2020

“If together we make an effort we will be able to get through these difficult times,” Auger-Aliassime said in a video supporting the auction. “Thanks to everyone for taking part in this challenge and I hope that we will be able to collect as much as we can.”

Click Here To View The Auction

The 19-year-old has shown an affinity for philanthropy, announcing in February, before the pandemic, that he would donate $5 for every point he wins this season to EduChange, partnering with CARE to support the protection and education of children in Togo.

Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 13 May 2019.

Alexander Zverev might have lost a doubles match Monday with brother Mischa Zverev at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, but he left the court with a lifetime fan.

The 2017 singles champion put away an overhead at 3-3 in the first set against Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus, bouncing the ball over the fence and into the crowd. At the next changeover, Zverev greeted the young fan whom the ball hit, checking on her and tying one of his headband’s around her forehead, leaving the youngster with a big smile on her face.

This is the cutest thing you’ll see all week…

Well played, Sascha ☺️#ibi19 pic.twitter.com/twaSEqLTV9

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 13, 2019

“I obviously hit her with an overhead, which was not on purpose,” Zverev said. “I saw she was a little bit sad, crying. Yeah, I thought that was the right thing to do, to give her a little present, cheer her up. I hope it made her day.”

It’s not the first time Zverev has made a young lifetime fan outside of his play, either. In Miami two years ago, he gave one of his headbands to a ‘Mini Sascha’ in the crowd. Last year, Zverev met with the boy again, giving him a new headband and even inviting him out to the practice court for a hit.

Watch Rome Live Online

Zverev begins his singles campaign in Rome against Italian wild card Matteo Berrettini.

Tennis players learn from an early age that it’s important to remember the score. During this period of lockdown you may not be able to be on court keeping score, but you can still build your memory skills with this fun game in the Emirates ATP Kids Hub.

Download and print the game sheets and follow the instructions below to put your memory to the test. Play with another member of your family or with a friend over video conference. If you’re really missing your tennis, treat each game as a set and play a full match!

How To Play…

• Download and print the game sheets (PDF)
• Cut out all images
• Mix up the cards
• Lay them in rows, face down
• Turn over any two cards
• If the two cards match, keep them
• If they don’t match, turn them back over
• Remember what was on each card and where it was
• Watch and remember during the other player’s turn (not applicable if you play over video conference)
• The ‘set’ is over when all the cards have been matched
• The winner of the ‘set’ is the player who has the most matches
• Play best-of-three or best-of-five sets with your opponent to determine an overall winner

Once you’ve finished playing, you may also like to enter our second Fan Essay Contest. 

For more activities, visit the Emirates ATP Kids Hub

The ATP has extended the suspension of the ATP Tour through to July 31, 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision, made in close collaboration with Tour members, means ATP events in Hamburg, Bastad, Newport, Los Cabos, Gstaad, Umag, Atlanta and Kitzbühel will not take place as scheduled. The extended suspension also applies to the ATP Challenger Tour and to men’s events on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

“Due to continued uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to announce our decision to extend the suspension of the Tour,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman. “Just like tennis fans, players and tournament hosts all over the world, we share in the disappointment the Tour continues to be affected in this way. We continue to assess all of our options in an effort to resume the Tour as soon as it is safe to do so, including the feasibility of rescheduling events later in the season. As ever, the health and well-being of the tennis community and wider public remains our top priority in every decision we make.”

Tournaments taking place from August 1, 2020 onwards are still planning to proceed as per the published schedule. A further update on the ATP Tour calendar is expected in mid-June.