Roger Federer fans can now have the Swiss legend with them at all times. Swissmint has created a 20-franc silver coin bearing Federer’s image. It’s the first time in its history that Swissmint has created a commemorative coin to honour a living person.

Federer is perhaps Switzerland’s most well-known individual, having won 103 tour-level titles, including 20 Grand Slam crowns and 28 ATP Masters 1000s. He has also spent a record 310 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.

The 38-year-old finished No. 3 in the 2019 year-end standings, marking the 15^th time he’s finished in the Top 3, which is a record. He also became the oldest player to end his season at No. 3.

Off the court, the Swiss engages in philanthropic activity around the world with his self-named foundation, which he created in 2003. Federer has had other off-court commemorations as well. In 2012, the German city of Halle, where Federer is now a 10-time champion, named a street after the Swiss. In 2007, Swiss Post released a Roger Federer stamp in his birthplace of Basel.

More coins will have Federer’s face next year. In May 2020, Swissmint plans to issue a Federer 50-franc gold coin featuring a different design.

For the 20-franc coin, the pre-sale began on Monday 2 December and continues until 19 December 2019, or until the first minting run of 55,000 units has sold out, whichever comes first.

Fans shouldn’t despair, however, if they miss out on the first run. If demand exceeds the initial run, Swissmint “reserves the right to produce a further 40,000 coins and issue them in May 2020.”

All of the Federer coins can be purchased through the Swissmint’s website.

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com looks at the six best ATP Tour matches in 2019. (The best Grand Slam matches will be featured Tuesday.)

6) Alexander Zverev d. Roger Federer, Rolex Shanghai Masters, Shanghai Quarter-finals, 11 October 2019 (Match Stats)
Alexander Zverev arrived at the Rolex Shanghai Masters without having made an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final all year. In the quarter-finals, he faced a tough test against two-time champion Roger Federer. But despite letting slip five match points in the second set, the German battled hard for a 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3 victory against the 38-year-old Swiss, who had never previously lost a Shanghai quarter-final (5-1).

Zverev served for the match at 6-3, 6-5 40/0, but Federer raised his level, with two sensational volleys in particular helping him to win the next five points and then save two additional match points in the tie-break. But the German settled down and continued to play the aggressive tennis that earned him the lead in the first place, using that to triumph after two hours and four minutes. Zverev (4-3) joined Rafael Nadal (24-16) and Novak Djokovic (now 26-23) as the three active players with at least seven matches and a winning FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Federer.

Read More: Zverev Upsets Federer In Shanghai

“Obviously it was an important match. The head-to-head is obviously a great thing to have, but more importantly for me is it was a match to kind of maybe turn my year around a little bit,” Zverev said. “The [ATP] Race to London is also very important.”

Entering the week, Zverev was in eighth place in the Race, with his spot in the season finale still in doubt. But he used this match to move past Roberto Bautista Agut for seventh, and he’d end up qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for the third straight year, riding his renewed form to a spot in the London semi-finals to finish his season on a high note.

5) Novak Djokovic d. Juan Martin del Potro, Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome Quarter-finals, 17 May 2019 (Match Stats)
Rain washed out Wednesday action in Rome this year, meaning the players would need to win two matches on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals. Given it was only Juan Martin del Potro’s third tournament of the season as he continued his recovery from a knee injury, it seemed that would give the edge to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for their clash in the last eight on Friday.

Djokovic had won the pair’s two past FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings in Rome and seven of their previous eight matches. But Del Potro came out swinging, giving the Serbian all he could handle. Djokovic needed to save two match points to navigate past the Argentine’s powerful best, triumphing 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Read More: Novak Saves 2 MPs Against Delpo In Rome

“[There was] luck in the decisive moments in the second set tie-break. He was playing really good. I tried my best obviously all the way till the end…He was playing really well. Gave me a lot of trouble,” Djokovic said. “But I never lost faith I could come back to the match.”

This battle was a classic match of relentless offence against dogged defence, and it was Djokovic’s defence that prevailed after three hours and one minute. The Serbian went on to reach the final and the semi-finals at Roland Garros, while Del Potro only played two more tournaments the rest of the season, re-injuring his knee at the Fever-Tree Championships.

4) Stefanos Tsitsipas d. Dominic Thiem, Nitto ATP Finals, London Final, 17 November 2019 (Match Stats)
The championship match of the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals had a lot at stake for both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem, with both men pursuing the biggest title of their career. But despite letting slip a break in the deciding set, it was Tsitsipas who triumphed one year on from claiming the Next Gen ATP Finals trophy in Milan, defeating the Austrian 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(4) after two hours and 35 minutes.

“It was pretty frustrating for me to be playing with such nerves for the first time in such a big event. I was a break up, I couldn’t manage to hold it,” Tsitsipas said. “Things were decided in the tie-break and I am so relieved by this outstanding performance and fight that I gave out on the court.”

Read More: Stefanos Lands London Crown

Tsitsipas served as a hitting partner at the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals, at the time posting a picture on social media with Thiem, with whom he trained during the Austrian’s debut at the season finale. Just three years later, he lifted the trophy, becoming the fourth straight first-time champion at the event. He was also the first player since David Nalbandian in 2005 to recover from losing the opening set and claim the title.

“[The crowd support] is just phenomenal, having such an army behind me while I am on the court. They give me so much energy. They give me belief that I can achieve the things I want to achieve on the court.”

Tsitsipas’ biggest weapons had been his serve and forehand. But it was backhand that stood out against the big-hitting Thiem, as the Greek played more than a set of the match without missing a backhand, using that to turn things around.

3) Nick Kyrgios d. Stefanos Tsitspas, Citi Open, Washington, D.C. SF, 4 August 2019 (Match Stats)
When high-quality tennis and entertainment go hand-in-hand, the outcome is usually pretty special. And that was the case in Nick Kyrgios’ 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(7) win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Citi Open semi-finals.

Early in the match, everything the Aussie touched seemingly turned to gold, going for every shot you could think of, using his power to overwhelm the Greek. But even after dropping his level in the second set, Kyrgios regained his form, saving a match point at 5/6 in the final-set tie-break with a service winner and clinching the semi-final with a booming serve-and-forehand combo.

But while the tennis was memorable in itself, it was everything that went with it that made this one of the matches of the year. After finding an acute angle on a backhand drop volley in the first set, Kyrgios jogged several metres to the side of the court to fist bump some fans.

Read More: Nick Saves 1 MP, Battles Past Stefanos

Later on, for the second straight match, Tsitsipas needed a shoe delivery in the middle of the match. And Kyrgios, who was waiting at the back of the court for the end of the changeover, willingly ran shoes from Apostolos Tsitsipas over to the top seed, getting down on one knee and holding them out as Tsitsipas cracked up in laughter.

The theatrics weren’t done just yet, as Kyrgios continued a trend he began earlier in the week by asking a fan where to serve on match point. Kyrgios improved to 4-1 against Top 10 players on the season, and he would go on to defeat Daniil Medvedev for his second ATP 500 title of the year.

“This week has been awesome. It’s probably one of the best tournament weeks of my life. I’ve really enjoyed myself. D.C. has been a lot of fun. Crowds have been awesome,” Kyrgios said. “But I’m just doing the right things. I’m having the same routine every day. I’m trying to improve on a lot of little habits, and it’s paying off. Five days in a row competing, I’m pretty happy with myself.”

2) Dominic Thiem d. Roger Federer, BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells Final, 17 March 2019 (Match Stats)
Dominic Thiem got off to a slow start in 2019, losing four of his first seven matches, including two defeats on clay. The Austrian had never won an ATP Masters 1000 event, making both of his finals at that level on the clay of Madrid.

But that did not stop Thiem from playing some of the best tennis of his career in Indian Wells, defeating five-time champion Roger Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to win the BNP Paribas Open crown on hard courts.

“It feels just unreal what happened in these ten days during the tournament. I came from a really bad form in all categories, and now I’m the champion of Indian Wells. It feels not real at all,” Thiem said. “It was a great week, and I think also a very good final today. Just amazing that I got here, my first really big title.”

Read More: Thiem Topples Federer For Maiden Masters 1000 Title

Thiem showed that when he is firing on all cylinders, he can succeed on any surface. Then 25, he used his power from the baseline and heavy spin to hit winners from all angles, totalling 24 in the match, increasing his level to top what was a strong effort from Federer, who had won 20 straight finals after claiming the first set.

“I’m not too disappointed. I feel like he had to come up with the goods, and it did feel like to some extent it was on my racquet,” Federer said. “[I] just came up against somebody who was on the day a bit better when it really mattered.”

Neither player gave up ground from the baseline, and Thiem saved a break point at 3-4 in the decider. Federer came within two points of victory at 5-4, as Thiem slipped and fell on the baseline, resulting in a bloody elbow. But the Austrian got out of trouble and chased down a couple of drop shots en route to his decisive break, ultimately leading to his biggest triumph.

1) Dominic Thiem d. Novak Djokovic, Nitto ATP Finals, London RR, 12 November 2019 (Match Stats)
Every match at the Nitto ATP Finals was critical for Novak Djokovic, as the Serbian was making a late push to secure the year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking for a record-tying sixth time. But Thiem put a dent in those plans, rallying from 1/4 down in a final-set tie-break to defeat Djokovic 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5).

“Probably it was maybe the best match I ever played. It was a real classic and epic match which will happen from time to time at these big tournaments,” Thiem said. “It had everything what a match like this needs. He was up; I was up. He was playing amazing points. Me, I was playing amazing points. And then I think the match deserved an end in the third-set tiebreak.”

Thiem had won just one match in each of his first three visits to the Nitto ATP Finals. But this victory gave him back-to-back wins over Roger Federer and Djokovic to start his 2019 campaign at The O2, guaranteeing himself a spot in the semi-finals.

”This was really one of these special matches, what I’ve practised all my life for, all my childhood for,” Thiem said. “[It was a] really epic one in an amazing atmosphere, beating a legend of our game. And also I’ve qualified for the semi-finals, which is the best.”

Read More: Thiem Stuns Djokovic At The O2

This was the first time that Thiem defeated Djokovic on hard court, and it was due in large part to the 26-year-old raising his aggression to an incredibly high level. Djokovic has long proven himself one of the best defenders in the world, but even the Serbian’s speed and Gumby-like flexibility was not enough to match the Austrian’s onslaught.

“I thought he deserved to win. He just played very courageous tennis and [was] just smacking the ball. He went for broke,” Djokovic said. “The entire match he played same way he played the last point. I mean, I have to put my hat down and congratulate him, because he just played a great match.”

This victory forced Djokovic to defeat Federer in his final round-robin match to maintain his dreams of capturing year-end No. 1, but it was not to be for the Serbian, who fell to the Swiss in straight sets.

The inaugural ATP Cup is set to begin on 3 January in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, with 24 teams across six groups competing for eight spots in the Final Eight, to be held in Sydney.

All countries were qualified based on the ATP Ranking of their No. 1 singles players. But there are plenty of countries with highly-ranked No. 2 players, too.

Leading the way is World No. 9 Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain. The Spaniard had the best season of his career in 2019, defeating then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic en route to capturing the Doha title at the start of the season. He never looked back from there, cracking the Top 10 for the first time on 19 August. Spain is the only country with two Top 10 players in the ATP Rankings, as Bautista Agut is part of a team that includes World No. 1 Rafael Nadal.

“I’m excited because it’s going to be the first time [having this event] in Australia and Rafa and I are going to play there,” Bautista Agut said. “I hope we have a good team and can play a good week for Spain.”

Not far behind in the ATP Rankings is Fabio Fognini, the World No. 12 who reached a career-high No. 9 this year. He was the third Italian to crack the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings, with Matteo Berrettini, the country’s current No. 1 player and Nitto ATP Finals qualifier, becoming the fourth less than five months later.

The third No. 2 player for a country who was inside the Top 10 at one point in 2019 is Russian Karen Khachanov, the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters champion who reached a career-high No. 8 this July. The World No. 17 has won four ATP Tour titles in his career. He’s behind World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, who captured two ATP Masters 1000 trophies this season.

Top 5 No. 2 Singles Players At ATP Cup By ATP Ranking

Felix Auger-Aliassime is the highest-ranked #NextGenATP No. 2 player, heading into the ATP Cup at World No. 21. The Canadian, just six spots behind good friend and countryman Denis Shapovalov, is the second-youngest player in the Top 100 behind only Jannik Sinner, the Next Gen ATP Finals champion.

Other standout No. 2 players are 2014 US Open champion and former World No. 3 Marin Cilic, 2018 Australian Open semi-finalist and former World No. 10 Lucas Pouille of France, World No. 25 Guido Pella of Argentina, and World No. 30 Nick Kyrgios of Australia. There are 12 No. 2 players inside the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings.

“It’s going to be an awesome event. I know everyone on the Tour wants to be with their teammates,” Kyrgios said. “There’s nothing better than playing for your country against the other best players in the world.”

One group to keep an eye on in terms of matches between No. 2 players is Group D, with three of the four No. 2 players inside the Top 35 of the ATP Rankings. The four players are No. 12 Fognini, No. 17 Khachanov, No. 32 Taylor Fritz and Norway’s Viktor Durasovic.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic finished the 2019 season in the top two spots of the ATP Rankings. So it’s no surprise that one of the tennis legends topped each of the surface leaderboards this year, while year-end World No. 3 Roger Federer made his return to clay. Here’s a look at some of the best performers by surface in 2019 according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone:

Clay Courts (minimum 10 matches)
Rafael Nadal had the best record on clay once again in 2019, winning two titles on the surface while losing just three matches. The Spaniard did not reach the final in his first three clay-court tournaments of the year, but the lefty bounced back to triumph in Rome and at Roland Garros. Nadal now has 59 tour-level titles on clay, 10 more than Guillermo Vilas, who is second on the Open Era list with 49.

This year also marked Roger Federer’s return to clay. The Swiss, who had not competed on the surface since 2016 Rome, went 9-2 on the red dirt and advanced to the Roland Garros semi-finals.

Hard Courts (minimum 10 matches)
Nadal has long been successful on hard courts, entering the season in 12th place on the Open Era list for winning percentage on the surface. But the Spaniard was especially successful on hard courts in 2019, winning 32 of his 35 matches, a rate of 91.4 per cent. Nadal won multiple hard-court titles in a season for the seventh time, triumphing in Montreal and at the US Open.

Federer and Djokovic were right behind at 82.5 per cent and 81.4 per cent, respectively. Djokovic (first) and Federer (third) are two of the three best players on hard court in the Open Era. Daniil Medvedev won an ATP Tour-leading four titles on the surface this season, as well as emerging victorious in a Tour-best 46 matches.

Grass Courts (minimum 5 matches)
Djokovic immediately shook off the disappointment of a semi-final exit at Roland Garros. Although he did not compete in the Fever-Tree Championships like he did in 2018, the Serbian quickly took to the grass at SW19, winning his fifth Wimbledon crown. The top seed dropped just two sets en route to the final, in which he saved two championship points to defeat Roger Federer for the title.

If Federer had won either of those match points, he would have topped this list. But instead the Swiss comes in at No. 2 with an 11-1 record on grass this season. Federer won his 19th grass-court trophy in Halle.

This year’s grass-court swing also marked the breakthrough of Matteo Berrettini. Entering Stuttgart, he was World No. 30. But a title there, followed by a semi-final in Halle and a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon, set the Italian on course for the Top 10 and a trip to the Nitto ATP Finals.

Indoor Courts (minimum 10 matches)
This was another list that Nadal led in 2019, mostly thanks to his efforts at the Davis Cup Finals, where he won all five of his singles matches to make a rapid leap up the indoor standings.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga began 2019 at No. 239 in the ATP Rankings, coming back from left knee surgery. And although the Frenchman did not crack the Top 5, finishing seventh for the year, he used his play indoors to help him climb to year-end No. 29. Tsonga won titles in Metz and Montpellier, his 12th and 13th indoor title, respectively.

Federer, who had the fourth-best record on the ATP Tour indoors this year (8-2), captured his 10th Basel title, which was his 103rd tour-level trophy overall.

Overall
It’s only fitting that with Nadal finishing year-end No. 1, he also had the best record on the ATP Tour in 2019. The Spaniard tallied a 58-7 record, with his winning percentage just short of 90 per cent. Five of his seven losses came against Top 10 opponents, with his other two defeats coming against dangerous shotmakers in Fabio Fognini and Nick Kyrgios.

Even in the off-season, Roberto Bautista Agut is adding unforgettable moments to his banner year. The Spaniard tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony with longtime partner Ana Bodi Tortosa.

Bautista Agut confirmed the wedding on Saturday by sharing photos on his social media accounts. His friends on the ATP Tour were quick to share their congratulations, with Stan Wawrinka, Filip Krajinovic, Robert Farah and Aljaz Bedene among those commenting on the posts.

Roberto❤️Ana pic.twitter.com/mU8HqajNvc

— Roberto BautistaAgut (@BautistaAgut) November 30, 2019

The 31-year-old made headlines during Wimbledon by admitting that he scheduled his bachelor party during the second week of the tournament. Bautista Agut’s friends were waiting in Ibiza, but they relocated to London after he recorded his maiden Grand Slam semi-final. The postponed bachelor party took place the following week in Ibiza.

“We had everything reserved from Wednesday or Thursday until Sunday. They all knew before that there was a small chance for me to be here, playing in the quarter-finals,” Bautista Agut said. “I think they really had a good plan. They spent Wednesday in Ibiza. They came to watch a good match, the semi-final of Wimbledon. They came yesterday as a surprise. It was really nice to have them in the crowd. They support me so much.”

Bautista Agut will begin next season by representing Spain in the inaugural ATP Cup, held in Australia from 3-12 January. He will join Rafael Nadal, Pablo Carreno Busta, Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Feliciano Lopez in Perth from 3-8 January, where they will face Japan, Georgia and Uruguay in Group B. Should they advance from their round-robin group, they will head to Sydney from 9-12 January as part of the Final Eight.

Kei Nishikori is adding another ATP Tour legend to his coaching team. The 29-year-old Japanese has signed on former doubles World No. 1 Max Mirnyi to join Michael Chang as his coaches for the upcoming season.

“Excited to announce that Max Mirnyi will join the coaching team (with Michael Chang) full-time in 2020! Excited what the future holds,” Nishikori said in a statement on his Instagram account.

Mirnyi, affectionately known as “The Beast”, concluded his 22-year ATP Tour career at the end of last season. He spent 57 weeks at the top of the ATP Doubles Rankings (15th all-time) and won 52 tour-level doubles titles, including six Grand Slam crowns. Mirnyi also earned a gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2012 London Olympics (w/Azarenka). In singles, he peaked at No. 18 in the ATP Rankings in 2003 and won his lone ATP Tour singles title that year in Rotterdam (d. Sluiter). Mirnyi also reached the 2002 US Open quarter-finals.

”I am excited about the opportunity to have a chance and help Kei,” Mirnyi said. “I have known Kei for a long time from the days of my active playing career. Training and spending a lot of time at the IMG Academy in Bradenton. So, I hope that this progression will be natural for both of us personally and on a professional level.”

Nishikori has not competed since this year’s US Open due to a right elbow injury, which he underwent surgery for in October. He finished this season with a 29-14 record, including a title in Brisbane (d. Medvedev) and quarter-final showings at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Nishikori will kick off next year by representing Japan in the inaugural ATP Cup, held from 3-12 January in Australia. He will join Yoshihito Nishioka, Yasutaka Uchiyama, Go Soeda and Ben McLachlan from 3-8 January in Perth, where they will face Spain, Georgia and Uruguay in Group B. Should they advance from their round-robin group, they will held to Sydney from 9-12 January as part of the Final Eight teams.

Kei Nishikori is adding another ATP Tour legend to his coaching team. The 29-year-old Japanese has signed on former doubles World No. 1 Max Mirnyi to join Michael Chang as his coaches for the upcoming season.

“Excited to announce that Max Mirnyi will join the coaching team (with Michael Chang) full-time in 2020! Excited what the future holds,” Nishikori said in a statement on his Instagram account.

Mirnyi, affectionately known as “The Beast”, concluded his 22-year ATP Tour career at the end of last season. He spent 57 weeks at the top of the ATP Doubles Rankings (15th all-time) and won 52 tour-level doubles titles, including six Grand Slam crowns. Mirnyi also earned a gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2012 London Olympics (w/Azarenka). In singles, he peaked at No. 18 in the ATP Rankings in 2003 and won an ATP Tour singles title that year in Rotterdam (d. Sluiter). Mirnyi also reached the 2002 US Open quarter-finals.

”I am excited about the opportunity to have a chance and help Kei,” Mirnyi said. “I have known Kei for a long time from the days of my active playing career. Training and spending a lot of time at the IMG Academy in Bradenton. So, I hope that this progression will be natural for both of us personally and on a professional level.”

Nishikori has not competed since this year’s US Open due to a right elbow injury, which he underwent surgery for in October. He finished this season with a 29-14 record, including a title in Brisbane (d. Medvedev) and quarter-final showings at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Nishikori will kick off next year by representing Japan in the inaugural ATP Cup, held from 3-12 January in Australia. He will join Yoshihito Nishioka, Yasutaka Uchiyama, Go Soeda and Ben McLachlan from 3-8 January in Perth, where they will face Spain, Georgia and Uruguay in Group B. Should they advance from their round-robin group, they will held to Sydney from 9-12 January as part of the Final Eight.

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com looks at the headlines that shaped 2019 on the doubles circuit.

Cabal/Farah Reach The Mountaintop
In 2018, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah made their big breakthrough as a duo. The Colombians, who first partnered one another at the Futures level in 2004, earned 39 tour-level wins and qualified for their first Nitto ATP Finals.

But this season proved even better for the longtime friends and partners, becoming just the second all-South American duo to finish year-end No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings (since 1984). In 1986, Chilean Hans Gildemeister and Ecuadorian Andres Gomez accomplished the feat.

“It’s an honour to receive this trophy, being alongside the names engraved on it,” Farah said during an on-court presentation at the Nitto ATP Finals, where the Colombians were the top seeds and reached the semi-finals. “Starting the year, it was difficult to predict we’d end it as the No. 1 team. It’s a dream come true and I’d like to thank everyone who is here for supporting us.”

Read: Cabal/Farah Presented Year-End No. 1 Trophy

Cabal and Farah captured five of their 17 tour-level titles in 2019, and they own a 3,655-point lead in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings ahead of No. 2 Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.

Last year, Cabal and Farah won their first ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome, and they retained that trophy this season at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, and it only got better from there. The Colombians captured their first two Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the US Open, respectively.

Herbert/Mahut Show Their Class
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut only competed together eight times in 2019, but they began and finished their season with a bang.

The Frenchmen completed their Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, winning the season’s first major without losing a set from the quarter-finals on. Herbert and Mahut became the eighth men’s doubles team to lift all four Grand Slam trophies.

After losing two of their next three matches, the Frenchmen did not play together until Cincinnati, with Herbert choosing to focus on singles. He only played doubles three times between the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and the Western & Southern Open — including Wimbledon with Andy Murray.

It appeared that lay-off may have been detrimental to this team, with Herbert and Mahut losing in the second round in Cincinnati and the first round of the US Open. But after making the semi-finals in Vienna they found their best form, winning the Rolex Paris Masters and then the Nitto ATP Finals without dropping a set at either event.

The season finale was a special victory for the Frenchmen after letting slip a championship point against Mike Bryan and Jack Sock last year. It was the perfect ending to their 2019 campaign.

“It is pretty special [to win this trophy]. Maybe, for doubles, it is one of the toughest tournaments to win,” said Herbert. “After our story in London — we had three really tough years and last year we had a match point in the final — being able to win here is an amazing feeling.”

New Teams Break Through
Three teams broke through to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time together this year.

One year ago, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies finished in 87th place in the ATP Doubles Race To London. But the Germans got off to a fast start in 2019, and they never looked back. Krawietz and Mies, who had competed mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour before 2019, won the New York Open for their first ATP Tour title, claimed their maiden Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros and triumphed in Antwerp.

Rajeev Ram had previously qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals twice, in 2016 and 2017, but he did so then with Raven Klaasen. The American teamed with Brit Joe Salisbury for the first time this year, and the result was a 39-win season that included two ATP 500 titles and a trip to The O2. Ram and Salisbury were victorious in Dubai and Vienna, using those results to propel them into a spot at The O2.

The last of the team’s is Filip Polasek and Ivan Dodig. The Slovak-Croat team first got together in Antalya, which took place in the last week of June. Yet they clicked immediately, and pulled off a stunning run that saw them qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. Dodig and Polasek made at least the semi-finals in eight of the 11 tournaments they played before London, triumphing in Cincinnati and Beijing while also finishing runner-up in Antalya and making the last four at Wimbledon.

Polasek’s Comeback
Polasek cracked the Top 10 of the ATP Doubles Rankings in November ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals. But less than 17 months earlier, the Slovak had no points at all.

That’s because when Polasek was 28, he was forced to retire due to injury, and he did not play professional tennis again for more than four years after that. Polasek had won 11 ATP Tour doubles titles and reached 13 additional finals. But a nerve issue in his back — he had loose discs in his spine — did not allow him to continue.

Read My Point: Re-Making Polasek After Five-Year Retirement

Even after retirement, Polasek still suffered from pain, so much so that coaching lower-level pros and even older juniors proved too tough of a task physically. He couldn’t even consistently play floorball recreationally. But last May, a chance meeting with Mike Bryan in Slovakia started the ball rolling on his comeback, and Polasek has not looked back since.

“If you told me that 15 months later I’d be sitting here as an ATP Masters 1000 champion, I would have told you that you’re crazy. I would never ever bet even a dollar on it. It’s been an incredible journey. But after everything I’ve been through, this is just the beginning,” Polasek wrote in a first-person essay for ATPTour.com in August.

Bob Bryan Returns From Hip Surgery, Bros Announce 2020 Retirement
Mike Bryan finished 2018 on a high, winning Wimbledon, the US Open and the Nitto ATP Finals with Jack Sock. His brother, Bob Bryan, underwent hip surgery last August, leaving an uncertain future for the twins.

But the Bryan brothers made their return in Brisbane this year and quickly clicked into form. The Americans made the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and triumphed in Delray Beach before hitting their highest note of the season in Miami, where they captured their 39th Masters 1000 trophy together, putting them in second place in the ATP Doubles Race To London.

Read About The Bryans’ Upcoming Retirement

The Bryan brothers won 35 tour-level matches together in 2019, earning their 1,100th team win in Cincinnati and qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, but electing not to participate. They announced that 2020 will be their final season, planning to bring their historic careers to an end at the US Open. The Bryan brothers own 118 tour-level doubles titles together.