ATPTour.com continue its best of the decade series
Entering the decade, it seemed to be a question of when and not if Andy Murray would win a Grand Slam. The Brit had four ATP Masters 1000 titles and several victories over the Big Three of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, but defeating them at a major proved far more difficult to accomplish.
Having already lost the 2008 US Open championship match to Roger Federer, Murray finished runner-up at the 2010 and 2011 Australian Open (l. to Federer and Djokovic), then fell to Federer again in the 2012 Wimbledon final. The Brit had matched Ivan Lendl’s “record” of playing four Grand Slam finals without taking a title.
Fittingly, it would be Lendl who helped Murray get over the line during their coaching partnership from 2012-2014. The stoic former World No. 1 curbed Murray’s on-court temper and helped him maintain a high level of consistency throughout tournaments.
Energised by back-to-back victories over Djokovic and Federer to secure a gold medal for Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics, Murray powered into the US Open final against Djokovic. His dramatic 7-6(10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 win over the Serbian took four hours and 54 minutes, matching Lendl and Mats Willander’s record for the longest final in tournament this history.
Not only did the triumph make Murray the first British man since Fred Perry (1936 Wimbledon) to lift a Grand Slam title, it also gave him a seat at tennis’ top table and turned the Big Three into the Big Four. Energised by joining his elite peers after years of chasing them, he followed up by defeating Djokovic in the 2013 Wimbledon final and became the first British man in 77 years to prevail at The All England Club.
Murray would scale even greater heights in 2016. After a fifth runner-up showing in Melbourne (l. to Djokovic) and recording his first Roland Garros final (l. to Nadal), he prevailed again at Wimbledon (d. Raonic) and defended his Olympic crown in Rio de Janeiro (d. Del Potro). He finished the season with one of the greatest fairytale runs in modern tennis history. He won 24 straight matches, a run culminating in victory over Djokovic in the Nitto ATP Finals title match in a winner-takes-all battle for the coveted year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking.
But after reaching the pinnacle of the sport, a severe right hip injury shut down his 2017 season after Wimbledon. The Brit underwent surgery in January 2018 and returned to action that June after an 11-month absence, but still experienced pain when he played. Before his first-round defeat at this year’s Australian Open, an emotional Murray announced his intention to retire after Wimbledon.
“I can still play to a level — not a level that I’m happy playing at,” Murray said in a pre-tournament press conference. “It’s not just that. The pain is too much, really. I don’t want to continue playing that way. I think I have tried pretty much everything I could to get it right, and that hasn’t worked.”
But the Brit’s plans altered considerably within a couple of weeks. Murray instead opted for a second surgery and had a metal plate inserted into his hip joint. He threw himself into recovery and soon tested the waters with a foray into doubles, winning his first event back in June with Feliciano Lopez at Queen’s Club (d. Ram/Salisbury).
By August, Murray felt confident enough in his metal hip to focus on a singles comeback. Just two months later, he brought himself and the Antwerp crowd to tears by defeating Stan Wawrinka for his first ATP Tour singles crown since 2017 Dubai.
The Brit is too much of a perfectionist to let his latest comeback be a mere nostalgia moment. With his current form and proven track record of overcoming adversity, all signs point to him producing more memorable moments in the years to come.
Players Of The Decade Novak Djokovic Roger Federer Andy Murray Rafael Nadal (Thursday) Stan Wawrinka (Friday)
Recently crowned US Open champion Bianca Andreescu speaks of “feeling worthless” as she struggled to cope with the attention of being a rising teenage star.
Former Grand Slam finalist Madison Keys reveals an eating disorder left her living off three low-calorie bars a day.
British player Katie Swan talks about the impact of her coach’s son falling through a glass window and needing life-saving surgery.
Mental health issues. Sexuality. Financial worries. Leaving home for the first time. Death.
American player Noah Rubin, the 2014 Wimbledon junior champion seeking to fulfil his promise on the ATP Tour, is giving his fellow professionals a platform to open up – whatever the subject.
His Behind The Racquet project, inspired by Humans of New York – a revealing photoblog of the city’s residents now tracked by millions of social media users worldwide, sees current players, former players and celebrity fans including British comedian Miranda Hart pose behind the strings of a racquet.
Accompanying the striking image is an emotive personal story.
“This has never really been done before, something that shows what these people, who are thought of as having perfect lives or doing really well because they are professional players, are really going through,” Rubin tells BBC Sport.
“You really get an understanding of what they’re going through on a day-to-day basis, what their thought process is, what their mentality is, how they are feeling, how their family is, just how difficult tennis is.”
Rubin, 23, is determined to influence change in a sport which he says is “very tough on the body and the mind”.
Belgian player Alison van Uytvanck, in a post published earlier this month, gives a candid insight into the low self-esteem she felt as a youngster when she was bullied at training camps because of her ginger hair.
“I never felt so alone, having no friends and unable to really talk to parents,” she says. “I had no-one to lean on for help and found myself crying in my room day after day.”
Rubin believes a fundamental overhaul of the game is needed to help improve the mental wellbeing of the players, while he also says more support pathways need to be opened up.
Improved access to psychologists and the creation of outreach programmes for youngsters, where a former professional is easily contactable to offer advice, is a key strategy outlined by Rubin.
“The seasons are way too long, the matches are too long, it is not fan-friendly, it is not promotable, it is not TV-friendly. There are so many issues,” Rubin says.
“I think we are a little scared of making true fundamental changes – but we have to.”
The ATP Tour’s 2020 season begins on 2 January with the newly launched ATP Cup, starting just six weeks after some of the world’s leading male players took part in the inaugural Davis Cup finals.
Top female players have a slightly longer break – the season-opening Brisbane International on 6 January comes two months after the WTA Finals finished.
While men’s five-set matches are now reserved for Grand Slams and the Olympic final, the length of matches has still prompted plenty of debate.
Tentative attempts to introduce shorter formats of the game have been made – notably with first-to-four-games sets at the ATP NextGen finals and the creation of the Tie Break Tens events, but are yet to break through on the main ATP and WTA Tours.
Uniform change is difficult, however, with seven governing bodies – the ITF, ATP, WTA and four Grand Slams – rarely pulling in the same direction.
“We’re at a time where we have to break down the sport of tennis, invest, take a hit for a year or two and bring the sport to a place to where it has never been before,” Rubin says.
The WTA says the health and safety of its players – physical and mental – are its “number one priority”.
“The WTA has a comprehensive sports science and medicine and athlete assistance support system in place, which is staffed by experienced and expert therapists within the WTA,” it said in a statement.
“The WTA provides extensive resources and education to [help] players manage the challenges professional athletes may face, such as performing under pressure, international travel, managing health, public scrutiny, public commentary and ‘growing up’ in the public eye.”
The WTA added that players can receive individual counselling and support if needed from qualified mental health care providers, both at WTA tournaments and remotely.
The ATP said it was “continually looking to build on its duty of care towards its players” and had recently carried out a review of this area with players, team members and industry experts.
In a statement, the ATP said: “Tournament physicians and physiotherapists on the ATP Tour are in continual contact with players and their support teams throughout the year. In cases where a player were to express psychological concerns, we have an infrastructure that would refer them to the appropriate consultant.
“In situations where ATP physios and tournament physicians are concerned about a player’s mental, emotional and psychological health, we would recommend that the player seek treatment and assist in the initiation of the appropriate care.”
‘I had dark times. This sport isn’t conducive to happiness’
Passionate, articulate and determined to influence change, Rubin speaks from the heart.
Around the time of this year’s French Open, he almost stopped playing a sport to which he has dedicated most of his life. As an 11-year-old, he was said to have been described as “one of the most talented players” fellow New Yorker John McEnroe had come across.
“I didn’t know whether I was going to stop for good or just some real time off. I was telling my family and friends that I just don’t want to play the sport any more,” Rubin remembers.
“I wasn’t happy – the sport isn’t conducive to happiness. I don’t know if I want to throw the word depressed around, but at moments I felt like that.
“I was really thinking this was the end and the last time I was going to hit a tennis ball competitively.”
What changed for the world number 212 was spending less time on court, addressing his work-life balance and rediscovering the fun which made him enjoy tennis in the first place.
Rubin moved back to New York from Florida, practised about an hour a day, and then qualified for Wimbledon where he missed out on a third-round meeting with Roger Federer by losing to British youngster Jay Clarke.
Rubin repeatedly makes it clear he still loves the sport, and believes a change of focus – he talks of his love for fashion and photography, as well as still having time for Netflix and HBO – can enable him to crack the world’s top 50 next year.
“I started to figure out that it is far more important to put happiness on a pedestal rather than spend eight hours on a court,” he concludes.
“I had dark times where I didn’t know if I was going to make it out as a tennis player.
“This world of Behind The Racquet has opened up my eyes, it has given me another passion and helped take some pressure of the world of tennis.
“Now I understand it is far more important to be happy.”
Rubin pauses as he recalls one story, which he says still gives him “chills”.
“It was Jolene Watanabe, who was a top-100 player and played in the Grand Slams in the 1990s. She had cancer, was in remission, and I thought she was going to make it.
“Then I got a message from her husband on Instagram saying ‘I just want you to know she is saying her final goodbyes right now and it would be very much appreciated if you could post her story’.
“To hear that they’re going through something where she’s not going to make it and he was thinking he wanted me to post her story on Behind The Racquet so people could know about it, be a part of it and inspire them… it leaves me speechless.
“To have that kind of impact was something I could not have fathomed, especially this early on, and that’s why I keep pushing on.”
How it began… and what next?
It was during a sleepless night after arriving home from Australia that Rubin formulated the concept of Behind The Racquet.
After inspiration struck at 3am, he acquired the name of his new project on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Within three days he had posted for the first time.
Ten months later, Behind The Racquet has about 35,000 followers across the three platforms, along with a podcast and clothing range as Rubin aims to build the brand.
The next phase is already being worked on, with Rubin aiming to link-up with Talkspace, an online therapy platform which boasts legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps as an ambassador, and the National Association of Mental Illness, as he looks to set up mental health camps for players and perhaps film a docu-series.
Sharing the stories of the sport’s biggest names – Rubin hopes seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams and US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev will feature before the end of the year – is another target.
“Not only are many in a sport where they can’t make money, they’re in a sport where you don’t win very often, so they’re combining failure on the court with failure financially,” Rubin says.
“What I’m really trying to do is pave a way for people that, in five or 10 years from now, are saying ‘this is better because of Behind The Racquet’.”
Best ATP Cup Quotes: Djokovic, Nishkori & Anderson Sound Off
Dec172019
Top players gear up for inaugural event
With less than three weeks until the start of the 2020 season, the world’s best players are hard at work preparing for the inaugural ATP Cup, held in Australia from 3-12 January. Twenty-four countries will participate in round-robin action in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane from 3-8 January, with the Final Eight facing off in Sydney from 9-12 January.
ATPTour.com takes a look at the best quotes about the ATP Cup from your favourite players looking to lead their country to the title.
Novak Djokovic: “I like that it’s owned by the ATP, by the players, and that we have [ATP Rankings] points. It’s going to be the best way to kick off the season. Australia is a country… that nurtures tennis tradition. More than 90 per cent of the time, we’re playing as individuals and we don’t have too many team events. This is going to bring together a lot of nations and, for me personally, it will be a very nice and proud moment to represent my country. An event like this is truly going to make an impact.”
John Isner: “You’re playing for your country, which is the greatest honour you can have. It’s the perfect week for it as well, at the beginning of the year. Everybody wants to be in tip-top shape for the Australian Open and this event is going to allow us to do that.”
Kevin Anderson: “We’re really excited about the ATP Cup… Tennis Australia was very keen on this. They worked closely with us [and] it was in partnership with them… We’re going to have the best players in the world playing. We’re going to kick off our year with an amazing event.”
Karen Khachanov: “I think it will be great for all the players to start the season in Australia [and] to feel the conditions.”
Marin Cilic: “I think it’s going to be great for all the fans in the world, for media, for TV [and] for players.”
Kei Nishikori: “I think it’s good to have all the teams together and all the countries together. I think everybody enjoys [playing for] their country.”
Alex de Minaur: “Growing up, that’s always been my dream: to be able to represent the green and gold.”
Nick Kyrgios: “For a chance to play with the boys I grew up with, like Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jordan Thompson, it’s something I’m really looking forward to. And now to see Alex [de Minaur] do so well, it’s going to be an awesome event. I know everyone on the Tour wants to be with their teammates. There’s nothing better than playing for your country against the other best players in the world.”
Jamie Murray: “I’m excited about the ATP Cup. I think it’s going to be a great event for the ATP. It’s a players’ event. We’ve been on the [ATP Player] Council for the past three years, working to try to make it happen. It’s obviously come to fruition now. It’s a great way to kick off the year. It’s a great week for getting the top guys committed to playing the event because everyone wants to play at the start of the year in the lead up to the Australian Open. I think it’s going to be a huge success.”
Bruno Soares: “I think for the ATP and the players, it’s amazing to have this event in the beginning of the year. It’s a new concept. It’s great.”
Denis Shapovalov: “From the moment I picked up a racquet, I was always watching team events like this. I’ve always wanted to represent my country in a team environment. It’s a different kind of atmosphere and a different kind of competition.”
Daniel Evans: “It’s not hard to get up for matches in front of thousands of people. It gives you confidence being on court and I’ve always felt that when I’ve represented Great Britain, it’s a reward for the hard work I’ve put in and the matches I’ve won.”
ATP Tour.com continues its best of the decade series
Roger Federer had a lot to live up to entering this decade after what he accomplished in the 2000s. The Swiss at one point was World No. 1 for 237 straight weeks, finishing atop tennis’ mountain five times. However, it was clear that Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and the rest of the players on the ATP Tour were only improving. So Federer, who began the 2010s aged 28, had to battle opponents as tough as ever, as well as Father Time.
But the Swiss overcame some uncertainty due to injury to prove why he is still one of the best players in the world year-in and year-out. He was not the dominant force that he was in the 2000s — he spent only 46 weeks at World No. 1 this decade — but the Swiss reminded the world that he is still Roger Federer.
Federer captured 42 tour-level titles during the 2010s, which alone would place him among the Top 20 in the Open Era. He lifted five Grand Slam trophies this decade, as well as 12 ATP Masters 1000 titles and two crowns at the Nitto ATP Finals. And later in the decade, when in theory Federer should have slowed down, he began to reel in Nadal in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry.
However, perhaps Federer’s defining moment of the decade was a comeback from injury. After losing in the 2016 Australian Open semi-finals, Federer was drawing a bath for his kids when he hurt his knee in a freak accident, requiring arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Federer competed in just five tournaments for the rest of the season, ending his year after a five-set loss against Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon semi-finals to give himself time to fully recover.
That sent Federer’s ATP Ranking plummeting to No. 17 in January 2017. His previous low during the decade had been No. 8, making it uncharted territory when he arrived in Melbourne for the 2017 Australian Open. There were plenty of questions at the time surrounding Federer’s status. Only one player older than he was at the time (35) had won a Grand Slam title (Ken Rosewall, 37), and nobody his age had ever held World No. 1. But Federer was simply happy to have a chance to still compete.
Federer not only won that event, but he’d triumph at Wimbledon that year and claim his 20th Grand Slam title at the 2018 Australian Open. A month later, in February 2018, by making the Rotterdam semi-finals (he’d later win the tournament), Federer reclaimed World No. 1 for the first time in five years and 106 days. That is the record for longest gap between stints atop tennis’ mountain. It also made the Swiss the oldest World No. 1 since the ATP Rankings were created in 1973, breaking a 33-year-old Andre Agassi’s mark.
“I think reaching No. 1 is the ultimate achievement in our sport,” Federer said. “This one maybe means the most to me [of any achievement] throughout my career, getting to No. 1 and enjoying it right here at 36, almost 37 years old. [It] is an absolute dream come true, I can’t believe it.”
Federer’s decade also included a switch in racquets, increasing his stick’s head size from 90 to 97 square inches in 2014, allowing him to maintain his free-swinging style and reduce the number of mis-hits. Federer has continued to develop his one-handed backhand, going after it in big moments. While it was always a solid shot, Federer’s backhand has at times become an even bigger weapon.
That helped Federer improve in his legendary rivalry with Nadal. At the 2014 Australian Open, the Spaniard took a 23-10 lead in their series, but Federer restored pride by winning six of their seven matches since, including a string of four consecutive victories in straight sets. Nadal led Federer by a break in the fifth set of the 2017 Australian Open final, but the Swiss flipped the script on the Spaniard to triumph there, and he also defeated Nadal in the 2019 Wimbledon semi-finals.
Federer also did well against former World No. 1 Andy Murray this decade, going 10-5 against the Scot. He went just 14-21 against the surging Djokovic, but Federer still earned big-match wins against the Serbian, ending his 43-match winning streak in the 2011 Roland Garros semi-finals and defeating him in their two most recent meetings at the Nitto ATP Finals, including this year in round-robin play. That defeat cost Djokovic a chance at year-end No. 1.
At this year’s Wimbledon, just shy of his 38th birthday, Federer had two championship points to defeat Djokovic and claim his ninth trophy at SW19. So even though he fell short, the Swiss showed he is still going strong.
Federer tallied 104 wins against Top 10 opponents this decade, including 23 combined against Djokovic (14) and Nadal (9). The Swiss competed in the Nitto ATP Finals — which he won in 2010 and ‘11 — in every year but 2016 due to his knee injury, and his 42 trophies were more than anyone in the 2010s besides Djokovic (60) and Nadal (48).
David Foster Wallace once wrote an essay titled ‘Roger Federer as Religious Experience’, and Federer is still providing plenty of moments that fans won’t soon forget. So although he finishes the decade at 38, 10 years older than he started it, Federer is still among the sport’s best.
Del Potro, Schwartzman among players attending the ceremony
Leonardo Mayer ended his year on a high note by tying the knot with his longtime partner, Milagros Aventin. The couple wed in a beautiful ceremony this past Saturday in Buenos Aires.
A party followed afterwards in the prominent neighborhood of Puerto Madero. Several of Mayer’s friends on the ATP Tour attended the ceremony, including Juan Martin del Potro, Diego Schwartzman, Pablo Cuevas, Horacio Zeballos and Federico Delbonis.
The Argentine’s on-court highlights this season include a fourth-round finish at Roland Garros and a pair of tour-level quarter-finals in Umag and Auckland. Mayer also excelled in doubles by recording his best Grand Slam result with a semi-final finish at the Australian Open, in addition to a quarter-final showing at the US Open (both w/Sousa).
Learn about the best #NextGenATP performers in 2019
Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com looks at the best #NextGenATP players from 2019.
Tsitsipas Completes Milan To London Transition Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas flew the #NextGenATP banner for much of the 2019 season. Tsitsipas won the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, going a perfect 5-0 and beating Aussie Alex de Minaur in the final. Throughout the 2019 season, the two looked set to meet again in Milan as both had improved upon their 2018 breakout seasons.
But Tsitsipas had other plans and made good on his 2019 goal of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in London. Just after he won the Milan title in November 2018, Tsitsipas had already shifted his focus to qualifying for the season finale at The O2.
Asked during the Milan trophy ceremony if he’d be coming back to Milan, Tsitsipas said, “I think it would be a good idea if the Nitto [ATP] Finals moved to Milan so I can play here.”
The Greek then finished the Milan to London transition, winning the Next Gen ATP Finals title in 2018 and lifting the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals trophy, the biggest title of his career.
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Tsitsipas said. “Holding this trophy right now feels amazing… This tournament has been unbelievable guys, you made it so, so emotional. I have never received so much support in a stage like that, ever.”
Watch: Tsitsipas’ Journey From Milan To London
Aussie De Minaur Finishes Inside Top 20 At No. 18 Despite an injury-riddled season, De Minaur qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan for the second consecutive year. The 20-year-old Aussie more than backed up his breakout 2018 season, which saw him climb 177 spots (208 to 31) in the ATP Rankings.
In 2019, De Minaur won his first three ATP Tour titles in Sydney, Atlanta and Zhuhai and reached two finals, including his second at the ATP 500 level in Basel (l. to Federer).
“It’s been an unbelievable year and not one that I expected. I’m very happy with what I’ve been able to accomplish,” he said.
The 6′ Aussie, however, ran into a home favourite playing the best tennis of his young career at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
Italy’s Sinner Impresses In Breakout Season Jannik Sinner was No. 553 in the ATP Rankings at the start of the 2019 season. But the Italian introduced himself to the tennis world before Milan, winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles – Bergamo and Lexington – and becoming the youngest ATP Tour semi-finalist (Antwerp) since Borna Coric, 17, at 2014 Basel.
Sinner, who received a wild card into the 21-and-under event, had already cracked the Top 100 by the time he entered the Allianz Cloud, and he played more like a Top 20 player in front of his home fans. Sinner went 4-1 at the Next Gen ATP Finals and beat De Minaur to become the first Italian to win the event in its three-year history.
“The week has been unbelievable. The crowd… You can hear them now. I’m very happy… I wouldn’t be here without the wild card, so thanks to everyone. I hope to be back here next year,” Sinner said.
Watch: Sinner Wins #NextGenATP Crown In Milan
Shapovalov, Felix Lead #NextGenATP Canadian Charge The 2019 season also saw Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime surge into the Top 25 of the ATP Rankings. Shapovalov reached the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals (l. to Federer) but endured a mid-season slump that saw him go 4-11 from mid-April through mid-August.
The left-hander, however, finished strong, winning his first ATP Tour title at the Intrum Stockholm Open in October and making his first Masters 1000 final at the Rolex Paris Masters (l. to Djokovic) in November. Shapovalov finished the year at a career-high No. 15 in the ATP Rankings.
Auger-Aliassime had one of the best first halves of the ATP Tour season. The teenager became the youngest ATP 500 finalist in series history (since 2009) at the Rio Open presented by Claro (l. to Djere) and later reached two more ATP Tour finals, in Lyon (l. to Paire) and Stuttgart (l. to Berrettini). In March, Auger-Aliassime, then 18, became the youngest Miami semi-finalist in the tournament’s 35-year history.
The Canadian struggled to replicate that form in the second half of the season, but he still finished at No. 21 in the year-end ATP Rankings.
Tiafoe, Other #NextGenATP Players Show Promise American Frances Tiafoe reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open and his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in Miami. The 21-year-old also made his second consecutive appearance in Milan, falling in the semi-finals to De Minaur.
#NextGenATP breakout players, including Norway’s Casper Ruud, Sweden’s Mikael Ymer and Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, showed flashes of their future potential all season and in Milan, where the trio made their debut at the 21-and-under event.
Surprise! How To Hit A Second-Serve Ace Like Djokovic
Dec162019
Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows how the Serbian hits the most second-serve aces
Want to sneak in a second-serve ace against your next right-handed opponent? Down the T in the Ad court is your hot spot.
An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of 222 second-serve aces by the current Top 10 against right-handed opponents identifies that surprising to the forehand return is the most popular strategy used, with down the T in the Ad court attracting almost half of them.
The data set comes from ATP Masters 1000 events from 2011-2019 and the Nitto ATP Finals.
Second-Serve Ace Direction vs. Right-Handed Opponents
47%: Ad court T – to the forehand return
37%: Deuce court wide – to the forehand return
10%: Deuce court T – to the backhand return
6%: Ad court wide – to the backhand return
Overall, 84 per cent of second-serve aces were directed to the opponent’s forehand return side, with the majority of those occurring down the T in the Ad court.
Novak Djokovic led the pack, with both the total number of second-serve aces (58) and also the most down the T in the Ad court, with 40. The Ad court T aces accounted for 69 per cent (40/58) of the Serb’s second-serve ace total, and 100 per cent of his second-serve aces in the Ad court, with none coming out wide.
2019 Year-End Top 10: 2nd Serve Ace Total & Direction
Deuce T
Deuce Wide
Ad T
Ad Wide
TOTAL
R. Nadal
2
10
5
2
19
N. Djokovic
1
17
40
0
58
R. Federer
5
13
26
5
49
D. Thiem
2
9
2
1
14
D. Medvedev
7
8
8
2
25
S. Tsitsipas
0
3
2
0
5
A. Zverev
2
5
10
0
17
M. Berrettini
1
0
0
0
1
R. Bautista Agut
0
4
4
0
8
G. Monfils
3
13
7
3
26
TOTAL / %
23 (10%)
82 (37%)
104 (47%)
13 (6%)
222 (100%)
Roger Federer knows a thing or two about hitting aces, as he currently sits in third place overall with career total aces (first & second) at 11,299. Federer, like Djokovic, hit more than half (26/49) of his second-serve aces down the T in the Ad court, surprising his right-handed opponents, who would have been expecting the traditional kick serve into the backhand body-jam location.
Gael Monfils went against the grain (but still to the forehand), hitting most of his second-serve aces (13) out wide in the Deuce court. Rafael Nadal also hit the majority of his second-serve aces (10/19) there as well, which is understandable as a left-handed server dipping into his secondary pattern.
Daniil Medvedev, who before 2018 had not won a Masters 1000 match, now has 25 second-serves aces to his credit at this level, with 16 coming against the forehand return, and nine against the backhand return.
Second-serve aces are part risk, part bravado and mostly about winning the all-important guessing game about serve direction.
Editor’s note: Craig O’Shannessy is a member of Novak Djokovic’s coaching team.
ATPTour.com looks back on the Serbian’s dominating decade
To kick off our Decade In Review series, ATPTour.com highlights the best players of the decade. Today we feature Novak Djokovic.
If the 2000s was the decade when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal emerged as players with the potential to finish among the greatest of all-time, the ’10s might be remembered as the period of time in which Novak Djokovic flexed his muscles and made room for three at the top of the sport.
Djokovic broke through in 2007, winning his first two ATP Masters 1000 titles and reaching No. 3 in the ATP Rankings. The following year, he won his first Grand Slam title (Australian Open).
But in the two years that followed, Djokovic resembled someone who was coming up short in big matches. From 2008-09, he went 3-5 in Masters 1000 finals, and he reached only one major title match. In the ATP Rankings, he was stuck at No. 3.
The Serbian, like the rest of the field, had not yet learned how to consistently topple the best in the sport, particularly Federer or Nadal. But as the new decade began, Djokovic learned quicker than anyone and started one of the best decades in the history of tennis.
By February 2011, after winning his second Australian Open, Djokovic had nudged his way into the Top 2. The milestone was worth celebrating, but Djokovic’s climb was more about who he had beaten along the way.
Before 2010, he was 5-9 against Federer and 7-14 against Nadal in their respective FedEx ATP Head2Head series. But at the 2011 Australian Open, Djokovic dropped only one set all tournament and beat Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals.
His domination against the best became a 2011 trend as he turned in one of the best seasons in recent memory. Djokovic started the year 41-0, winning Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Miami for his first March Masters sweep, and in Madrid and Rome. His first loss of the season came in June against Federer in the Roland Garros semi-finals.
Djokovic would finish the year with 10 titles (three major championships), a 70-6 record and his first year-end No. 1 finish. Against Federer and Nadal, he went 10-1 (4-1 vs. Federer, 6-0 vs. Nadal).
Djokovic, with his world-class defence and supreme elasticity, had caught the Top 2. Armed with one of the greatest returns of all-time, the Serbian could neutralise any big server’s best weapon, and engaged in baseline rallies, he liked his chances every time.
At least one Slam and three Masters 1000 titles per season became the norm for the Belgrade native, whose steely determination and all-world mental fortitude were unmatched.
But in 2015, Djokovic, who had finished year-end No. 1 in three of the past four years, raised his game another notch and, by some measures, started outdoing Federer and Nadal.
Djokovic won six Masters 1000s, and he also captured three Slams to bring his overall major tally to 10. He became only the third man to play in all four major finals in a single year in the Open Era (Laver, 1969; Federer, 2006, ’07, ’09).
In 2015, Djokovic won 11 titles and 82 matches, both of which remain career bests, and to finish his most prolific season, Djokovic became the first player to win four consecutive Nitto ATP Finals titles.
“This season definitely stands out. I can’t say I expected it, not at all. But I always gave my best, and I’m always asking from myself the most,” said Djokovic, who reached 15 finals from 16 tournaments played. “I’m convinced with this dedication to the sport, I can achieve more. How much, I don’t know.”
He’d achieve much more the very next season. Djokovic beat Murray for the elusive Roland Garros title, becoming only the eighth man to win all four Grand Slams during his career and just the third man to hold all four major titles at one time (Budge, 1938; Laver, 1962, 1969).
“One of the most beautiful [moments] I have had in my career,” Djokovic said.
By midway through 2016, he was not only maintaining his top form; he was improving and setting new records while playing in the same era as Federer and Nadal, a feat that seemed unlikely when the new decade began. On defence or offence, there was no one better than Djokovic, who was seemingly never out of any point.
But from there, by Djokovic standards, he entered a funk. Early exits at 2016 Wimbledon and 2017 Australian Open, a tournament he had already won six times, signaled that something wasn’t right. A lack of fire after winning the career Grand Slam? A lingering injury?
The latter was discovered to be true as Djokovic ended his 2017 season five months early and eventually underwent his first surgery (right elbow). His comeback took time, and in June 2018, two years after winning the career Grand Slam, he fell to No. 22.
What followed, though, was one of the greatest comebacks in history. Djokovic won his fourth Wimbledon title (d. Anderson) and the next month, became the first player to win the Career Golden Masters at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (d. Federer). Djokovic won each Masters 1000 event at least once this decade as well.
He finished 2018 as year-end No. 1 for the fifth time, and his climb from No. 22 to No. 1 marked the lowest anyone had fallen before finishing the season on top.
In 2019, Djokovic added two more Slams (16 overall; 15 this decade) and two more Masters 1000s (34 overall; 29 this decade). His Wimbledon final against Federer, in which Djokovic saved two consecutive match points in the fifth set on Federer’s serve, will go down as one of the greatest matches of all-time.
Ten years after Djokovic was the man trying to tear down the wall around the Top 2 of Federer and Nadal, the Serbian spent much of the decade standing at the top of the mountain. The Serbian was ranked No. 1 for 275 weeks, only 35 off Federer’s all-time mark (310).
Djokovic also leads both FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The GOAT debate, however, is far from finished. All three are tied with five year-end No. 1 finishes, and Djokovic trails them both in Slam titles and is second to Nadal in Masters 1000s.
Will the Serbian finish as the greatest of all-time? We may be deep into this new decade before the answer is any clearer.
Dazzling Decade: Best Players, Rivalries, Records & More
Dec162019
ATPTour.com reflects on a historic decade of tennis in the 2010s
Another decade of thrilling tennis on the ATP Tour has come and gone, with points, matches, tournaments and moments that will remain fixed in fans’ memories throughout the world for years to come.
Entering the decade, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had already cemented their status as two of the best players in the history of the sport. They were named two of ATPTour.com’s five best players of the 2000s, with the rest of the names on that list retiring.
Federer and Nadal continued to build upon their legacy, thriving and even improving parts of their game, but Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka joined them as the dominant forces in the tennis world throughout the 2010s.
Those five men combined to win 198 tour-level titles over the past 10 years, including 39 of the decade’s 40 Grand Slam championships. The only player outside of this group to win a major trophy was former World No. 3 Marin Cilic at the 2014 US Open.
The quintet also won 72 of the decade’s 90 ATP Masters 1000 titles, and seven of the 10 Nitto ATP Finals crowns. Djokovic (275 weeks), Nadal (160), Federer (45) or Murray (41) held the No. 1 ATP Ranking for the entirety of the past 10 years. Any time these five players competed, all eyes were on them. Any time they stood across the net from one another was a special occasion, with anticipation levels ramped up.
Each day this week, ATPTour.com will look back on the past 10 years for Djokovic, Federer, Murray, Nadal and Wawrinka, examining why they are the players of the 2010s.
Also in the Best of the Decade series, we will examine the best doubles from the past 10 years as well as the best records, achievements, stats and rivalries.
A deep dive into the ATP Challenger Tour facts and figures in 2019…
Win-Loss Percentage Leaders
For the second straight year, an Australian led the circuit in match wins. One year after Jordan Thompson posted a 50-win season, James Duckworth followed with an impressive 49-18 mark, dominating from start to finish. In the penultimate week of the season, the Aussie capped his campaign with a fourth title, returning to the Top 100 in style.
Meanwhile, Ricardas Berankis was the most consistent performer with a tour-leading .889 win percentage (min. 25 matches played). The Lithuanian was ruthless in his brief stay on the circuit, registering a 24-3 record from only seven tournaments played.
Berankis, Tommy Paul, Ugo Humbert and Jannik Sinner were the most consistent performers of the year, with each posting a win percentage of .800 or higher. For perspective, no players achieved that feat in 2018.
Player
Wins-Losses
Percentage
Ricardas Berankis
24-3
.889
Tommy Paul
30-5
.857
Ugo Humbert
21-5
.808
Jannik Sinner
28-7
.800
Mikael Ymer
39-10
.796
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
34-11
.756
Emil Ruusuvuori
36-12
.750
Singles Title Leaders
A total of 12 players won at least three titles this year, with Berankis, Duckworth and #NextGenATP stars Emil Ruusuvuori and Mikael Ymer leading the way with four apiece. Berankis lifted trophies on three different continents, prevailing in France, Canada and South Korea. The 20-year-old Ruusuvuori became the youngest to win as many titles since Hyeon Chung in 2015, while Ymer’s quartet of crowns propelled him to the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
Duckworth, Vasek Pospisil and Juan Pablo Varillas dominated the latter stages of the season, as the only players with multiple titles in October and November. The late-season charge was critical for Duckworth, who secured his place in the Australian Open main draw. Pospisil and Varillas also soared to the Top 150 of the ATP Rankings, with the former World No. 25 Canadian winning 16 of 18 matches to close the season, including back-to-back titles in Las Vegas and Charlottesville.
Teen Titlists Four different teenagers accounted for a total of six Challenger titles this year, with Jannik Sinner the lone player with multiple crowns (Bergamo, Italy; Lexington, USA & Ortisei, Italy). At 17 years, 6 months, he became the youngest-ever Italian champion with his victory on home soil in Bergamo.
Sinner’s second title in Lexington put him in elite company as just the 11th player to win multiple titles at age 17 & under. He joined the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro and most recently Felix Auger-Aliassime. And Sinner’s third victory made him the second-youngest to complete the trifecta, behind only Richard Gasquet.
Nicola Kuhn, Thiago Seyboth Wild and Corentin Moutet were the other teenage winners in 2019. Moutet became the first teen to win titles at the ages of 17, 18 and 19 since Evgeny Korolev from 2005-07. Seyboth Wild, meanwhile, became the first teen titlist from Brazil since Guilherme Clezar in 2012.
Player
Title
Age
Jannik Sinner
Bergamo, ITA
17 yrs, 6 mos.
Jannik Sinner
Lexington, USA
17 yrs, 11 mos.
Jannik Sinner
Ortisei, ITA
18 yrs, 3 mos.
Nicola Kuhn
Segovia, ESP
19 yrs, 4 mos.
Thiago Seyboth Wild
Guayaquil, ECU
19 yrs, 7 mos.
Corentin Moutet
Chennai, IND
19 yrs, 9 mos.
Biggest Movers To Top 100 The Top 7 movers to the year-end Top 100 all won Challenger titles this year. Sinner jumped 685 spots to a career-high No. 78 in the ATP Rankings. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga leapt 230 places and Mikael Ymer soared 207 spots.
Player
Ranking Jump
Year-End 2018 – 2019
2019 Titles
Jannik Sinner
+685
763 – 78
3
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
+230
259 – 29
1
Mikael Ymer
+207
281 – 74
4
Soonwoo Kwon
+165
253 – 88
2
Daniel Evans
+157
199 – 42
2
James Duckworth
+145
245 – 100
4
Title Leaders By Country
Players from 39 countries won titles this year. Juan Pablo Varillas became the first from Peru to lift a trophy since 2008, while Emilio Gomez was the first from Ecuador to do so since 2011 and Emil Ruusuvuori the first from Finland since Jarkko Nieminen in 2013.
Italy boasted a tour-leading 15 titles from 10 different players, followed by Spain and the United States (14 each). It marked the first time that the Italian contingent has led the tour in titles.
Lowest-Ranked Winners
The slipper fit for five Cinderella stories, with a bevy of players ranked outside the Top 400 tasting success. At No. 612, Matias Franco Descotte was the lowest-ranked of the group, prevailing on the hard courts of Morelos, Mexico. At No. 546 and No. 528, respectively, Jannik Sinner and Maxime Cressy both tasted victory in February. It was Sinner’s fourth Challenger appearance and only Cressy’s second.
For No. 417 Steven Diez, his maiden title in Burnie comes six years after reaching his first final.
Player
Tournament Won
ATP Ranking
Matias Franco Descotte
Morelos, MEX
No. 612
Jannik Sinner
Bergamo, ITA
No. 546
Maxime Cressy
Cleveland, USA
No. 528
Steven Diez
Burnie, AUS
No. 417
Emil Ruusuvuori
Fergana, UZB
No. 410
ATP Tour & ATP Challenger Tour Winners
Five players lifted trophies on both the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour this year.
Matteo Berrettini followed his victory in Phoenix with his first tour-level crowns in Budapest and Stuttgart, en route to the year-end Top 10 in the ATP Rankings. The Italian became just the fourth player to win a Challenger title and qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in a season since 1995.
Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Sonego successfully defended their Challenger crowns in Newport Beach and Genova, respectively, while lifting their maiden ATP Tour trophies on the grass of Eastbourne and Antalya.
Player
ATP Tour event
ATP Challenger Tour event
Matteo Berrettini
Budapest & Stuttgart
Phoenix, USA
Taylor Fritz
Eastbourne
Newport Beach, USA
Hubert Hurkacz
Winston-Salem
Canberra, AUS
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Montpellier & Metz
Cassis, FRA
Lorenzo Sonego
Antalya
Genova, ITA
Match Points Saved In Finals
One year ago, only two players saved a match point in a Challenger final. In 2019, that number soared to seven. Marcos Giron denied six championship points, rallying from 1/6 down in the deciding tie-break to topple Ivo Karlovic in Houston. It was the second-most match points saved in a final in Challenger history.
Yannick Hanfmann and Maxime Cressy also saved multiple match points, while Dominik Koepfer earned his maiden title and a Wimbledon wild card in dramatic fashion in Ilkley, turning aside one against Dennis Novak.
Player
M.P. Saved
Tournament
Marcos Giron
6
Houston, USA
Yannick Hanfmann
3
Augsburg, GER
Maxime Cressy
2
Cleveland, USA
Matteo Berrettini
1
Phoenix, USA
Pablo Andujar
1
Marbella, ESP
Dominik Koepfer
1
Ilkley, UK
J.J. Wolf
1
Champaign, USA
Oldest Winners Tommy Robredo earned his first trophy at any level in six years, dominating the month of June with victories in both Poznan, Poland and Parma, Italy. At the age of 37, the former World No. 5 was the oldest winner of the year.
One year after becoming the oldest Challenger champion with his victory in Calgary, Ivo Karlovic became the first 40-year-old finalist. The big-hitting Croatian finished runner-up in Houston last month, adding another slice of history to his growing resume.
Player
Title
Age
Tommy Robredo
Parma, ITA
37 yrs, 1 mo.
Tommy Robredo
Poznan, POL
37 yrs, 1 mo.
Andreas Seppi
Cary, USA
35 yrs, 6 mos.
Rogerio Dutra Silva
Playford, AUS
34 yrs, 11 mos.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Cassis, FRA
34 yrs, 4 mos.
Doubles Title Leaders Playford, Launceston, Zhangjiagang, Anning, Seoul, Binghamton and Traralgon. Seven titles, three continents, one impressive team.
Max Purcell and Luke Saville dominated the doubles circuit in 2019, securing seven trophies and a whopping 41 match wins together. The Aussie pair also appeared in three ATP Tour events together, earning their first match victory on the circuit in Antalya.
Uruguay’s Ariel Behar and Ecuador’s Gonzalo Escobar won the second-most titles of any team, lifting six trophies together. They streaked to the finish line with four crowns in the final three months of the season.
Fast Facts
At the age of 15 years, 11 months, Carlos Alcaraz was the youngest player to win a match in 2019. The Spaniard made a winning Challenger debut, stunning Jannik Sinner in Alicante, Spain. Alcaraz became the first player born in the year 2003 to win a match, a day after 17-year-old Lorenzo Musetti became the first born in the year 2002 to claim his first victory, in Sophia Antipolis, France.
A total of 32 different players enjoyed their maiden moments of glory this year. Jannik Sinner was the youngest of the group at the age of 17, while 27-year-old countryman Lorenzo Giustino was the oldest.
Qualifiers claimed one title, with Maxime Cressy winning seven matches in seven days in Cleveland.
Four players successfully defended titles: Taylor Fritz (Newport Beach, USA), Gregoire Barrere (Lille, France), Pablo Andujar (Alicante, Spain) and Lorenzo Sonego (Genova, Italy).
Three unseeded wild cards won titles: J.J. Wolf, Jannik Sinner and Zhang Zhizhen, all on home soil in Columbus, Bergamo and Jinan, respectively.
Longest final: The longest final registered at three hours and 15 minutes, with Tommy Robredo beating Federico Gaio 7-6(10), 5-7, 7-6(6) in Parma, Italy.
Shortest completed final: Shortest completed final: At 43 minutes, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga downed Dudi Sela 6-1, 6-0 in Cassis, France. It is the shortest final in Challenger history.
A total of four Top 40 players entered a Challenger in 2019. World No. 27 Kyle Edmund won the title in Indian Wells, while 32nd-ranked Lucas Pouille lifted the trophy in Bordeaux. Meanwhile, World No. 21 David Goffin reached the quarter-finals in Phoenix and No. 39 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reached the semis in Orleans.
Daniel Evans went back-to-back on home soil in Surbiton and Nottingham, joining Yen-Hsun Lu as the only players to win consecutive Challenger titles on grass in the past 20 years.
Aljaz Bedene improved to 16-2 in Challenger finals with his title on home soil in Portoroz. It is the highest win percentage (.889) among all players with at least 15 finals reached.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s victory in Cassis, France, came 12 years and two months after his most recent triumph in Surbiton 2007. It is the fourth-largest gap between titles in Challenger history.
Paolo Lorenzi became the second player to earn 400 wins on the Challenger circuit. He reached the milestone on 7 August in Manerbio, Italy.
We use technology such as cookies on our website, to provide functions and analysis of our visitor data. Click Accept to confirm that you agree to its use.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
