Game. Set. Match. Children.

Superstars from all over the sports world came together in Texas this weekend for the fourth annual Dirk Nowitzki Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic, hitting aces — literally and figuratively — to raise money for the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation, which awards grants annually to organisations focusing on children’s wellbeing, health and education.

“We’re thrilled to do this event again and have the support of celebs who fly in from across the country,” Nowitzki said. “Tommy Haas actually took a redeye to be here. He landed at like 7am, so the support from everybody means the world and hopefully we can raise a lot of funds again for our project this upcoming year.”

Nowitzki, a basketball legend in his own right, played his fair share of tennis growing up in Germany. And his former Dallas Mavericks teammate and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Steve Nash, has taken up the sport more recently. The Canadian has taken great pride in watching #NextGenATP stars Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime blossom on the ATP Tour.

“Both Denis and Felix have big, big games. [They’re] great athletes who have a lot of shots. Both I think have incredible futures,” Nash said. “The best players are the ones that get on top of their game mentally. Those young players are showing great signs. They have all the tools, and if they just continue to develop that grit and understanding, they’re going to be Top 5, Top 10 players in the world, easy.

“Denis has got all the shots. Big, big groundstrokes. Big serve. When he’s on fire, he’s unbeatable. He’s one of those guys who’s an electric player. When he gets hot, he’s unstoppable. As he gets older I think he’s going to be one of those guys who’s so hard to beat even when he doesn’t have his best stuff.”

When Nash retired, he wanted to find other activities outside of basketball. So he joined a tennis club and has gotten increasingly interested in the sport since.

“The past couple of years i’ve been trying to learn the game. It’s a beautiful sport,” Nash said. “Obviously there are tons of levels to it, so I’m just trying to hold my own and get better and better.”

Isner has not dropped from the Top 30 of the ATP Rankings in nearly a decade, so the American knows tennis talent. The 34-year-old was impressed by the basketball stars — which included Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic — and the other celebrities who were competing.

“I would say [they are] very good. Dirk is an incredible player. He grew up playing tennis. You can see that and you can see he still has all that talent and skill left in him,” Isner said. “Luka I think is still brand new to tennis. But from what I’ve seen he’s an athlete and athletes pick stuff up quickly and that’s what he’s doing.”

As far as tennis players go, Isner was joined by former World No. 2 Haas, former doubles World No. 1 Mark Knowles and American Mitchell Krueger. Nowitzki was ecstatic with the support, and he was thankful to have Isner on the courts a year after the 15-time ATP Tour titlist had to miss the event for the birth of his daughter, Hunter Grace.

“It means the world to me and to us and to the tournament that we have a player of his stature here and that he’s representing,” Nowitzki said. “That’s big. To have him here, close, and be a resident here now is awesome. He’s a friend and it’s amazing.”

Haas and his amateur partner eventually won the tournament, defeating Nash and his partner 10-6 in a championship tie-break.

Celebrities Who Competed: Tommy Haas, John Isner, Mark Knowles, Mitchell Krueger, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Luka Dončić, , J.J. Barea, Devin Harris, Dwight Powell, Boris Kodjoe

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on 17 September 2014.

Vitas Gerulaitis made everyone smile. Blond-haired, athletic and flamboyant, he walked about with a confident swagger and had a spark that could instantly energise any locker room.

Mary Carillo, who was 12 when she first met 15-year-old Gerulaitis and his sister, Ruta, a former pro, at the Port Washington Tennis Academy in New York, recalls her first meeting. “I was in proper awe of him. He was striking to look at — great clothes and carrying more racquets than any kid I’ve ever seen before. He had a mane of blond hair trailing behind him, and was friendly even though he was in a constant state of motion.”

John Lloyd remembers, “I think I first played him aged 17, alongside Billy Martin and Pat Dupre, in Torquay. Even then he was charismatic and he stood out. [A few years] later, I remember watching [the British comedy series] Fawlty Towers with him and he commented, ‘This is crap. You want to watch this?’ It was typical of him. He had a great sense of humour.”

Carillo fondly remembers partnering Gerulaitis against Ruta and her partner in a mixed doubles club-level final at the West Side Tennis Club, the former venue of the US Championships. “Once there, Ruta’s partner took a dive for a volley and scraped himself up pretty badly, to which Vitas handed him a towel and said, ‘Hell, John — we’re only playing for an ice bucket.’ My proud parents still have that ice bucket.”

To this day, the tennis world is quick to recall his quip after beating Jimmy Connors in the semi-finals of the January 1980 Masters. Although Gerulaitis had won their first meeting indoors at New York in 1972, Connors had gone on to claim their next 16 matches. At the press conference, a reporter asked Gerulaitis how he had finally managed to beat Connors after losing 16 in a row. Gerulaitis grinned and said, “And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.” Veteran tennis writer Steve Flink, who was present, remembers, “The room erupted with laughter. He said it genially and everyone got a big kick out of it.”

Dashing and daring, Gerulaitis was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lithuanian immigrants. He was the sport’s ultimate jetsetter in the late 1970s, adored by a legion of female fans, who screamed, “Take me home!” after his matches. He was also an intense competitor to his closest rivals, Connors, Guillermo Vilas, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, who became good friends. During a golden era for men’s tennis, he rose to a career-high No. 3 and was ranked inside the Top 10 for seven straight years until 1983.

“I first met him in 1972, as players, in the Orange Bowl final in Miami,” recalls Borg, who won 7-6, 6-2, 6-1. “That was our first contact. After we played the five-set 1977 Wimbledon semi-final, Vitas and one of his friends visited me at The Cumberland Club [in north London] the next day, where I trained between matches. He could easily have left to fly home, but, incredibly, he told me, ‘Whenever you want to practise, I am ready.’ I was stunned that a player would do such a thing. From that moment on, we always practised together.”

Back at home, Gerulaitis was ‘Mr New York’. As a freshman at Columbia University, prior to turning pro one year later in 1971, he had owned a yellow Datsun 240-Z sports car. Later, in his native New York, he would leave his Long Island home for a night out in a yellow Rolls Royce with the personalized number plate ‘VITAS’. His non-stop reverie, whether it was dinner at the Playboy Club, drinks at Daisy, or discos like Annabel’s in London or Studio 54 in New York with his many friends, included artist Andy Warhol, his ‘fraternal twin’, Borg, and McEnroe. He earned the nickname, ‘Broadway Vitas’. Every New Yorker knew him… and loved him.

Borg adds, “Vitas was of my best friends in tennis. We helped and made one another better players, and developed a great friendship. We connected and had so much fun. He was a funny guy. I rarely saw him in a bad mood. He had so much positive energy.” Billie Jean King reveals, “In New York, we frequently practised at his place on Long Island and away from the court, he was the first one to take me dancing at Studio 54. It was never a dull moment when Vitas was around.”

Gerulaitis’ tennis did not appear to suffer. He won the 1977 Australian Open (d. J. Lloyd) and two Internazionali BNL d’Italia crowns, among 25 singles trophies. John Lloyd, recalling their joint career-high at Kooyong, says, “During the 1977 Australian Open, we practised and went out together during the week — it would never happen now. On the morning of the final we had breakfast together and I remember being worried about practising again. So I asked, ‘Should we practise together?’ He responded by saying, ‘What can I f****** learn about your game? And what more can you learn about my game? Of course, we’ll practise together!’ Gerulaitis won in five sets. He also finished runner-up at 1979 US Open (l. to McEnroe) and at 1980 Roland Garros (l. to Borg).

Looking back at Gerulaitis’ hedonistic days, Fred Stolle, his coach of four years, says, “Whatever he got up to the night before, he always trained hard the next day. He was easy to coach and I didn’t change his technique much. We worked out on his court at his home. He travelled hard and played hard. He liked the high life, but never drank.

“He liked me to check the Michelin Guide when we were in Europe for the best restaurants. If he kept winning we would go to the same restaurant. He was very superstitious. He used Johnson’s gauze tape. His Mum used to buy it by the case load for his racquet grips. Every changeover, he changed his grip. I don’t know how he did it. I remember his Mum saying, ‘I wish we had stocks in Johnson’s.’”

Gerulaitis’ game was built on speed. Carillo, who remains good friends with his sister, Ruta, to this day, says, “He was very, very quick around the court and had a terrific nose for the net. He was agile and charismatic on the court, and had the same gifts off the court.” Johan Kriek, who was given a “tennis lesson” by Vitas in the 1978 US Open quarter-finals, insists, “Whenever you played him, you needed to be on top of your game. He had a lot of flare, and was an all-round great player and mover.” 

Borg, who, like McEnroe, knew Gerulaitis better than anybody, says, “His movement and speed around the court was his greatest strength and he had such an eye for the game. He was one of the best volleyers – forehand and backhand – and was always aggressive.” Stolle adds, “His slice backhand was great too, especially if he came up against players who could attack the net.”

But Gerulaitis also had a weakness. “We used to spend 90 minutes hitting second serves,” remembers Stolle. “He was fine until things got tight in a match and then he would revert back to his old motion, as muscle memory kicked in. He hit a lot of double faults.” Stolle still shakes his head at what happened in a match against Ivan Lendl at the 1981 Masters [now named Nitto ATP Finals] at Madison Square Garden. “Lendl was serving at 5-6 in the third set tie-break, down two sets to love. Having missed a first serve, Vitas took a step forward and played a backhand return. He looked to be chip-charging en route to the net, forcing Lendl to pass him on match point. But Vitas took two steps forward, and then four backwards. Lendl would clinch the tie-break 8-6 and go on to win in five sets.”

Off the court, Gerulaitis was generous to a fault. He cared, supplying tennis racquets to thousands of New York City children, taking the time to catch up with a player he may not have seen for a while or by picking up a dinner cheque. Carillo often joined Vitas, Ruta and McEnroe at concerts and dinners in New York City. “We gave a bunch of tennis exhibitions while we were still juniors,” says Carillo. “I also got to help with the Vitas Gerulaitis Youth Fund [established in 1979], the first of its kind.

“Vitas wanted to bring tennis to underserved New York City kids and took a band of us all over the five boroughs every summer, handing out racquets and giving clinics for hours on end. Vitas got every big tennis star in the world to give their time, from Arthur Ashe to Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert and McEnroe, Ilie Nastase and Jimmy Connors — everyone wanted to help Vitas and try to keep up with his great heart. It was the very best part of him. Who else would lose his only championship match at the US Open (1979 to McEnroe) and then go to the winner’s party later that night?”

Billie Jean King remembers, “When I think of Vitas, I always remember he was the first person — at least the first one I recall — to give free racquets to children. We have carried his tradition on at World TeamTennis and for several years each of the racquets we gave to children carried his name on the racquet. It was a small way to honour a man that was such a great player, lover of tennis and a really good friend.”

Just two weeks before his death, Gerulaitis was compassionate to a new champion, Pete Sampras. After the American had lost to Jaime Yzaga over five sets in the 1994 US Open fourth round, Sampras recalls, “I had got to know him when I lived in Tampa, Florida, as we used to play golf together. I went into the Open a little out of shape. After the match I was pretty down. Leaving the stadium for a private room, Vitas came by. He unlaced my shoes, put a dry shirt on me, packed up my racquets and told me he understood just how bad I was feeling. He was always thinking of others. He was always upbeat.”

Gerulaitis had retired as a player in 1985, after a 14-year-old pro career, and had taken to perfecting his golf swing. At the behest of his tennis friends, including Connors and McEnroe, he returned to the sport in 1993 on the newly formed Seniors Tour and picked up work as a television analyst with ESPN and CBS Sports. Lloyd says, “He knew exactly what questions to ask the players. He would have been the equivalent of McEnroe as a commentator today — one of the main guys.” His childhood friend and CBS colleague, Carillo says, “Vitas was genuine, relaxed and funny — the real deal.”

In his final match, at the Seattle Centre Arena, that started at shortly after 10 p.m. local time on 14 September 1994, Connors and Gerulaitis paired up to beat Borg and Lloyd 6-4, 7-6. Lloyd recalls, “That [Wednesday] evening in Seattle, on the Seniors Circuit, every joke and every one-liner he made, hit! He was at the peak of his comedic and charismatic level. We played in front of a crowd of 3,000. Sometimes, jokes you make strike and sometimes they don’t work. He completely stole the show. Mid-match, he injured his back and afterwards left to return to New York.”

Three days later he passed away. After a short lay-over, Gerulaitis had taken part in a charity clinic at the Racquet Club of East Hampton, where he demonstrated his volleying skills to 60 corporate sponsors. He left the clinic promising to attend a party that night, but never reappeared. Staying in the pool house of a friend in Southampton, NY, Gerulaitis ordered a sandwich and watched golf on television. At 3 p.m. the next day, 17 September, a housekeeper found his body. An inquest found that he had died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty propane heater, which had seeped into the heating and air conditioning system. He was 40 years old.

“When I heard he had died, it was unbelievably bad news,” says Borg. “When I heard, I started to cry – every player did. To lose such a friend, a positive guy, is sad. It is still tough for me to talk about him today. I miss him so much.” Lloyd, like Borg and Connors, was still in Seattle. “I was preparing for the doubles final when I heard the news. I could not believe it. I had to find Bjorn, who was eating a meal in the restaurant and I was the one who told him that Vitas had died. Jimmy was out with his family.”

Sampras remembers being on Davis Cup duty in Sweden. “We were preparing and I walked into the team room to be told Vitas had died. I remember that week we wore ‘V’ patches on our clothes.” Carillo says, “I was last with Vitas for CBS‘ coverage of the US Open, shortly before he died. It’s still very hard to know that he’s gone. There were few people I’ve ever met who were so damn alive.”

“He was like another son,” says Stolle. “It was such a shock when he died. I went to the funeral. He had a pink golf club and ball with him in his coffin.” His great rivals and friends, Borg, Connors and McEnroe were pallbearers. Connors finished his eulogy, in front of 500 mourners, by saying, “He was my friend and I loved him, and I’m going to miss him.” Carillo said, “His legacy is laughter. We all have to tell each other stories about him. We have to keep him alive.”

The legacy of the ‘Lithuanian Lion’ endures, 25 years on.

Spaniard Fernando Verdasco suffered a disappointing second-round loss at the US Open against Hyeon Chung, letting slip a 6-1, 6-2 lead and also failing to convert a match point in the fifth set. But the Spaniard wiped away those memories on Monday, defeating Belgian Steve Darcis 6-2, 6-2 to reach the second round of the Moselle Open.

The fifth seed began this ATP 250 tennis tournament with just a 1-2 record at the event. The last time Verdasco competed in Metz, four years ago, he lost against then-18-year-old Alexander Zverev.

But the veteran lefty faced few problems against Darcis, saving the only break point he faced and winning 64 per cent of his second-serve return points in his 69-minute triumph. Verdasco leads Darcis 4-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, winning all nine sets they have played.

Verdasco will next face 2017 Rolex Paris Masters finalist Filip Krajinovic, who beat Peter Gojowczyk 7-5, 6-4 after one hour and 24 minutes. It was an impressive win for the Serbian considering Gojowczyk claimed his lone ATP Tour crown in Metz two years ago.

A Frenchman is through to the second round, as wild card Antoine Hoang ousted German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 11 minutes. The 23-year-old will next face sixth seed Hubert Hurkacz or countryman Gregoire Barrere.

Second-Seeded Doubles Tandem Eliminated
Robert Lindstedt and Jan-Lennard Struff upset second seeds Luke Bambridge and Ben McLachlan 6-4, 7-6(15) to reach the second round in the doubles draw. Bambridge and McLachlan were carrying strong form into this tournament, their first since reaching the US Open quarter-finals. Lindstedt and Struff are competing together for the first time. 

Nine years ago, Mikhail Kukushkin won his lone ATP Tour title in St. Petersburg. And on Monday, the Kazakh got off to a strong start at the St. Petersburg Open with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner.

The sixth seed’s one-hour, 40-minute triumph against the wild card was not as straightforward as the scoreline suggests. Sinner, who turned 18 last month, battled hard to recover from a break down on two occasions in the second set, ultimately earning a set point at 5-4 to force a decider.

But Kukushkin was undeterred, saving nine of the 11 break points he faced to advance to the second round. The World No. 57 will next face former Top 10 player Janko Tipsarevic or lucky loser Damir Dzumhur.

Sinner was trying to earn the biggest victory of his career by ATP Ranking. The Italian has earned all three of his tour-level wins in 2019, and he is at a career-high World No. 127.

Read Sinner Feature

In the other main draw singles match of the day, seventh seed Adrian Mannarino beat Italian Stefano Travaglia 7-5, 6-2 after one hour and 19 minutes. The Frenchman lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy earlier this year in ’s-Hertogenbosch.

Top Seeds Move On In Doubles
Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor, the top doubles seeds in St. Petersburg, eased past Ricardas Berankis and Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-4 after 62 minutes. The Croats, who triumphed together at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters this year, won 52 per cent of their first-serve return points.

One way to evaluate second-serve performance is to examine how many points you win. The more the merrier. Another way is to look at how many points you don’t lose through the self-inflicted wound of a double fault. Less is always best.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of double faults as a percentage of second serve points lost from the current Top 20 in 2019 identifies a hidden weapon that Stan Wawrinka has used to surge back to the elite level of our sport.

Wawrinka entered the 2018 US Open with an ATP Ranking of No. 101. He left the 2019 US Open back inside the Top 20, with second-serve performance a big key to his comeback.

In the past 52 weeks, Wawrinka is ranked seventh on the ATP Tour in second-serve points won, at 55.4 per cent. But if you dig a little deeper, you find a hidden metric where he is head and shoulders above any other player in the Top 20.

The first part of the analysis is to only examine the second-serve points Wawrinka has lost in 2019 before uncovering how many of them were double faults. It is by far the fewest of the current Top 20. Wawrinka’s double faults only account for 11.5 per cent (85/740) of his second-serve points lost, which is well below the Top 20 average of 22.3 per cent, or about one out of every five second serve points. In this analysis, the lower the percentage the better.

The leading five players of the current Top 20 that hit the least amount of double faults per points lost on second serve are below.

1. Stan Wawrinka = 11.5% (85 double faults/740 second-serve points lost)
2. Roberto Bautista Agut = 14.6% (91/625)
3. Roger Federer = 15.2% (89/586)
4. Matteo Berrettini = 16.3% (121/743)
5. Stefanos Tsitsipas = 16.5% (137/832)

Essentially, these five players “score own goals” the least with double faults when losing a second-serve point. On the other end of the spectrum, there were three Top 20 players that crossed the 25 per cent barrier, meaning that at least one out of every four second serve points they have lost so far in 2019 was a double fault. Those players are:

• Alexander Zverev = 40.9% (342/837)
• Nikoloz Basilashvili = 30.9% (261/844)
• Gael Monfils = 27.7% (172/622)

Double faults will always be a necessary evil in our sport, with some players employing a more aggressive strategy of going for more on second serves and absorbing some double faults in the process of finding their highest win percentage.

Wawrinka’s unique serve motion, with two arms high in the air early in the serve motion, may arguably not be the simplest technique to teach young players. But the impressive end result of only losing about one out of approximately 10 second-serve points with a double fault is a goal players at all levels of our game should be trying to emulate.

One American tennis fan believes more than ever that practice makes perfect.

As the lone contestant in the Nitto ATP Finals ‘Pick Your 8 Contest’ to have selected all players in the current ATP Race To London Top 8, Minnesota’s Brandon Kuether is reaping the benefits of his belief in the importance of intense practice… and his faith in Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

Finalising his team well before Bautista Agut’s surprise run to the Wimbledon semi-finals, Kuether is one of just 5.8 per cent of contestants to pick the Spaniard, who is currently seventh in the Race. The nine-time ATP Tour titlist is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

Kuether had faith in Bautista Agut after seeing him practise at the 2016 BNP Paribas Open.

“I went and watched and spent a lot of time on the practice courts. I watched his practice sessions and seeing the intensity at which he practised, the consistency, I just think that there’s a lot of people on the Tour who work really hard, but he’s sort of similar to like a Ferrer or Nadal,” Kuether said. “He pushes himself beyond the point of working hard. You see the intensity with which he hits every single ball.”

Not only did that event prove important for Kuether’s contest chances, but it is also the only professional tournament the American has attended.

“I’m not a man with a lot of money so I won those tickets and I jumped on the opportunity,” Kuether said. “That year I went to Indian Wells, Roger was injured, so I didn’t get to see him. [But] I saw Djokovic, I saw Murray, I saw Nadal, and I was within 10 feet of them. I got an autograph from Djokovic and I saw Wawrinka practising.”

Get Your Tickets For The Season Finale

Kuether, a 25-year-old from Minnesota, received an email last Thursday notifying him that he is the only participant in the contest who chose the current Top 8. At first, he didn’t believe it. The winner of this contest will earn the ultimate trip for two to London to attend this year’s season finale as a VIP guest at The O2 for the semi-finals and final of the world’s largest indoor tennis tournament.

“I was definitely very surprised. I saw the email and I’ll be honest, I had to check if it was spam. I was like, ‘Is this real? Am I actually the person who could potentially be in the lead for something like this?’” Kuether said. “I filled it out thinking maybe something would come out of it, but I didn’t necessarily think I would be the only person with the correct combination by any means.”

It would be particularly thrilling for Kuether, who has never previously travelled outside the United States. And not only would he get to do so, but he’d get to be up close and personal with the best players in the world.

“That would be honestly a dream come true,” Kuether said. “All these guys that were inspirations for me to not only continue with my game, but [they’ve helped me with] personal things that I’ve struggled with that I’ve read about them struggling with. I think to be able to feel that feeling again [of going to a professional event], especially if I got to see Roger, those things are bucket list, dream come true.”

Tennis is a big component of Kuether’s life. He got involved in it during middle school and eventually played high school and then college tennis. Now he works full-time at the Saint Paul Urban Tennis Program, where he is the Program Manager of Player and Coach Development.

Kuether focuses on curriculum development, training coaches and more to help give back to the community. The Minnesota resident says that many kids at the program eventually get their first job there after growing up through the program. Outside of a small registration fee, they don’t require anybody to pay, and no families are ever turned away.

“It’s a good blend for me, because it’s the avenue I use in my work life to achieve some of these things like teaching life skills through sports, teaching employment skills through sports,”Kuether said. “Without tennis, I think my life would be on a very different path and I’ve learned a lot of different life skills through this sport.”

And now, Kuether is just two months away from potentially earning the tennis trip of a lifetime.

“It’d be really cool if my picks did stick… for me it’s really not about who is winning, but rather I’d like to see close matches,” Kuether said. “I think it’s really exciting to see so many guys within 100 points of one another. That provides so much more inspiration to really dig it out towards the end of the season. If you can secure a spot at the [Nitto] ATP Finals, that’s a pretty incredible opportunity not only for the sake of Ranking points and things of that nature, but also just to get a week of tennis in against all the best players in the world. It’s only against the best, so you’re only going to see matches of the highest level.”

Did You Know?
The below is the prize the winner of the contest will receive subject to the terms and conditions of the contest.

A four (4)-day/three (3)-night trip for winner and one (1) guest to the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals consisting of round-trip coach/economy class air transportation from the major gateway airport nearest to the winner’s place of residence to London or round-trip transportation via train where possible, subject to ATP’s sole discretion;

· One (1) standard occupancy hotel accommodation (i.e. one (1)) standard room) for three (3) nights at the official hotel of the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals;
· Ground transportation to/from arrival point in London and the applicable hotel;
· Two (2) tickets for both semifinal sessions on Saturday 16 November 2019, as well as the final session on Sunday 17 November 2019;
· Hospitality access, inclusive of food and beverage, during each applicable tournament session;
· One (1) backstage tour at the O2;
· One (1) meet and greet with a Nitto ATP Finals player or doubles team;
· One (1) copy of the Official Nitto ATP Finals Programme;
· One (1) Tecnifibre racket;
· One (1) case of Dunlop ATP Official tennis balls;
· One (1) pair of Maui Jim sunglasses;
· One (1) Lacoste tennis outfit (one shirt and one pair of shorts)

ATP Tour action returns this week with the St. Petersburg Open and the Moselle Open in Metz. The ATP 250 tournaments provide players with the opportunity to earn crucial points in the ATP Race To London and the ATP Race To Milan.

Four Top 15 stars headline a packed draw in St. Petersburg, led by home favourites Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov. In Metz, 2014 winner David Goffin leads the way in an exciting field which features eight Top 40 players.

St. Petersburg Talking Points

Two former St. Petersburg Open champions received direct entry into the main draw: Mikhail Kukushkin (2010) and Martin Klizan (2012). However, 2013 champion Ernests Gulbis can join them in the main draw if he wins his final-round qualifying match on Monday.

Top seed Daniil Medvedev is the ATP Tour leader in match wins this season. His US Open semi-final victory against Grigor Dimitrov made him the first player to hit 50 tour-level singles wins in 2019.

World No. 4 Medvedev also has the most hard-court match wins this season. His 37 victories on this surface give him a clear lead against Roger Federer and Gael Monfils, who are tied for second place with 23 hard-court wins in 2019 to date.

The team of Roman Jebavy and Matwe Middelkoop own a 7-1 record in St. Petersburg over the past two editions, claiming the title in 2017 and reaching the final last year. However, they will team with different partners in 2019. Jebavy enters alongside Philipp Oswald, while Middelkoop partners Marcelo Demoliner.

Metz Talking Points

Every Moselle Open singles champion since 2010 is in the 2019 field: Gilles Simon (2010, 2013, 2018), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2011-‘12, 2015), David Goffin (2014), Lucas Pouille (2016) and Peter Gojowczyk (2017).

No. 1 seed Goffin was 12-13 on the season and fell outside of the Top 30 in the ATP Rankings on 10 June. Since then, the 28-year-old Belgian is 20-7 with final appearances at the NOVENTI OPEN and the Western & Southern Open.

Read Goffin’s Quest For Confidence

Goffin will rise from No. 11 to No. 8 in the ATP Race to London if he reaches the Metz final and No. 9 Matteo Berrettini does not advance to the St. Petersburg semi-finals, or if he wins a title on Sunday and Berrettini does not.

A Frenchman has won the Moselle Open singles title in 10 of 16 years since the tournament debuted in 2003. Still seeking his first title here is Richard Gasquet, who reached his first of 31 ATP Tour finals at this event in 2004.

Three-time singles champions Simon and Tsonga return alongside four-time doubles champions Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The Frenchmen have won two Metz titles as a team and two separately.

Novak Djokovic has today started his 269th week at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings and passed Jimmy Connors (268 weeks) for fourth place in the all-time list of most weeks in top spot.

The Serbian, who began his fourth stint at the summit of men’s professional tennis on 5 November 2018, is now two weeks away from breaking Czech-born American Ivan Lendl’s mark of 270 weeks. Then, only American Pete Sampras (268 weeks) and record-holder Roger Federer of Switzerland (310 weeks) will be in Djokovic’s sights.

Connors spent a total of eight stints in top spot, with his longest run of 160 consecutive weeks between 29 July 1974 – when he first rose to No. 1 – and 22 August 1977. Djokovic spent 122 straight weeks at the summit in his second period at No. 1 from 7 July 2014 to 6 November 2016. During that time, Djokovic amassed a 167-17 match record, including 21 titles from 26 tour-level finals.

In his current stint at No. 1, totalling 46 weeks, 32-year-old Djokovic has compiled a 46-9 match record, including title runs at 2019 Australian Open and Wimbledon.

While passing Lendl’s weeks at No. 1 tally is imminent, Djokovic will focus on battling Rafael Nadal to finish as the 2019 year-end No. 1 for a record-equalling sixth time (2011-12, ’14-15, ’18). Nadal currently leads Djokovic by 1,960 points in the 2019 ATP Race To London with less than two months to go until the end of the regular ATP Tour season.

ALL-TIME WEEKS AT NO. 1

MOVING UP THE NO. 1 LADDER – Djokovic will start his 271st week at No. 1 on 30 September 2019 and pass Lendl for third place outright in the all-time list for most weeks spent at No. 1.

DJOKOVIC AT NO. 1 – Take a closer look at Djokovic’s match wins, Top 10 and finals record during his four stints at No. 1.

Statistical assistance by Joshua Rey and Greg Sharko