The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals brought a spectacular close to a memorable 2017 season that saw more fans come out and watch the world’s best tennis players on the ATP World Tour than ever before. More than 4.5 million fans attended ATP World Tour events in 2017, an all-time record.

The season finale in London attracted a total attendance of 253,642, including six sold-out sessions, making it the ninth successive year that the tournament has broken the 250,000 attendance mark. Cumulative attendance since the tournament moved to London in 2009 stands at more than 2.3 million fans.

This year’s tournament saw a host of three set-matches across the eight days of competition in a tournament that pitted established stars such as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer against some must-see newcomers at the season finale. The event culminated with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov’s dramatic 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win over Belgium’s David Goffin in the final.

The 31-game final equaled the second most games played in a three-set final in the history of the tournament, with only John McEnroe’s win over Arthur Ashe in 1978 longer (34 games). Dimitrov became the first champion to win the title undefeated on his tournament debut since McEnroe in 1978. The Bulgarian collected a total of $2,549,000 in prize money and 1500 Emirates ATP Rankings points to finish the season at a career high No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Eleven out of the 15 singles matches at this year’s season-ending tournament went to three sets, the second most in the 48-year history of the tournament (12 in 1971).

In doubles, Henri Kontinen and John Peers defeated World No. 1 doubles team Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in the final to become the first team to successfully defend the season finale title since Bob and Mike Bryan in 2004 (Houston).

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “This year’s tournament will go down as one of the most fiercely contested, with so many matches going the distance. The event saw some breakthrough performances from the likes of Jack Sock, David Goffin, and of course Grigor Dimitrov, in front of packed crowds at The O2, the world’s leading entertainment venue. Our thanks go to Nitto for their first year as valued title sponsor of our season finale. And on behalf of the ATP, we would also like to thank the fans that came out in such strong numbers to support our year-end event, and the Tour as a whole in 2017.”

The Nitto ATP Finals has a rich history dating back to the birth of the Masters in Tokyo in 1970. The tournament will be held at The O2 in London though 2020.

BY THE NUMBERS:
• 83,900,000 – number of impressions from social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and MyATP now on Vixlet.
• 42,900,000 – number of page impressions on ATP digital media platforms, including ATPWorldTour.com, NittoATPFinals.com, mobile apps, and MyATP now on Vixlet.
• 24,100,000 – number of video plays on ATP digital media platforms, including ATPWorldTour.com, NittoATPFinals.com, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
• 8,000,000 – amount of prize money (US$) on offer at the 2017 season finale.
• 4,573,152 – number of fans that attended ATP World Tour tournaments in 2017, an all-time record.
• 2,549,000 – amount of prize money (US$) that Grigor Dimitrov won as undefeated champion.
• 2,317,265 – cumulative attendance at the season-ending tournament since it moved to London in 2009.
• 775,000 – number of streams on Tennis TV, the ATP’s official live streaming service which relaunched in January 2017, with each viewer watching an average of 155 minutes per day
• 253, 642 – attendance at the 2017 tournament.
• 30,400 – amount of money (GBP) donated by ATP to help Unicef protect children in danger around the world (£100 per ace – 304 aces in total).
• 26 – number of screens in the arena used for show production around the matches.
• 6 – number of sold-out sessions at this year’s tournament.

Immediately after capturing the Nitto ATP Finals title, Grigor Dimitrov stormed into the stands and embraced Daniel Vallverdu, his coach since midway through 2016 and the man who finally harnessed the potential of Dimitrov and channeled it into the most successful year of his career.

No one had ever doubted Dimitrov’s talent. The Bulgarian was known worldwide for his must-see groundstrokes and his abundance of skills. But before he and Vallverdu paired up last year, Dimitrov almost had too much talent, too many options. He admits to being unclear about how to approach his game and on the best way forward for his tennis.

Enter Vallverdu, who has helped simplify Dimitrov’s game and guided the Bulgarian to his best season yet.

Dimitrov will end the year at a career-high No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He also finished 2017 with a career-best four ATP World Tour titles (Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Garanti Koza Sofia Open, Western & Southern Open and the Nitto ATP Finals), a full head of steam and unbridled emotions.

“[We] have a great connection. We see tennis the same way. We have that bond, and we really appreciate how the year has gone for us,” Dimitrov said.

Vallverdu is particularly proud of how his charge dealt with the pressure that comes with playing with so much at stake, including at the Nitto ATP Finals. Dimitrov, who beat David Goffin in the three-set final, composed himself well after the Belgian evened the match.

“Dimitrov battled through nerves, especially in the final, and found a way to win,” Vallverdu said. “When Dimitrov is in his zone, he obviously plays at a very high level but we’ve worked on getting him to compete even on those days when he’s off. It became a question of attitude in the final, and Grigor answered that question.”

The Bulgarian demonstrated that positive attitude numerous times throughout the year, as his record reflects: He went 17-10 in tie-breaks, 8-5 against Top 10 players and 4-1 in finals.

Vallverdu has now worked with Dimitrov for more than a year, and the pair have a strong relationship in terms of communicating and taking each other’s ideas into consideration. Building that relationship took time and effort, as the coach and player have very different personalities.

“In a year and a half, Dimitrov is just as receptive as the day we started,” Vallverdu said. “He’s opened up to me over that time, sharing his opinions and his point of view on ambitions and motivations. For me, it’s important to tell him why we do things a certain way, why we’re out there training eight hours a day. I keep a strong focus on achieving short-term goals and reviewing performances after events.”

Another aspect of Dimitrov’s game his coach has paid special attention to is his approach to matches and the game itself. Where Dimitrov is more passionate, Vallverdu is more pragmatic. The goal is to find a middle ground, where Dimitrov can combine his emotional self with a practical approach to produce a winning formula.

“Tennis is a lifestyle,” Vallverdu said. “The person you are off the court should be the same person who appears during crucial moments of a match. The player you see who is up 6-3, 2-0, might respond differently in a 5-5, 40/40 situation. During critical moments, that player might be rattled or intimidated. The player who confronts adversity the right way is the person who is accustomed to it, who has that mentality, that day-to-day routine to be comfortable under pressure. It’s the time we put into that off the court that helps in those moments.”

Vallverdu’s philosophy is clear: be level-headed on and off the court, ahead in a match or with the match on the line. Vallverdu also keeps outside distractions to a minimum and has built a sense of camaraderie within the team by participating in activities as a group.

“In regard to the team itself, we’ve made a concerted effort to keep the core circle as small as possible,” Vallverdu said. “We want to keep the focus on what’s important and avoid unnecessary distractions. Of course, we do fun things off the court, but we do those things as a team. We try to keep things light and upbeat around Grigor, but we also keep our distance from people and things that might take his mind off of what’s important. To play well, you can’t let your head be somewhere else. Obviously, good results on the court make it easier to keep your mind on the game.”

Vallverdu’s message has struck a chord with Dimitrov, who stayed on course throughout the 2017 season while rediscovering his form. For Vallverdu, Dimitrov had never lost that form in the first place. It was more a matter of putting some of the pieces back together.

“He’s always been a top-flight player but in tennis, there’s more to it than performing well in tournaments,” Vallverdu said. “The daily dedication, the training and the drive to keep improving – all of that has to come together, and it has for Grigor.”

Heading into the Nitto ATP Finals, Team Dimitrov’s goal wasn’t necessarily to win the last tournament of the year. Dimitrov’s stellar performance in London surpassed even the expectations of Vallverdu.

“It’s a very emotional victory,” said the Venezuelan coach. “Dimitrov set high goals for himself. Perhaps we as a team went into London hoping for a good showing, but he had higher expectations.”

A good start to the year set the pace for what would be a strong finish. One particular match that set the tone for things to come took place in January at the Australian Open, when Dimitrov pushed eventual runner-up Rafael Nadal to five sets. For Dimitrov, it was difficult to cope with falling just short of his first Grand Slam final, but for his coach, it was an opportunity for growth.

Read & Watch: Dimitrov Captures Maiden Masters 1000 Title

“A loss like the one Grigor suffered to Nadal in Australia can hurt a player. Grigor is still a little hurt,” Vallverdu said. “He was so close to reaching his first final at a [Grand Slam], so it was difficult for him to accept that. Grigor was playing his best tennis and he still fell short. But we turned the loss into a positive. It helped us going into big matches later in the year. You saw that in London: Grigor started the tournament with a lot of pressure but he managed his nerves. So the loss to Nadal helped in that way.”

Nadal would factor into Dimitrov’s development later in the year, when the Bulgarian player spent a week training with the current World No. 1 at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca. Vallverdu hoped his player would pick up a few pointers from the Spaniard, lessons that would hopefully translate to further success on the court. According to Vallverdu, the plan worked, as Dimitrov claimed his first title at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level a few weeks later in Cincinnati.

“Grigor could see how Rafa conducts himself on and off the court,” Vallverdu said. “I have a good relationship with Nadal and I figured his professionalism and attitude would rub off on Grigor. My student got to see not only Nadal as a player but also as a person in private, and his formula for success over the past 15 years. That opened Dimitrov’s eyes a little bit.”

With 2017 in the books, Dimitrov and his team are faced with a new challenge for 2018: Maintaining Dimitrov’s drive while also continuing to improve. Vallverdu admits there’s still work to do if his charge is to continue his climb to the top.

“It will take hard work to continue evolving and to compete at the highest level while also consolidating our high ranking,” Vallverdu said. “The competition in 2018 will be more intense. A lot of top players will be returning from injuries. Luckily, complacency won’t be an issue for Grigor. He has taken a liking to winning. Work hard off the court, compete on it, reap the rewards – this is what will keep him hungry.”

After more than 20 years competing on the ATP World Tour, Radek Stepanek has announced his retirement from professional tennis. The Czech star hangs up his racquet after winning five tour-level singles titles and 18 doubles trophies.

Stepanek got off to a good start in 2017, advancing to the quarter-finals in Doha before reaching the second round of the Australian Open as a qualifier. But back surgery on 22 March to deal with a chronic condition stopped his season. And after months of recovery, rehab and an attempt to get back into proper playing shape, the Czech told his family and team that he was done.

“Every day has been a question mark. I had small pain every day and that was painful. I didn’t have days when the pain was going away and after conversations with the doctors I started to practise 50, 60, 70 per cent. But I didn’t get to more than that,” Stepanek told ATPWorldTour.com. “I realised that the body was showing me that it had had enough.”

Nevertheless, the 38-year-old accomplished plenty in his career, having reached a career-high in singles of No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Rankings while also climbing to No. 4 on the doubles court. The only active players who have broken into the Top 10 (at separate times) in their careers are Jurgen Melzer, Jack Sock and Fernando Verdasco. Stepanek combined to win 697 tour-level matches in both disciplines, and earned more than $11 million in prize money.

“I’m very proud of my achievements and the whole team who helped me throughout my career, they definitely have their signature on that,” Stepanek said. “I think the [award] suitcase is packed. Obviously there is a trophy missing for a singles Grand Slam title, which I wasn’t that close to. But I’ve done a lot in my career, and it’s something that I can be proud of.”

The Monte-Carlo resident first entered the Emirates ATP Rankings in singles on 31 July 1995, when he was 16 and he broke into the Top 100 in 2002. At the tour-level stop that propelled him over that hurdle, in Gstaad, Stepanek defeated Roger Federer, who was ranked No. 11 at the time.

Stepanek earned his first singles title in 2006, raising the trophy in Rotterdam. He defeated Fabrice Santoro, Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko en route to the victory.

Just months later, Stepanek would break into the Top 10 in singles after advancing to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, despite never previously passing the third round at a Grand Slam.

But Stepanek’s favourite tennis memory came almost exactly five years ago, when he clinched the Czech Republic’s first Davis Cup title in 32 years in a deciding fifth rubber against Spain’s Nicolas Almagro.

“You’re playing for your country,” said Stepanek, who was also proud to win the mixed doubles bronze medal with Lucie Hradecka at the 2016 Olympics. “That moment when my parents were alongside sitting there in the box, seeing me doing it with the biggest pressure I ever had in my life on the tennis court, and my dream came true, that was so special.”

In 2012, he earned his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in men’s doubles with Leander Paes. Stepanek also won the 2013 US Open with the Indian legend.

Stepanek might have had one of the funkiest games on tour, armed with unorthodox groundstrokes and a penchant for rushing the net, but it certainly was successful. He was one of the hardest workers on and off the court, keeping his body flexibile and agile well into his 30s, which helped prepare him to play virtually any shot at any time from anywhere on the court, all the while having one of the best pairs of hands in the sport. That propelled him to finish 11 seasons inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings in both singles and doubles.

The Czech was also known for his fire and energy on the court, as he was never willing to back down from an opponent. His polos were also easily recognisable, from the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline shirts of his play at the US Open to apparel with a lion on it. All of that combined with Stepanek’s shotmaking ability and ensuing reactions made the Czech one of the most colourful players on tour.

The right-hander planned on playing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but his body did not allow that to happen.

“I realised that I wouldn’t be able to play on the level that I was used to. I either play tennis 100 per cent or I don’t,” Stepanek said. “I realised that I’d be going to tournaments with a question mark. ‘Would my body hold up? Would my body survive a match or two?’ That’s not the way I play tennis. I didn’t want to do it.”

But Stepanek’s retirement does not mean he will be stepping away from the sport. When considering what lies ahead, he asked himself one key question:

“In what department will I be better than I am in tennis? Will it be in business? Will it be opening a restaurant? Maybe a car dealership, what will it be?” Stepanek said. “The best I can be will always be in tennis. I think I know this sport up and down, inside out and I have incredible experiences throughout my career. I’ve met such great people, incredible people that I’ve learned from and I’m a student of the game. I believe that with what I’ve been through I can pass it to somebody one day, and we’ll see how it goes, but my intention is to definitely be part of the game.”