ATPWorldTour.com recaps the storylines from the first quarter of the season
The season is only three months old but there’s already a plethora of storylines to track. Here are the top seven stories of 2017 so far:
1. Roger Federer’s Surprise Start
Federer, arguably the greatest player of all-time, has been the story of 2017. The Swiss star is still bringing his love for tennis that has helped millions of fans adore him. But Federer’s ability to change might be the most impressive detail about his comeback so far. The right-hander has surprised and impressed most with his new flattened-out backhand, aided by his bigger, 97-inch racquet.
Heck, the fact that Federer still wants to tinker with his game – at 35 years old, in his 20th year on tour and with four kids and Mirka at home – is worth noting as well.
No one expected Federer to sprint to a 19-1 start and to beat Rafael Nadal three times, including during two finals – Australian Open and the Miami Open presented by Itau – and no one knows what the remainder of 2017 will hold for the 26-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champion. Maybe No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings?
Federer’s Best Starts To A Season
Year
W-L
Sunshine Double?
Year-End Emirates ATP Ranking
2017
19-1
Yes
?
2006
33-1
Yes
No. 1
2005
35-1
Yes
No. 1
2004
23-1
No
No. 1
2. Rafael Nadal’s Resurgence
Two of the biggest questions coming into 2017: How would Federer come back, and how would Nadal return after another injury? We know about Federer, and we now know about Nadal as well. The Spaniard has hit top form on the hard courts, reaching three finals – Australian Open (l. to Federer), Abierto Mexicano Telcel (l. to Querrey) and the Miami Open presented by Itau (l. to Federer) – and has posted a 19-4 record to start 2017, tying him with Federer for the most wins to date.
Perhaps most importantly, Nadal feels good about his team’s new addition, Carlos Moya, and about his play. “I am at a very high level of tennis and I believe I am ready to win titles,” Nadal said after falling in the Miami final. “I’m playing well [enough] to fight for everything.”
With the clay-court season set to start next week, expect Nadal to be feeling even better about his tennis.
FedEx ATP Win/Loss Index (2017)
Player
W-L
Roger Federer
19-1
Rafael Nadal
19-4
Jack Sock
18-4
Grigor Dimitrov
17-4
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
17-4
David Goffin
17-7
Dominic Thiem
17-8
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3. Nick Kyrgios’ Play
His start to the year was hardly what he had imagined: a five-set loss to Andreas Seppi in the second round of his home Grand Slam. But Kyrgios has answered nearly every question that trailed him in Melbourne.
Mental toughness? See back-to-back straight-set wins against Novak Djokovic in Acapulco and Indian Wells. Showing up at every event? His last four tournaments: semi-final in Marseille; semi-final in Acapulco; quarter-final in Indian Wells; and semi-final in Miami.
His attitude? “I feel like my level of tennis, it’s always been high, but mentally I’m competing for every point. That’s making the difference,” he said after his Miami semi-final loss to Federer, one of the best matches of 2017. “I got a lot of work to do. I’m 16 in the world. There are 15 players better than me.”
4. Jack Sock Climbing The Emirates ATP Rankings
The Nebraska native has more than carried the American flag for the first three months of the season. After not winning a title during all of 2016, Sock has already captured two crowns – Auckland and Delray Beach. At the March Masters, he made his first Masters 1000 semi-final in Indian Wells (l. to Federer) and backed it up with a last-eight showing in Miami (l. to Nadal).
Sock is 18-4 on the season, second behind only Federer and Nadal in wins. The Kansas City resident reached a new career high of No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Rankings this week. At this rate, the 24 year old will crack the Top 10 by the end of the season and become the first American to do so since John Isner in May 2014. Sock is currently No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Race To London.
5. Alexander Zverev Leading #NextGenATP
#NextGenATP players continued to make strides during the first few months of 2017. Russian Daniil Medvedev celebrated his first final at the Aircel Chennai Open (l. to Bautista Agut). Emirates ATP Star Of Tomorrow Taylor Fritz checked off his first Top 10 win by beating Marin Cilic in Indian Wells. But no #NextGenATP player has delivered like Zverev this season.
The 19 year old won his second ATP World Tour title at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier. In Miami, he improved to 2-0 against Stan Wawrinka in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry and made his first Masters 1000 quarter-final (l. to Kyrgios). The strong start has Zverev atop the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, which will determine who qualifies for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 7-11 November in Milan.
6. Grigor Dimitrov Knocking On Top 10
The Bulgarian already has two titles – Brisbane and Sofia – and returned to the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2014 Wimbledon. Before falling to Nadal in the Australian Open semi-finals, Dimitrov had won 10 consecutive matches. He’s 3-1 against Top 10 players and he might be rejoining that elite group soon.
Dimitrov is currently No. 12 in the Emirates ATP Rankings but he’s played like a Top 5 player so far this season. His spot in the Emirates ATP Race To London: No. 4.
7. Surprise Beginnings From Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic
They’re ahead of Federer in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but No. 1 Murray and No. 2 Djokovic have garnered a small fraction of the attention that Federer has received so far. Djokovic started the year with a memorable run in Doha, beating Murray for the title in one of the best matches of the year. That epic final had tennis fans thinking that this year’s battle for No. 1 would again be a two-man affair.
But both Murray and Djokovic suffered early losses in Melbourne. Murray rebounded in Dubai to celebrate his 45th tour-level title, while Djokovic fell to Kyrgios in the Acapulco quarter-finals. In Indian Wells, both fell before the last eight, and they both withdrew from Miami with elbow injuries. With three Masters 1000 tournaments only weeks away, though, both men will be looking to get their season back on track.
Beyond The Numbers: Dimitrov, Kyrgios Leading The Way This Season
Apr052017
Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows who has been rising above their peers
The first quarter of 2017 is in the books, so let’s see who had the hot hand to start the new year.
The big picture clearly shows Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal out in front in the Emirates ATP Race To London. But what about the specifics of serving, returning and elevating in the pressure moments? That’s where the specific metrics of our game step in to paint a clearer picture.
An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the first quarter identifies four players who are outperforming their peers, laying the foundation for a rise up the Emirates ATP Rankings this season.
No. 1 Service Games Won = Nick Kyrgios 93.3% (208/223)
Ivo Karlovic has been the leader in this category for the past three years, but Kyrgios has knocked the 6’11” Croatian into second place to kick off 2017. Kyrgios defeated Karlovic 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(2) in the third round of the Miami Open presented by Itau last week.
Kyrgios broke Karlovic once in the opening set, while the Croatian was not able to break Kyrgios at all, seeing just one break point for the match. The Australian dropped serve twice in his opening-round match in Miami against Damir Dzumhur, and then only dropped serve once (to Federer) during the next 62 service games.
No. 1 Break Points Converted = Daniel Evans 53.7% (51/95)
Evans reached a career high of No. 41 just four weeks ago and currently sits at No. 44. He has a 10-6 record in 2017 after going 9-10 up to this point in 2016. Evans is taking advantage of the big moments so far this season.
He’s the only player on the ATP World Tour who has converted more than half of his break points. Evans reached the final of the Apia International Sydney in January, converting an impressive 64.5 per cent (20/31) of his break points.
Dimitrov has been one of the most dangerous players on tour in 2017, with two titles and a 17-4 record. He played what some think has been the highest quality match so far this season, narrowly going down to Rafael Nadal in five sets during the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
The Bulgarian saved 61.5 per cent (8/13) of his break points in that match, and is saving an astounding 75.9 per cent so far this season. Dimitrov is now up to No. 12 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, from No. 17 at the start of the year, and is knocking hard on the Top 10.
No. 1 Second-Serve Return Points Won = Richard Gasquet 61.1% (225/368)
The 30-year-old Frenchman had a solid February, reaching the final of the Open Sud de France in Montpellier and the semi-finals of the Open 13 Marseille. Gasquet’s career average for winning second-serve points is 51 per cent, so he is clearly crushing that at 61.1 per cent. To give some historical perspective, Spaniard Alberto Berasategui has the career record for second-serve points won at 56.3 per cent.
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Gilles Simon will be replaced by Jeremy Chardy in the French team for this weekend’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Great Britain.
World number 68 Chardy joins Lucas Pouille, Nicolas Mahut and Julien Benneteau in Yannick Noah’s team.
In the absence of the injured Andy Murray, the GB team is made up of British number two Dan Evans, Kyle Edmund, and doubles specialists Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot.
The match is on indoor clay in Rouen.
France are also without the injured Gael Monfils, world number 10 Jo Wilfried-Tsonga, who is short of match fitness, and Richard Gasquet, who is recovering from appendix surgery.
Just how much time have the two all-time greats spent together on court?
The very best parts of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry will remain unquantifiable forever. How their games have evolved throughout their careers. The passion they share for tennis. The feelings of excitement they’ve provided millions of fans during the past two decades.
But certain aspects of their rivalry, one of the best in all of sport, can be counted. And when you’ve played each other 37 times over 14 years and your match-ups have decided 23 tour-level titles, the numbers add up quickly.
To begin: They’ve spent a lotof time together. Nadal and Federer have been on court together for the equivalent of almost four full days – three days, 17 hours and 16 minutes, to be precise. If you’re thinking about that in terms of a workweek, that’s one busy week – 89 hours.
They’ve played more than 7,000 points, more than 1,100 games and more than 100 sets. They’ve had their share of faults – 126 double faults to be more accurate – but they’ve also aced each other dozens of times, and that’s not hyperbole.
To relive all 37 matches they’ve played, click here. For more stats, keep reading.
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From the California desert to sunny Florida, Zverev brought the heat in March
Alexander Zverev started March strong and ended his month with a vengeance. And the 19-year-old German, ranked World No. 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, notched a few career milestones along the way.
Continuing his stranglehold on the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, Zverev began March with 340 points in the Race, holding a 45-point lead ahead of then No. 2 Daniil Medvedev. As of 3 April Emirates ATP Rankings, he leads the pack with 565 points, 260 points ahead of Medvedev.
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At the BNP Paribas Open, the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of 2017, after a bye in the first round, Zverev handily beat Facundo Bagnis to set a third-round clash with Nick Kyrgios, their first tour-level meeting and thus beginning a rivalry that will be one to watch for years to come.
“It will be a very exciting match, because he’s played well this year and I’ve played well this year too,” Zverev said ahead of the match. “I don’t want to say I can be the champion by the end of the next week, but I feel I can play great tennis and I can beat anybody. I have the toughest quarter of the draw and I have a feeling the champion will come out of this section. The next few rounds will be very, very difficult for all us.”
The Aussie claimed the win 6-3, 6-4, but the pair would have a rematch sooner than they thought. But before we get ahead of ourselves, the German teen made waves at the start of his Miami Open presented by Itau campaign.
Following a bye in the first round, he had no trouble getting past Yen-Hsun Lu 6-0, 6-3, before big-server John Isner provided an exceptional challenge. A fourth-round berth in the Masters 1000 tournament in South Florida was Zverev’s prize after saving three match points to beat the American 6-7,(5), 7-6(6), 7-6(5).
Next was a chance to oust top seed Stan Wawrinka, and Zverev didn’t hold back, coming from a set down to run away with the Round of 16 clash and claim a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory. With that, he booked a spot in the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 for the first time.
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“I had to be aggressive. I felt like he was the one controlling all the points all the time, so I had to change that. It worked out well for me. Happy to be in the quarter-finals now. Hopefully I can play as great as I did today,” Zverev said after his Wawrinka triumph.
As if his last two matches weren’t entertaining enough, it was time for fireworks in Florida: Zverev was to face Kyrgios for the second time in March in what proved to be a spectacular match. Thursday night, under the lights, Zverev pushed Kyrgios further than their first meeting, forcing the Aussie to require six match points to capture the emotion-filled win 6-4, 6-7(9), 6-3.
The towering German will now look to extend his lead in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan on the clay swing in Europe, where he performed well in 2016. He advanced to the semi-finals in the BMW Open by FWU, the final in the Open de Nice Cote d’Azur, while also reaching the third round at Roland Garros (All lost to Thiem).
Should Zverev manage to maintain his level from March, the ATP World Tour could witness a few more career milestones in the near future.
Doubles Review: Kontinen, Kubot/Melo Take Centre Stage In Early 2017
Apr042017
ATPWorldTour.com looks back on an exciting first quarter on the doubles circuit
Kontinen New No. 1
Finland’s Henri Kontinen on Monday became the 50th player in the history of the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings to rise to No. 1, following a strong run of form with his regular partner John Peers over the past six months. Kontinen’s rise to the summit ends the 38-week stint at the top spot for France’s Nicolas Mahut.
Read: Kontinen No. 1 Tribute
Kontinen and Peers have put together a 25-6 match record since mid-October 2016, picking up titles at the Paris Masters (d. Herbert-Mahut), the ATP Finals (d. Klaasen-Ram) and the Australian Open (d. Bryans). They were also runners up at the Shanghai Rolex Masters (l. to Isner-Sock). In 2017, they are the early pace-setters in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London.
Kontinen leads Peers (7,560) by 140 points in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, with Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan tied third, narrowly behind on 7,430 points. The Bryans, who have finished in year-end top spot on 10 occasions, had the opportunity to return to No. 1 if they had lifted their fifth trophy at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The twins lost to Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock in the semi-finals.
Kubot/Melo Enjoy Strong Start
One of the season’s new teams, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, are up to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London for one of the eight spots at the ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 from 12-19 November. After a relatively slow start (4-5 record), the Polish-Brazilian tandem hit their stride in the March sunshine by beating Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares twice, en route to finishing runner-up at the BNP Paribas Open (l. to Klaasen-Ram) and capturing the Miami crown (d. Monroe-Sock).
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Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram look to be backing up their late 2016 charge with the Delray Beach Open crown (d. Huey-Mirnyi) and four Match tie-break wins for Indian Wells glory.
Read: Five Things We Learned From Miami
Former No. 1s Close In On Milestones
Keep an eye on Max Mirnyi, who first became No. 1 as a 25 year old on 9 June 2003, as he continues his quest for the 50th doubles trophy of his career in partnership with Treat Huey.
Also, Nenad Zimonjic is seven match wins (693) from becoming the 10th player in ATP World Tour history to record 700 match wins and joining Daniel Nestor, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Todd Woodbridge, Mark Knowles, Sherwood Stewart, Leander Paes and Jonas Bjorkman in the ‘700 Wins Club’. Zimonjic, 40, who first rose to No. 1 on 17 November 2008 and spent 50 weeks in top spot, clinched his 54th career crown in February at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open with Viktor Troicki.
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