A true measure of greatness is how a player performs against Top 10 rivals in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Over the past 52 weeks, Novak Djokovic has been pre-eminent compiling a 33-5 record (.868) to lead the FedEx ATP Win-Loss Index.

Roger Federer (2015 Dubai, Cincinnati, Barclays ATP World Tour Finals), Stan Wawrinka (Roland Garros) and Andy Murray (Montreal) have registered wins against the Serbian, who is competing at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. He has won titles at 13 of his past 17 finals and stands one title match from equalling Ivan Lendl‘s record of 18 straight in 1981-82.

“I think the biggest part of your mental strength is not just training, but what you do off the court, the way you lead your life, in a positive environment,” said 28-year-old Djokovic in Dubai. “I try to surround myself with positivity and encouragement in order to get that comfort and inner piece, when I need it in a match. The first player that breaks down, will likely lose. I was that player for some time, but I managed to learn and improved. When you reach it, you don’t have it forever. I do observe daily techniques in order to improve and maintain my mental strength.”

Djokovic is second only to Bjorn Borg in career performances against Top 10 opponents (since 1973). Borg went 63-27 (.700), while Djokovic is 163-80 (.671) and Federer is third placed at 198-104 (.656).

Visit FedEx ATP Performance Zone

Success on the ATP World Tour is attributed to playing consistently well on multiple surfaces as a result of physical fitness and mental prowess.

“He’s dominating tennis for sure, playing a different level,” said Stan Wawrinka in Dubai. “He’s No. 1 by far and has started the year the way he ended it last year. The year is long and I’m sure there will be some opportunities to beat him. He can play on every surface, so he will be tough to beat.”

Richard Gasquet says that members of the Top 10 are, “physically, mentally stronger and their tennis skills are more consistent. That is why they win a higher number of matches. The Rankings don’t lie.”

Federer has compiled a 15-7 (.682) record against Top 10 opponents over the past 52 weeks, while Murray is third place with a 12-10 (.545) mark.

Pablo Cuevas won his first ATP World Tour 500 title early Monday morning, dodging rain drops to defeat a dogged Guido Pella 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4 in the final of the Rio Open presented by Claro.

Toppling Rafael Nadal seems to be the blueprint to winning a clay-court title in 2016, after Cuevas sprung the upset in Saturday’s semi-finals and Dominic Thiem did so en route to the Buenos Aires crown a week ago. It was the 30-year-old’s fourth ATP World Tour title overall and first since lifting the Sao Paulo trophy exactly one year ago. Cuevas, who became the first player in history to oust five straight left-handed opponents in clinching a tour-level title, takes home $303,300 in prize money and 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points.

A big opportunity awaited both players in the final, but the weather would not cooperate in the early stages. After letting two break points slip in the fourth game, Pella edged ahead at 3-3 30/0 when the skies closed above the Jockey Club Brasiliero. A three-and-a-half hour rain delay would ensue, leaving both players to reassess their strategies in the locker room.

Upon resumption of play, it was Cuevas who would draw first blood, showing great discipline from the baseline in snatching the first break for 5-4. He would close out the set a game later. Cuevas was ruthlessly efficient on serve throughout the encounter and even steadier when engaged in extended rallies from the back of the court. The second set would end in a tie-break, where the Uruguayan had the match on his racquet, serving with a 5-4 lead. But Pella would reel off three straight points to force a decider and send the match past midnight.

In the third set, they remained on serve until the 10th game, where Cuevas pounced, claiming victory on his first match point when a Pella forehand found the net. He fired 14 aces and 29 winners in total, converting two of three break chances to prevail after two hours and 15 minutes on court.

The battle of unseeded players was the first in a 500 level final since Valencia 2011, when Marcel Granollers beat Juan Monaco. With the win, World No. 45 Cuevas became the lowest-ranked champion at an ATP World Tour 500 event since 46th-ranked Leonardo Mayer won in Hamburg in 2014.

Pella, meanwhile, was bidding to claim his first ATP World Tour title in his first final. The Argentine, who saved three match points in his opening encounter against John Isner, vaults to a career-high Top 50 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings despite the loss.

A LOOK BACK
Wroclaw Open (Wroclaw, Poland): Injuries cannot stop Marco Chiudinelli. After a slew of physical ailments, including arm and shoulder issues, kept the former World No. 52 outside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings in recent years, he is now flying high with a title run on the indoor hard courts of Wroclaw. The 34 year old downed Jan Hernych 6-3, 7-6(9) on Sunday, notching his first ATP Challenger Tour title since 2009 and third in total. The Swiss has risen to the occasion in pressure moments, extending his streak of tie-breaks won to an impressive 10 straight. Also the runner-up in Manila last month, he is soaring to inside the Top 150 after starting the year at World No. 282.

Chiudinelli’s journey to merely enter the Wroclaw main draw is astounding. After losing his quarter-final the week prior in Bergamo, he found himself just outside the cut line for Wroclaw and was forced to rely on the result of another match to get in. When Pierre-Hugues Herbert beat Peter Gojowczyk in the Bergamo quarters at 11:00pm on that Friday, it gave the Swiss entry as an alternate into Wroclaw. If Herbert would have lost, Chiudinelli would not be standing with the trophy.

Morelos Open (Morelos, Mexico): Two years ago, Gerald Melzer was the last man standing on the hard courts of Morelos, claiming his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title. On Saturday, Melzer once again reigned in the Mexican city, notching a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Alejandro Gonzalez for his fourth Challenger crown. The Austrian continued his push to crack the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, rising 20 spots to a career-high World No. 116. He added to January titles won in Mendoza, Argentina and Bucaramanga, Colombia, improving to 18-3 overall this year.

Delhi Open (New Delhi, India): Third seed Stephane Robert dominated the New Delhi final on Sunday, needing just 56 minutes to turn aside home hope Saketh Myneni 6-3, 6-0. It was the first ATP Challenger Tour final to finish in under an hour since Peter Gojowczyk dismissed Amir Weintraub in 51 minutes in Nanchang, China last September. Robert did not drop a set all week, winning his first Challenger title in five years, since lifting the trophy in Ostrava in 2011. A seven-time titlist on the circuit, the Frenchman is not slowing down at age 35. He recently reached the third round of the Australian Open as a qualifier, one of his best showings in a Grand Slam.

What The Players Said
Chiudinelli: “It was such an amazing week for me. It’s a great start to the year and I hope to keep it up in the coming months. My goal is to re-enter the Top 100 and I’m very happy that after a few years with plenty of physical problems, my body finally feels great again since last autumn. I feel fitter and more competitive than I did in the last few years.

“I love playing on the Taraflex surface, but unfortunately there are not many of those weeks left on the calendar.”

WHAT’S AHEAD
Tournaments in Kyoto, Japan and Cherbourg, France dot the calendar next week. The top three seeds in Kyoto are Japanese hopefuls, with Yuichi Sugita winning there in 2010, Tatsuma Ito in 2012 and Go Soeda in 2008. Meanwhile, at the Challenger La Manche, in Cherbourg, eighth seed Kenny de Schepper seeks a second title on home soil (2014). Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic leads the field.

View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams

ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: New in 2016, the ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.

In an All-American final at the Delray Beach Open, Sam Querrey secured his first ATP World Tour title since Los Angeles 2012 by defeating Rajeev Ram 6-4, 7-6(6). Playing in an 11^th final in his home country (15 total), Querrey notched his fourth victory over Ram in five FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings.

The final point of the match was also its best, with Ram crushing a forehand crosscourt and sneaking into the net, before Querrey caught a piece of the line with a running pass.

“We were both a little nervous today, it wasn’t the cleanest match,” Querrey said. “I just battled through and happened to hit one great shot in the second set, and it was on match point.”

“I played well on match point, I thought,” Ram said. “He just came up with a great shot. People don’t give [Querrey] credit for how well he moves.”

“Sometimes it feels better to win when you don’t play your best, because you know you have another gear,” Querrey observed. “I had two finals last year, both close losses, so it feels good to be in the winner’s circle.”

After gutting out a 6-7(1), 7-6(4), 6-4 quarter-final match over Tim Smyczek, Querrey raised his level, eliminating a resurgent Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets in the semi-finals before securing his eighth tour-level title against Ram. The 28 year old improved to 8-7 in tour-level finals after losing in Houston (l. to Sock) and Nottingham (l. to Istomin) last year.

Finalist Ram also enjoyed a fine week in Delray. The 31 year old, who last year finished inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since 2009, downed No. 2 seed Bernard Tomic and No. 4 seed Grigor Dimitrov en route to his first ATP World Tour final on hard court. Despite losing in straight sets to Querrey, the American only won two fewer points (71-73) in the 85-minute match. He falls to 2-1 in final appearances (2009 and 2015 Newport) and is projected to break into the Top 60 Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.

“It’s hard when you play someone you know so well in a final,” said Ram, who was up a break in both sets. “I would’ve loved to hold my serve every time and win 6-4, 6-4, but that’s not how it works. What I was more disappointed about was not keeping the momentum I had in both sets. I thought I played well in the tie-break, but he hit the outside of the line three times.”

Querrey earned 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $86,950, while Ram received 150 points and $45,780.

Oliver Marach and Fabrice Martin saved six match points to see off top seeds and defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan at the Delray Beach Open on Sunday. The Austrian/French duo improved to 11-3 since joining forces at the start of 2016 and doubled their team title haul with the win (Chennai). Individually, it was Marach’s 15th doubles title and Martin’s second.

“It was a big honour to play against [the Bryans] in the final,” said Marach during the on-court trophy ceremony. “Fabrice and I have a great relationship. We only started playing together recently but I hope we continue and win some more tournaments this year.”

“We always thought we had nothing to lose,” Martin said. “We knew we were going to make it a good match. We give it everything we had, and we got a bit lucky in the end.”

Marach and Martin saved a match point late in the second set before surviving five more in the Match Tie-break against the four-time champions, who came into the final with a 21-4 record in Delray.

The Bryan brothers were aiming for a record 110^th tour-level title and their first since winning in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Montreal last summer. They fell despite not being broken in the final.

“It hurts,” Mike Bryan said. “We’ll probably have a sleepless night, thinking about what we could have done differently, but that’s doubles. It’s a fine line.

“David Cup will be big,” added Bryan, who is looking forward to the rest of the early season. “Then we’ll head down to Indian Wells and Miami, and hopefully kick off the year with a win over there.”

The winning team will share 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and $27,835, while the finalists will receive 150 points and $14,630.

“We will see you next year,” Bryan told the crowd after accepting the finalist’s trophy. “It’s official, we will be back.”

Nick Kyrgios upset fourth seed Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-6(3) on Sunday in the Open 13 final in Marseille to win his first ATP World Tour title.

The 20-year-old Australian – one of the Next Generation stars – did not lose serve in 47 games throughout the week and did not drop a set. He defeated two Top 10 players in No. 10 Richard Gasquet and No. 8 Tomas Berdych, plus a Grand Slam champion in Cilic.

It was Kyrgios’ second ATP World Tour final, after finishing runner-up on clay in Estoril last year.

Kyrgios spoke to ATPWorldTour.com after his victory.

How does it feel to win your first ATP World Tour title?

It feels good. It’s something that I’d never done before. To come here and win my first title is a good feeling. Hopefully there are plenty more to come.

This was your first tournament back since the Australian Open, are you a little bit surprised that you played so well after the lay-off?

I’m not surprised that I played well, but I am surprised I played at the level I was able to play at. I served really, really well. I was training hard back home and I was doing everything that I needed to be doing.

Did you go into your second ATP World Tour final with a different mind-set compared to Estoril last May?

I didn’t go in there with a different mind-set, but I definitely felt more confident. I hadn’t dropped a set going into the final so I just felt a lot more confident this time.

Talk about your play this week and what did you do to put together five wins for the first time, all in straight sets?

I served great and returned really, really well. I thought I moved really, really good. That’s the one thing in my game that’s improved a lot.

You had an incredible run, with back-to-back victories over Top 10 players – Gasquet in the quarter-finals and Berdych in the semi-finals – before beating Top 15 Cilic. Was this the best stretch of tennis you played in your career?

It was definitely up there. I thought I backed up three days in a row with some really top quality tennis. I haven’t played like that in a while. To come up with three straight wins against those players is pretty impressive. 

You won the title without losing serve. Is this the best serving of your career?

Yes, I think this week was probably the best serving of my career. It was constantly getting better and definitely got me out of pressure situations this week.

Now that you’ve won your first ATP World Tour title, what are your goals for the rest of the season?

Just to stay healthy and keep playing.

You’ve had solid results on all surfaces in your young career, do you have a favourite surface?

I probably like indoor hard court or grass. I’ve had my best results on those two surfaces. They’re probably my favourites.

You’ve had a lot of support in your development. Who are that people that have helped you get to this level and that you would like to acknowledge?

Obviously my family has been a big part. I’ve had a couple of coaches along the way as well.

You have a lot of off-court interests and a pretty solid hoops game. If you weren’t playing tennis, what would you like to be doing?

Obviously I’d like to play basketball, but I’d probably be at school or university at the moment.

Next Generation star Nick Kyrgios captured his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday in Marseille as he upset fourth seed Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-6(3) in the final of the Open 13.

The 20-year-old Australian lifted his first silverware on the ATP World Tour at the end of a stunning week, which saw him beat two Top 10 players in No. 10 Richard Gasquet and No. 8 Tomas Berdych plus a Grand Slam champion in Cilic. He didn’t lose a set and was unbroken in 47 games.

He is the first player under the age of 21 to beat Top 10 opponents in consecutive matches since Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 US Open (SF d. Nadal, F d. Federer).

The No. 41-ranked Kyrgios earned 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points and €106,175. He was contesting his second ATP World Tour final, having finished runner-up to Gasquet in the Estoril title match last year.

Kyrgios had Cilic under pressure right from the start and converted his eighth break point for a 3-1 lead in the opener. The Canberra native then secured a second break in the seventh game before serving out the set to love.

The second set was a tighter affair. Cilic saved a break point in the third game and had the chance to take the match to a decider with a set point in the 10^th game. But Kyrgios denied the Croat on his only break point of the match to level at 5-5. In the subsequent tie-break, Kyrgios earned the mini-break to lead 5-3 and closed out the match with his 17^th ace of the contest after 85 minutes.

Kyrgios was playing just his second tournament of the season, having reached the third round of the Australian Open in January (l. to Berdych). He was forced to withdraw from Rotterdam last week due to an elbow injury.

The 27-year-old Cilic fell to a 14-10 finals record. It is the second time he has missed out in the Marseille final, having also finished runner-up in 2011 (l. to Soderling).

“I felt I was getting much closer in that second set,” said Cilic. “Every game was becoming a little more intense. I felt also that he was becoming a bit more frustrated, which was good for me. I had a chance at the end of the second set to get the break, but he managed to play well.

“I think he played really, really well today. He served amazing. It was difficult also from the back of the court. I think he was returning well, making a lot of returns in the first set. I didn’t adjust well enough on the balls that were coming back.

“But I’m really satisfied with the week. It’s really good moving forward and it’s important for me. Nick was playing high-level tennis in the end, but I wasn’t playing too bad either and that’s something good I can take from the match.”