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Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers: Federer Not Fading

  • Posted: Dec 19, 2015

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers: Federer Not Fading

Dec192015

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows that Roger Federer was often at or near his statistical best in 2015 on the ATP World Tour

If you’re waiting for Roger Federer to ride off into the sunset, to fade into statistical obsolescence, don’t hold your breath. A look at his 2015 Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers stats shows that, at 34, he’s still playing some of his best tennis.

For starters, let’s zero in on a few key serving stats: in some respects, the World No. 3 has never been more efficient. This year he matched career marks in both first-serve percentage (64%) and service games won (92%), while setting a career-best in first-serve points won (80%). Not bad for a tennis tricenarian.

Year 1st Serve %
 		1st Serve Pts. Won
Service Games Won
1999 58% 70% 76%
2000 59% 72% 82%
2001 60% 74% 83%
2002 60% 76% 86%
2003 60% 78% 87%
2004 62% 78% 92%*
2005 63% 76% 89%
2006 63% 77% 90%
2007 62% 77% 89%
2008 64% 77% 89%
2009 62% 79% 90%
2010 62% 78% 89%
2011 64% 79% 90%
2012 63% 78% 91%
2013 63% 76% 87%
2014 64% 79% 91%
2015 64% 80% 92%

                                                                                                                                                              
BOLD = career-best, * = ATP World Tour leader

When it comes to the Swiss’ return games, while there were no career-bests established, Federer remains among the elite. For the 11th time in the past 13 years, he finished among the top 10 in return points won off his opponents’ first serve (33%), and he won 27 per cent of his return games, good enough for eighth overall on the ATP World Tour.

Year
Return Pts. Won Off 1st Serve
 		Return Games Won
1999 29% 20%
2000 27% 19%
2001 30% 23%
2002 31% 25%
2003 40% 29%
2004 35%* 30%
2005 35% 31%
2006 35%* 32%
2007 34% 29%
2008 32% 27%
2009 31% 24%
2010 34% 27%
2011 33% 28%
2012 31% 26%
2013 33% 26%
2014 32% 26%
2015 33% 27%

BOLD = career-best, * = ATP World Tour leader

So how did this all translate on the court for the 24-time ATP Masters 1000 champ? A 63-11 year, six titles and a Top-3 year-end finish in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the 11th time. Against Top-10 competition, he was 15-6, his only losses coming against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic (five) and Stan Wawrinka.

Year W-L vs. Top 10
1999 13-17 1-4
2000 36-30 3-8
2001 49-21 5-5
2002 58-22 10-5
2003 78-17 9-5
2004 74-6 18-0
2005 81-4 15-2
2006 92-5 19-4
2007 68-9 17-4
2008 66-15 7-10
2009 61-12 15-10
2010 65-13 16-6
2011 64-12 10-9
2012 71-12 16-9
2013 45-17 4-10
2014 73-12 17-5
2015 63-11 15-6

BOLD = career-best

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Best of 2015 Off-Court Part 1: Novak's Biggest Fan

Best of 2015 Off-Court Part 1: Novak's Biggest Fan

  • Posted: Dec 19, 2015

Best of 2015 Off-Court Part 1: Novak's Biggest Fan

Dec182015

ATPWorldTour.com highlights the best off-court moments from the 2015 season

Do you have a favourite? Have your say on Facebook.

Traveling Heavy

Tour veteran Gilles Simon knows that one of the toughest parts of the new tennis season is making sure all the bags are packed and ready.

“Traveling with family = moving,” he tweeted on his way to Melbourne for the year’s first Grand Slam.

Like Father, Like Son

While thousands of fans came to Rod Laver Arena to watch Novak Djokovic top Milos Raonic in the Australian Open quarter-finals, the World No. 1 had one special supporter watching from the comfort of home: his infant son Stefan.

Djokovic was told about wife Jelena’s Twitter post following his win and said: “See how he enjoys watching TV? He’s daddy’s boy, definitely.”

It’s no wonder, considering how much the World No. 1 enjoys spending time with his newborn.

Year Of The Goat

Defending champion Roger Federer helped ring in the Year of the Goat as he launched the Chinese New Year celebrations at Burj Al Arab. Federer was invited to participate in the ceremony for the colouring of the eyes of the lion.

Puppy Love

Vasek Pospisil had special visitors at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden: seven dogs from Guide Dogs of the Desert.

“Can I take one home?” the Canadian asked, as the Poodles, Labradors and a German Shepherd crowded around him for some TLC.

“I wish I had seven hands!” said Pospisil. “They were all so cute. You want to play with all of them at the same time… It was definitely the most fun I’ve had doing something like that at a tournament.”

On The Table

“I scrap a lot, make a lot of balls,” Jack Sock, the self-proclaimed No. 1 table tennis player on the ATP World Tour, said. “I play pretty far behind the table and just annoy guys.”

Nick Kyrgios got a taste of Sock’s skills in Rome when the two faced off in the players’ lounge. At stake was a haircut with the on-site stylist. Sock, who has boldly described himself as the “Ferrer or Djokovic of ping pong”, got the last laugh, maintaining his undefeated record against fellow players.

Emoji Game Strong

Want to learn Roger Federer’s Wimbledon routine? Look no further:

What about Andy Murray’s wedding day? Here it is:

© ATP World Tour

Best Of ATP Stars 2015

Open Gallery

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WTA Live Fan Access: Best Moments

WTA Live Fan Access: Best Moments

  • Posted: Dec 19, 2015

A message from Xerox:

“Thank you, WTA fans, for tuning in to WTA Live and submitting your #XeroxFancast questions these past couple of seasons. We’ve really enjoyed bringing you closer to your favorite players, and we hope we’ve improved your fan experience. Change is as much a part of business as it is tennis, and so this marks the end of our sponsorship journey with the WTA and WTA Live. We wish the WTA and athletes the best as they continue on their mission to inspire and entertain you.”

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Murray Realigns With Mauresmo

  • Posted: Dec 19, 2015

Murray Realigns With Mauresmo

Dec182015

Scot parts ways with Bjorkman; rekindles coaching arrangement with Frenchwoman

Only days after Roger Federer parted ways with Stefan Edberg, World No. 2 Andy Murray has ended his coaching agreement with Jonas Bjorkman.

Bjorkman had been filling in for Amelie Mauresmo, who stepped aside earlier this year to give birth to her first child, son Aaron. Under the Swede, Murray enjoyed one of his most consistent years on the ATP World Tour, rising to a career-high year-end No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and leading Great Britain to its first Davis Cup title since 1936. The 28-year-old Scot went 71-14, winning titles in Munich, Madrid, London and Montreal.

Bjorkman, a former No. 1-ranked doubles standout who won nine Grand Slam titles, wished Murray well via Twitter: “Thank you @andy_murray and your great team, for this year! I highly admire your hard work and I wish you all the best for 2016!”

“Nice to have Amelie back in the team out in Dubai,” Murray posted on Facebook. “Thanks to Jonas for helping out this year. I enjoyed working with one of the nicest guys on the tour, bring on 2016.”

Mauresmo is expected to travel with Murray for between 22 and 24 weeks next year. During her 16-year career on the WTA Tour, the Frenchwoman rose to No. 1 and captured Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, both in 2006.

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Power Of Extraordinary Back Designs

Power Of Extraordinary Back Designs

  • Posted: Dec 18, 2015

Back designs have had a special place in women’s tennis fashion, as sports apparel companies strive to create outfits that look striking both from the back and from the front. The sky’s the limit when it comes to the variety of styles and in this overview Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will show you those that marked 2015.

Half-moon keyhole cutouts

Half-moon keyhole cutouts at center back are a simple, yet highly visually appealing element popular among many top brands. Here we can see the adidas by Stella McCartney representatives Flavia Pennetta and Garbiñe Muguruza rocking it at the US Open, Serena Williams’ day and night Nike dresses in New York featured a similar back detail, as well as Lacoste’s collection for Roland Garros, as seen here on Alizé Cornet. The adidas Winter Stella McCartney Tank also includes a nice yellow zipper entry at racerback, while Williams’ Nike Fall Premier Dress has a bonded zipper.

Sloane Stephens photo - Getty Images and Jimmie48

Players usually opt for white dresses solely at Wimbledon, but Sloane Stephens occasionally wore them even during other parts of the season, using the power of outstanding back designs to make her plain white pieces stand out.

Agnieszka Radwanska - lace backs

The most extraordinary feature of Agnieszka Radwanska’s lace dresses was this mesh lace accent at back. Lotto took the risk by incorporating lingerie elements to a great extent and it turned out to be a big hit.

Egg-shaped keyhole cutouts of Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney and adidas made fashion statements with these large egg-shaped back cutouts Caroline Wozniacki and Andrea Petkovic displayed early in the season.

WTA criss-cross straps

Criss-cross straps are a common type of back design. Ana Ivanovic’s adidas Fall All Premium Dress for Wimbledon has spaghetti straps at two levels, Agnieszka Radwanska’s Lotto Lux Metallic Dress also has them, while the neat black straps of Jelena Jankovic’s Fila Fall Platinum Cami Tank have an added functionality of being adjustable. Venus Williams’ EleVen Kaleidoscope Tie It Up Tank has a surprise detail, a lightly sewn tie at the meeting point of the straps.

EleVen triangular, circular and square back cutouts

Complimenting her chic and feminine colorful prints, Venus Williams created a number of back designs with triangular, circular or square keyhole cutouts highlighted by a variety of elements in them.

Serena Williams' bold back designs

Serena Williams sported many bold back designs in 2015, the most fascinating one being that of her Australian Open dress. Thin racerback or skinny straps that meet at upper back were a common feature in Williams’ tops, while in Melbourne the American went for the provocative backless tunic.

Sharapova

Maria Sharapova’s Nike French Open dress had a nice T-back design, while Caroline Wozniacki’s adidas Fall Stella McCartney Dress for Wimbledon used somewhat similar straps, just in reverse position.

See-through backs of women's tennis fashion

In their popular spring/summer clothes, adidas featured these sheer mesh inserts on back, accentuated by the contrasting bra and shorts underneath, while Alizé Lim and her clothing sponsor Le Coq Sportif stood out with see-through backs of these unique jumpsuits.

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Mladenovic, Pliskova Renew IPTL Rivalry

Mladenovic, Pliskova Renew IPTL Rivalry

  • Posted: Dec 18, 2015

Kristina Mladenovic and Karolina Pliskova played two more thrilling sets on the International Premier Tennis League’s first night in Singapore, and while each won a battle, Mladenovic and her OBI UAE Royals won the war, defeating Pliskova’s OUE Singapore Slammers, 27-23.

The Frenchwoman had narrowly to her good friend and rival in their last IPTL encounter, but turned the tables on the Czech on Friday, winning their women’s singles set 6-5. Though Pliskova, partnering Dustin Brown, won a fourth straight set of mixed doubles – defating Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor, 6-3 – the Royals ultimately won by a mere four games, sliding just behind the Slammers for third place in the overall standings.

Earlier in the night, the Legendari Japan Warriors won their second match of the season, defeating the Philippine Mavericks, 29-15. Kurumi Nara stepped in to defeat Jarmila Gajdosova in women’s singles, 6-1, while Mirjana Lucic-Baroni paired Leander Paes to defeat Gajdosova and Edouard Roger-Vasslin, 6-2.

Check out some of the best tweets of the night:

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Does Ivanovic Have Love For New York?

Does Ivanovic Have Love For New York?

  • Posted: Dec 18, 2015

It wasn’t until her eighth appearance at the US Open that 2008 Roland Garros champion reached the quarterfinals, but it was nonetheless a monumentous occassion for the former No.1.

“I have been here in fourth round quite a few times,” she said after defeating Tsvetana Pironkova to make the last eight in 2012, adding, “to make that step and reach quarterfinal, and also the first time since ’08 which I’m very thrilled about.”

Indeed, it was the Serb’s best finish at a major tournament since winning her maiden Grand Slam title in Paris; leading up to that fateful run at the French Open, she had reached the semifinals or better at three of her last four majors – the US Open being the only outlier.

A charasmatic character on the court, Ivanovic has a more reserved personality, and admitted to once feeling overwhelmed in the big city of New York.

“It was very energy‑consuming because it’s big. I did not enjoy that part. Lots of people come out. You know, I really like to have my own privacy and be quiet, you know, and it was big and open.

“Now I embrace it more. I enjoy it. That has been the biggest change.”

From her initial struggles there, the US Open quickly became her most consistent major, the only one where she has reached the second week for four straight years.

“I started to really enjoy and change my attitude towards it. Now I really embrace the city. I love it. The possibilities you have off the court, museums, shows, shopping, restaurants.

“I mean, you can never be bored in New York.”

Her chances of greater successes in Flushing Meadows have been blighted by difficult draws; in her last two appearances, she has lost to a rising Karolina Pliskova and a resurgent Dominika Cibulkova. The loss to Cibulkova was particularly distressing to Ivanovic, who had just pushed World No.1 Serena Williams to three tough sets at the Western & Southern Open.

“I felt like I did a lot of hard work over last few months. Over last week, you know, I had great preparation, lots of good training and everything.

“It was just unfortunate that, you know, we came up against one another so early in a tournament.”

The Serb rebounded in the fall, reaching the semifinals of the China Open and narrowly missing out on a chance to return to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

Players will be in for a tough summer schedule that will include the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but Ivanovic hardly struggled to adjust during the last Olympic summer. With that lone quarterfinal appearance coming on the heels of the London Games, the Serb may be poised to pounce at the Open, pushed onward by its voracious crowd.

“I try to play along and try to be part of [the crowd], as well. Because I think that’s what fans want to see. They want to see players interact and be part of it.”

Can Ivanovic become a part of history with a 2016 US Open title?

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Jack Sock On Preseason Preparation

  • Posted: Dec 18, 2015

Jack Sock On Preseason Preparation

Dec182015

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LTA to hand out 10,000 free racquets

  • Posted: Dec 18, 2015

The Lawn Tennis Association plans to hand out 10,000 free racquets and offer 10,000 free junior tennis courses in an attempt to unearth stars of the future.

The LTA says it will also take the Davis Cup trophy on a tour to 50 different venues around Britain.

The move follows criticism of the LTA from world number two Andy Murray for failing to develop world-class talent.

Britain won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936 by beating Belgium in Ghent in November.

“We want to make a difference in capitalising on this unique opportunity to get as many kids on court as possible,” said victorious Davis Cup captain Leon Smith.

The lessons will be delivered by a team of 1,000 “expert and passionate coaches”, according to an LTA statement.

The opportunity for children and families to take up the offer will go live before the Davis Cup first round tie against Japan in March.

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