Tennis News

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In his New York City pad, John McEnroe is seething. Sort of. Today, Novak Djokovic has moved past the American for fifth place in the list of players who have spent most weeks at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. McEnroe spent the last of his 170 weeks at No. 1 in the week beginning 26 June 1985. Now, Djokovic, 28, can see only Jimmy Connors (268), Ivan Lendl (270), Pete Sampras (286) and Roger Federer (302) ahead of him. At 28 years of age the target pinned on Djokovic’s chest grows bigger with every week, yet his drive to be considered an all-time great keeps him ahead of the chasing pack.

“I made the mistake of sitting back and waiting to see what others had to offer, then adjust accordingly,” admitted McEnroe. “Instead of thinking to myself, ‘I need to add more now’ and work harder than I was working. You get that false sense of security at times that you can step up when you need to. For me personally, that was a bad move.

“One thing that I really respect about Novak is that he’s trying to add that little bit more to his game. This year, he has been a bit more aggressive off his return and has been more willing to come forward. That extra five per cent is a huge difference in a big moment against a Federer or [Rafael] Nadal, or other great players.”

“I have seen a lot of great things from him, but I didn’t see this high level and this consistency. It has been one of the most magnificent years I have seen since I’ve been watching tennis. It’s remarkable how consistent he has been; he is like a human backboard right now.”

DJOKOVIC PASSES MCENROE: Djokovic is starting his 171st week at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He has surpassed McEnroe for No. 5 on the all-time list in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings (since Aug. 23, 1973). Here is a look at the players with 100 weeks (or more) at No. 1 and their year-end finishes:

Djokovic explained to ATPWorldTour.com the reasons behind his dominance, saying, “You’ve got to have the self discipline and the dedication, devotion, but most of all passion for the sport, for what you do and keep on waking up every day knowing what your big victory is and what you are aiming for.

“Believing in yourself, in your abilities, is something that when you are younger most people are lacking. Obviously, you want everything to come right away and you want to experience success instantly, which is in most cases not possible. You have to work for it.”

Djokovic has a 7,535 points lead over Federer, who rose one spot to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings as a result of capturing his seventh Swiss Indoors Basel title on Sunday. Such a lead is a product of his dominance in 2015, when he has compiled a 73-5 match record – including 27-1 at Grand Slams and 34-2 at ATP World Tour Masters 1000s. If he wins the BNP Paribas Masters title in Paris this week, he will be the first player in history (since 1990) to win six ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in the same season. His 9-4 mark in finals over the past 10 months, with possibly additional trophies in Paris and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals left up for grabs, ensure that 2015 will go down as Djokovic’s finest season.

Connors told ATPWorldTour.com, “He is playing a different kind of game than the rest of them, which is good to see because guys might need to change their games to keep up with him. He’s set the bar now and has guys following him. It’s been Roger, then Rafa, and now Novak is there and guys are chasing him.

“It’s nice knowing you go out there and you’re everyone’s target. I used to love that. It seems to me that Novak is the same way; he thrives on it, raising his game each time because he knows his opponents well. He isn’t afraid to put it on the line time after time, as he plays a lot of matches. The more you play, the odds of winning go down along the way, especially against great competition. He deals with it pretty well.”

Since Djokovic’s first truly great year in 2011, when he first became No. 1 on 4 July, his business has been winning tennis matches. Since first taking top spot to date, he has compiled a 353-42 match record and won 39 of his 57 trophies. He has won nine of 20 Grand Slam titles and finished runner-up in another six. He has also taken home 20 trophies from of a possible 40 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments that he has contested (157-19 match record).

“I think it’s incredible what Novak’s been able to achieve in the last few years, I mean throughout his career, because everybody takes a different path to get to the very top and he’s done that his way,” Federer told ATPWorldTour.com. “It’s never easy once at the top to find a way to stay there. You need to keep on winning and that’s what he’s been doing and not just once in a while. You have to bring that week in week out. He absolutely deserves all the records he is holding right now.”

Last Stop Before #FinalShowdown – The final tournament of the regular season on the ATP World Tour takes place in Bercy as the BNP Paribas Masters features 19 of the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Race to London (except Raonic). The 48-player draw includes five former winners: Novak Djokovic (2014-13, ’09), David Ferrer (2012), Roger Federer (2011) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2008), and Tomas Berdych (2005). Djokovic is one of three players to win the title three times winner in Paris-Bercy was Marat Safin (2000, ’02, ’04). There are eight of the Top 10 leading the way in the field.

London Field Set – The last two spots were filled on Saturday for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals with the additions of David Ferrer and Kei Nishikori. They joined: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych in the prestigious year-end tournament. Nadal moved to No. 5 in the Race after his semi-final win in Basel.

Djokovic Passes McEnroe – Djokovic is appearing in his 171^st week at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He surpassed John McEnroe for No. 5 on the all-time list in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings (since Aug. 23, 1973).

Finals Streak – Djokovic comes into Paris having reached the final in 13 consecutive tournaments, the most in a season since Guillermo Vilas in 1977.

Reigning Champion – One year ago Djokovic came into Paris playing his first tournament as a father. Djokovic’s wife, Jelena, gave birth to a son, Stefan, on Oct. 21, 2014. Djokovic won his third Bercy title and he closed out the season by winning his fourth Barclays ATP World Tour Finals crown. Since becoming a father, Djokovic is 82-5 with 11 titles in 15 finals. He has a 21-6 career record in Bercy, having won the title in 2009 and in 2013-14.  He began with a 3-4 record in his first four appearances before going 18-2 the last six years (W/O in ’11). He enters Paris on a 17-match winning streak, winning three of his season-high nine titles at the US Open, Beijing and ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai. He has won 22 consecutive sets going back to the final two sets of the Open final. Djokovic is also trying to become the first player to win six ATP Masters 1000 titles in a season. He also won five in 2011. He shares the season record with Nadal (2013).

Big Four Dominance – The ‘Big Four’ of Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal have won 47 of the last 51 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, which dates back to Nadal’s triumph at Monte-Carlo in 2010. The only other players to emerge with an ATP Masters 1000 title are Robin Soderling (2010 Paris), David Ferrer (2012 Paris), Stan Wawrinka (2014 Monte-Carlo) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2014 Toronto).

Ivo Aces Record Within Reach – Ivo Karlovic comes into Bercy with 1,418 aces on the ATP World Tour this season. He is 60 aces away from passing countryman Goran Ivanisevic, who fired a season-record 1,477 aces in 1996. Ivo hit 78 in his three matches in Basel, including 32 in his quarter-final loss. On Saturday, Karlovic tweeted: “On a train to Paris. The city of love. I need some love and support in Paris to hit those 60 aces. #herewego #teamkarlo” Karlovic is 2-4 lifetime in Bercy, never winning back-to-back matches in four previous appearances.

French Title Hopes – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the last French player to win the Bercy title in 2008. He is one of 10 Frenchmen in the main draw (not including possible qualifiers). Since then, Gael Monfils was runner-up in 2009-10 and Tsonga in ’11.

Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London Update: The Top 8 teams in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London on Nov. 9 will qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Nov. 15-22. Five teams are vying for one vacant spot, with the eighth and final qualifiers to be determined during ATP Masters 1000 Paris next week.

Melo New Doubles No. 1 – Brazilian Marcelo Melo became the new No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, ending a run of 173 consecutive weeks that Bob and/or Mike Bryan were ranked No. 1. The 32-year-old from Belo Horizonte will be the first Brazilian to rank No. 1 and 47^th player overall in the history of the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings (since 1976). Countryman Gustavo Kuerten became No. 1 in singles on Dec. 4, 2000 and held the top spot for 43 weeks. The last players to be No. 1 before the Bryans were Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor during the week of September 3, 2012. Melo will be the only first-time No. 1 since Nenad Zimonjic became No. 1 on November 17, 2008 and the second since the Bryans rose to No. 1 on September 8, 2003.

Nestor Eyes 1,000 Wins – Daniel Nestor is closing in on a historic doubles milestone. The 43-year-old Canadian is two match wins away from becoming the first player in the Open Era to register 1,000 career doubles match wins. Nestor is playing with Edouard Roger-Vasselin.  Since teaming up with the Frenchman in Montreal for the first time, they have compiled a 17-5 match record together. Nestor is playing in Bercy for the 21^st consecutive year (since 1995) and he has a 33-19 match record. He won the title in 2009 (w/Zimonjic) and reached the final in 2000 (w/Haarhuis), 2005 (w/Knowles) and 2007 (w/Zimonjic).

Bryans Lead Doubles Field – Two-time defending doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan headline the outstanding doubles field. The Bryans have not teamed together since Shanghai. Bob’s wife, Michelle, gave birth, to the couple’s third child, son, Richard on Oct. 27. The Bryans are battling with Rojer/Tecau and J. Murray/Peers to finish No. 1 for the 11^th time in the last 13 years. The Bryans are looking to break a three-match opening round losing streak (four overall). They haven’t won back-to-back matches since capturing their 109^th career title together at ATP Masters 1000 Montreal in August.

Rankings Movers

Victor Estrella Burgos 52 (+13 spots)

Joao Sousa 34 (+12 spots)

Jack Sock 25 (+4 spots)

Jerzy Janowicz 57 (+3 spots)

Potential Milestones

Paris – Singles

Ivo Karlovic: 299 wins

Feliciano Lopez: 396 wins

Gael Monfils: 347 wins

Benoit Paire: 98 wins

Paris – Doubles

Daniel Nestor: 998 wins

Marcin Matkowski: 398 wins

In Case You Missed It

Roger Federer claimed his seventh title in Basel over Rafael Nadal. Read 

Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares won their 12^th team title in doubles. Read 

Joao Sousa secured the Valencia crown by beating Roberto Bautista Agut. Read 

Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky prevailed in doubles in Valencia. Read 

Birthdays

3 November – Lukas Lacko (28)

7 November – Alexandr Dolgopolov (27)

Attack the net, or be attacked to the backhand.

That’s the fundamental dynamic that Roger Federer successfully overcame in his 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Rafael Nadal in the Swiss Indoors Basel final on Sunday.

The match was more complex than that, but as always, the bottom line between these two is squarely focused on Federer swarming the net before Nadal can lock the Swiss star up in the “backhand cage”.

Federer won a healthy 70 per cent (30/43) of net points, including 77 per cent (17/22) serving and volleying and 62 per cent (13/21) approaching during the point.

While the majority of the tennis world seeks comfort at the baseline, Federer is extending his legacy at the pinnacle of the sport with his forward movement, successfully shrinking the court, and shortening the point.

Nadal won 60 baseline points to Federer’s 40 for the match, so it’s clearly not an issue for the Swiss star to find the right strategy to commit to.

Serve and Volley

While most players in today’s game are reluctant to serve and volley, it is clearly a centerpiece of Federer’s renaissance. His favourite location to employ it in the deuce court against Nadal was out wide, stretching the Spaniard off the court with his backhand return.

Federer won seven of eight there, including a crucial point at 5-3, deuce, in the third set. The Swiss picked up a tough backhand half-volley, and then guessed right with Nadal’s cross court forehand pass on the next shot to connect with a reflex backhand volley winner, and bring up match point.

In the ad court, Federer again targeted the Spaniard’s backhand return with his serve and volley strategy, winning six of eight serving right down the “T” in the center of the court. Federer also won three of five serving and volleying out wide in the ad side.

Federer also served and volleyed on four second serves, winning two. This tactic helped to force Nadal to second-guess if he could get away with a floating slice return or be more aggressive with more risk hitting it lower and harder.

Approaching

Federer won 13 points coming forward in general rally play, with the most prolific being a forehand approach to Nadal’s backhand, where he won seven of eight points.

Federer mixed in four return approach points, only winning one, but was still able to raise the pressure meter at the front of the court, although not winning the point. A key benefit of the return approach is the double faults it can also extract.

Nadal hit three double faults, with the first coming at 3-5, 0-15 in the opening set, as Federer ran all the way outside the alley to crush a forehand return. Two points later, Nadal would be broken and surrender the opening set.

Nadal’s second double fault came at 1-2, 30-30 in the third set, producing a break point for Federer as the Swiss was once again looking to run around a backhand return and punish a forehand. The third double fault came at 2-3, 30-0, in the third set, with Federer well inside the baseline looking to immediately attack.

Nadal’s Tactics

Nadal, as expected, went after Federer’s backhand, and while the Swiss hit five impressive backhand winners, he also committed 26 backhand groundstroke errors, and 10 backhand return errors.

Nadal either tried to hit hard to rush the Federer backhand, or hit heavy spin to get the ball up high on the one-hander, which is a lot tougher to achieve on an indoor hard court surface than the Spaniard’s preferred outdoor clay environment.

Nadal’s forehand has been a problem area for him this year, but 10 forehand winners and only 16 groundstroke errors is a big step forward with his renewed confidence and improved form in recent tournaments.

Nadal also won 83 per cent (10/12) of net points and could have snuck in a few more times as well. He should actually look to come in more against Federer, to get more opportunities at a higher win percentage in the front of the court, and also to deny the Swiss getting there first.

It was a good final for both players, as Federer keeps rolling with a seventh Basel title and Nadal’s confidence grows from pushing the Swiss star deep into a third set in his hometown.

Craig O’Shannessy uses extensive tagging, metrics and formulas to uncover the patterns and percentages behind the game. Read more at www.braingametennis.com.

Joao Sousa defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to capture the Valencia Open title. The Portuguese secured his second ATP World Tour title (2013 Kuala Lumpur) by upending his Spanish opponent in two hours and six minutes. He earned 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and €97,700, while Bautista Agut received 150 points and €51,450.

The World No. 24 Bautista Agut, playing in front of his home crowd, was going for a second title in as many weeks after losing in the Moscow final against Marin Cilic seven days ago. He fought hard to put himself in that position, having saved six match points in a semi-final thriller against Steve Johnson.

“I was playing very well, a set and 3-2, had a ball for 4-2 in the second,” noted Bautista Agut. “Unfortunately, my intensity went down and I was very tired in the third set. I know that I finished the last two matches very late, I also came from Moscow where I reached the final last week, it’s been a long season and obviously this has affected my performance today.”

Sousa was attempting to overturn a 0-3 record in tour-level finals this season, having finished runner-up in Geneva (outdoor clay), Umag (outdoor clay) and St. Petersburg (indoor hard) earlier in the year. His seven career tour-level finals have come solely on outdoor clay and indoor hard courts.

“I didn’t get into the match as well as I wanted, Roberto was very solid,” said Sousa. “When he was a break up in the second, I decided to change my tactic a bit. I am extremely happy to end my season with this win.

“I’ve been based in Spain since I was 15 years old, so in a way I feel a bit at home here and it’s great to be able to win this title here and in front of my family who I had no idea was going to come; they drove 10 hours from Portugal to be here today,” revealed Sousa. “I’ve lost five finals before so going into this match I was prepared to give it all until the end and it paid off.”

The Portuguese only put 48 per cent of first serves in play and needed to save seven break points throughout the match (7/10), but was opportunistic on break points, breaking Bautista Agut four times on five opportunities to end a two-year title drought.

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