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Bryan/Johnson Outdueled By Murray/Peers

  • Posted: Oct 20, 2015

No. 2 seeds Jamie Murray and John Peers defeated Americans Mike Bryan and Steve Johnson 7-6(8), 6-3 in Vienna on Monday. The British-Australian duo secured the win in 71 minutes after saving a set point in the first set tie-break and squandering a match point on their opponents’ serve at 5-2 in the second set.

It was a milestone match for Bryan, who was playing with fellow Californian Steve Johnson for the first time. In fact, Bryan had not taken to the doubles court at a tour-level event (excluding Davis Cup) with anyone other than his twin brother Bob Bryan since winning the Long Island title with Mahesh Bhupathi in August 2002. Bob is home with wife Michelle, as the couple is expecting the birth of their third child.

Seeds Advance In Moscow, Tight Battles In Stockholm

At the Kremlin Cup by Bank of Moscow, No. 4 seeds Rameez Junaid/Igor Zelenay moved into the second round with a 6-4, 6-2 win over the all-Russian pairing of Evgeny Donskoy/Konstantin.

At the If Stockholm Open, Chris Guccione/Andre Sa teamed up for a tight 6-1, 6-7(3), 10-5 decision over Swedes Isak Arvidsson/Fred Simonsson. Also moving on to the second round were Mate Pavic/Michael Venus, 1-6, 6-4, 10-5 winners over Argentines Federico Delbonis/Leonardo Mayer.

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Gabashvili Advances In Moscow

Gabashvili Advances In Moscow

  • Posted: Oct 20, 2015

© Kremlin Cup by Bank of Moscow

Teymuraz Gabashvili moves into the second round in Moscow.

ATP

ATP Staff

Russian sets up Troicki battle

Teymuraz Gabashvili needed just 63 minutes to get past wild card Cem Ilkel in the first round of the Kremlin Cup By Bank Of Moscow on Monday. The Russian won seven games in a row from 2-2 in the first set and secured the win on his second match point. Gabashvili will face No. 3 seed Viktor Troicki in the second round, and will attempt to overcome a 0-3 FedEx Head2Head record against the Serb.

Russian Andrey Kuznetsov will join his compatriot in the second round. The 24 year old saved two of three break points faced to defeat Moldova’s Radu Albot 6-4, 6-2 in 79 minutes.

Daniel Gimeno-Traver ousted No. 7 seed Joao Sousa 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 after two hours and 14 minutes to move into the second round. The Spaniard saved a break point at 5-5 in the deciding set, then broke the Portuguese’s serve minutes later to secure the win.

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Zverev Survives Ymer In Stockholm

  • Posted: Oct 19, 2015

Alexander Zverev, aged 18, had never faced a player younger than himself on the ATP World Tour coming into this week. But on Monday at the If Stockholm Open, the German was given all he could handle by 17-year-old Mikael Ymer before winning 7-6(9), 6-7(5), 6-4. The Swedish wild card, ranked No. 617, kept pace with the World No. 83 for two and a half hours before succumbing.

“Ymer played unbelievably from the beginning, and I wasn’t expecting that,” said Zverev, who capitalised on the lone break point of the deciding set to earn the win “He just needs to keep working hard and he’ll be someone to look out for in the future. I don’t think he was nervous at all today. In the second set, I was in control but he fought back well. It was an interesting match in the end.”

In the second round, Zverev will take on top seed Tomas Berdych.

Elsewhere, ATP Comeback Player Of The Year candidate John Millman maintained his form by taking out Benjamin Becker 7-6(2), 6-3. Millman, ranked 76th in the Emirates ATP Rankings, saved four of five break points in the 95-minute win.

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Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers: Nole And The All-Important Second Serve

  • Posted: Oct 19, 2015

After a tough US Open semi-final win over Richard Krajicek in 2000, Pete Sampras famously observed: “You’re only as good as your second serve.”

So true. Today, there’s perhaps no better example of that than Novak Djokovic, who has no peer when points begin with a second serve. As you’ll see in the chart below, the streaking Serb is ranked No. 1 in second-serve points won at 60 per cent (1,469 of 2,571) in 2015. But this is no one-off. Djokovic has consistently ranked among the ATP World Tour leaders in second-serve points won throughout his career. In fact, since his historic run of 2011, the first time he won three majors and five ATP World Tour Masters 1000s in one season, he has never ranked outside the Top 5 in that category.

NOVAK’S SECOND SERVE POINTS WON
YEAR PERCENTAGE
 MATCHES POSITION
2015 60% 77 1
2014 56% 69 3
2013 60% 76 1
2012 56% 87 T5
2011 56% 75 T3
2010 52% 79 T21
2009 54% 97

T7   

2008 57% 81 3
2007 54% 87 T6
2006 53% 58 T11

What’s truly remarkable is that Djokovic is just as potent on the second serve when it comes to his return game. In 2015 he tops the charts on second-serve return points won at 58 per cent (1,317 of 2,289), and he’s been a Top-10 mainstay in that category in this year-end Infosys ATP Scores & Stats category dating back to 2007. Djokovic’s return game dominance was on display during his run to the Shanghai Rolex Masters title. Not once in his five rounds at the Qizhong Tennis Center did the World No. 1 register a losing percentage on his own second serve, and not once did an opponent enjoy a winning percentage on their second serve.

NOVAK’S SECOND SERVE RETURN POINTS WON
YEAR
 		PERCENTAGE
MATCHES
 POSITION
2015 57% 77 1
2014 58% 69 1
2013 55% 76 T2
2012 56% 87 T1
2011 58% 75 1
2010 54% 79 T4
2009 54% 97 T4
2008 53% 81 T9
2007 53% 87 T9
2006 51% 58 T26

As far as career numbers are concerned, Djokovic ranks right up there with the best, too. He has won 55 per cent of his second-serve points in 788 career matches (fifth overall), and his second serve return points won are on par with one of the greatest returners the sport has ever seen: Andre Agassi. In 1,108 matches, the Hall of Famer won 16,704 of 29,909 second serve return points (56%). Djokovic, by comparison, has won 13,857 of 25,276 (55%).

A LOOK AT DJOKOVIC’S SUPERB PLAY IN CHINA

Djokovic left China with two more titles, winning the China Open in Beijing for the sixth time and the Shanghai Rolex Masters for the third time. He won all 10 matches in straight sets. Here’s a look at several InfoSys ATP statistical categories in which Djokovic ranks among the Top 10 in 2015, compared to averages in each tournament:

1st Serve %
Beijing 73%
Shanghai 68%
2015 75%
1st Serve Points Won
Beijing  76%
Shanghai  74%
2015  75%
2nd Serve Points Won
Beijing  55%
 Shanghai  68%
 2015  60%
Service Games Won
Beijing  95% (37 of 39)
 Shanghai  91% (39 of 43)
 2015  90% (5th best on Tour)
Break Points Saved
 Beijing  83% (10 of 12)
 Shanghai  56% (5 of 9)
 2015  70% (3rd)
 Points Won Returning 1st Serve
 Beijing 47%
 Shanghai 35%
 2015 33% (3rd)
Points Won Returning 2nd Serve
 Beijing 66%
 Shanghai 70%
 2015 57% (1st)
 Return Games Won  
 Beijing  59% (23 of 39)
 Shanghai  50% (21 of 42)
 2015  34% (2nd)
 Break Points Converted  
 Beijing  70% (23 of 33)
 Shanghai  39% (21 of 57)
 2015  44% (6th)

DJOKOVIC DOMINATES POST-US OPEN

Over the past four years Djokovic has compiled an outstanding 66-2 match record after the US Open, capturing 12 titles in 14 tournaments played:

   W-L  Titles
 2015  10-0  2
 2014  17-1  3
 2013  24-0  4
 2012  15-1  3
TOTAL 66-2 12

Note: In 2011, when Djokovic finished No. 1 for the first time, he had a 6-4 post-US Open record.

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Shanghai 2015 Hot Shot Countdown

Shanghai 2015 Hot Shot Countdown

  • Posted: Oct 19, 2015

Watch the best hot shots from a riveting week in Shanghai. Watch live tennis at http://www.tennistv.com/

ATP

ATP Staff

Re-watch the best Hot Shots from Shanghai

The 2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters produced some of the best Hot Shots in recent memory. Watch Rafael Nadal’s vintage passing shot and don’t miss Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s play of the year candidate.

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Doubles Teams Qualify For Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

  • Posted: Oct 19, 2015

Just two spots remain in the eight-team doubles field at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, as the duos of Ivan Dodig/Marcelo Melo, Pierre-Hughes Herbert/Nicolas Mahut, Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini and Jamie Murray/John Peers have secured their places in the prestigious season finale, to be held at The O2 in London Nov. 15-22. The world’s biggest indoor tennis tournament will feature the world’s best eight singles players and doubles teams.

Two teams had already qualified: World No. 1 Bob and Mike Bryan and Wimbledon champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.

Melo is coming off back-to-back titles in Tokyo and Shanghai with South African Raven Klaasen. The Brazilian is now 17-18 in career finals (4-1 this season). Partnering with Dodig, he won titles in Acapulco and at Roland Garros, while reaching the final in Washington. Melo is 2-2 in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals.

Dodig, meanwhile, is trying to improve his singles ranking (from No. 127) and has played four Challengers since last month. He lost in the semi-finals in a third set tie-break in Rennes, France (l. to Malek Jaziri) on Saturday.

In September, the all-French tandem of Herbert/Mahut clinched their first Grand Slam doubles title at the US Open (d. Murray/Peers). Herbert was 0-4 at the majors prior to partnering Mahut at the 2015 Australian Open, where they reached the final.

Bolelli and Fognini appeared in their fourth final of the season (1-3) at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, where they were runners-up to Melo/Klaasen, and also posted runner-up finishes at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells (l. to Vasek Pospisil/Jack Sock) and Monte-Carlo (l. to Bryan/Bryan) earlier this season. They opened the the year by capturing the Australian Open crown (d. Herbert/Mahut), becoming first Italian duo to win a Grand Slam doubles title since Nicola Pietrangeli and Orlando Sirola lifted the Roland Garros trophy in 1959. They reached semi-finals at Roland Garros (l. to Bryans).

Along with Herbert/Mahut, Murray/Peers — runners-up at both Wimbledon and the US Open — is one of only two teams this season to reach two major doubles finals. They have won 10 of their last 12 Grand Slam matches, and captured titles on the hard courts of Brisbane and clay of Hamburg in 2015.

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has welcomed more than 1.5 million fans to The O2 arena over the past six years, establishing itself as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world since moving to London in 2009. Tickets can be purchased at: www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

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Tsonga Surges To Ninth In Race As Berdych & Nadal Punch Tickets

  • Posted: Oct 19, 2015

One month ago, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga entered the Moselle Open in Metz at No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, with a steep task ahead of him to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

The Frenchman has taken the challenge to heart, hoisting the trophy on home soil and streaking to his fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final at the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Sunday. Tsonga has posted a 9-2 record in that four-week span, vaulting six spots to No. 9 in his quest to return to the season finale for the fourth time and first since 2012. His best result came the year prior when he finished runner-up to Roger Federer.

Last year, Andy Murray’s mad dash paid dividends in soaring from the 11th position to fifth in the Emirates ATP Race To London. Tsonga will hope for similar results with Vienna, Basel and the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris remaining on his schedule, looking to build on 2,500 points.

“I’m No. 9 in the Race,” said Tsonga. “For me what is important today is to play good tennis. I’m really happy with the week I had. Of course, I wanted to do better against Novak. But I’m really happy about this week. It gives me energy to continue to fight for the [Barclays ATP World Tour Finals].”

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Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych have been on the doorstep of qualification in recent weeks and both broke through the threshold with deep runs in Shanghai. Nadal, who has accrued 4,330 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London, advanced to the semi-finals, while Berdych reached the quarter-finals, amassing 4,280 points. The Spaniard – winner of three ATP World Tour titles in 2015 – booked his spot at the Final Showdown for the eighth time after climbing from No. 7 to No. 5 in the last two weeks. The Czech – winner in Shenzhen two weeks ago – punched his ticket for a sixth successive year.

Read: Nadal & Berdych Qualify For London

Six of the eight places are now occupied at the season finale, with Race leader Novak Djokovic surging to a jaw-dropping 14,285 points haul with his third Shanghai title. Murray, Federer and Stan Wawrinka have also qualified for the ATP World Tour’s signature event.

Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer round out the elite eight in the latest standings, with both contenders looking to rebound following early exits in Shanghai. The Japanese sits ahead of the Spanish veteran by 500 points, with Ferrer holding a near-1,000 point advantage over Tsonga. Richard Gasquet and Kevin Anderson also have slim hopes of crashing the party, currently sitting at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively. Gasquet is seeded second in Stockholm, while Ferrer and Anderson lead the field in Vienna.

Read: Four Doubles Teams Qualify For London

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has welcomed more than 1.5 million fans to The O2 arena over the past six years, establishing itself as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world since moving to London in 2009. Tickets to the tournament, which takes place from 15-22 November, can be purchased at: www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals – The Contenders
Based on the calendar-year Emirates ATP Race To London standings as of Monday, 19 October 2015. The top eight eligible players will qualify.

Player

 YTD Points

  In Action This Week?

(1) Novak Djokovic

 14,285

  No

(2) Andy Murray

 7,870

  No

(3) Roger Federer

 6,750

  No

(4) Stan Wawrinka

 6,140

  No

(5) Rafael Nadal

 4,330

  No
(6) Tomas Berdych  4,280  Stockholm
(7) Kei Nishikori  3,945  No
(8) David Ferrer  3,445  Vienna
(9) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga  2,500  Vienna
(10) Richard Gasquet  2,445  Stockholm
(11) Kevin Anderson  2,385  Vienna
(12) John Isner  2,315  Vienna

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Nole Playing His ‘Best Tennis Ever’

Nole Playing His ‘Best Tennis Ever’

  • Posted: Oct 18, 2015

Red is perhaps the most important color in China. It dominates the nation’s star-emblazoned flag. It’s omnipresent during the Chinese New Year. You see it on the gift-bearing envelopes that are passed around during holidays and other special occasions. It symbolises fortune and joy.

How apropos for Novak Djokovic.

The reigning World No. 1 is on a 38-1 run in China, including seven combined titles in Beijing and Shanghai, where on Sunday he put the finishing touches on his ninth title of 2015 and the 25th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 triumph of his career, a 6-2, 6-4 decision over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Fortune? Joy? This Serb has plenty of it.

“I think in terms of the two tournaments in back‑to‑back weeks, this has been the best two weeks of my life, my career,” asserted Djokovic, who has now won 17 straight matches and 22 consecutive sets. “I think I’ve played the best tennis ever in these two weeks in terms of back‑to‑back.  Honestly, that’s how I felt.

“Only one set where I got a tie-break in two weeks is quite incredible,” he continued. “So I’m very, very pleased with the way I’ve played. That’s something that encourages me to keep on going and hopefully maintain that high level of performance.”

Djokovic crossed the 70-win barrier (73-5) this week for the fifth time in his career, and he is now 10-0 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals in China. It seems that whatever his opponents throw at him these days, he always has an answer.

“That’s the kind of position you want to be in on the court,” he explained. “When you’re playing top players, requiring from you your best tennis, knowing that I can cover the biggest part of the court from each side allows me to gain more confidence in terms of when we get into the rally. Of course, I can’t expect to win every single rally, but percentage‑wise I have a very good chance against anybody because I know I can adjust to anybody’s game: players who are coming to the net or players who are staying back, playing flat or spin. I’ve played so many times against so many players, over the years you develop this kind of ability to adjust. But also I think specifically this year what I’ve done very well is I haven’t waited for other players to take initiative. I’ve taken initiative first. So the quality of my first shots has been better this year than I think ever been before.”

“It’s really difficult to do,” said Tsonga of Djokovic’s dominance in 2015. “He’s able to do it. Not many guys are able to do that. It’s really impressive. He’s playing a lot better than everybody, I think. He’s really consistent. You have to be in your best shape to beat him anyway, and everybody knows that it’s not easy to play your best tennis every match.”

Against Tsonga, Djokovic was appearing in his career-high 13th straight final since falling in the Doha quarter-finals to power-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic. The last player to reach 10 or more consecutive finals in a season was Djokovic’s longtime rival, Roger Federer, who strung together 11 straight in 2006. This is the second time in his career that the Belgrade-born baseliner has won five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in a season. The last time he did it? In 2011. At the time, no one thought he’d ever surpass a season in which he prevailed in his first 41 matches, finished at 70-6 (.921) and came within a Roland Garros of the calendar-year Grand Slam. But he insists he’s done just that in 2015.

“It’s the best year of my life, no question about it,” he said at the Qizhong Tennis Center. “Everything is working great. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be able to play this well, to be successful. I don’t want to get carried away by success because I want to be playing on this level for many more years to come. I know that one of the things that you have to do in order to keep playing on a high level is stay committed and stay determined to this lifestyle that is not easy, traveling all the time. Now that I’m a father, that makes it a little bit more difficult. I have the support of the close ones, my wife, the most important one, but my brothers, my team.  Everybody is behind me on the quest of being the best I can be.”

Now we know why the 28-year-old so often donned a red shirt these past few weeks in Beijing and Shanghai, his familiar gear striking a chord with the Chinese people. When you’ve got good fortune on your side, run with it.

Said Djokovic, “It’s my lucky charm.”

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Nadal And Berdych Qualify For Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

  • Posted: Oct 18, 2015

LONDON – Just two spots remain in the eight-man field at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals as Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych have secured their places at the Final Showdown.

Nadal and Berdych will compete alongside Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka at the prestigious season finale. The world’s biggest indoor tennis tournament, featuring the world’s best eight singles players and doubles teams, will be played 15-22 November at The O2 in London.

Nadal qualified for the season finale for the 11th consecutive season after reaching the semi-finals of the Shanghai Rolex Masters, one week on from a runner-up showing at the China Open in Beijing (l. to Djokovic). His performances in China over the past two weeks saw him leapfrog Kei Nishikori and Berdych to rise to fifth in the Emirates ATP Race To London.

Buy Your Tickets Now 

The Spaniard reached the final in London in 2013 and 2010. He missed last year’s tournament after undergoing a late-season appendectomy. (Nadal was also forced to miss the season finale through injury in 2005, 2008 and 2012).

In 2015, Nadal has captured titles at Buenos Aires (d. Monaco), Stuttgart (d. Troicki) and Hamburg (d. Fognini). He has also reached finals in Madrid (l. to No. 3 Murray) and Beijing. He boasts a 52-17 match record on the season.

In beating Wawrinka in the Shanghai quarter-finals Friday, Nadal notched his 300th match win at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. His 83% winning percentage at the ATP World Tour’s elite tournament level exceeds that of Djokovic (82%) and Federer (77%).

The 30-year-old Berdych will make his sixth consecutive appearance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Czech reached the semi-finals in London in 2011 (l. to Tsonga).

Berdych, who reached the quarter-finals in Shanghai (l. to Murray), has compiled a 51-18 match record on the season, highlighted by winning his 11th ATP World Tour title in Shenzhen (d. Garcia-Lopez) and reaching three other finals in Doha (l. to Ferrer), Rotterdam (l. to Wawrinka) and at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Monte-Carlo (l. to Djokovic).

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has welcomed more than 1.5 million fans to The O2 arena over the past six years, establishing itself as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world since moving to London in 2009. Tickets can be purchased at: www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

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