Tennis News

How Alcaraz is 'pushing opponents to the limit'

Carlos Alcaraz produces fearless ballstriking and thrilling shotmaking that makes him one of the most exciting players to watch on the ATP Tour. Still at the youthful age of 21, the Spaniard may dabble in his fair share of high-risk, high-reward plays, but key metrics confirm that Alcaraz’s electrifying groundstrokes are what have anchored his strong 2024 season, which has him on the cusp on qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Alcaraz is second in both forehand (8.62) and backhand shot quality (8.24) this season, according to Tennis Data Innovations, in partnership with TennisViz. Shot Quality is calculated in real-time by analysing each shot’s speed, spin, depth, width, and the impact it has on the opponent.

Shot Quality Update 🚨

The latest top 5⃣ leaderboards below👀

See the thread for serve, return and backhand…

Context: Tour Avg.
Serve 7.9
Return 6.5
Forehand 7.5
Backhand 7.1#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/NrGNOOSyNh

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) September 12, 2024

“I think I’m always pushing my opponents to the limit. I’m trying to be aggressive all the time, just to play different shots,” Alcaraz recently said. “I think that I’m going to say the worst thing for my opponent, they are not going to know what’s going to be next. They have to be aggressive. They have to defend well if they want to be alive in the point.”

The data and on-court results go hand in hand. Alcaraz has won two of the season’s four majors and this year’s ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells. The only player ahead of Alcaraz in forehand and backhand shot quality is rival and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who captured both hard-court Slams this season. [Click here to read our feature on Sinner’s baseline domination in 2024].

Forehand Shot Quality (2024)

Backhand Shot Quality (2024)

Alcaraz’s firepower rarely drops off, no matter which wing or where he is placed in the court. His topspin forehand speed of 78 mph is 3 mph above the Tour average and his forehand rpms of 3208 vs. the Tour average of 2708 rpms reflects his weight of shot. His topspin backhand speed of 73 mph is 5 mph faster than the Tour average and his topspin backhand rpms is 2005, well above the Tour average of 1775.

On return, the 15-time tour-level titlist is third in return shot quality (7.78), behind second-placed Daniil Medvedev (7.78) and Sinner (8.04).

Narrowly trailing the Spaniard in all three categories is the same man directly below him in the PIF ATP Rankings: Novak Djokovic, who has claimed 99 tour-level trophies throughout his illustrious career.

The Serbian defeated Alcaraz in the Paris Olympics gold-medal match to capture his career ‘Golden Slam’ — winning all four majors and an Olympic gold medal. In a hard-fought battle, Djokovic produced arguably his best performance of the season just weeks after falling to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year.

Return Shot Quality (2024)

Traditional thinking may be that this far into the season, the game’s best servers would also be among the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, in good position for a spot at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals. But in TDI’s shot quality serve leaders, only one of the Top 5 players is also Top 10 in the Race: the 6’6″ Zverev.

In fact, this year’s Rome champion is the only player featured on all four shot quality lists. 

Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, towering at 6’8″, stands above the rest with his serve shot quality (9.38). The 21-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season, having won his maiden tour-level title in Lyon and later reaching the Wimbledon fourth round. At the All England Club, he upset 20th seed Sebastian Korda in the first round, during which Mpetshi Perricard hammered 51 aces.

Also among the serve quality leaders is Milos Raonic, not far behind (9.32) Mpetshi Perricard. Reilly Opelka and Hubert Hurkacz are among the Top 5.

Serve Shot Quality (2024)

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Alcaraz’s motivation to bounce back from his US Open defeat

To say Carlos Alcaraz was disappointed with his US Open elimination would be an understatement. The Spaniard, No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, took a few days off after bowing out prematurely from the season’s final Grand Slam before heading to Valencia to join the Spanish team for the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage. By Wednesday, Alcaraz was back to winning ways with two victories in the match against Czechia, beating Tomas Machac in his singles encounter and then joining Marcel Granollers to see off Jakub Mensik and Adam Pavlasek.

“I needed it after the last few matches, as it wasn’t feeling very positive,” explained the Murcia native at the end of the day. “I felt the extra pressure of being number one the first set, I wasn’t comfortable, but I had to stay positive,” added Alcaraz. “The Davis Cup is special and you always want to do well.”

Alcaraz endured an intense day of tennis on Wednesday, taking to the court twice, doubling his normal matchday workload.

“It was a day with a lot of hard work, but I’m happy to have had the opportunity to play singles and doubles,” said Alcaraz. “I’m trying to take the positives from my time in the US and use them so I don’t make the same mistakes again, trying to progress on the mental side and to become increasingly mature,” he continued. “I was very motivated to be here, I’m looking forward to helping the team go as far as possible.”

It was with this mentality that Alcaraz approached his first Davis Cup match of 2024, which turned out to be a tough encounter. He would lose the first set and fight back to level the scores before his Czech opponent withdrew injured.

“Of course, on the North American swing I didn’t feel great during the matches and that’s why I started off a little nervous,” admitted the Spaniard. “I had chances, even though I didn’t take them. I knew that I’d get more if I stayed strong mentally. After a very tough first set, I managed to keep my head up and put him in difficulty so that he would feel the pressure. Despite everything, this isn’t the way I’d like to win matches, but that’s the way it went.”

Alcaraz will be back on court on Friday, when Spain face France in the second match of the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage.

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GB's Miyazaki misses out on Jasmin Open quarter-finals

Great Britain’s Lily Miyazaki fails to join compatriot Sonay Kartal in the quarter-finals of the Jasmin Open in Tunisia.

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Nadal withdraws from Laver Cup

Rafael Nadal says he thinks there are “other players who can help the team deliver the win” for Europe as he withdraws from this month’s Laver Cup.

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Nadal withdraws from Laver Cup

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from next week’s Laver Cup in Berlin, the tournament announced Thursday.

In a tweet issued by the event, Nadal said: “I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week.

A statement from @RafaelNadal regarding Laver Cup Berlin 2024: “I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week.

This is a team competition and to really support Team Europe, I need to do what’s best for them and at this… pic.twitter.com/Y9i0T61kbA

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 12, 2024

“This is a team competition and to really support Team Europe, I need to do what’s best for them and at this moment there are other players who can help the team deliver the win.

“I have so many great, emotional memories from playing Laver Cup and I was really looking forward to being with my teammates and with Bjorn in his final year as Captain.

“I wish Team Europe the very best of luck and will be cheering them on from afar.”

Nadal has a 12-7 match record on the season and last competed at the Paris Olympics, where he fell in the second round to Novak Djokovic.

The Laver Cup will run 20-22 September.

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Ruud, Paul to headline 2025 Dallas Open

The Dallas Open is gearing up for a thrilling 2025 tournament, as World No. 9 Casper Ruud and defending Dallas Open champion Tommy Paul have committed to compete. The event, set for February 1-9, 2025, will take place at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, the headquarters and training facility of the Dallas Cowboys. Premium ticket packages are available now at www.dallasopen.com.

In 2025, the Dallas Open will elevate its status from an ATP 250 to an ATP 500 event, promising the strongest field since the tournament’s move to North Texas in 2022. This upgrade not only attracts top-tier talent but also offers players the chance to earn more ATP ranking points and compete for a share of approximately $2.8 million in prize money.

“I am very much looking forward to playing at the new edition of the Dallas Open in 2025,” Ruud said. “Tournaments elevated to a 500-level tournament bring the highest levels of competition and as a player, I always look forward to competing against some of the best players in the world with the hopes of coming out on top”.

Ruud, who reached the Round of 16 at this year’s US Open, is a 12-time winner on the ATP Tour, including two titles in 2024 (Geneva, Barcelona). The 25-year old Ruud finished as the runner-up at the 2022 and 2023 French Open and the 2022 US Open. He was previously ranked as high as No. 2 in the world (September 2022), securing his place as the highest-ranked Norwegian in history.

“Elevating the Dallas Open to a 500-level event will bring the best players in the world to North Texas,” Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs said. “Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul are two of the premier players on tour and we look forward to adding more high-level talent to America’s newest ATP 500-level tournament. The 2025 Dallas Open will feature the event’s deepest field yet as players will be competing for the largest purse in tournament history while playing in one of the most impressive facilities in the world.”

Paul, the 2024 Dallas Open champion, is one of the top Americans on the ATP Tour, currently ranked No. 13 in PIF ATP Rankings. He was a 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in doubles alongside Taylor Fritz and recently also reached the Round of 16 at the US Open for the second year in a row. Paul secured his third career ATP Tour title in February in Dallas, beating Americans Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-4 and Marcos Giron 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3 in the semi-finals and final, respectively.

“The Dallas Open will always be special to me and I’m looking forward to defending my title from 2024,” Paul said. “I’m excited for next year’s tournament and playing against some of the best players in the world at The Star in Frisco.”

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Felix fires Canada to victory against Finland at Davis Cup

Felix Auger-Aliassime moved Canada to the brink of qualification in the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage on Thursday in Manchester, where he moved past Otto Virtanen 6-2, 6-3 to give the former champion an unassailable 2-0 lead against Finland in Group D.

Canada entered its second tie in Manchester off the back of a 2-1 opening win against Argentina. With the top two in Group D advancing to the Final 8 in Malaga in November, Auger-Aliassime was quick to secure his nation a second point after Denis Shapovalov defeated Eero Vasa 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first match of the day.

Auger-Aliassime was dominant on serve throughout his 73-minute win, saving all three break points he faced and winning 86 per cent (32/37) of points behind his first delivery.

The 24-year-old, who was part of the team that beat Australia in the Davis Cup Finals title match in 2022, now holds a 8-3 record in Davis Cup singles matches. He is set to face Great Britain’s Jack Draper in Canada’s final Group D match on Sunday. Great Britain beat Finland 2-1 in its opening match.

Earlier, Shapovalov backed up his win against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo by overcoming Vasa in straight sets. The former No. 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has rediscovered his form in Manchester following disappointing first-round exits in Montreal and at the US Open last month.

Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov will team against Wimbledon champion Harri Heliovaara and Virtanen in the doubles rubber.

In Group C, Germany backed up its opening 3-0 win against Slovakia with a 3-0 victory against Chile on Thursday.

Straight sets victories for Maximilian Marterer, Yannick Hanfmann, and doubles team Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz, leave the former champion sitting above the United States, Slovakia and Chile.

“Before our first match we said ‘Okay we need six matches out of nine’,” German captian Michael Kohlmann said. “Now we have won six matches out of six. I think that’s pretty impressive. Especially Yannick, to get this win today against (Alejandro) Tabilo, a Top-20 player, the way he played, the way he handled the situation after maybe not playing his best match on Tuesday was very impressive.”

Hanfmann was at his free-flowing best in defeating Tabilo 7-5 6-3 in 90 minutes. His third career singles victory in Davis Cup clinched the tie after Marterer had blitzed Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1 6-3 in an 80-minute contest earlier.

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'It was really quiet' – Smith wants more from GB fans

British fans are urged by Davis Cup captain Leon Smith to act “like a football crowd” in Manchester to help them get through.

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Top 5 on serve & return, Zverev is double trouble for opponents

Alexander Zverev has made a career of holding serve with ease, racing through his service games by overpowering opponents with his hefty first delivery. But the German has been equally as effective on return in 2024, making for a troubling combination for opponents.

His complementary serve and return performance has helped him tally a season-leading 56 match wins and secure qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals for the seventh time.

The 27-year-old is notably among the Top 5 in both serve (8.8) and return quality (7.49), according to Tennis Data Innovations, in partnership with TennisViz. Shot Quality is calculated in real-time by analysing each shot’s speed, spin, depth, width and the impact it has on the opponent. Zverev has an impact by mixing firepower with hefty spin.

A significant improvement in his forehand Shot Quality has provided a boost to Zverev on both serve and return points. In 2023 Zverev was 13th on the forehand Shot Quality index; this year he has surged to fifth. (He is fourth on the backhand leaderboard, the same position he held in 2023.)

“Sascha likes to serve big, return big, but he’s also intelligent on court, he can read the game very, very well,” said Mischa Zverev, former No. 25 in the PIF ATP Rankings and an established member of his brother’s team.

Qualified for Turin 👏🎾@AlexZverev becomes the 2nd player to secure his spot at the @atptour Finals!🔥

Check out his standout #Insights numbers for the 2024 season so far to see how he earned his place👇#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/GA8ILVPjEL

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) September 10, 2024

Zverev this season is hammering his first serve at an average of 129 mph, compared to the tour-average 116 mph. It does not get much easier to return his second serve. The 22-time tour-level titlist hits his second serve on average at 105 mph, 11 mph faster than the average.

Zverev’s Serve In 2024:
1st Serve Speed = 129 mph (Tour Avg. = 116 mph) 
1st Serve Accuracy = 59 cm from the sideline (Tour Avg. = 58 cm) 
1st Serve Effectiveness* = 67.1% (Tour Avg. = 60.9%) 
2nd Serve Speed = 105 mph (Tour Avg. = 94 mph) 
2nd Serve Effectiveness* = 26.2% (Tour Avg. = 23.4%) 
*effectiveness is the % of serves that are a combination of aces, unreturned and number of times the server is in an attacking phase on serve+1

Zverev has also notched impressive gains in other key Insights fields. He has surged to 13th (from 61st) in the Steal category, winning points 37.2 per cent of the time from a defensive position. He has jumped from 95th to 44th in Conversion, winning 68.1 per cent of points when in attack.

And he is playing more aggressive tennis, moving from 39th to 22nd on the In Attack leaderboard, reflecting which players spend the most time in attacking positions.

When the tennis balls get sent to the opponent’s end of the court, there is not much breathing room for whomever is across from Zverev.

This year’s Roland Garros finalist is taking an aggressive approach on return, especially should he get a look at a second serve. According to TDI Insights, Zverev is making more returns than the tour average, all while hitting the ball with more speed and spin. His return speed is notably eight mph faster than the average speed.

It is no wonder why on Monday Zverev returned to his career-high No. 2 PIF ATP Ranking, which he last was at in August 2022, when he was sidelined with a severe ankle injury.

Zverev’s Return In 2024:
1st In % = 66% (Tour Avg. = 62%) 
1st Speed = 67 mph (Tour Avg. = 59 mph) 
1st Spin = 1,735 rpm (Tour Avg. = 1,677 rpm) 
2nd In % = 85% (Tour Avg. = 82%) 
2nd Speed = 77 mph (Tour Avg. = 69 mph) 
2nd Spin = 2,078 rpm (Tour Avg. = 1,778 rpm) 

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Q3 In Review: Sinner, Djokovic, Popyrin lay markers

In a summer of transition from the clay courts of Europe to the hard courts of North America, the third quarter of the ATP Tour season was filled with new records and a wave of first-time champions.

Jannik Sinner’s dominance continued as he clinched his second Grand Slam title at the US Open, while the World No. 1 also won his third ATP Masters 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open. Novak Djokovic took a long-awaited first gold medal home at the Paris Olympics. In early August, Alexei Popyrin became a first-time ATP Masters 1000 winner by clinching the Montreal crown.

ATPTour.com reflects on the champions from the third quarter of 2024.

Jannik Sinner: US Open and Cincinnati
The Australian Open champion and World No. 1 solidified his position atop the PIF ATP Rankings with wins at the US Open and the Cincinnati Open. Enjoying his best season on Tour, Sinner beat American Taylor Fritz in the final of the US Open to become the first Italian man to win the hard-court major. With the title in New York, he also became the youngest man to win both hard-court Grand Slam titles in a single season.

“So many big wins for me this season, starting off with Australia,” said Sinner after winning the US Open. “Playing so well there gave me confidence. The work never stops. I know I can still improve, as we saw today, a couple of things. But you have to be proud with what you have and the rest you have to work for it. I can’t wait for my continued process.”

Earlier in August, Sinner also won the Cincinnati Open, defeating home favourite Frances Tiafoe in the final. With the win, he became the only player to win two ATP Masters 1000 titles so far in 2024.

The Italian, who missed the Olympics due to tonsilitis, qualified for November’s Nitto ATP Finals when he reached the quarter-finals in Montreal. The 23-year-old has won a Tour-leading six titles this season, with his title runs coming at the Australian Open, in Rotterdam, Miami, Halle and Cincinnati, and at the US Open.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/08/22/02/sinner-us-open-2024-trophy-shot.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Jannik Sinner” />

_{^{Jannik Sinner lifts the US Open title. Photo Credit: Kena Bentacur/AFP via Getty Images}}

Novak Djokovic: Paris Olympics
Djokovic withdrew from the quarter-finals of Roland Garros due to a right knee injury and underwent surgery on a torn meniscus early in June. Two months later, he returned to Court Philippe-Chatrier and fulfilled his pursuit of a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, without dropping a set.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion beat Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who took his first Olympic (silver) medal home, in the final. Djokovic became the first player to have won an Olympic singles gold, all four majors, and all nine Masters 1000 events. He also became the third man alongside Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal to complete the career Golden Slam.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m still in shock, honestly. I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family, my everything on the line to win Olympic gold at age 37. I finally did it,” he said.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/08/04/15/25/djokovic-olympics-match-point.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Novak Djokovic celebrates the moment he clinches the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.” />

_{^{Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning gold at the Paris Olympics. Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images}}

Alexei Popyrin: Montreal
Popyrin’s breakthrough title run at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers in Montreal was one of the surprise title runs of the season so far. The Aussie upset five Top 20 players (including three Top 10 players) to win his first Masters 1000 title. He beat World No.13 Ben Shelton in the second round and saved three match points to upset No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. He then defeated No. 6 Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals, No. 16 Sebastian Korda in the semi-finals, and No. 5 Andrey Rublev in the final.

Coming into the tournament as World No. 62, Popyrin jumped to a career-high No. 23 in the PIF ATP Rankings after the victory. With the win, he became the first Australian Masters 1000 winner since Lleyton Hewitt captured the Indian Wells crown in 2003.

“Not just me, but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me. They have sacrificed their whole lives for me and for me to win this for them is just amazing,” said Popyrin after the win.

Two weeks later, Popyrin sprung another upset by ousting defending champion Djokovic in the third round at the US Open. He became the first player to defeat Djokovic before the fourth round at the hard-court major since fellow Australian Hewitt achieved the feat in the third round in 2006.

Fils, Korda make ATP 500 breakthroughs
The #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils clinched his second ATP Tour title at the Hamburg Open by defeating Alexander Zverev on his home turf. In a rematch of their 2023 semi-final, Fils avenged his loss to the German by saving 21 of 22 break points in the final. Fils made his Top 20 debut in the PIF ATP Rankings as a result of the win.

Sebastian Korda also won his second ATP Tour title at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The American saved two match points against Thanasi Kokkinakis in the third round en route to the trophy. With the win, he became the second American since Andy Roddick in 2007 to win the title. Korda’s father Petr Korda won the tournament in 1992, making them the first father-son duo to win the same title in ATP Tour history.

Berrettini goes back-to-back in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel
The former World No. 6 Matteo Berrettini won the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad by beating Quentin Halys in the final. He also secured impressive wins against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to the title at the clay-court ATP 250.

The Italian carried his momentum into the following week to win his third tour-level title of the season, and 10th overall, at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel. The 2021 Wimbledon finalist did not drop a set across the two weeks.

Other Q3 Champions…
Marcos Giron and Nuno Borges became first-time ATP Tour title winners with their wins in Newport and Bastad, respectively. Giron won his maiden crown at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open. The 30-year-old saved a championship point against fellow American #NextGenATP countryman Alex Michelsen in the final.

Borges claimed his first trophy at the Nordea Open. The Portuguese defeated Rafael Nadal in the final and only dropped one set on his way to the title.

Yoshihito Nishioka and Francisco Cerundolo won their first titles of the season. Nishioka clinched the Atlanta Open crown after notching a notable quarter-final victory over home favorite Tiafoe. Cerundolo won the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag to capture his third career title. The Argentine defeated top two seeds Rublev and Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-final and final, respectively.

Lorenzo Sonego won his fourth tour-level title at the Winston-Salem Open without dropping a set. The Italian beat Michelsen in the final, who is currently second in the PIF ATP Race to Jeddah.

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