Tennis News

How Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai Changed China's Sports Landscape

For 50 years, the Nitto ATP Finals has been a landmark event on the ATP Tour’s calendar. Tennis’ greatest champions have competed in the tournament, which has rotated through 14 different cities. In 2002 in Shanghai, the tournament became the most-viewed international sporting event ever staged in China at that time.

The city began hosting an event in 1996 — that tournament later became known as the Heineken Open — which intrigued the local government. “This is amazing. We want more of this kind of thing,” Charles Humphrey Smith, the Managing Director/International of Juss Event, remembers an official telling him at the time.

Juss Events, China’s largest sports and events management company, was then allowed by the government to bid for what was then called the Tennis Masters Cup. The state-owned organisation was successful and in 2002, the tournament was held in Shanghai for the first time.

“It’s very seldom that an event acts as a pivot-point in the sport,” Smith said. “For us in Asia, and obviously for the globe, hosting the Tennis Masters Cup in 2002 under the global tennis world’s watchful eye was a defining moment in tennis, and has led the way to some amazing new things that have grown both the men’s and women’s sport.”

It’s not often a major city closes down its biggest highway for anything, let alone a tennis tournament. But Shanghai did so in 2002 for the Tennis Masters Cup. The organisers had built a stage overhanging the Huangpu River, which flows through the city. The players, escorted by a film crew, were driven to that location on The Bund. Thousands of police officers shut down all the ramps leading to the area, but there was a problem: Marat Safin was late and the ceremony was being filmed for live TV.

“He needed to get in the van with the players to go to the stage and they had the Chinese jackets on and everything,” Smith said. “Three minutes is a lifetime when you’re shutting down an entire city artery. Finally… we found Marat, put him in a car [and] the highway was still shut down.”

The world’s best tennis players — including World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, former World No. 1 Andre Agassi and rising star Roger Federer — wore colourful Tang jackets as they posed with Pudong and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in the background. It’s an iconic picture that still resonates today.

One of the biggest operational hurdles for the first edition of the tournament in Shanghai was that there was only one existing stadium downtown, which needed a significant renovation. Former long-time Tennis Masters Cup Tournament Director and ATP Chairman Brad Drewett was taken through the city to inspect stadiums with the Shanghai Sports Commission and Smith. Drewett often recounted the story that when they were shown the recently built exhibition halls, he told the Shanghai Sports Commission the ceilings were too low. They replied that would not be a problem and ensured that the one hall used for the Tennis Masters Cup 2002 was significantly taller than all the other halls. After that meeting, officials connected Smith with a Chicago-based architect, who said: “I don’t know who you are, but I’m supposed to do whatever you want.”

The Shanghai New International Expo Center became the venue for the 2002 Tennis Masters Cup. Hewitt would beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in a thrilling five-set final after three hours and 51 minutes in front of nearly 10,000 fans.

“The atmosphere in that arena was probably the best I’d ever seen for a tennis event because it was intimate, the sound was great and the playing conditions with the singles court looked fantastic on TV,” Smith said.

Shanghai had only bid to hold the event for one year, but the government immediately knew it wanted to bring the tournament back.

“It was a proud moment both for tennis and the Shanghai Organising Committee,” Smith said. “The government pressed the button and said, ‘Let’s build a new tennis centre. We don’t want to just have this. We want to have tennis at the highest level forever.’”

That led to the construction of the iconic Qizhong Stadium, with its Magnolia flower-shaped roof featuring eight petals. Eight is a lucky number in China, and the theme continued with eight singles players, eight doubles teams and eighth private locker rooms for the players. In 2004, Federer flew to Shanghai to open the stadium.

“He did it because he saw China as the future for him as well. He is as beloved as any foreign athlete in China. The guy has been amazing,” Smith said. “He made that decision on his own that China was a place that he wanted to better-known and market himself, and it’s been a very mutually beneficial relationship over the years.”

It was fitting that when the Tennis Masters Cup returned to Shanghai in 2005, Federer was enjoying the best season of his career. He reached the championship match with an 81-3 record for the year. The Swiss crushed Gaston Gaudio 6-0, 6-0 in the semi-finals and appeared primed to win a 25th consecutive final and match John McEnroe’s historic 82-3 tally from 1984.

In round robin play, Federer had defeated World No. 12 David Nalbandian in three sets. He won two tie-breaks to take a commanding lead against the Argentine in the championship match, inching closer to a third consecutive Tennis Masters Cup crown. But Nalbandian pulled off a memorable comeback to triumph in a fifth-set tie-break for the biggest victory of his career.

“I joked during the trophy ceremony, ‘Roger, don’t worry, it’s not your last final. You’re going to win a lot of tournaments, so let me keep this one,'” Nalbandian recalled.

Federer did not let the title slip through his fingers in 2006. After eliminating rival Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, he only lost seven games against big-hitting American James Blake in the championship match.

“There’s nothing I could have done. He played too good,” Blake said. “I’ve probably run out of adjectives to describe him on the court, to talk about his excellence. He’s just unbelievable. Steps it up even more in finals. I definitely think I could have played a little better. But to be perfectly honest, I don’t know if it would have mattered today.”

Federer triumphed once again the following year, dismissing Nadal in the last four for the second consecutive season. The Swiss dominated David Ferrer for the trophy. But in 2008, he failed to reach the semi-finals at the event for the first time in his seventh appearance. That allowed Novak Djokovic to break through and claim his first of five triumphs at the tournament in its final year in Shanghai.

Part of the agreement between the organisers and the ATP allowed for the organisers to purchase an ATP Masters 1000 license following the departure of the season finale. Since 2009, the city has hosted the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

But it was the year-end championships that proved the viability of the market not just for tennis, but for professional international sports. Jonas Bjorkman won the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup doubles title alongside Max Mirnyi, and competed at the Shanghai event from 2005-08. The Swede remembers watching the culture grow over the years.

“It is very unique because it is one of the few places where you have fans queuing at the hotel for hours just to get those selfies or autographs and then they will be queuing for hours on site. If they missed a few players [at the hotel], they would try to catch them there,” Bjorkman said. “It was a very different atmosphere compared to other [Nitto ATP] Finals [locations]… Towards the end you could really see how everyone started to understand tennis more and got into it more. It was a great experience to be there playing for many years.”

The love of the fans became apparent, and it still resonates today. Whenever the ATP Tour visits China, fans always have gifts prepared for many players in the draw. Tennis players are rock stars in China. Djokovic was blown away by their support after he lifted the trophy in 2008.

“There are so many letters and so many presents and souvenirs that I got from Chinese fans,” Djokovic said. “I haven’t experienced that ever in my career. Kids, as well as adults, waiting for me for 20, 30 hours, overnight. I mean, this just shows how much respect and appreciation they have for you as an individual.”

There isn’t currently a Chinese man inside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. But the Tennis Masters Cup’s five years in Shanghai brought about an explosion of tennis to China. The 2019 ITF Global Tennis Report states that 22.5 per cent of tennis players in the world are located in China.

“It’s remarkable that this has led the way for this domestic shift for tennis versus ping pong, badminton, or other sports,” Smith said. “Tennis is a very popular sport in China.”

Agassi made his final Tennis Masters Cup appearance in 2005. Although the American only completed one match due to an ankle injury, the American saw the importance of what having the event in Shanghai could mean for the future.

“This is not just an important tournament,” Agassi said. “It’s an important area of the world, and one that I think the game can benefit a lot from.”

The Brad Drewett Trophy
In 2013, the spectacular trophy presented each year to the Nitto ATP Finals champion was renamed The Brad Drewett Trophy, in honour of the former ATP Executive Chairman and President, who passed away in May of that year after a battle with Motor Neurone Disease. The Australian, who won two ATP Tour titles and reached World No. 34, served as Tournament Director of the tournament from 2001-2011.

“Brad was unique and had very good perspective from all sides of the tennis world,” said former Nitto ATP Finals Tournament Director Andre Silva. “He had a vision and believed in the event. He believed it was one of the greatest events on the tennis calendar and he worked very hard to grow its legacy.”

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Medvedev v Djokovic: A Tale Of Two Return Strategies

Daniil Medvedev’s 6-3, 6-3 win against Novak Djokovic on Wednesday evening at the Nitto ATP Finals came down to a tale of two return strategies.

According to the ATP Infosys Second Screen, Djokovic returned from much closer to — and sometimes inside — the baseline than the Russian, a decision that proved costly for the Serbian. Medvedev put far more returns in play, helping him clinch the top spot in Group Tokyo 1970. 

View The ATP Infosys Second Screen

Djokovic’s low returns-in-play percentage put a lot of pressure on him in rallies, forcing him to win many of those points against an opponent in Medvedev who refused to miss.

Looking at the ATP Infosys Second Screen, Djokovic returned Medvedev’s first serves from an average of 1.8 metres behind the baseline, giving him little time to react to the Russian’s pinpoint deliveries. He only put 50 per cent of his first-serve returns in play and won 21 per cent of points behind Medvedev’s first delivery.

Djokovic First-Serve Return Position:

The World No. 1 was aggressive with his return position on second serves, taking them from an average of 0.4 metres inside the baseline. The furthest back Djokovic returned a second serve from was right on the baseline. The Serbian only made 59 per cent of his returns behind the Russian’s second delivery and won 39 per cent of his second-serve return points.

Djokovic Second-Serve Return Position:

“I’m definitely happy that he didn’t change [his return position], but not sure that if he would [have] changed it [that] it would [have been] better for him,” Medvedev said. “When you’re in the tennis match, it’s tough sometimes to change something, because that’s something he has done all his life. That’s something he’s good at.
So imagine he would go back [deeper in the court to return] and then lose the match, then he would be doubting in his head — I say [that] from my point of view — that maybe he should have stayed closer and maybe he would have had chances.

“It’s always a game of decisions, tennis, and we will never know if it was a good one from him or not.”

Medvedev chose to return from much farther behind the baseline, and he put far more returns in play. The Russian put 68 per cent of his first-serve returns inside the lines while returning from an average of five metres behind the baseline.

Medvedev First-Serve Return Position

The three-time ATP Masters 1000 champion hit his second-serve returns from an average of 3.8 metres behind the baseline and won 57 per cent of those points.

Medvedev Second-Serve Return Position:

According to Hawkeye, Medvedev hit 40 per cent of his shots in the match from two metres or more behind the baseline, but his safe tactics paid dividends. The Russian’s wall-like game plan frustrated the World No. 1, who fell to 1-1 in Group Tokyo 1970 play.

Medvedev won all three rally lengths according to Match Insights powered by Infosys NIA. About half of the match’s points lasted between zero and four shots, making the return — and from where the players hit it — even more important.

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Djokovic: I Couldn’t Find ‘Additional Shots’

After Daniil Medvedev smacked a forehand winner on match point to take down the World No. 1, 6-3, 6-3 in just 81 minutes, he tapped a ball toward the backstop, and nonchalantly approached the net, where Novak Djokovic gave him a fist bump. The Russian didn’t pump his fists, raise his arms in the air or even smile. But Novak did, extending a warm salute to his young rival, who seemingly beat him at his own aggressive baseline game and has now prevailed against him in three of their past four ATP Head2Head encounters.

It was far from his best performance, but Nole, as he’s affectionately called in the Balkans, could still afford to smile because the Nitto ATP Finals is the only tournament of the year where you can lose and still win. The 17-time major champion still has his eyes on the prize: a record-tying sixth title overall and fifth at The O2.

The Serb was upbeat in the press conference, given the circumstances. But when a reporter noted that it seemed like he was breathing heavily at times during the match, he acknowledged that he went through a spell of 15 to 20 minutes during the match where he didn’t feel well.

“Well, I was, to be honest [not feeling well] a little bit, especially towards the end of the first set, beginning of the second,” said Djokovic, 33. “I kind of regrouped and felt better… towards the end of the match. But, yeah, just unfortunate 15, 20 minutes for me that resulted with seven games in a row lost… I made some unforced errors. I dropped the level of [my] game and fitness just in general. I struggled to… find the right rhythm for 15 minutes or so…You know, against a player like Medvedev, the match is done.”

Djokovic also credited his opponent for a match well played.

“I cannot allow these things to happen when you’re playing one of the top players of the world,” he said. “He was just better, no question about it… He’s serving tremendously well, moving great. [He didn’t] give me too many unforced errors and free points. Yeah, I mean, just not a great match from my side. I thought I could have and should have done better, but credit to him for playing on a high level.”

The Serb said that Medvedev’s first serve, strong backhand and fluid movement caused problems for him all match.

“He’s a tall guy and he moves well, he rarely misses backhands, and he’s just a smart player, very smart player,” he said. “[He] knows how to make you run, make you play, and he always asks additional shots from the back of the court… from his opponent. If you start making unforced errors and maybe if you’re not playing at your best, he uses it. You know, he was a better player. [He] deserved to win, no doubt about it.”

The defeat dropped Djokovic’s still-exceptional record to 40-4 on the season. He was an uncharacteristic minus nine in winners (13) versus unforced errors (22) in the match, compared to Medvedev’s plus nine (17/8). Djokovic served five double faults and the trim Russian belted 10 aces. Novak’s next opponent in the tournament’s round-robin phase is Alexander Zverev, who is also 1-1 in the group after beating Diego Schwartzman this afternoon. It’ll be a winner-moves-on, loser-goes-home match that could be a classic.

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Tsitsipas: Against Nadal, It’s ‘Every Man For Himself’

To get a sense of the mood and stakes leading into Thursday night’s win-and-advance, lose-and-go-home clash between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal, scroll through the Greek millennial’s recent Instagram posts.

The defending Nitto ATP Finals champion’s first post upon arriving in London, before play started, was about being kind. After his first match, he posted, “Action first, prayer second”. And after his prayers were answered in his win against Andrey Rublev Tuesday, he set the stage perfectly for his must-win match against Nadal: “Every man for himself.”

The Inferno—the first part of Dante Alighieri’s epic 14th Century poem describing his journey through the nine circles of Hell also could be a preview of what may be one of the matches of the season Thursday night. “There is no greater sorrow then to recall our times of joy in wretchedness.”

Tsitsipas said, in essence, after his win Tuesday that he’s ready to descend through at least three circles, or sets, of the fiery gates of Hell to get past Nadal and into the event’s semi-finals. “I know it will require a lot of physical effort, and I’m going to have to go through a lot of pain and suffering, so it is going to be difficult match,” said Tsitsipas, 22. “Yeah, I’m expecting a fight from my side.”

Providing the fight of his life is exactly what the Mallorcan great will have in mind after playing unbelievably good tennis against Dominic Thiem but still coming up short. He blasted 25 winners against 16 unforced errors but it wasn’t enough to defeat the Austrian. After the match, Nadal credited his opponent, as he always does, but insisted that, despite the loss, he’s feeling more confident now than he was before the tournament began.

“[Thiem] played, I think, an amazing match, and I played well too,” said Nadal, 33, who recently notched his 1,000th tour-level win at the Rolex Paris Masters. “So my feeling is not negative… I think my chances are bigger to have a very good result now than five days ago because the level of tennis, even if I lost today, for me is much higher.”

The Spanish legend has just about every other trophy imaginable in his museum in Manacor, so there’s no doubt that he’ll leave everything on the court against Tsitsipas to avoid being sent home early. With both men entering the match with 1-1 round-robin records, Nadal might be a slight favourite based upon his exceedingly strong form and the fact that he’s won five of their six ATP Head2Head clashes.

But Tsitsipas took Nadal to the brink in their thrilling match at The O2 last year, falling to the Spanish southpaw 7-5 in the third set. Nadal’s resume is one of the best in the history of the game, but the young Greek has the one big title that’s eluded the Spaniard. And so, expect a close, physical contest that will likely be decided by who plays the break points better.

In his match against Thiem, Nadal was 17-11 in rallies of nine shots or longer, but just 64-74 in rallies of nine shots or less. And so he’ll be aggressive when opportunities arise, but he’ll also be looking to extend points and make Tsitsipas suffer as much as possible.

After his match Tuesday, Nadal said he has nothing to prove to anyone, even himself, because he believes in his game.

“I really, I don’t want to pretend to be arrogant at all. Because I am not,” said Nadal. “But I really don’t need to show even to myself or to no one that if I am playing my best tennis, I think I can win in every surface and against any player, no.
It is true, [that] I never won the Nitto ATP Finals. That’s the real thing at the same time. So, no problem about that.”

No question, the man’s legacy is secure, even if he never wins another match in his life. But no one who has followed his career doubts for a moment that he’ll take the court Thursday night with anything less than his very best tennis. Coping with an in-form Nadal can be a wretched ordeal for any opponent. And so, the time for kindness is over for the young, but not-too-young Greek, who says that he hopes to provide a brave bit of hellish resistance against a legend of the game.

“At the end of the day, it’s just being brave and using your braveness through your experience,” he said.

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Preview: Rublev, Thiem Seek Different Prizes

Andrey Rublev and Dominic Thiem spilled their guts on the court Tuesday, with different results but the same extraordinary level of intensity. Thiem beat Rafael Nadal in a pair of tie-breaks in the matinee with tennis that was off the charts good.

And then the Russian boxing aficionado took a body blow in his first set against Stefanos Tsitsipas, losing 6-1 in 21 minutes. But he dusted himself off, won the second set, and had a match point in the third set tie-break, which he lost on a double fault. Tsitsipas took the next two points and the match, knocking Rublev out of contention for the tournament’s semi-finals.

It was a heart-breaking loss for Rublev, but he said that he was happy with how he stayed mentally tough in the match.

“This is the only thing I can take to play against Dominic, because against
Dominic you need to have really strong mental [strength] and then you have to play [an] amazing match,” said Rublev, 23, a Moscow native who is No. 8 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

For his part, Thiem comes into his final round-robin match against the Russian assured of winning Group London 2020 and coming off of what he characterised as one of the best wins of his life. “Honestly, I think that today I played a little bit higher level than at the US Open and [this] was maybe the best match for me since the restart of the Tour,” he said after his Tuesday victory against Nadal.

Thiem will also want to emerge unbeaten from the round-robin stage with full confidence heading into the semi-finals, with the possibility of becoming the first unbeaten champion at the tournament since Grigor Dimitrov in 2017.

For Rublev, who wildly exceeded his expectations with five titles and 40 match wins in a pandemic-affected season, pride will be on the line. After a season of such highs, he won’t want to finish winless on his debut at the season finale.

The men have split four ATP Head2Head matches, with Rublev upsetting the Austrian champ indoors at last month’s Erste Bank Open in Vienna. They also split matches on clay in Hamburg (Rublev) and Monte Carlo (Thiem), and Thiem won their first encounter, also at the Erste Bank Open, in 2017, when Rublev was just 20.

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Medvedev Magnificent In Djokovic Upset, Earns SF Spot

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic got beaten at his own game on Wednesday evening at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Daniil Medvedev grinded out the five-time champion 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court at The O2 for the third win in their past four ATP Head2Head meetings, guaranteeing his spot in the semi-finals at the season finale. 

“I like to play Novak because he is one of the greatest champions in the history of our sport,” Medvedev said in an on-court interview. “When I was eight years old, I was already watching him on TV winning Grand Slams. He was still young. It is always a dream come true to play against him.

“Of course, [I am] really happy to beat him. I was serving good and playing safe enough in the most important moments. That is why I got the win.”

[data-ps-embed-type=slideshow] > iframe {position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;}

One year ago, the Russian lost all three matches in London on his tournament debut. He has already clinched the top spot in Group Tokyo 1970 after moving to 2-0. The 24-year-old, who from 2-3 down in the first set won seven straight games, is trying to become the fourth player to lift the Nitto ATP Finals trophy the season after a winless debut (Djokovic, Stich, Edberg).

“To be completely honest, I am sure he didn’t play his best today. But still, it happens for everybody,” Medvedev said. “I always say the Big Three are the champions because it happens less for them than for other players. It is still tough to beat them, even on their bad days so I am really happy about the win. I am feeling good [and] confident right now… I knew I had to take my chances [and] serve good.” 

Medvedev booked his semi-final berth with an impressive defensive display in which he did to Djokovic what the Serbian does to the rest of the ATP Tour. The Russian gave the top seed no free points and repelled all his offence, frustrating Djokovic. As the 17-time Grand Slam champion’s level waned, Medvedev remained rock-solid, forcing his rival to beat him.

“He’s getting a little taste of his own medicine,” former World No. 1 Jim Courier said while broadcasting the match for Tennis Channel.

It was like watching the game ‘Pong’. No matter what Djokovic did, Medvedev had an answer. The 6’6” righty showed off his wheels at the back of the court, neutralising the Serbian’s aggression. While the top seed’s service games were full of lengthy rallies, Medvedev did well to keep things shorter, winning 61 per cent of his second-serve points compared to 43 per cent for Djokovic.

The 33-year-old fell to 6-7 in his second round-robin match at the year-end championships. Djokovic will try to recover for his final Group Tokyo 1970 match against 2018 champion Alexander Zverev, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals.

“It was just difficult to break his serve. He’s serving tremendously well, moving great. Hasn’t given me too many unforced errors and free points,” Djokovic said. “Just not a great match from my side. I thought I could have and should have done better, but credit to him for playing on a high level.”

Medvedev went unbroken in his triumph and now only trails 3-4 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series.

The World No. 1 saved the first four break points he faced with clutch, patient tennis. But once he missed an awkward low forehand at 3-3 to lose his serve, the gates opened for Medvedev. Djokovic grew impatient in rallies, using drop shots ineffectively and allowing Medvedev to stick with his successful defensive game plan.

Medvedev struck nine aces and only faced one break point, completing his victory with a forehand winner. He will play Diego Schwartzman on Friday.

Did You Know?
Medvedev is the first Russian to reach the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals since Nikolay Davydenko lifted the trophy in 2009.

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Melzer/Roger-Vasselin Save 5 Match Points!

Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin saved five match points and didn’t have a single break point in the match but still prevailed in a thrilling, come-from-behind win, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 12-10 over the sixth seeds Michael Venus and John Peers at the Nitto ATP Finals Wednesday.

Both teams came into the match sitting in the basement of Group Bob Bryan and hungry for a win, after having lost their first round-robin matches. And with the result, all four teams are still alive for a semi-final berth in what’s turned out to be a remarkably even and entertaining group.

Venus—a Kiwi who lives in London and went to college in the United States—wore a black top with neon green flames on his arms and torso, bounced around in between points like a boxer with his shorts on fire, waiting to land some blows. And indeed he was on fire early, using his lethal forehand and strong net play to inflict damage on the Austrian/French pair.

A doubles match wouldn’t be much fun without plenty of body blows and in this match there were plenty. Venus blasted an overhead at Melzer’s feet on the first point of the match, and a few points later, his partner hit Roger-Vasselin in the torso with a mishit overhead and won the point anyways.

Peers, the son of former pro tennis player Elizabeth Little and the brother of tennis player Sally Peers, mixed his serve beautifully and held comfortably in the first set.

Venus hopped out of the way of a tough body serve from Melzer up 2-1 in the first set on a deciding-point break chance and spun a crafty forehand winner into the tram lines for the match’s first service break. The wrecking crew from the Antipodes then cinched the double break and the first set, 6-2, in 25 minutes when Melzer, 39, double faulted on break point down.

Neither team faced a break point in the second set until the 60-minute mark of the match, when Roger-Vasselin staved one off with a well-placed 112 mile per hour serve out wide that induced a Peers’ backhand error, levelling the score at 5-5.
The match then headed into the tournament’s ninth (doubles) tie-break in eight matches. (Last year there were also nine tie-breaks in the doubles draw’s 15 matches.)

The match’s momentum shifted on the first point as Venus double faulted, giving the French-Austrian team a mini-break. Venus then netted a volley at 1-3 for a second mini-break but his quick hands helped them take that mini-break right back at 2-4. Down 2-5, Venus let a Melzer forehand passing shot go while at the net and it dropped well in to give the opposition a commanding 6-2 advantage. Suddenly the man who had been the most dominant player on the court had gone cold. Melzer sealed the comeback set 7-4 in the tie-break, with a cracking forehand volley winner to send the match into a Match Tie-break. Five of the eight doubles contests so far at this tournament have required a Match Tie-break.

The French-Austrian pair had only won three of 11 match tie-breaks this season, compared to three of five for Peers and Venus, but Melzer and Roger-Vasselin seemed to have the wind at their backs on this moment until Peers and Venus seized that momentum back at 2-2, capturing the first mini-break off a booming overhead smash from Peers. Then at 5-3 up, Venus hit a brilliant topspin lob over Melzer’s head that landed just inside the line for a clean winner that gave them a second mini-break and a 6-3 lead. Roger Vasselin hit a brilliant backhand service return though at 3-7 down to get that mini-break right back in a see-saw affair.

Roger-Vasselin saved a set point with some brilliant net play at 6-9. Then on match point number three, he fired an ace to bring his team to 8-9. On match point number four, Melzer blasted a forehand winner up the line and passed Venus to level the match at 9-9. A sharp backhand volley winner from Venus on the next point set up match point number five, which Melzer coolly staved off with a big first serve.

At 10-10 Roger-Vasselin tagged Peers on the leg with a nice volley, giving his team its first match point at 11-10. Peers then netted a routine bouncing overhead smash, giving Melzer and Roger Vasselin an improbable victory.

“I picked up my game after the first set; that was the key,” Melzer said in an on-court interview after the match. “I couldn’t have played worse in the first set. We said we’re going to stick together no matter what and it paid off.”

His partner said the key was staying positive while down essentially the entire match.

“We just tried our best and fought till the last point and are so happy we got the win,” he said. “In doubles, every point counts.”

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Murray's Twitch Take On Underarm Serve: 'It's Completely Legitimate'

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray was watching Daniil Medvedev’s match against Alexander Zverev on Monday when the Russian successfully used an underarm serve late in the second set.

On his daily Nitto ATP Finals Twitch stream with Gael Monfils, Murray admitted he “certainly wasn’t expecting it”, and he had no issue with the play.

Watch Monfils & Murray’s Twitch Stream

“It’s quite interesting because always when that happens, the commentators and the pundits start going, ‘Is it disrespectful to hit an underarm serve?’… and I don’t understand it,” Murray said. “I don’t understand why that should be disrespectful if players are going to stand six, seven metres behind the baseline to return the serve. I think it’s a completely legitimate play and I think as we’ve seen, it actually has been at times pretty successful.”

Murray added that he believes players only use the tactic when they feel they can gain an advantage in a point with it.

“It’s not like players are doing it just to mess around or make fun of the opponent,” Murray said. “It’s used as a legitimate tactic when players are standing that far behind the baseline.”

Monfils said the only time he’s used an underarm serve was against Dominic Thiem at Roland Garros last year. The Frenchman won the point.

“It’s also not that easy to do it,” Monfils said. 

Watch Monfils and Murray’s Nitto ATP Finals Twitch stream at 7p.m. GMT through the end of the tournament.

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ATP Finals 2020: Alexander Zverev beats Diego Schwartzman to keep alive finals hopes

Watch the best shots as Alexander Zverev boosts his ATP Finals hopes with victory over Diego Schwartzman in London.

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ATP Finals 2020: Alexander Zverev beats Diego Schwartzman to keep alive hopes

Former champion Alexander Zverev boosts his ATP Finals hopes with victory over Diego Schwartzman in London.

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