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Schwartzman's Home Thriller Among Best ATP Tour Comebacks Of 2020

Some matches are straightforward. One player is simply better than his opponent and he uses physical and tactical advantages to earn a victory. Other times, things get complicated.

Comebacks may look messier on paper, but they could have longterm effects on both the winner and loser. Someone who battles from the brink of defeat can turn around his season, while giving up a lead could send the loser into a funk.

The past two days, ATPTour.com has looked at the best ATP Tour matches of the season. Now, we will reflect on the most memorable comebacks of 2020. 

5) Jiri Vesely def. Ricardas Berankis, Tata Open Maharashtra, Pune, SF, 8 February 2020 (Match Stats)
Jiri Vesely and Ricardas Berankis were both the No. 1 junior in the world. Berankis, 30, is three years older than Vesely, but they both showed their potential before arriving on the ATP Tour.

Both men have earned Top 10 wins and cracked the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, but they haven’t consistently gone deep in tournaments week-in and week-out. That made their semi-final at this year’s Tata Open Maharashtra even more important.

Vesely, the 2015 Auckland champion, was pursuing his first final since 2015 Bucharest. Berankis has never won an ATP Tour title.

You might have expected Vesely — who at 6’6” is nine inches taller than the Lithuanian No. 1 — to dictate play in the key moments, but that wasn’t the case. Berankis battled to 6/3 in the final-set tie-break by controlling the action from the baseline, as Vesely — who saved two match points in his Pune quarter-final against Ilya Ivashka — was forced to drop back and defend.

Berankis had four match points in the tie-break, including two that he controlled. At 6/5, he rushed into net to put away a floating forehand volley, but missed in the net. At 7/6, the Lithuanian went for an inside-out forehand winner and missed wide. Instead, Vesely, who hit 28 aces, advanced to the final 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 7-6(7) after three hours and two minutes.

“I am very happy with my performance and my fighting spirit.” said Vesely, who went on to lift his first trophy in more than five years. “I didn’t give up… In total he had four match points and I kept fighting. It just paid off today.”

4) Emil Ruusuvuori def. Sebastian Korda, Western & Southern Open, New York, R1, 23 August 2020 (Match Stats)
It’s not often that one of the comebacks of the year is completed by a player who had control of the match in the first place, but that was the case in this clash between #NextGenATP stars.

Both Sebastian Korda and Emil Ruusuvuori were pursuing their first ATP Masters 1000 main draw triumph. World No. 100 Ruusuvuori, who was ranked 125 spots higher than Korda, played solid baseline tennis to take a 7-6(3), 4-2 lead. But Korda, who is an impressive ball-striker, found his rhythm and not only rallied to force a third set, but took a 5-2 lead in the decider. Ruusuvuori slightly dropped his level, and that was the only opening Korda needed to shift the tide.

“I had him in the second set, there’s no doubt about it,” Ruusuvuori said. “But then it was one of the biggest comebacks in my career.”

The Finn never panicked. On the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where he beat Korda in the 2017 US Open boys’ singles event 6-3, 6-3, Ruusuvuori pulled off a far more memorable victory.

The 21-year-old limited his errors and forced Korda to take the match from him. With a battle against Top 10 star Matteo Berrettini on the line, it was Ruusuvuori’s solid play that frustrated Korda in the key moments as the American’s level dropped towards the finish line. Ruusuvuori triumphed 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5, saying: “It was a really difficult match, especially mentally. There were a lot of ups and downs. I didn’t play the best at any time in this match. But I survived, that’s the key.”

Although this was a disappointing moment for Korda, his competitive spirit was a sign of things to come, as just a month later he reached the fourth round at Roland Garros.

3) Diego Schwartzman def. Pablo Cuevas, Argentina Open, Buenos Aires, QF, 14 February 2020 (Match Stats)
Diego Schwartzman only stands 5’7”, but he leaves it all on the court every time he competes. It was no different at this year’s Argentina Open in front of his home fans.

After beating countryman Federico Delbonis at nearly 2:30 a.m. in his second-round match, Schwartzman quickly returned to play Uruguayan shotmaker Pablo Cuevas in the quarter-finals. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a football match, with the Buenos Aires crowd fully behind its man.

This was a classic battle between clay-court stalwarts, grinding from behind the baseline until they could find a tactical advantage in the rally and step into the court to go for a big shot. Schwartzman tended to be more aggressive with his power, while Cuevas showed his feel when given the chance.

For most of the match, Cuevas pumped himself up whenever he won a point, but otherwise you could hear a pin drop. However, as the clash wore on, the fans began applauding him and audibly ooh’ing when the Urugayan hit a sensational shot.

In the second-set tie-break, the home crowd was raucous, attempting to push Schwartzman into a decider. For every point he won, fans got on their feet and roared in approval before breaking out into chants. It appeared that would not be enough, as Cuevas earned four match points, with two of those points coming on his own serve.

The Uruguayan, a six-time ATP Tour champion, threw everything but the kitchen sink at the home favourite, including an uncharacteristic serve and volley. But Schwartzman refused to miss, eliciting errors on three of the points and hitting a backhand winner on the fourth. After winning the tie-break 13/11, he lifted his right arm and looked around at the crowd, which was again on its feet cheering.

Schwartzman appeared in control with an early break in the decider, but Cuevas got back on serve and earned two break points at 4-4, However, he came up short in lengthy baseline rallies and Schwartzman held on, even as his movement looked hampered. That forced the Argentine to go for even more from the baseline, ultimately helping him to a 5-7, 7-6(11), 7-5 win after a marathon of three hours and 42 minutes.

It was a memorable comeback for Schwartzman, who was unable to play his semi-final due to an adductor injury. Even so, the Argentine’s battling spirit propelled him to a career-best season in which he cracked the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in London.

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ATP Launches Major Global Campaign 'This Is Tennis'

The ATP today launches its new global marketing campaign, This Is Tennis, marking a significant brand-shift for the Tour.

The campaign promotes both players and tournaments with more dynamism, and a tone of voice that allows tennis to cut through with greater cultural relevance, particularly among the next generation of tennis fans.

With the versatility to support the global scale and narrative of the tennis season, the campaign highlights stand-out moments in a way that builds emotional connection and provides unique insights into the sport. The film which launches the campaign is a high octane and edgy edit that reflects the true energy, pace and drama of the ATP Tour – whilst also highlighting its iconic global destinations – and gives glimpses into the personalities of this star-driven sport.

Dan Ginger, SVP Marketing and Business Development for the ATP, explains: “Our intention is to showcase tennis as more than a sport. Yes, we have some of the world’s top athletes competing on Tour day-in, day-out, but it encompasses so much more than that – resilience, dedication, passion, spirit. Tennis is a non-stop lifestyle and a unique entertainment property.

“Pulling back the covers and bringing fans the fullest experience of our world has required us to get creative in our storytelling. Thankfully the foundations are already there. We have an incredible pool of young and super-talented athletes, with personality in abundance, and tournaments in some of the most iconic cities around the world, which together have the entertainment potential to truly transcend the sport.”

ATP worked with award-winning London-based agency MATTA on the project, whose greatest challenge was the all-encompassing nature of the campaign requirements. Matt Hunt, Executive Brand & Strategy Director notes: “Once we had landed the line ‘This Is Tennis’, with its simple and under-stated confidence, when paired with outstanding photography, athletic yet charged with emotion, it all came together. The result is a presentation of the game that is both epic and alluring and which is carried through powerfully into the campaign launch film, communicating the colour, variety and appeal of the complete life on tour of this unique sport.”

The campaign launches digitally and will be used to frame the ATP’s social media content throughout its duration. Additionally, the campaign will be made available and uniquely tailored to tournaments throughout the season, providing a consistent and clean look and feel across traditional forms of advertising and driving ticket sales at ATP tournaments, which attract close to 5 million fans onsite in a typical season.

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Djokovic-Thiem Epic Tops ATP Tour Matches Of 2020

Continuing our review of the 2020 season, today we look at the top two ATP Tour matches of the year.

These two memorable clashes came just before the bell, with both being played on the penultimate day of the season in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals. The classics involved the top four players in the FedEx ATP Rankings, with two stars still on the rise taking out two all-time greats, potentially serving as a harbinger of 2021 and beyond.

2) Daniil Medvedev def. Rafael Nadal, Nitto ATP Finals, London, SF, 21 November 2020 (Match Stats)
When Rafael Nadal wins the first set, he’s like a train rolling downhill: There’s very little that can stop him.

Entering the semi-finals of this year’s Nitto ATP Finals against Daniil Medvedev, the Spaniard had won 71 consecutive matches after claiming the first set. Nadal took advantage of a sloppy Medvedev service game in the opener to cruise through the first set, putting him in prime position to earn a spot in the championship match as he sought his elusive first title at the season finale.

It wasn’t just that Nadal won the first set, but he appeared very much in control. The legendary lefty wasn’t thumping his way to victory as you’d expect — he was frustrating the Russian with his backhand slice and swooping into the net at every opportunity, often successfully. With a 3-0 ATP Head2Head record against Medvedev in hand and a break in the second set, his attempt at serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set seemed a foregone conclusion. But Nadal wasn’t at his ruthless best, allowing Medvedev back on serve.

Nadal is one of the most intimidating players to face on the ATP Tour, but Medvedev held his ground on the baseline and changed his game plan. He was more aggressive and even snuck into net — which is atypical for him — with great success.

Medvedev’s tenacity lowered Nadal’s level in a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory. The Russian pushed the train back up the hill and brought it to a halt.

“At the end of the [second] set I was playing a little bit better than him, and then in the 5-4 [game] I think he played a good game and I didn’t. I played a bad game. That’s it,” Nadal said. “But I had a big opportunity. I lost a big opportunity. Well done to him.”

Medvedev rode that momentum into the championship match, in which he claimed the biggest title of his career. The 24-year-old became the first to defeat the top three players in the FedEx ATP Rankings at the Nitto ATP Finals, and it took a battle from the brink against Nadal to do it.

“To beat Rafa you need everything,” Medvedev said. “[You need a] good backhand, good forehand working this day. Mentally you need to be super strong, because he’s there all the points.”

1) Dominic Thiem def. Novak Djokovic, Nitto ATP Finals, London, SF, 21 November 2020 (Match Stats)
After Dominic Thiem claimed his first Grand Slam title at this year’s US Open, the Austrian thought his nerves would settle in big moments. He had not only been to the doorstep of major success, but walked through it.

In the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals, he learned that nerves never go away: “That was a mistake, I guess,” Thiem admitted. “I was just as tight and as nervous as before. It was so much on the edge.”

The pair’s recent clashes set the bar high. In the 2019 Roland Garros semi-finals, Thiem needed more than four hours to beat Djokovic 7-5 in a fifth set. This February, they duelled in the Australian Open final, with Djokovic clawing his way to a victory. Now, a spot in the championship match of the season finale was on the line. Djokovic and Thiem were high-wire performers at The O2; two of the world’s best at their craft, putting it all on the line. 

Thiem once again came out swinging. Although there were no fans roaring to encourage the stars on Centre Court, the Austrian still went for it and tried to blow through the 36-time ATP Masters 1000 winner. The top seed, who was pursuing a record-tying sixth Nitto ATP Finals title and a punctuation mark to his stellar season, had to save four match points in the second set, including a forehand that landed right on the line. Djokovic was no longer walking on a high-wire but trying to balance while pedalling on it with a unicycle.

For the second consecutive year, Djokovic and Thiem battled into a final-set tie-break at The O2. In 2019, Thiem upended Djokovic, but that was in round-robin play. This time, to eliminate the Serbian from the tournament, he would need to hold his nerve after a gutting second-set loss.

Despite trailing 0/4 in the tie-break, Thiem gripped his racquet hard and went for it, winning seven of the final eight points for an impressive 7-5, 6-7(10), 7-6(5) victory. Djokovic in no way lost the match; Thiem took it from him.

“From 0/4 in the third-set tie-break I went for every single shot and every single shot went in,” Thiem said. “It was amazing, and it’s not going to be like that in every match I play.”

“I have to put my hat down and say, congratulations,” Djokovic said. “I actually didn’t play bad any point after 4/0. I thought [in] every point, I was in it. I did hit the ball, I was not pushing it, but he just smashed it and he just played great.”

With his fifth win against Djokovic (5-7), Thiem joined Andy Murray as the only players to beat each member of the Big Three on five or more occasions. He was unable to claim the title, losing against Medvedev, but he helped create a classic match that will live on in fans’ memories for years to come.

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Most Improved Nominees: Humbert, Rublev, Schwartzman & Sinner Shining

The Most Improved Player of the Year in the 2020 ATP Awards goes to the player who reached a significantly higher FedEx ATP Ranking by year’s end, and who demonstrated an increasingly improved level of performance through the season. This year’s nominees are Ugo Humbert, Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman and Jannik Sinner. The winner, as selected by the players, will be announced later this month.

Ugo Humbert
22-year-old Ugo Humbert won his first ATP Tour title in the second week of the 2020 season in Auckland, and claimed his second on the second-to-last week of the season in Antwerp. Despite the unprecedented events of 2020 that happened in between those milestones, the Frenchman stayed solid as he established himself as a rising force on the Tour. 

After starting the year ranked No. 57, Humbert broke into the Top 50 after his win in Auckland, which made him the youngest Frenchman to claim an ATP Tour title since 21-year-old Richard Gasquet in 2007. When the ATP Tour resumed after its COVID-19 suspension, Humbert found another level as he earned the biggest win of his career over No. 5 Daniil Medvedev en route to his first ATP 500 quarter-final in Hamburg. He backed up that result by winning his second tour-level title in Antwerp, and he also posted his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final appearance in Paris to end the season at a career-high No. 30 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“Tennis is a game for me. It’s fun. That’s why I love it, but it’s also a personal challenge for me. It’s more like a fulfillment,” Humbert told ATP Uncovered presented by Peugeot. “I want to prove that I can do great things in this sport. It’s also because of this that I love tennis, practising and fighting every day against my opponents.

”I was lucky to have the right people around me and make the right decisions. I think it’s important for me to leave a mark. I would like to show my values… I want people to see that I enjoy myself when they watch me. I want them to play as well, or at least that they want to try when they watch me.”

 

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Andrey Rublev
The seemingly tireless Andrey Rublev ended the year the same way he started it: on a hot streak. The 23-year-old added five ATP Tour titles to his haul this year, the most of anyone in 2020, outpacing even World No.1 Novak Djokovic.

Rublev exploded onto the courts at the start of 2020 with an 11-match winning streak that took him to back-to-back trophies in Adelaide and Doha and to the Australian Open fourth round for the first time.

The Russian continued to impress after the ATP Tour’s resumption, reaching quarter-finals at the US Open and Roland Garros and picking up his third trophy of the year – and his first ATP 500 title – in Hamburg. Rublev embarked on an 11-match win streak to make it a hat-trick of ATP 500 trophies with victories in St. Petersburg and Vienna. He went on to qualify for his first Nitto ATP Finals and earned a round-robin win over Dominic Thiem to finish the season at a career-high No. 8 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“I’m grateful for everything that’s happened to me,” Rublev told press at the Nitto ATP Finals. “I won more tournaments in this year than I’ve won in my life.”

“There are still so many things I can improve. That’s the main goal in the off-season. Now I’m really motivated to improve the main parts [of my game] before we start the new season.”

 

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Diego Schwartzman
New career-high FedEx ATP Ranking? First Nitto ATP Finals appearance? Best Grand Slam result? Check, check and check. Diego Schwartzman ticked off some major milestones in 2020 as he continued his steady rise into the game’s upper echelons.

Schwartzman started the season with a run to the final in Cordoba, and backed it up with a semi-final in Buenos Aires. But the best was yet to come after the Tour’s resumption, and he reached new heights on clay, where he took down Rafael Nadal en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. A few weeks later, the Argentine put together his best Grand Slam run at Roland Garros, defeating Dominic Thiem on his way to the semi-finals. Schwartzman went on to qualify for his first Nitto ATP Finals, becoming the first Argentine player to compete at the season-ending event since Juan Martin del Potro in 2013.

“[Usually] at this time, I was always on holidays, and now I’m practising more than ever trying to beat the best guys on Tour,” said Schwartzman in London. “So I’m very excited, I’m trying to enjoy every single moment here, but also I’m trying to work really hard. I have the opportunity to continue doing a good season.”

 

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Jannik Sinner
Nineteen-year-old Jannik Sinner finished the 2019 season by stunning the field in Milan and taking home the Next Gen ATP Finals trophy. By the end of 2020, the youngest member of the Top 100 was lifting his first ATP Tour trophy – and sending a signal to the rest of the ATP that he intends to keep rising.

After claiming his first Grand Slam main draw win at the Australian Open, Sinner kept the positive momentum going early in the season to reach his first ATP 500 quarter-final in Rotterdam. He continued chipping away at his FedEx ATP Ranking throughout the abbreviated season, and made a statement in his Roland Garros debut by reaching the quarter-finals, defeating World No. 7 Alexander Zverev along the way. Sinner sealed his breakthrough season by becoming the youngest ATP Tour titlist in 12 years when he lifted the Sofia Open trophy, boosting him to a new career-high Ranking of No. 37.

“It’s a great progress of hard work,” Sinner said after his win in Sofia, “I have a great team behind me. I’m very excited about this result because sometimes you need them; obviously you’re working hard, so sometimes a result [like this] is good and great to see. 

“It’s a great progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do. We will see in a few years where I am, but I think right now I’m very happy about this win.”

 

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Kyrgios-Tsitsipas Classic Among Best ATP Matches Of 2020

Last week, ATPTour.com looked at the best Grand Slam matches, comebacks and upsets of 2020. Now, we will reflect on the most memorable matches, comebacks and upsets from ATP Tour events this year, starting with the best matches.

From two classic showdowns in Australia at the inaugural ATP Cup to a bruising battle of contrasts on Rome’s red clay, these are three of the top five ATP Tour matches of the season.

5) Nick Kyrgios def. Stefanos Tsitsipas, ATP Cup, Brisbane, RR, 7 January 2020 (Match Stats)
Team Australia had already booked its spot in the Final Eight of the inaugural ATP Cup, and Team Greece was eliminated. But Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas still put on one of the most intense matches of the season — in a fun way — at the ATP Cup.

In 2019, the pair met for the first time at the Citi Open, where Kyrgios won in a final-set tie-break, so it was no surprise that this match was a cracker. There were no service breaks, just a combined 43 aces, jaw-dropping shotmaking, tweeners and, most importantly, a memorable atmosphere.

It felt like a football match in Australia, with both players not just showing great skill, but plenty of emotions. Kyrgios, who never shies away from a show, was leaving everything on the court. At one point he even dropped to his back in exhaustion after chasing down several shots in the second set.

Tsitsipas got a point penalty for hitting a ball into the Team Greece Team Zone, as members of his team tried to calm him down. The Aussie fan section “We The People” banged its drums as Greek fans chanted in unison for Tsitsipas. Both players used the raucous crowd to push themselves forward and play some sensational tennis.

There was no discernable difference in level between the two stars, and there was never a doubt that a point here and there would make the difference. With the final-set tie-break still on serve, Kyrgios crushed a backhand return winner to seal a 7-6(7), 6-7(3), 7-6(5) victory.

“I served really well in big moments,” Kyrgios said. “But the atmosphere was awesome.”

4) Novak Djokovic def. Daniil Medvedev, ATP Cup, Sydney, SF, 10 January 2020 (Match Stats)
Perhaps Serbian Novak Djokovic most succinctly summed up his ATP Cup semi-final classic against tricky Russian Daniil Medvedev in January: “Exciting, exhausting, joyful, dreadful all at once.”

Entering the match, Medvedev had some confidence having won two consecutive clashes against Djokovic. The unorthodox righty quickly dropped the first set with an uncharacteristic 12 unforced errors, and then he changed his strategy. Medvedev became a mirror.

Medvedev began putting ball after ball into play, making for an abundance of grinding rallies in which neither man was willing to make a mistake. Djokovic is not often bent over from exhaustion. Usually it’s his opponents who are gasping for air and solutions, but this time it was the Serbian.

“At one point we both refused to miss from baseline, so it was a lot of rallies and it was very exhausting,” Djokovic said. “[It was a] very physical battle, but also [a] mental battle.”

One advantage Djokovic had was the crowd, which was pro-Serbian throughout the tournament. It was as if the atmosphere gave the World No. 2 an extra boost to overcome the physicality of the match and find a way to win the big points. Djokovic was able to summon his reserves in the critical moments, ultimately triumphing 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.

“[It was] definitely one of the most exciting matches I have played against him or any other top player [the] past few years,” Djokovic said.

3) Diego Schwartzman def. Denis Shapovalov, Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, SF, 20 September 2020 (Match Stats)
Styles make matches, and high stakes make those clashes even more gripping. Diego Schwartzman and Denis Shapovalov’s Rome semi-final duel had all of that and more.

Schwartzman entered the match fresh off a stunning upset of Rafael Nadal. The Argentine called that performance his “best match ever”, but the 28-year-old still was trying to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final, which would come with a chance at cracking the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time. Shapovalov, a dynamic lefty, knew if Schwartzman did not win the title, he would be the one making his maiden appearance in the Top 10 after the tournament.

This became a classic battle between Shapovalov’s unrelenting offence and Schwartzman’s unbreakable defence. Against Nadal, the Argentine played aggressively and came out on top in cat-and-mouse points. But Shapovalov showed no interest in allowing that, swinging away and trying to bulldoze through the Italian clay.

As the gruelling rallies went on towards the end of the second and third sets, both men barely mustered enough energy to celebrate. Schwartzman simply stared at his team as he caught his breath. The Argentine appeared like a dam ready to break, as Shapovalov’s blows proved difficult to fend off indefinitely. But after failing to serve out the match, the Canadian began misfiring with his forehand, while Schwartzman remained in “lockdown mode” to emerge victorious 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4) after three hours and 15 minutes.

“I’m very, very happy. I think today was a crazy match, it was really tough for us,” Schwartzman said. “On my side I’m very happy because I have the win.”

Schwartzman was unable to complete his dream run, losing against Novak Djokovic in the final. But while Shapovalov cracked the Top 10 the next week, the Argentine also accomplished the feat later in the year following a career-best Grand Slam run at Roland Garros, where he reached the semi-finals.

Read Our ‘Best Of 2020’ Series

Tomorrow: The best two matches of 2020 at ATP Tour tournaments.

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Dennis Ralston, 1942-2020

Dennis Ralston, the 1966 Wimbledon finalist and five-time major doubles champion, passed away on Sunday due to brain cancer aged 78. The American, who dedicated his life to the sport, was a Davis Cup captain, a coach to former WTA Tour No. 1 Chris Evert, Yannick Noah, Gabriela Sabatini and Roscoe Tanner, and an inspirational figure, who overcame hardship later in his life.

Ralston was adjudged to be World No. 5 in 1966 by the doyen of tennis correspondents, Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph. He turned pro aged 24, for what was believed to be $100,000 over three years, and in 1967 signed on with the World Championship Tennis Tour as part of the ‘Handsome Eight’, alongside John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Cliff Drysdale, Earl Butch Buchholz, Nikola Pilic, Roger Taylor and Pierre Barthes.

During a 20-season playing career, which began as an amateur in 1958, Ralston battled back from 16 knee operations. A decent basketball guard growing up, his parents didn’t permit him to continue as an American Football quarterback, fearful of injuries. Ralston won three consecutive NCAA titles with the University of Southern California between 1962-64 and also two doubles titles in 1963 (w/Rafael Osuna) and 1964 (w/Bill Bond). He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

Having started playing tennis against a garage door and an eight-foot high brick wall in Bakersfield, two hours north of Los Angeles, Ralston rose through the ranks of southern California tennis and caught the attention of Perry T. Jones, one of the sport’s most powerful officials, and Richard Pancho Gonzales, who was an early coach. Like many, right-hander Ralston struggled with his serve if he didn’t toss the ball correctly, and worked hard with Gonzales after hitting 22 double faults in a Davis Cup tie against Mexico in August 1961. Gonzales helped Ralston become more offensive on his second serve and slice the stroke with greater efficiency. He also hit a powerful forehand and was also a world-class volleyer.

He first travelled to England after his childhood club, Bakersfield Racquets Club, raised $900 of the $1,400 for the 17-year-old to play on the 1960 summer circuit. Staying in a cheap Earls Court hotel, Ralston and 21-year-old Osuna, his future college roommate, needed to walk 232 steps up to their top-floor room, but the extra exercise helped them become the first unseeded team to win the Wimbledon doubles title (d. Michael Davies/Bobby Wilson). Ralston would also team up with Chuck McKinley for the 1961, 1963-64 US Championships at Forest Hills and Clark Graebner for the 1966 French Championships at Roland Garros.

It’s a sad day as my former coach of six years, Dennis Ralston, has passed away. A deeply religious man, a devoted family man, and a superb player and coach…. he will be missed. RIP Dennis ???

— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) December 6, 2020

So sad to hear the passing of Dennis Ralston, greatfull to have received his knowledge, dedication and passion on the tennis court. But most of all his integrity and great values as a person. My condolences and all my love to his family #RIP #DennisRalston pic.twitter.com/xxRITenmFL

— Gabriela Sabatini (@sabatinigabyok) December 6, 2020

Favoured to win the 1966 Wimbledon singles final, having beaten Manolo Santana a few weeks earlier at The Queen’s Club, sixth seed Ralston lost 6-4, 11-9, 6-4 and later admitted he felt flat, unable to get fired up. Shortly afterwards, Ralston partnered his father to the National Father & Son title in Boston. He also reached semi-finals at the 1960 US Championships (l. to Neale Fraser) and the 1970 Australian Open (l. to Arthur Ashe).

Ralston, dubbed ‘Dennis The Menace’ by the press, also played 34 singles and doubles rubbers for the United States, including victory over Australia in the 1963 Challenge Round. He served as coach from 1968 to 1971 and captain from 1972 — the year Stan Smith won the title-winning point over Ion Tiriac in Bucharest — to 1975.

Tactically astute, Ralston was soon in high demand as a Tour coach and he helped Tanner reach the 1979 Wimbledon final (l. to Borg in five sets) and taught the big-serving American how to volley. It was also a stroke he worked on with Evert, who sought out Ralston at a time when she was on a 13-match losing streak against Martina Navratilova. In a six-year partnership, Ralston also helped Evert to hit a topspin lob — coached over a five-month period from his Dallas home — and when to attack the net. He also assisted John Lloyd and Pat Dupre, and taught Noah how to hit a backhand return and wait for the ball. He developed Sabatini’s serve, with a half swing motion, relaying exactly what Gonzales had told him almost 30 years earlier.

Ralston also served as men’s coach at Southern Methodist University between 1981-89 and 1991-93 (split when he helped Noah in 1989-90). He was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1983, when SMU finished second nationally, and was the Director of Tennis at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs in the 1990s. For the past decade, Ralston was on the teaching staff at Grey Rock Tennis Club in Austin, Texas.

Ralston underwent double knee replacement surgery in the 1990s and in 2009 experienced a bad fall in the Dallas airport that injured both shoulder rotator cuffs. By then, his ankles and left foot had also seen better days. One year later, at a time of financial hardship that led Ralston to melt down his silver trophies, a series of infections forced the amputation of his left leg below the knee. With the support of his family, he returned to the court 12 months later and wore a prosthetic to play and coach tennis once again. He also underwent hip replacement surgery in 2017.

Ralston, a religious man of great integrity and compassion, passed away in Austin, Texas. He is survived by Linda, his wife of 56 years, and their three children, Mike, Lori and Angela.

International Tennis Hall Of Fame President Stan Smith, who was coached and captained by Ralston when competing for the US Davis Cup team, including the team’s historic 1972 championship win over Romania, paid tribute to his countryman.

“Dennis Ralston lived his whole life in tennis. He was a terrific champion, but he contributed to every part of the sport really, and with a real passion for it,” Smith said. “To me, he was a fellow USC Trojan, my coach, my captain, and a great friend. I, along with so many in the tennis world, will greatly miss his friendship and kindness.

“Dennis had an incredible mind for tennis, and he wanted to share what he knew to help others. He really prepared us for that battle in Romania. It was the most challenging and satisfying of all my Davis Cup campaigns. Dennis knew what it would take for us to compete, and he was a tremendous leader for me and the team.”

Richard Dennis Ralston, tennis player, captain and coach, born 27 July 1942, died 6 December 2020

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Rublev, Schwartzman New Names In Year-End Top 10; Djokovic Continues No. 1 Reign

The ATP today published the 2020 year-end FedEx ATP Rankings on ATPTour.com. Despite a tour suspension of more than five months, a number of milestones were reached, including two new players in the year-end Top 10, while Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal continued their battle for No. 1.

Djokovic earned a record-tying sixth year-end No. 1 finish (joining Pete Sampras), while Nadal finished No. 2 for the seventh time and in the Top 2 for a record 12th time.

There were two new faces in the year-end Top 10: No. 8 Andrey Rublev, who led the ATP Tour with five titles, and No. 9 Diego Schwartzman.

Five players 24-and-under finished in the Top 10 for the first time since 2009, led by World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev (24), who won the Nitto ATP Finals. Other Top 10 players under the age of 25 were No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas (22), No. 7 Alexander Zverev (23), No. 8 Rublev (23) and No. 10 Matteo Berrettini (24).

View Full 2020 Year-End FedEx ATP Rankings

2020 Year-End FedEx ATP Rankings Quick Facts
* France led all countries with 11 players in the Top 100, followed by Spain with 10 and the U.S. with nine. Italy had eight for the second straight year, their most in FedEx ATP Rankings history. France had the most players in the Top 50 with five followed by Italy, Serbia, Spain and the U.S. with four.

* Federer, at 39 years and 3 months, was the oldest player to finish in the Top 100 followed by Feliciano Lopez (39y, 2m) at No. 64. Including Milos Raonic, who turns 30 later this month, there were 41 players 30-and-over in the year-end Top 100, the most since a record 43 in 2017.

* There were three Russians in the year-end Top 20 for the first time in the history of the FedEx ATP Rankings (since 1973) with No. 4 Medvedev, No. 8 Rublev and No. 20 Karen Khachanov.

* World No. 25 John Isner finished in the Top 25 for the 11th straight year and he was the top American in the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings for the eighth time in the past nine years (except 2017). It was the first time in FedEx ATP Rankings history that an American did not finish in the Top 20.

* There were 14 players 24-and-under in the year-end Top 30, the most since 2006, when there were 16.

* Vasek Pospisil made the biggest jump (89 spots) into the Top 100 from No. 150 at the end of 2019 to a year-end No. 61 in 2020. The 30-year-old Canadian returned from back surgery, which sidelined him for six months in 2019, and reached two finals (Montpellier, Sofia). He is a leading candidate for ATP Comeback Player of the Year.

* #NextGenATP Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime, 20, and Denis Shapovalov, 21, along with No. 1 Aussie Alex de Minaur, 21, were the youngest players to finish in the Top 25 for the second straight year. Shapovalov broke into the Top 10 for one week before finishing a year-end best No. 12. Auger-Aliassime was No. 21 for the second year in a row and De Minaur was No. 23. Overall there were eight #NextGenATP players (born after 1998) in the Top 100 of the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings.

* For the second season in a row, Jannik Sinner, 19, was the youngest player in the year-end Top 100. Sinner, who made the biggest jump into the Top 100 in 2019 (685 spots from No. 763 to No. 78), made the biggest improvement in the Top 50 this season (41 spots from No. 78 to No. 37). Sinner was one of six first-time ATP Tour champions in 2020 and he was followed by Casper Ruud (No. 54 to No. 27) and Ugo Humbert (No. 57 to No. 30), who both jumped 27 spots from last season. They also were first-time champions.

* Overall there were 37 countries represented in the year-end Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings (36 in 2019).

* Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares finished No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings. Pavic finished No. 1 two years ago (w/Oliver Marach) while Soares was No. 1 in 2016 (w/Jamie Murray).

* Shapovalov was the only player to finish in the Top 50 of both singles and doubles. Shapovalov ranked No. 12 in singles and No. 49 in doubles.

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Cerundolo's Title Treble Caps Breakthrough Season

Who was the ATP Challenger Tour’s hottest player in the final months of the 2020 season? There is only one answer: Francisco Cerundolo.

In October, Cerundolo introduced himself to the tennis world with a maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Split, Croatia. The Argentine told us the story of how he studied for three exams while battling through the Split Open draw.

In November, Cerundolo received a special honour after taking his second title in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Competing in his first tournament as a Top 200 player, the 22-year-old was presented with the trophy by former World No. 4 and tournament director Andres Gomez.

And in December, Cerundolo completed an unforgettable title treble. On Sunday, he triumphed on the clay of Campinas, Brazil, defeating World No. 102 Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 for his third crown in three months. The Argentine joins Carlos Alcaraz as the most decorated players on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2020.

“The truth is that it feels incredible,” said Cerundolo. “It was a great tournament for me. Two win a second title in three weeks is amazing. I’m very happy with what I achieved and the way I finished the year. To finish the year in the Top 150  is crazy.”

Photo Credit: Joao Pires/Fotojump

Cerundolo was made to work to lift the trophy after nearly being bounced from the tournament in second round. The Buenos Aires native was forced to save a match point against countryman Facundo Mena, reeling off 10 straight points to prevail in a deciding tie-break. He would then defeat another Argentine, Facundo Bagnis, and last week’s Sao Paulo champion Felipe Meligeni to reach the final. There, he rallied from a break down in the deciding set to defeat Carballes Baena and lift the trophy.

“In the second round, I did not play well,” recalled Cerundolo. “To win after saving a match point, holding the trophy in my hands, makes me happy. And the final was difficult too. Carballes is a tough opponent and he raised his level in the second set. But I’m very happy for what I did, to come back in the third.”

Cerundolo rises to a career-high No. 139 in the FedEx ATP Rankings with the victory in Campinas, soaring more than 100 spots since the start of the year. He finishes his 2020 campaign on a staggering 20-3 run. Moreover, his 22 match wins lead the Challenger circuit since the restart from the COVID-19 hiatus.

“Now I will go back to my home in Argentina to relax, spend some time with my family and friends  and later prepare for the next season.”

Match Wins Leaders Since Restart (17 August)

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Sousa Triumphs On Home Soil In Final Match Of 2020

The 2020 ATP Challenger Tour season came to a close on Sunday afternoon in Maia, Portugal, as one of its native sons lifted the trophy. Pedro Sousa raised his arms in triumph, celebrating the 57th – and last – title of a season no one will ever forget.

Sousa clinched the eighth Challenger crown of his career, marking the fourth straight year in which he has been the last man standing at a tournament. The 32-year-old rises to No. 105 in the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings, just six spots off his career-high position.

“It couldn’t be better,” said Sousa. “I’m a little relieved, because I had lost four finals in a row, three of them in Challengers, so I was getting a little bit worried. But fortunately today I managed to handle the pressure well and ended up winning the title.”

Sousa found himself in the winners’ circle for the first time since August 2019, defeating Spain’s Carlos Taberner 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 for the title on Sunday. He needed two hours and five mintues to earn the hard-fought championship victory. It was a historic achievement for Sousa, whose eight titles move him into a tie with Rui Machado for the all-time lead among players from Portugal. Now retired, Machado is the Davis Cup captain and National Technical Director for Portuguese tennis.

“The first set was perfect, but I knew the match was going to be tight,” Sousa added. “It’s impossible to play a final and think that things are going to go well all the time. He improved in the second set and I lost a bit of my level, with some nerves in the mix, but luckily I still had time to win the match in three.”

At the age of 32, Sousa is playing the best tennis of his career. He reached a combined four finals in 2020, including three at the Challenger level and his first on the ATP Tour. It was in Febraury that he competed for the title at the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires, eventually falling to Casper Ruud.

“Next year I want to continue climbing,” the Portuguese No. 2 added. “I am working hard and focus every day on improving my ranking. This year was positive for me, but I want to play as many ATP Tour tournaments as I can in 2021.”

Portuguese Title Leaders – ATP Challenger Tour

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ATP Tour Season In Review: Doubles In 2020

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com looks at the headlines that shaped 2020 on the doubles circuit.

Pavic/Soares Finish Partnership At No. 1
After joining forces at the 2019 Fever-Tree Championships, Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares built on a strong start to their partnership to finish the 2020 ATP Tour season as the No. 1 pair in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings.

After struggling for form in the opening months of the year, Pavic and Soares returned from the ATP Tour suspension in August with a loss in their opening match at the Western & Southern Open. The Croatian-Brazilian tandem entered the US Open with just four wins from 10 matches in 2020, but Pavic and Soares found their best form in New York to kickstart their season and lift their biggest team title. After securing comeback wins in their first two matches, Pavic and Soares did not drop a set from the quarter-final stage to take the trophy.

The US Open champions maintained their form throughout the remainder of the 2020 season, as they finished runners-up at the Hamburg European Open, Roland Garros and the Rolex Paris Masters. Pavic and Soares completed their season with two wins from three matches at the Nitto ATP Finals, as they took their record in 2020 to 22-11. Pavic and Soares will compete with new partners in 2021. Pavic will combine with Nikola Mektic, while Soares will reunite with Jamie Murray.

“It’s a very special moment for us, finishing year-end No. 1,” said Soares. “I think it’s a massive achievement and it shows how well we played throughout the year. How consistent we were, winning big tournaments.”

“I am very happy for Bruno and myself to end the year No. 1. It was a great partnership, and a good achievement to end the partnership,” said Pavic.

Ram/Salisbury Claim Maiden Grand Slam Crown
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury began their 2020 campaign with confidence after a consistent 2019 season. The American-British duo won two trophies from five finals last year and wasted little time adding to their collection in 2020. Following a quarter-final run at the Adelaide International, Ram and Salisbury dropped just one set en route to their maiden Grand Slam title as a team at the Australian Open. The 11th seeds held their nerves in the championship match to overcome Aussie wild cards Max Purcell and Luke Saville in straight sets.

“I don’t think I thought when I asked you to play just over a year ago that we’d be standing here now, but it’s been an honour to play with you,” Salisbury said to Ram. “It’s been so much fun to have you as my partner and as my friend. Thank you so much for being the best partner I could get.”

Ram and Salisbury came back from the ATP Tour suspension in sharp form, as they reached back-to-back semi-finals at the Western & Southern Open and the US Open in New York. The pair, which also reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals, won two of their three round robin matches to reach the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals in London.

Ram and Salisbury needed to reach the championship match at The O2 to clinch the year-end No. 1 position in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings, but they fell short of the mark after losing 11/9 in a Match Tie-break to St. Petersburg champions Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Ram and Salisbury finished the year as the No. 2 team with a 20-9 record.

Koolhof/Mektic’s Maiden Moment
Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic made their team debut at the Adelaide International in January, but it wasn’t until their fourth tournament as a pair that they showed fans their full potential. After picking up just two wins from their first three outings as a duo, the pair finished as the runner-up team at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille.

When the ATP Tour resumed in August, Koolhof and Mektic built on that result with a quarter-final run at the Western & Southern Open. With increased confidence, Koolhof and Mektic beat Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen and Australian Open champions Ram/Salisbury to reach their first Grand Slam final at the US Open (l. to Pavic/Soares).

Koolhof and Mektic continued to show consistency on clay with semi-final runs in Hamburg and at Roland Garros. But the pair’s milestone moment came in their final tournament as a team at the Nitto ATP Finals in London. The fifth seeds topped their group with a 2-1 record and battled past Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos and Melzer/Roger-Vasselin at the season finale to lift their first team trophy. The Dutch-Croatian pair compiled a 24-13 record and finished the year as the No. 3 team in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings.

“It’s [an] unbelievable feeling. It’s not just the way to finish this year. This is something to remember throughout [our] whole lives,” said Mektic. “This is for sure my biggest achievement of my life and of my career, so this is something that I will remember forever.

“[We] managed to play some very good tennis… To play the final of the [Nitto ATP] Finals is very big and [we are] extremely happy to have won,” said Koolhof.

Krawietz/Mies Repeat In Paris
Prior to the suspension of the ATP Tour in March, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies’ best result was a semi-final run at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille. In fact, the Germans arrived in Paris for the defence of their Roland Garros title with nine wins from 20 matches in 2020.

Krawietz and Mies recaptured their best form on the Parisian terre battue, as they charged to their second straight title in the French capital. From the quarter-final stage, the Germans beat Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski, Koolhof/Mektic and Pavic/Soares in straight sets to improve their unbeaten record at Stade Roland Garros to 12-0.

“It is hard to describe what is going through our heads right now. It is unbelievable,” said Mies. “I think this achievement is even bigger than winning last year. To win a Grand Slam title is always big, but to defend it is even more difficult. It is incredible that we did and we are unbelievably happy right now. We cannot believe it.”

Just two weeks later, Krawietz and Mies reached their second final of the year on home soil at the bett1HULKS Championship in Cologne (l. to Klaasen/McLachlan). The two-time Roland Garros champions ended the year with their second straight appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals in London (1-2).

Regular Success
During a shortened 2020 ATP Tour season, two pairs managed to capture three ATP Tour titles this year: Granollers/Zeballos and John Peers/Michael Venus.

Granollers and Zeballos won 18 of their 20 matches on clay to win three titles from four finals on the surface in 2020. The Spanish-Argentine duo picked up back-to-back trophies in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro in February and also reached consecutive finals on the dirt in September in Kitzbühel (l. to Krajicek/Skugor) and Rome (d. Chardy/Martin).

Fellow Nitto ATP Finals qualifiers Peers and Venus earned two of their three trophies this year at ATP 500 events. The Aussie-Kiwi pair claimed crowns in Dubai and Hamburg, before adding an ATP 250 trophy to their collection in Antwerp. France’s Nicolas Mahut also claimed three trophies in 2020 (with multiple partners).

Peers and Venus were not the only team to win two ATP 500 trophies this year. Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo also achieved the feat with title runs in Acapulco and Vienna. Kubot and Melo ended their four-year partnership at the Nitto ATP Finals in London. The pair won 14 tour-level team trophies, including the 2017 Wimbledon title and four ATP Masters 1000 crowns.

Bryan Brothers Bid Farewell
Just days before this year’s US Open, doubles legends Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan announced their retirement. The Americans captured an Open Era record 119 tour-level trophies as a team, including wins at all four Grand Slams, all nine ATP Masters 1000s, the Nitto ATP Finals and the Olympic men’s doubles event, in which they won the gold medal. The 10-time year-end No. 1s also finished their careers with the all-time team records for Grand Slam titles (16 from 30 finals) and Masters 1000 crowns (39 from 59 finals).

The 14-time ATP Tour Fans’ Favourite Team award winners made their final ATP Tour appearance at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com in February. Rather fittingly, the Bryans ended the event with a tournament record sixth doubles crown. The American twins finished their careers with a 1,108-359 team record.

“We’re most proud of the way we devoted ourselves completely to the game and gave our full effort every day,” said Bob Bryan. “Our loyalty toward each other never wavered and we are leaving professional tennis with zero regrets. We’ll miss the competition and camaraderie amongst the players. We’ll also miss the excitement of gearing up for a big match and playing for the roar of the fans.”

“We feel it’s the right time to walk away,” said Mike Bryan. “We’ve given over 20 years to the Tour, and we are now looking forward to the next chapter of our lives. With that said, we feel very blessed to have been able to play the game of doubles for so long. We are grateful to have had the opportunities in the beginning of the year to play and say our goodbyes to the fans. Winning our final event in Delray Beach and clinching the Davis Cup tie in Honolulu are moments we’ll forever remember and cherish.”

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