Tennis News

Tsitsipas: 'You Can’t Play Defensively With Rafa'

Stefanos Tsitsipas needed a win on Tuesday to keep his Nitto ATP Finals title defence alive, and he delivered just that in a thrilling three-set battle against Andrey Rublev to improve to 1-1 in Group London 2020. 

But it almost got away from him after Tsitsipas breezed through the opening set, and he found himself needing a third-set tie-break and saving match point to see off his opponent 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(8). It’s a lapse he knows he can’t afford against his next opponent, Rafael Nadal.  

“I have to be more concentrated, be more there when I have to,” Tsitsipas assessed in his post-match press conference. “My return, for sure I could have applied more pressure and played deeper in the court. But I think [Rublev] dealt with [the important points] really smart and mature. 

“It was difficult, you know. I was 0/30 down in the very last game of the third set, but I was determined to turn it around and give myself another chance. That’s what I’m really
happy about today.”

Tsitsipas avoided becoming the first defending champion to go 0-2 in his group since David Nalbandian in 2006, but the biggest challenge still lies ahead as he now controls his fate in Group London 2020. With Rublev unable to advance after going 0-2 and Thiem into the semi-finals undefeated, Tsitsipas must now overcome the only player who defeated him in his 2019 run to the title.

“[It’s an] opportunity for me to fight even harder and give my very best out on the court,” Tsitsipas said of his clash against Nadal. “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. I’m expecting a fight from my side.”

He’ll likely be expecting a fight from Nadal’s side as well, as he will seek to narrow the gap between himself and the Spaniard in their FedEx ATP Head2Head record, having claimed one victory in six attempts. 

“I was very concentrated during our match last year and was playing each point individually. I’m going to try and play aggressive tennis, you can’t play defensive with Rafa. Try to play the rallies, apply pressure, serve well. It’s part of the game that I want to play against Rafa. I think everyone has to play this way.

“I just have to be solid. [I] have to be more solid than him to win. I know that. I have to start strong and finish even stronger.”

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Rublev: ‘I Am The One Who Cannot Complain’

Despite committing a double fault while holding match point in a must-win round robin match at the Nitto ATP Finals, Andrey Rublev’s overriding emotion after his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas was not disappointment.

The Russian, who is no longer able to qualify for the semi-finals, showed gratitude for the consistent success he has experienced this season and focussed on what he can learn from his second defeat of the tournament on Tuesday night.

“I am grateful for this season. I cannot complain,” said Rublev. “I won so many tournaments that I never won before. This year, I won more tournaments than in [the rest of] my career. I won more matches than [any other year] in my career. I am the one who cannot complain. I can only be grateful for this season. I became Top 10 for the first time, so this season was amazing for me.”

At one point, it looked like Rublev would be heading back to his private locker room at The O2 with less than an hour on the clock. The Russian managed to win just one game in the first set, which Tsitsipas claimed in 19 minutes.

But Rublev raised his game in the second set and came within one point of earning his first victory at the elite eight-man event. The seven-time tour-level titlist was proud of the mental strength he showed and how he was able to turn the match around after such a one-sided opening to the encounter.

“It is amazing [that] I could turn around this match,” said Rublev. “Basically, it was supposed to be maybe 6-1, 6-3 and I was still there, I was still fighting and, in the end, I had match point…. I was almost there and I had my chance to win the match, so I am really happy with my mental [strength] today. 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 need to play an amazing match.”

The 23-year-old may no longer be able to qualify for the semi-finals, but he is still motivated to test himself in his final Group London 2020 match against Dominic Thiem.

Rublev will be searching for his third straight ATP Head2Head victory against the Austrian, who became the first player to qualify for the semi-finals on Tuesday. The Russian recently defeated the World No. 3 en route to his fifth title of the season at last month’s Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

“Dominic won two matches. He [played] one of the best matches this year today against Rafa, so he is already in the semi-finals. He has nothing to lose,” said Rublev. “He will go on court and he will play free. He is in really great form now, so we will see. This week he [has been] much better than me, but still I will try to give my best effort to see if I can compete.

“It is a great experience because this event gives you chances to play against the best players and you have to use all of them. It doesn’t matter even if I am already out. Still I have to play my maximum because, in the end, it is the best players and I need to perform my best.”
If Rublev can earn a win against Thiem, he will not only end his breakthrough season with a career-best 41st victory of the year, he will also gain 200 FedEx ATP Rankings points. Although the Russian has never needed extra motivation for a big match, it will surely be a welcome added incentive.

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When Murray Was The Winner Who Took It All In London

Throughout the majority of his career, Andy Murray has been chasing his biggest rivals, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, for the sport’s biggest prizes, but on the eve of the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals he was in the form of his life.

The Scot had miraculously overturned Djokovic’s 9,025 points lead in the FedEx ATP Rankings and won 60 of 65 matches—which included 11 finals from 12 events—to rise to No. 1 for the first time on 7 November 2016.

For the first time in 666 weeks, Federer, Djokovic or Nadal did not hold the top spot and Murray knew with strong performances at The O2 in London that the trophy and the possibility of year-end No. 1 would be in his sights. Mission impossible maybe, but a target had been set.

Murray was drawn into Group John McEnroe alongside US Open champion Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic. Although the Brit extended his winning streak to 22 matches by finishing top of the group with a 3-0 record, he was significantly tested by Nishikori. The Japanese pushed Murray to three sets in the longest best-of-three match at the tournament (three hours, 21 minutes) since records began in 1991.

That record did not last long. In the semi-finals, Murray contested his sixth ATP Head2Head contest of the year against Milos Raonic (5-0). Murray had already defeated Raonic twice in London that year, with final victories on grass at the Fever-Tree Championships and Wimbledon.

Across three hours and 38 minutes, Murray and Raonic thrilled the crowd inside The O2. Raonic played with aggression, as he attempted to close the net and overpower the World No. 1. On the other side of the net, Murray tried to neutralise the Canadian’s biggest weapons, extend rallies and move Raonic out of position.

With nothing to split the pair, the match came down to a final-set tie-break. After saving three match points, Raonic stood one point away from reaching the championship match and ending his opponent’s year-end No. 1 ambitions. But Murray held his nerve to finish an extended rally at the net and keep his winning streak alive. The top seed claimed victory on his fourth match point to book a winner-takes-all final clash against rival Novak Djokovic.

“It was one of the tougher matches I played this year,” Murray said. “It was not easy… obviously with it being very long, but also mentally tiring as well.” The match finished at 5:38pm, with thousands of fans queueing in the entrance hall of The O2 to get in for the start of the 6pm session.

For the first time in ATP Tour history, the year-end No. 1 position in the FedEx ATP Rankings was on the line for both finalists. The tension was high, as Djokovic was attempting to win a record-extending fifth straight title at the tournament and finish a fifth season in six years as the top-ranked player. But he proved no match for Murray.

Murray produced a near-flawless performance to become the first British man to claim the Nitto ATP Finals crown and finish an ATP Tour season as the year-end World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Murray entered the match with just three wins from his past 19 matches against Djokovic, but he raised his game in front of his home crowd to finish the year with 24 consecutive wins.

“It’s been a tough rivalry,” said Murray. “I’ve lost many of them but obviously I’m happy I’ve got the win today. To finish the year No. 1 is very special. It’s something I never expected.”

Murray, who competed at the Nitto ATP Finals on eight occasions, held onto the top spot for 41 consecutive weeks. The three-time Grand Slam champion won 18 of his 25 matches during his reign at the top of the sport and claimed two titles from three championship matches.

Murray has claimed two Wimbedon trophies, a record five Fever-Tree Championships crowns and an Olympic singles gold medal in London. But perhaps his most remarkable achievement in the city came on that day at The O2 in 2016, when he ended a streak of 12 consecutive year-end World No. 1 finishes by the Big Three with an unbeaten title run at the most exclusive event on the ATP Tour.

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ATP Finals: Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram beaten by Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic

Briton Joe Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram are beaten in their second match in the doubles event at the ATP Finals in London on Tuesday.

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ATP Finals: Dominic Thiem beats Rafael Nadal in straight sets

Watch the best shots as Dominic Thiem beats Rafael Nadal at the ATP Finals 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-4) for his second victory of the season-ending event at the in London.

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Thiem: I Played A Little Bit Better Than At The US Open

World No. 3 Dominic Thiem came away with a statement victory in a nail-biting straight-sets clash against Rafael Nadal to top Group London 2020 at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The reigning US Open champion had to save two set points in a marathon 72-minute set opening set, and held his nerve as Nadal saved four match points in the second set. But if Thiem’s level throughout the 7-6(7), 7-6(4) thriller didn’t send enough of a message for the rest of the Nitto ATP Finals field, then his cool self-assessment afterward might have a few players on high alert.

“Honestly, I think that today I played a little bit [of a] higher level than at the US Open,” Thiem told reporters in his post-match press conference. “It was maybe the best match for me since the restart of the Tour, and that makes me super happy.” 

It’s a daunting prospect for his Nitto ATP Finals opponents, as Thiem came into the season finale under a cloud of doubts around his form after recently fighting blisters in his home tournament in Vienna and questions about his mentality as he struggled to back up his Grand Slam success. 

Now, he sits undefeated at the top of Group London 2020 after starting his campaign in London with another thriller, winning in three sets to take down defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

“Obviously it was not easy to come back after the US Open and French Open, I was like in an unbelievable emotional state,” Thiem reflected. “And then also the home tournament in Vienna, a little injury… it wasn’t easy but now I’m 100 per cent recovered. I had a great preparation, and I’m super happy with the way I’m playing here.”

“It was a great match which I will remember for a long time,” he added.

Thiem’s win narrowed his gap with Nadal in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series as he trails 9-6, though he now leads the Spaniard 2-1 on hard courts. 

But as much as Thiem would love to linger on 37 winners and six aces against Nadal, there’s one match left to go as he seeks to advance into the semi-finals undefeated, and it’s against the red-hot Andrey Rublev. The Russian has claimed the most recent two victories of their 2-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head series – including a heartbreaker in Vienna to oust him in straight sets at home.

“Indoors and hard courts, [today’s match] was probably one of the better matches I have ever played,” Thiem said. “Now the goal is to enjoy this victory and to maintain that level until Thursday.”

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ATP Finals 2020: Dominic Thiem beats Rafael Nadal in high-quality match

Dominic Thiem beats Rafael Nadal by winning two tie-breaks in a superb match at the ATP Finals in London.

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Krawietz/Mies Up And Running In London

After a narrow loss in their opening match, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies earned an impressive 6-2, 7-6(5) victory on Tuesday against Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The two-time Roland Garros champions converted three of their four break points to claim their first victory of the tournament. Krawietz and Mies improved to 1-1 in Group Mike Bryan. The Germans, who ended their tournament debut at The O2 last year with a 1-2 record, are attempting to qualify for the semi-finals in London for the first time.

“It was huge to win in two sets,” said Mies in an on-court interview. “We didn’t get off to a great start [in the] first match, two days ago… It was important to come back strong today and play much better. That happened and I am very proud of us, that we came back, bounced back and played a great match today. Winning in two sets in the round robin system is always very big.”

Krawietz and Mies gain revenge for a recent semi-final loss to Kubot and Melo at last month’s Erste Bank Open and level their ATP Head2Head series against the eighth seeds at 1-1. Kubot and Melo recovered from a set down in that match and eventually claimed the ATP 500 trophy in Vienna.

“In the round robin system we always have a chance, even if we lose the first match… We have nothing to lose,” said Krawietz. “We had to go for it, we had to be pumped and I think we played really well today.”

Krawietz and Mies began the match in top form, as they anticipated well and struck multiple return winners to break in two of their opening three return games. After dropping serve at 4-1, the third seeds struck another return winner to claim their third break before serving out the set after 30 minutes.

In the second set, both teams dominated behind their first serves to reach a tie-break. Krawietz closed the net well to earn two mini-breaks and the win after one hour and 23 minutes.

“It was a big advantage to get off to a good start today, because it was pretty painful to lose that match two days ago from a good position,” said Mies. “We had it in our hands and we let it slip because we didn’t go for it in the end. We were hoping for them to make errors and that was a big mistake. The key today was to come out, go for it, get the win ourselves and not wait for errors. That was very good and the start helped, for sure.”

Kubot and Melo drop to 0-2 in Group Mike Bryan. The 2017 finalists, who fell in three sets to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury on Sunday, will face Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic in their final round robin match.

Did You Know?
If Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic defeat Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the evening session, they will become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals. Ram and Salisbury can also qualify for the last four if they beat Koolhof and Mektic in straight sets.

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Are Aces Overvalued? What Federer, Sampras Can Teach Us

Do we place too much importance on aces? Are double faults really that toxic? Is there a better metric that correlates to winning matches on the big stage at the Nitto ATP Finals?

The most aces hit in a Nitto ATP Finals match from 1991 to 2019 was Goran Ivanisevic against Pete Sampras in 1996. He crushed 35 and lost. Tied for second most aces is Boris Becker, who bombed 30 aces against Pete Sampras in 1994 and 1996. He lost both matches.

The most double faults in in a Nitto ATP Finals match is 14. Ivanisevic came close to that mark in 1996, committing 13 against Richard Krajicek. The Croatian won the match. Also in 1996, Becker hit 12 double faults against Krajicek and also won. Both match totals were a breath away from the tournament double fault record, but Ivanisevic and Becker both triumphed over Krajicek.

What gives with these counter-intuitive results at the year-end championships?

An Infosys ATP Beyond the Numbers analysis of the Nitto ATP Finals dating back to 1991, when statistics in tennis were first recorded, identifies that aces and double faults are two match markers have been a staple on a tennis statistics page since day one. The problem is we have traditionally thought they were ideal markers for indicating who won and lost the match.

It turns out not so much.

When you look at the top of the tree for ace totals at the season finale, the leading three totals were all losses for the player hitting ace after ace after ace.

In fact, the 14 highest ace totals in the history of the tournament, which range from 22 to 35 aces, found the server winning just seven of those matches and losing the other seven. It’s a head-turning statistic, but prodigious ace hauls from the best players in the world only produce a 50-50 win/loss record.

The following list outlines the five players who have struck the most aces in Nitto ATP Finals history since 1991.

1. 510 – Roger Federer
2. 484 – Pete Sampras
3. 373 – Boris Becker
4. 290 – Goran Ivanisevic
5. 217 – Novak Djokovic

Daniil Medvedev leads the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals field with the most aces in a match at the year-end event with 21 against Rafael Nadal last year at The O2. Medvedev lost. Accumulating massive ace totals is clearly not a key performance indicator for winning matches.

Which brings the conversation to the antithesis of the ace – the dreaded double fault.

Of the 14 matches where a player committed the most double faults in the tournament’s history, they still managed to win seven of those matches.

To be clear, the most aces in tournament history has the server winning seven of 14 matches. The most double faults in tournament history also has the server winning seven of 14 matches.

Go figure.

The five players with the most double faults in Nitto ATP Finals history since 1991 are:

1. 167 – Pete Sampras
2. 133 – Roger Federer
3. 128 – Boris Becker
4. 112 – Yevgeny Kafelnikov
5. 102 – Goran Ivanisevic

When Ivanisevic crushed 35 aces against Sampras in the 1996 semi-finals, he won an astounding 54 of 57 first-serve points. The problem for the Croatian was when the first serve did not land in the box. Ivanisevic only made 52 per cent (57/109) of first serves, so he also had to play 52 second-serve points, where he won 52 per cent (27/52). Sampras won 61 per cent (19/31).

That’s where the rubber met the road.

As it turns out, performance around second serves is a far better indicator of winning and losing matches than aces and double faults. Of the 14 best second serve performances in Nitto ATP Finals history since 1991, the player won 13 of the 14 encounters. The only loss was Fernando Verdasco, who won 78 per cent (21/27) second serve points against Juan Martin del Potro in 2009, but lost 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(1) in the round robin stage.

Crushing aces makes you feel good. Committing double faults leaves you feeling disheartened. Winning points behind second serves will put a smile on your face when you are shaking hands at the end of the match.

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ATP And Rolex Renew Global Partnership

The ATP has announced a long-term extension to its partnership with Rolex. The new agreement begins in 2021 and will see Rolex continue as the Official Timekeeper of the ATP Tour as well as the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. In addition, Rolex will also become the Official Timekeeper of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, Italy.

Rolex has a long-standing relationship with tennis that goes back over 40 years, promoting precision, excellence and innovation, all hallmarks of men’s professional tennis. In addition to the Nitto ATP Finals and the Next Gen ATP Finals, the Swiss watch brand is also proud to be a partner of the four Grand Slam® tournaments, all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, as well as the ATP Cup, and to count ATP stars among its Brand Testimonees including Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“We are delighted to extend our successful long-term relationship with Rolex, an iconic brand with such a long tradition in sport,” said Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO. “The partnership with the ATP extends back to 2005 when Rolex first became a valued partner at the season-ending finals and we highly value the commitment Rolex makes to our sport.”

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