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Remembering Gordon Forbes, Good Player, Great Writer

  • Posted: Dec 10, 2020

Gordon Forbes, who has died at his home in South Africa at 86, was a fine tennis player. But a better writer. He was, in fact, a writer of unique style and observation; a writer with the priceless gift of sprinkling stardust on the characters who inhabited his books, turning backhands and banter into tales infected with laughter.

At his side throughout most of his life, on court and off, was his doubles partner Abe Segal who died in 2016. Larger than life could have been a phrase invented for Big Abe who partnered Forbes in numerous Davis Cup battles for South Africa, twice taking their nation to the semi-finals. Together, they reached the final of Roland Garros in 1963, the same year they were Wimbledon semi-finalists. As a singles player, Forbes won the South African title in 1959 and 1961 and was runner-up four times.

Segal would probably have become a legend in the game anyway but Forbes’ descriptions of him ensured his name would live on. A sample from A Handful of Summers goes like this: “Abe was really rough and ready (when we first met). He used to wear purple T-shirts and sing The Nearness of You very loudly, with his mouth full of Chiclets….He’d already been on one hectic, do-it-yourself tennis tour – had worked his passage on a freighter, lived on the smell of an oil rag, been mistakenly billeted in a brothel, harvested apples, befriended several surprised millionaires and once alarmed an ancient English umpire at Hurlingham by shaking his seat and implying he was blind.”

 

Forbes was equally, unsparingly, perceptive about himself. “Having learnt my tennis in Johannesburg at an altitude of 6,000 feet, I was a true net rusher and had only a scanty selection of ground shots, none of which were really well produced although they were better than Abe Segal’s. Rushing the net on a really slow Italian court while using the Pirelli balls of the early sixties was an eerie experience – like being in a movie, half of which was speeded up while the other half was in slow motion. I was the speeded up part. I would come barrelling up to the net, only to arrive there far too early and have to hop about in a frenzy of suspense while my opponent (who often seemed to be Pietrangeli or Merlo) decided on which side to pass me. Desperate anticipatory decisions had to be made. Lobs were too frightful to contemplate and had to be blanked out of one’s mind to preserve sanity.”

Gordon’s intellect was always more powerful than his self-confidence. He was forever questioning himself as well as life itself. He thought deeply and too much. But his melancholy was always tinged with the humor that made his writing and his company so irresistible.

He became a voice that demanded attention at the Enshrinement Committee meetings for International Tennis Hall of Fame that we attended at Wimbledon every year, sometimes offering detailed numerical studies in an effort to ascribe ranking points to candidates. He became a little fussed when some of us could not follow his Forbesian logic.

He had a son, Gavin, who is a Vice-President at IMG, and a daughter, Jeannie, a fine writer herself, who died far too young from his first marriage. And then another son, Jamie, from his marriage to Frances who survives him.

I shall miss our earnest talks over tea in the Last Eight Club at Wimbledon, laced with sudden flashes of sardonic laughter. The rest of us will have no need to miss his writing. It will live for posterity.

Gordon Forbes, tennis player and writer, born 21 February 1934, died 9 December 2020.

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Alex Olmedo, 1936-2020

  • Posted: Dec 10, 2020

Alex Olmedo, the 1959 Australian Championship and Wimbledon titlist, passed away on Wednesday aged 84 due to brain cancer.

Olmedo, the son of a court caretaker, was born and raised in Peru, first hitting a ball at the International Club of Arequipa, where he was a ball boy. Olmedo made his major championship debut aged 15 at the 1951 US Nationals at Forest Hills and was the best player in Peru by the age of 17. Before long, $700 was raised and in February 1954, Olmedo travelled from Lima to Los Angeles, unable to speak a word of English.

Coming under the wing of Perry T. Jones, one of the most powerful officials in amateur tennis, Olmedo thrived and attended Modesto Junior College. He was recruited by George Toley, the pro at the Los Angeles Tennis Club, for the University of Southern California. On a student visa, he studied business and won the 1956 and 1958 NCAA singles and doubles titles.

In late 1958, after almost five years’ residency in the United States, Olmedo made his Davis Cup debut for his adopted country, going 6-0 in two ties under the captaincy of Jones, who had fought so hard for his inclusion on the team. Upon clinching the tie-winning point in Brisbane over Australia’s Ashley Cooper, Olmedo yelled to Jones, “We did it, Cap. We’ve won the cup!” His father, Salvador, wept upon hearing the news in Peru, which did not have a Davis Cup team at the time. His mother, and younger brother, Jaime, were delighted when Olmedo toured his native land with the trophy later on. The following year, Australians Neale Fraser, Rod Laver and Roy Emerson gained revenge in the Challenge Round.

Olmedo, known as ‘The Chief’ because of his Inca heritage, was renowned for his style, artistry, big serve, forehand drive and good sportsmanship. Modest and likable, Olmedo captured the 1959 Australian Championships over Fraser 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, then took his attacking game to the All England Club at Wimbledon, where he took apart Emerson 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 in the semi-finals and Laver, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the title match. An active amateur for just two years, he rounded out his career at the US Nationals, the same year, losing to Fraser 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the final. In doubles, he partnered Ham Richardson to the 1958 US Nationals crown (d. Sammy Giammalva Sr./Barry Mackay).

Michael Chang, Alex Olmedo, Stan Smith
Stan Smith presents Olmedo with his International Tennis Hall of Fame ring in 2017.
Lance Tingay, the doyen of tennis correspondents for The Daily Telegraph of London, adjudged Olmedo to be World No. 2 in 1959, his final year as an amateur. Upon turning pro, the 5’10” right-hander beat Tony Trabert 7-5, 6-4 for the US Pro title and retired five years later. He coached Hollywood stars for more than 40 years at the Beverly Hills Hotel and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

Olmedo is survived by his children, Amy, Angela and Alejandro, Jr.

Stan Smith, the International Tennis Hall of Fame President, said: “Alex Olmedo came from humble beginnings and he made sacrifices and worked hard to chase his dreams of a tennis career, ultimately becoming a major champion and Hall of Famer. He was a terrific player and a Davis Cup hero. Personally, we shared a love for the USC Trojans, Davis Cup competition, and tennis overall. He was a great champion, a great friend, and he will be missed.”

Alejandro Olmedo Rodriguez, tennis player and coach, born 24 March 1936, died 9 December 2020.

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Djokovic's Rally Against Monfils Tops ATP Comebacks Of 2020

  • Posted: Dec 10, 2020

Yesterday we looked at three of the best ATP Tour comebacks of the season. Now, we will complete the top five with the two best comebacks of 2020.

John Millman

2) John Millman def. Tommy Paul, Astana Open, Nur-Sultan, QF, 30 October 2020 (Match Stats)
John Millman has made his career as a workhorse, grinding away no matter the score or opponent to achieve his results. That’s how he beat Roger Federer at the 2018 US Open and nearly defeated the Swiss legend at this year’s Australian Open.

But one thing missing from his resume was an ATP Tour title. In 2018, he fell short in the Budapest final. Last season, he went on a dream run to the Tokyo championship match, but was outplayed by Novak Djokovic.

At 31, Millman is playing some of his best tennis. But time loses to no man, and there was no guarantee the Aussie would earn another chance at tour-level glory. At the Astana Open, he was in heaps of difficulty against Tommy Paul.

The American served for the match at 5-3 in the third set, playing aggressively to put himself in a winning position. He earned two match points in that game, but double faulted into the net and missed a mid-court forehand long. A majority of the time, Paul would have smacked a winner or gotten an easy volley off that forehand, but it was an opportunity lost.

Somehow, Paul settled himself and took a commanding 5/0 lead in the ensuing tie-break. He appeared in control, counter-punching aggressively to put the Aussie on the back foot. But Millman put on his hard hat and went to work, forcing Paul to take the match from him, making no mistakes. That put pressure on the 23-year-old, who began mis-firing, allowing the Aussie to pull off the stunning 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(5) win. Two matches later, he lifted his first ATP Tour trophy.

“When I was facing those match points in the quarter-finals, I wouldn’t have thought that a couple of days later I would be lifting the trophy. But it is something that I have built my brand on, I guess. It is the one thing I can control: to never say die and never quit the fight,” Millman said. “Tommy was playing some good tennis and probably deserved to win, but it is funny. Sometimes when you are so close to going out of a tournament, it is funny how quickly you can turn that around. It just goes to show you are never out of a fight until it is over.”

1) Novak Djokovic def. Gael Monfils, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai, SF, 28 February 2020 (Match Stats)
Novak Djokovic doesn’t often find his back against the wall. That’s why he’s the No. 1 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings. But the Serbian needed every bit of skill and luck he could muster to save three match points against Gael Monfils in the Dubai semi-finals.

When the Frenchman is firing on all cylinders, there’s very little any opponent can do about it. Monfils is arguably the fastest player on the ATP Tour and he has the ability to hit through any opponent when he decides to play aggressively. When everything clicks, he has the talent to beat anyone.

Monfils entered this semi-final clash with an 0-16 ATP Head2Head record against Djokovic, but it appeared to make no difference. Within five games he hit a jumping swinging backhand volley, sprinted forward to hit a winner off a drop shot few players would have gotten to and showed his intention to dictate play.

Djokovic’s 16-match winning streak to begin the season seemed in jeopardy. The World No. 1 was not at his best, making some errors, especially as he began to earn more opportunities in the second set. But part of that was because of the pressure Monfils was putting on him, which helped the Frenchman go up 6-2, 3-1.

The Serbian got back on serve, but the second set went to a tie-break, in which the pressure hit its climax for Monfils. The Frenchman took a 6/3 lead, earning three consecutive match points. “It’s all or nothing. It’s a matter of life or death at that point,” Djokovic later said.

There was one glaring issue for Monfils: he had to finish the job. Djokovic wouldn’t let him do so. The Frenchman went for and landed a huge second serve down the T at 6/3, but the Serbian guessed the right way and made a forehand return deep in the court, eliciting a backhand error from Monfils, who would then miss forehands on the next two points to watch his final two opportunities slip away.

Monfils was so close to earning his Vitas Gerulaitis moment and being able to say, “Nobody beats Gael Monfils 17 times in a row!” But Djokovic summoned his best tennis under pressure, and he ran away with the third set in a 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-1 victory.

“It’s like being on the edge of a cliff,” Djokovic said.. “You know there is no way back, so you have to jump over and try to find a way to survive I guess and pray for the best and believe that you can make it.”

Djokovic went on to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas for the title and win his first 26 matches of the season and 29 straight overall, marking the second-longest winning streak of his career.

One timely shot by Monfils — or a mis-step from Djokovic — could have changed it all.

Read All Best Of 2020 Stories

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

  • Posted: Dec 09, 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. 

Jiri Vesely is making his fifth appearance at the Tata Open Maharashtra.

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.”

Emil Ruusuvuori

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'

  • Posted: Dec 09, 2020

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.

Novak Djokovic

Daniil Medvedev

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.”

This Is Tennis

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.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Stefanos Tsitsipas

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

  • Posted: Dec 08, 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

  • Posted: Dec 07, 2020

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.

Player 2019 Year-End 2020 Year-End Career-High (Date) 
 Ugo Humbert  No. 57  No. 30 (+27)  No. 30 (Nov. 9)
 Andrey Rublev  No. 23  No. 8 (+15)  No. 8 (Oct. 19) 
 Diego Schwartzman  No. 14  No. 9 (+5)  No. 8 (Oct. 12)
 Jannik Sinner  No. 78  No. 37 (+41)   No. 37 (Nov. 16)

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

  • Posted: Dec 07, 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

  • Posted: Dec 07, 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.

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

  • Posted: Dec 07, 2020

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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