With a losing record on clay (6-7) in 2006, Stan Wawrinka arrived at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag seeking more match play on the surface. He left with his first ATP Tour title after weathering a challenging draw that included three teenagers who would become future stars: Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro and Novak Djokovic.

The unseeded Swiss, No. 67 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, started his week with a first-round 7-6(3), 6-3 upset of sixth-seeded Spaniard Alberto Martin to set up a clash with local wild card Cilic. The 17-year-old Croatian was coming off his first ATP Tour semi-final earlier that month in Gstaad. Although the centre court crowd was firmly in favour of Cilic, Wawrinka overcame them and a mid-match surge from his opponent to win their first ATP Head2Head meeting 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Next up for Wawrinka was another talented 17-year-old in Del Potro, who recorded his maiden tour-level quarter-final the previous week in Stuttgart. Despite the Argentine landing 85 per cent of his first serves, Wawrinka racked up seven break points and converted four to advance 6-1, 2-6. 6-4. The victory clinched his third tour-level semi-final of the season.

Wawrinka then sought revenge against Filippo Volandri after the Italian dismissed him three years earlier in Umag. Although Volandri won more points on the day (87 to 82), the Swiss prevailed in the rallies that mattered most. The 21-year-old stepped up in the final minutes of the match and defeated Volandri 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 for his first tour-level final of the year.

Standing in the way of his first ATP Tour title was Djokovic, who scored a dominant straight-sets win in the other semi-final against former World No. 1 and 1998 Roland Garros champion Carlos Moya. The final had plenty of hype since the 19-year-old Djokovic won his first tour-level crown a week earlier in Amersfoort (d. Massu) and held a nine-match winning streak.

Unfortunately, the championship clash didn’t fully materialise. Djokovic experienced severe respiratory problems throughout the first set and a physician held his chest at one point to help him breathe properly. Trailing 1/3 in the opening-set tie-break, Djokovic lay down on court as his father, Srdjan, ran out to check his pulse alongside a doctor. The Serbian was helped to his seat and retired minutes later.

The match was their first ATP Head2Head meeting in a rivalry that has spanned 14 years. Djokovic has won five of their six clay-court battles since Umag, but Wawrinka made his lone victory count by defeating the Serbian in the 2015 Roland Garros final. The Swiss has since gone to capture 16 tour-level titles including three Grand Slams (2014 Australian Open, 2015 Roland Garros, 2016 US Open).

Wawrinka also hasn’t beaten Del Potro on clay (1-3) since their Umag showdown, but he has maintained his flawless record against Cilic (6-0) on the surface.

Fabio Fognini won his third ATP Tour title of the 2018 season at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex. Perhaps keeping his good-luck charm for the week in Los Cabos was the key.

On Monday that week, the Italian No. 1 posted a photo on Instagram of his new hairdo. The ATP Tour’s Instagram challenged him to maintain the interesting style throughout the week if its own post got at least 20,000 likes, which it did. The Italian agreed, and he didn’t lose with it.

It may have started out as a result of losing a bet, but now that @fabiofogna is into the @AbiertoLosCabos SF, we’re starting to think this new hairstyle is a good luck charm ?#LiveItLoveIt pic.twitter.com/AxABV7B7BO

— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) August 4, 2018

“I lost a bet with the ATP and it’s brought me luck,” Fognini said after the semi-finals. “Of course, tomorrow I’m going to play [with my hair] like that!”

After losing his first set of the tournament against Quentin Halys, Fognini overcame the Frenchman and stormed past Yoshihito Nishioka and Cameron Norrie to reach the championship match.

The Italian played perhaps his best tennis of the week in the final, defeating Juan Martin del Potro, 6-4, 6-2 to lift the trophy.

“It’s amazing… He’s one of the best players,” Fognini said. “I am really happy about my performance.”

The tournament’s final was the last day on which Fognini’s maintained his lucky hairdo. Given his streak of success you might ask a simple question: why?

“I have too much pain in my hair!”

The ATP and organisers of the Citi Open, the ATP 500 event in Washington, D.C., have announced the cancellation of the 2020 Citi Open.

The tournament, which was scheduled to begin on 13 August, marked the planned resumption of the ATP Tour following the suspension of professional tennis in March. However, with continued uncertainties affecting the ability to meet key event planning deadlines, the decision has been made to cancel the event. The ATP continues to work closely with the USTA on the Western & Southern Open and the US Open, which are scheduled to take place back-to-back in New York, beginning on 20 August. 

“It’s disappointing that due to these unprecedented times, the Citi Open will not be able to go ahead this year,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman. “I know how hard Mark Ein and his team have worked to adapt to new and continually changing conditions and would like to recognize their outstanding commitment to staging the event. Unfortunately for the moment there are still large factors at play which are outside of our control. We look forward to the Citi Open returning as one of our signature American events in 2021.”

“After months of tireless work by our team and close collaboration with our many stakeholders, we are heartbroken to announce that we must unfortunately postpone the 52nd Citi Open until the summer of 2021,” said Mark Ein, Chairman, Citi Open. “With only 23 days left until the start of the tournament, there are too many unresolved external issues, including various international travel restrictions as well as troubling health and safety trends, that have forced us to make this decision now in fairness to our players, suppliers and partners, so that they can have certainty around their planning.”

The ATP continues to work on the revised 2020 calendar with a further update expected in the next fortnight on a provisional schedule of events including the final section of the season through to the Nitto ATP Finals in November.

One of the most important shots in tennis is the serve. It starts the point, and it is the only shot a player fully controls. In doubles, a good server can win free points and set up his partner for an easy putaway.

If a player is struggling on serve, he allows the returning team to play more aggressively and gain confidence, changing the tone of the match.

According to some of the best doubles players in the world, being a “great doubles server” does not boil down to one skill. A great server could overwhelm opponents with power, or he could keep returners off balance with an assortment of spins and locations.

In the first installation of ATPTour.com’s ‘Ultimate Doubles Player’ series, some of the world’s doubles stars selected the man whom they believe is the best doubles server.

Players’ Choice, Best Serve: Horia Tecau
“I think there are two ways of serving in doubles: First there’s the bulldozer style, and I’d categorise Horia Tecau with that. When he gets his rhythm going, he really can just get through you with his serve and it’s really difficult to deal with. It’s actually quite nice to be his net player because you don’t end up having to do much work. Regardless of conditions, whether the ball is playing heavy or it’s at night or whether it’s a clay court, his sheer ability to generate force [is amazing].” – Raven Klaasen

“Playing with Horia was very easy. I take it he’s called ‘Sniper’ for that reason, because he’s always hitting his target. He does serve very, very well. When it comes to serving, Horia is just solid. [His serve is] always within a small margin of speed. He rarely drops below, he just serves at a high speed all the time, and it doesn’t matter if it’s windy or anything. He always seems to time the ball well and that’s an unbelievable skill to have, no matter what weather you have or anything, just to always deliver the same quality shot. When it’s windy, I need a map and compass to find my toss.” – Robert Lindstedt

“He has a very, very good serve. He’s always solid. It doesn’t matter if he stops for three, six months or he’s playing every day, it’s the same. His serve is unbelievable. He can serve wherever he wants, the way he wants. He’s always dangerous when he serves and it’s very tough to break him.” – Marcelo Melo

Bob Bryan
“Definitely throughout his career it’s been one of the most respected serves. When he’s on a roll, it’s just impossible to do anything with it. You don’t know where he’s serving, he’s got a great pace, great swing and even if you do manage to get it back, you’ve got Mike cleaning up at the net.” – Joe Salisbury 

“Over the course of the past 20 years, Bob’s serve has always been the one that most people have said is the best serve in the game. It’s his power, his ability to put the ball where he wants in big moments. He’s got a pretty decent partner to finish things at the net. For those guys to win so much, they’ve both been very reliable at everything they’ve done over the years. But Bob being the lefty, and the actual pace of his serve, it’s very difficult to get the ball away from both guys, especially Mike when he’s taking the middle at the net.” – Ken Skupski

Bob Bryan” />

Henri Kontinen
“He has a very good serve, especially on the deuce side. Probably one of the best wide swingers on the deuce side. Gets it very short, and his shoulder turn when he goes back, he gets so much rotation and that’s where all his power comes from. He changes the spin up a lot of the time. You think he’s going to hit a big pop, but then he takes a lot off it and puts a lot of spin on it. I find Henri very tough to read, and also, he doesn’t hold back on his serve. Even if it’s a big point, he may even go big on his second serve. You can’t really get on his serve consistently and that’s why he holds pretty easily.” – Neal Skupski

“When he was at his best, he could go 200 kilometres per hours on both serves and returning bombs, so he doesn’t give you rhythm. He makes you doubt all the time, because you don’t have rhythm, and he was on fire all the time making shots and had the talent to make really crazy shots.” – Bruno Soares 

Ben McLachlan
“There’s a different style of serving, too. I think one of the younger guys, Ben McLachlan, has a fantastic service action. He’s a very explosive guy. He’s able to make the ball jump, he’s able to make the ball slide. He’s able to go with pure pace, too, and when he tosses it up you know he’s coming with a variety of stuff to you. He keeps you off balance with his ability to shape the ball and move the ball, but he still has plenty of power to get it through you.” – Raven Klaasen

“He’s got a super-live arm, can create power with really no effort, can hit all the spots on both sides of the court and from ‘I’, from regular. He’s got a great kick serve, a great second serve. I just feel like when he steps up to the line, you know you’re getting a big serve. He’s at the top of the list.” – Rajeev Ram

Ben McLachlan” />

Jack Sock
“He has a lot of movement on his first serve. It’s not only the pace. He can serve hard, but he can move it around really well. It’s also because of what comes after the serve. He’s very tough to play.” – Jurgen Melzer

Nicolas Mahut
“His serve is maybe not the biggest, but he always finds a great spot. He’s really tough to return against, and he’s always giving you difficulty. He’s really preparing the situation for winning the point. Maybe not with just the serve, but with the serve and one more ball.” – Filip Polasek

“I’m playing for myself, I’m playing for my family, I’m playing for my country, but I also think I’m playing for the next generation,” Ymer told ATP Uncovered presented by Peugeot. “That’s something I think about a lot. Not only the next generation of tennis [players]. I’d be very happy if I can also affect normal kids in Sweden to fight or have a dream and go for it, to believe that it doesn’t matter where you come from or what your background is or your economics. It’s that you can take a risk and go for it.”

Both of Ymer’s parents emigrated to Sweden from Ethiopia. His father, Wondwosen, works at a dairy company and his mother, Kelem, is a doctor. The entire Ymer family now lives in Stockholm, and something they share is a hard-working mentality.

“I think you have a mentality [as a tennis player] a little bit [where you are] thinking about yourself, but one of the most important things for me is to be remembered as a good guy,” Ymer said. “That’s very important for me, to have been nice to everyone.”

The 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor has already shown signs that he is a future star, winning four ATP Challenger Tour titles last year. Ymer is improving quickly, too.

Last November in Milan, eventual champion Jannik Sinner beat Ymer 4-0, 4-2, 4-1. This February in Montpellier they played again on an indoor hard court, with Ymer emerging victorious 6-3, 6-4. The Swede also lost against Frances Tiafoe at the Next Gen ATP Finals, getting his revenge this January in Auckland.

The 21-year-old is humble when it comes to his success, taking after former World No. 1 Stefan Edberg, one of his idols.

“The way he carries himself and how humble he is after being one of the biggest legends is inspiring for me,” Ymer said last year. “He treats everyone the same, and he’s always been so nice not only to me, but to my family.”

Ymer has an older brother, 24-year-old Elias Ymer, who has climbed as high as No. 105 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Mikael is currently World No. 68, one spot off his career-high standing. He hopes to earn big results on the ATP Tour, but he’ll always have the example he is setting in the back of his mind.

“I’m only 21, so I think it would be a little bit surprising if I knew everything today. These are the things I’m working on when I’m not on court and trying to figure out exactly what kind of role model [I want to be],” Ymer said. “There are of course some basic things that I live by, but hopefully I can leave tennis being more than just a guy who came and hit yellow balls. Exactly how, I’m not sure yet, it will take some time of course to figure out. But the main thing I would say is being a man of the people.”

The Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag is the only Croatian stop on the ATP Tour calendar.

The ATP 250 would have been held this week if not for the Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the event.

Three Decades Of History
Situated on the Adriatic coast, Umag has welcomed the stars of the ATP Tour since 1990. The clay-court event, which begins play each day in the late afternoon, has crowned many high-profile champions. Former World No. 1s Thomas Muster, Carlos Moya and Marcelo Rios have all lifted the trophy in northwest Croatia.

The tournament, which celebrated its 30th edition last year, is also where Rafael Nadal won his maiden ATP Tour doubles title. The Spaniard dropped just one set in four matches alongside countryman Alex Lopez Moron to clinch the crown as a 17-year-old in 2003.

“It is a tournament that grew unbelievably in 30 years,” said former World No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic. “It became one of the most favourite tournaments among players. [It has a] great atmosphere. Everything is good.”

Moya Magic
Moya owns the record for singles titles (5) and match wins (44) at the ATP 250. The 6’3” right-hander clinched his first crown at the event in 1996, dropping just 24 games across five matches to lift the trophy. Moya won three straight titles in Umag between 2001 and 2003, beating Jerome Golmard, David Ferrer and Filippo Volandri in the championship matches.

The Mallorcan earned his 20th and final tour-level trophy without dropping a set in 2007. Moya beat Stan Wawrinka, Pere Riba, David Ferrer, Guillermo Canas and Andrei Pavel to claim the trophy. Across 14 appearances, Moya reached the semi-finals or better in Umag on 10 occasions.

A Home Champion
Twenty two years after Goran Prpic overcame Ivanisevic in the tournament’s maiden championship match in 1990, fans in Umag were able to celebrate a second Croatian titlist in 2012. Competing as the second seed, Marin Cilic recorded back-to-back wins against Top 25 players Alexandr Dolgopolov and Marcel Granollers to claim his first ATP Tour title on clay without dropping a set.

Cilic has lifted five of his 18 tour-level trophies in Croatia. The 2014 US Open champion also won four titles in Zagreb between 2009 and 2014.

Marin Cilic captured his first ATP Tour title on clay at the 2012 Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.” />

Stadium Honour For Ivanisevic
As the highest-ranked Croatian player in FedEx ATP Rankings history, former World No. 2 Ivanisevic is an inspiration to many in his home country. The 2001 Wimbledon champion was honoured by the tournament in 2016, when the event’s main court was renamed ATP Stadion Goran Ivanisevic. Andre Agassi and Juan Carlo Ferrero joined the
Croat to celebrate the occasion, taking part in an entertaining exhibition event in front of a packed crowd.

“It is a great honour and responsibility,” said Ivanisevic. “It is just unbelievable to have a stadium named [after you]. It is great. It is really something big.”

Rublev’s Maiden Title
When Andrey Rublev arrived in Umag in 2017, the Moscow native was aiming to advance beyond the quarter-finals of an ATP Tour event for the first time. His hopes of achieving that feat appeared to be over before main-draw action had even began, following a straight-sets loss to Attila Balazs in the final qualifying round.

But Rublev received a second chance, entering the main draw as a lucky loser following the withdrawal of home favourite Borna Coric. The Russian made the most of his opportunity, stunning defending champion Fabio Fognini in the quarter-finals to reach his maiden ATP Tour semi-final.

With further wins against Ivan Dodig and Paolo Lorenzi, Rublev lifted his first ATP Tour title and became the youngest champion in tournament history. The 19-year-old also became the first lucky loser to win a tour-level event since Rajeev Ram captured the Newport trophy in 2009.

The Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos is one of two Mexican events on the ATP Tour, alongside the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco.

The Los Cabos tournament, which made its ATP Tour debut in 2016, would have been held this week if not for the Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the ATP 250 event.

The Perfect Preparation
After months of competition on clay and grass, the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex offers ATP Tour stars their first opportunity to compete on hard courts during the North American hard court season. The ATP 250, held at the Solaz Tennis Center, has welcomed former Top 5 stars Juan Martin del Potro, Grigor Dimitrov and Tomas Berdych across its opening four editions.

“It could be my favourite part of the year… It is a good tournament for preparation for [Canada], Cincinnati and the US Open,” said Del Potro.

The event is also popular with players and fans for its off-court activities, including sky diving and jet skiing. Los Cabos is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Mexico, attracting more than two million visitors per year.

“You always love coming back to tournaments that you have done well at in the past,” said 2017 finalist Thanasi Kokkinakis. “Obviously in a place like this, where it feels like you are on a holiday more than playing tennis, [it] is pretty special.”

Querrey’s ‘Mexican Double’
Sam Querrey arrived in Los Cabos in 2017 in top form, making his first appearance since a semi-final run at Wimbledon. The American, who defeated Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal en route to the Acapulco trophy earlier in the year, was aiming to complete the ‘Mexican Double’ by claiming his 10th ATP Tour trophy.

After surviving a final-set tie-break in his opening match against Evan King, Querrey notched victories against Vincent Millot, Damir Dzumhur and Kokkinakis to lift the trophy and finish the year with a 9-0 record in Mexico.

“It’s really exciting to win here. I felt like I played really well,” said Querrey. “This tournament only keeps getting better… I think the past couple of months have been the best I’ve played.”

Fognini’s Lucky Hairdo
At the start of his debut appearance in Los Cabos in 2018, Fabio Fognini posted a photo on Instagram of his latest hairdo. The ATP Tour’s Instagram page challenged the Italian to maintain the interesting style throughout the week if its own post received 20,000 likes.

The Italian agreed to the challenge and kept his new style after the post exceeded 25,000 likes. Fognini’s new hairstyle proved to be a good luck charm, as the Italian cruised to the title with victories against Quentin Halys, Yoshihito Nishioka, Cameron Norrie and Del Potro.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Hey @fabiofogna, if we get 20k likes on this photo will you keep the new ‘do for Wednesday’s match at @abiertoloscabos? ?

A post shared by ATP Tour (@atptour) on Jul 30, 2018 at 7:45pm PDT

The Wait Is Over
For the first time since 1995, a Mexican player lifted an ATP Tour title on home soil in 2018.

Mexico’s Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela and El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo dropped just one set across four matches to claim the doubles trophy in Los Cabos, beating Taylor Fritz and Kokkinakis in the championship match. It was the first home triumph by a Mexican player on the ATP Tour since Leonardo Lavalle and Javier Frana’s title run 23 years earlier in Mexico City.

‘Cherry On Top’ For Schwartzman
After picking up trophies on clay in Istanbul in 2016 and Rio de Janeiro in 2018, Diego Schwartzman achieved a milestone moment in Los Cabos last year. Competing as the tournament’s third seed, the Argentine raced through to the semi-finals and won a three-set battle against Guido Pella to reach his second championship match of the year.

In the final, Schwartzman saved three consecutive set points against Fritz at 5-6, 0/40, in the first set to reach a tie-break. The 5’7” right-hander held his nerve in the tie-break and broke serve late in the second set to lift his maiden ATP Tour title on hard courts.

“It was really important for me to come here and win big matches against the big guys,” said Schwartzman. “The title is like the cherry on top for me.”

The Swiss Open Gstaad, founded in 1915, is one of three Swiss events on the ATP Tour calendar.

The ATP 250 would have been held this week if not for the Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the event.

A Talented Honour Roll
Situated near the mountains of the Swiss Alps, the Swiss Open Gstaad is home to one of the most picturesque backdrops of any tournament on the ATP Tour calendar. The Swiss event, a two-time ATP 250 Tournament of the Year, also boasts an impressive list of former champions.

Five former World No. 1 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings — John Newcombe (1971), Ilie Nastase (1973), Stefan Edberg (1986), Yevgeny Kafelnikov (1995) and Roger Federer (2004) — have lifted the trophy in south-western Switzerland. Spaniards Sergi Bruguera and Alex Corretja own an Open Era-record three singles titles at the event.

David Rikl owns a record four doubles trophies, leading a strong tradition of Czech doubles champions in Gstaad. Sixteen editions of the doubles tournament have featured a Czech champion, including a consistent period of success between 1996 and 2008 when only two winning doubles teams did not feature a Czech player.

Federer’s Cows
Following his maiden Grand Slam title run at Wimbledon in 2003, Federer quickly returned to Switzerland to compete in Gstaad the following week. In a special on-court ceremony to mark his Wimbledon victory, the Swiss was presented with a cow.

Federer fell to a five-set defeat against Jiri Novak in the final that year, but 12 months later he claimed the trophy. When the Basel native returned to the event after a nine-year absence in 2013, he was once again gifted a cow on court.

Berrettini’s Breakthrough
When Matteo Berrettini arrived in Gstaad in 2018, the Italian had never reached a tour-level quarter-final or won an ATP Tour doubles match. But that didn’t stop the Italian from winning nine matches across singles and doubles to take home both trophies.

Then World No. 84, the Italian defeated three consecutive seeded players to take the singles title without dropping a set. Following his singles final win against Roberto Bautista Agut, the 22-year-old returned to the court later in the day to clinch the doubles trophy alongside Daniele Bracciali.

“[Gstaad was an] unbelievable week. I won singles and doubles there and I had never won an ATP Tour doubles match, so it was all in a rush. I will never forget that week,” said Berrettini.

Thiem’s Triumphant Return
One year after a straight-sets loss to Viktor Troicki on his tournament debut, Dominic Thiem returned to Gstaad in 2015 in peak form. The Austrian made a quick journey from Umag, where he had just lifted his second ATP Tour title, to make his second straight appearance at the Swiss ATP 250.

Following a straight-sets win against Federico Delbonis, Thiem battled past Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez to reach his second final in as many weeks. In a repeat of the 2014 Kitzbühel final, Thiem gained revenge against David Goffin to lift his third tour-level crown of the year after 86 minutes.

Federer, Safin Claim Doubles Title
Three years before his singles title run in Gstaad, Federer captured the doubles trophy alongside Marat Safin. The pair, which contested the 2004 Australian Open singles final, dropped only one set in three matches to book a final meeting against Michael Hill and Jeff Tarango.

Unfortunately, the rain-affected championship match didn’t last long. After claiming the first game, Hill was forced to retire from the contest due to a leg injury, handing the trophy to Federer and Safin. It was the only time Federer and Safin, who had both lost their opening singles matches, competed as a doubles team.

“Winning like this is kind of strange,” said Federer. “But it seems like it was just meant to happen. We’ve played good doubles this week and I’m happy to have been able to make the crowd happy again after my first-round exit in the singles.”