It takes years of hard work and dedication for players to earn their spot in the International Tennis Hall Of Fame and Museum. Luckily, for fans, the organisation has provided a shortcut.

In the week when the organisation was due to host its Class of 2020 Induction ceremony, alongside the Hall of Fame Open, the International Tennis Hall Of Fame has launched the ‘Your Name in the Hall of Fame’ campaign to bring fans closer to the legends of the game. By pledging a donation of US $25 or more, you will be featured in a special mosaic-style museum exhibit that will commemorate the support of fans around the globe.

All donors to the campaign will be able to submit a photo and/or name listing that will be added to a mosaic. The mosaic will then reside in the Museum at the International Tennis Hall Of Fame and on the organisation’s website.

On 18 July, which would have been the Class of 2020 induction day, Tennis Channel will be broadcasting TC Live: Hall of Fame Edition at 8 p.m. (EST) with an encore presentation at 11 p.m. The special program will showcase the prestige of the annual induction ceremonies and highlight the museum’s efforts to preserve tennis history.

For more information on the campaign, click here.

Tiger Woods is undoubtedly one of the greatest golfers in history. How has he been spending his quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Playing tennis, of course!

“There are a lot of things I hadn’t done in a long time and one, sport-wise and physically, is we were playing quite a bit of tennis,” Woods said during a virtual press conference on Tuesday. “That was very different and something I hadn’t done in a very long period of time because I hadn’t been able to do it physically.”

Woods underwent back surgery in December 2016 that kept him off the course for more than a year. But now that he is healthy, he has enjoyed playing tennis.

“The kids enjoyed it,” Woods said. “We were able to do that in the backyard.”

The golf superstar has long been a tennis fan, remaining friends with some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Woods watched Nadal compete at last year’s US Open, where the Spaniard won his 19th Grand Slam trophy.

Asked by ESPN personality Tom Rinaldi if he and Woods had ever teed it up together, Nadal quipped, “Honestly, it’s much better if Tiger doesn’t see my swing. Maybe he would lose a little bit of rhythm after that.”

Nadal, who plays golf right-handed, has a handicap in the low single digits. It’s safe to say he enjoyed playing in front of his friend.

“It’s a huge honour to play in front of all of [New York fans] but to play in front of Tiger is a very special thing,” Nadal said. “I’ve always said that I don’t have idols, but if I did I would have to say that one idol is him.”

Roger Federer, Tiger Wosod” />

Woods also has a long history with Federer. The golfer watched from Federer’s box as the Swiss won the 2006 US Open. Just months later, ahead of the Tennis Masters Cup, Federer watched Woods compete in a tournament in Shanghai.

Both men have weathered late-career injuries to enjoy success. Woods complimented Federer after the Swiss won the 2017 Australian Open.

“For him to come back, after having to take that much time off, and for him to get the timing, that’s the hardest part. Those courts were playing quick. You saw his first game, he framed about three or four of them. But once he found the groove, once he found the rhythm, Roger came back,” Woods said. “He rehabbed properly and you can tell how fast he’s moving. He’s shortened up points, changed his strategy around a little bit. Didn’t hang around the baseline as long. I mean, as you get older, you change your game and you do things slightly differently, and he did that.”

With 46 tour-level trophies, including three Grand Slam crowns, Andy Murray has enjoyed consistent success throughout his career on the ATP Tour. But in 2016, the Brit raised his game during an impressive six-month period to become World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

The Dunblane native had trailed Novak Djokovic by 9,025 FedEx ATP Rankings points after losing to the Serb in the Mutua Madrid Open final in May, but that event proved to be the start of a remarkable run for Murray. From Madrid until the end of the season, Murray claimed 65 wins from 70 matches and reached 12 finals from 13 events.

By the time Murray faced Djokovic in a winner-takes-all championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals in November, he had overtaken the 12-time Grand Slam champion to become World No. 1 and stood just one win away from becoming only the 17th man to finish an ATP Tour season as year-end World No. 1.

With both men bidding to claim victory and end the year at the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings, it was Murray who rose to the occasion. The two-time Wimbledon champion, cheered on by a passionate home crowd, put on a nearly flawless performance to notch his 24th straight victory, 6-3, 6-4, capturing the trophy and finishing above his rival as the year-end World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“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.”

Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic to win the Nitto ATP Finals and finish as year-end World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2016.” />

How did Murray manage to overturn a 9,025 point deficit in just six months? He put together the best run of his career.

Following his loss to Djokovic in Madrid, Murray began his journey towards the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings with a confidence-boosting victory against the World No. 1 in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final. The World No. 2 followed his win in Rome with his first run to the championship match at Roland Garros, only to be denied for the second straight major championship by Djokovic in the final. Djokovic’s maiden Roland Garros crown earned him a spot in an exclusive club, as he joined Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962, ’69) as the only men to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.

“I have played some of my best tennis on clay over the past few weeks,” said Murray. “Hopefully that translates well onto the grass, which is a surface that comes way, way more naturally to me.”

Andy Murray falls to Novak Djokovic in the pair’s seventh Grand Slam final meeting.” />

Boosted by his performances during the European clay season, Murray made a major move in the World No. 1 battle on grass. The Brit claimed 12 straight victories on the surface to become the first five-time singles champion at the Fever-Tree Championships and a two-time Wimbledon titlist. With back-to-back final wins against Milos Raonic, Murray reduced Djokovic’s lead at the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings to 4,845 points.

“This is the most important tournament for me every year,” said Murray at Wimbledon. “I’ve had some great moments here and also some tough losses. The wins feel extra special because of the tough losses. I’m proud to have my hands on the trophy again.”

In his next event, Murray continued to make history by becoming the first man to win multiple Olympic singles gold medals. The three-time Grand Slam champion, who also won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, beat Kei Nishikori and Juan Martin del Potro in back-to-back matches to stand on top of the podium in Rio de Janeiro.

A runner-up finish at the Western & Southern Open took Murray’s final streak to seven events, before a quarter-final loss to eventual finalist Kevin Anderson at the US Open. Following his loss in New York, Murray returned to action in China to begin a memorable run of five straight titles that would earn him the year-end World No. 1 spot.

The 29-year-old won 10 straight matches across events in Beijing and Shanghai, before returning to Europe to lift the Vienna trophy and increase the pressure on Djokovic. Just under six months on from his Madrid final loss to the 12-time Grand Slam champion, Murray claimed another milestone victory against Raonic in the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals to become the first British World No. 1 in FedEx ATP Rankings history.

“To get to No. 1 isn’t about today, but it’s about 12 months of tournaments to get to this stage,” said Murray. “The last few months have been the best of my career and I am very proud to have reached No. 1. It has been a goal of mine for the past few years.”

After producing a 19th consecutive tour-level victory against John Isner in the Paris final, Murray completed his remarkable journey at The O2 in London. The first half of 2016 may have belonged to his biggest rival, but Murray put together one of the best runs in recent ATP Tour history to not only catch Djokovic, but surpass him in front of home fans at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Rafael Nadal won a record 81 consecutive tour-level matches on clay from 2005 to 2007. During that winning streak, the Spaniard made his mark in Båstad.

The lefty began the 2005 season with one ATP Tour title. Not only did he claim a career-high 11 trophies that year, he won his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros and his first four ATP Masters 1000 crowns. But Nadal entered that July’s Nordea Open seeking a turnaround.

After triumphing at Roland Garros, Nadal only won one of three matches during his grass-court season. In his third appearance in Båstad, the 19-year-old wanted to get back on track. He didn’t just get back on track; Nadal gained plenty of momentum, winning the title with the loss of just one set, against Tomas Berdych in the final.

“Berdych was tough and aggressive,” Nadal said. “In the first set he played so good, I couldn’t do much.”

A teenage Nadal showed similar qualities to the legendary champion he has become. The Spaniard dominated his first four matches, each against a clay-court standout. Nadal didn’t lose more than four games in a set, rolling past Juan Monaco, Alberto Martin, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo.

“I’m very happy to have reached another final and the first here in Båstad,” Nadal said.

Berdych, the big-hitting Czech, was No. 42 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. But he had already proven his abilities against the top players in the sport, stunning World No. 1 Roger Federer at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Berdych came out firing, cracking a forehand winner in his first return game to break World No. 3 Nadal. But like he has since done so many times in his career, Nadal found another gear to triumph 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

“I played a little bit more aggressively in the second set and I played with deeper shots,” Nadal said. “I got to 4-0 [in the second set] very fast and that was important for the confidence.”

After the match, a reporter asked Nadal if he had his sights set on the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings, to which the Spaniard replied, “I’m not ready for it. I need to improve in my game. I will need to improve my serve and find regularity in it and I have to become more aggressive on my forehand.”

Just more than three years later, Nadal reached World No. 1, a spot he has held for 209 weeks throughout his career.

There are many ways to describe doubles: fast-paced, thrilling and nail-biting among them. Doubles players show a wide variety of jaw-dropping shots and skills that make for compelling competition.

Over the course of the next nine weeks, some of the best doubles players in the world will analyse key elements of the discipline: the serve, aggressive return, consistent return, x-factors, overhead, feel, forehand volley, backhand volley, half volley and toughest opponents to give fans an unprecedented look inside doubles. This is the ATP Tour’s ‘Ultimate Doubles Player’ series.

But first, what makes a great doubles player?

“When things go fast, I’m better,” said former World No. 3 Robert Lindstedt. “If you’re not comfortable in a fast-paced environment on court, go home.”

Sometimes the reason a player struggles on the singles court could lend itself to success on the doubles court. Lindstedt says his reactions have always been better than his decision-making. He was capable of hitting any shot he wanted, but having time on the singles court led to poor shot selection. He believes he thrives without time to think.

“You have to have good reactions. The quick decision has to come naturally for you, otherwise you’re going to be left standing on your back foot not knowing where to go or what to do,” Lindstedt said. “It’s about getting your nervous system to fire up and see what’s happening quicker, and that’s basically practising at a higher pace than you’re used to for a longer period of time. Slowly you raise your level. Some are born with it easier than others.

Lindstedt turned pro in 1998 and at 43 years old, the Swede remains inside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings. During those 22 years, he has seen how doubles has changed.

“When I came on Tour, fitness wasn’t a major part of doubles,” Lindstedt said. “But I feel like that has really, really developed into [a big part]. I learned to be a hard worker, so I’m really happy to see that.”

Another veteran who has long enjoyed success is Bruno Soares, a 32-time tour-level titlist. The Brazilian believes that while strokes and fitness are very important, there are intangibles that are vital to a doubles player’s success.

“We all know the great players have [weapons]. I think in doubles what makes a great player is his ability to adapt,” Soares said. “We’re constantly adapting to different conditions — fast court, slow court, fast ball, slow ball, altitude, sea level, clay, grass, hard, different partners, different weeks… I think a great player is someone who of course has amazing strokes, but a great ability to adapt to all the different situations that we are exposed to throughout the year.”

Bruno Soares defeat Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo to win the Rolex Shanghai Maters on Sunday.” />

Over the course of the next nine weeks, a variety of active doubles stars from different generations and tennis backgrounds will analyse the shots and skills that define doubles. They will not only share who they feel is the best at a particular shot or skill, but explain why it is important.

The participating players are: Juan Sebastian Cabal, Robert Farah, Raven Klaasen, Robert Lindstedt, Marcelo Melo, Jurgen Melzer, Jamie Murray, Filip Polasek, Rajeev Ram, Joe Salisbury, Ken Skupski, Neal Skupski and Bruno Soares.

Novak Djokovic activates the scoreboard as a secondary opponent better than any player in the past three decades.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of players who win the highest percentage of games in set one finds the Serbian at the top of the tree, winning almost six out of 10 games in the opening stanza. The data set includes 442 players who have competed in at least 100 ATP and Grand Slam matches from 1991-2020.

Djokovic is a phenomenal front-runner, quickly jumping out of the blocks to win 59.58 per cent (5990/10,053) of games in set one to immediately hold the upper hand in the match. He does not ease his way into the encounter. He actually tries to end it – at least mentally and emotionally in his opponents’ mind – before it begins.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were the only other two players since 1991 to cross the 58 per cent threshold, with Nadal winning 59.43 per cent and Federer winning 59.03 per cent. Interestingly, the Big Three are all within half a percentage point of each other, all feeding off each other to take the game to new levels.

When players obtain an early lead in a match, opponents often feel compelled to gravitate to higher risk patterns of play, such as going for more winners early in the point to get back into the contest. By getting ahead early, Djokovic can keep playing his high percentage patterns of play, while opponents feel like they have to “red-line” their game to hang with him because they are already in an early hole. The scoreboard simply becomes a silent weapon for Djokovic.

The leading 10 players since 1991 with the highest percentage of games won in the opening set are in the table below.

Set 1: Percentage Games Won 1991-2020

Djokovic slightly elevates his win percentage when you filter the data set to include only hardcourt matches. The leading five players on hard courts are:

1. Djokovic = 60.13%
2. Federer = 59.37%
3. Sampras = 58.66%
4. Agassi = 58.32%
5. Ivan Lendl = 57.33%

Djokovic is the only player who has won the “Career Golden Masters” by triumphing in all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. He has performed best in Shanghai, Indian Wells and Miami, winning north of 60 per cent of games in the opening set at all three events.

Masters 1000 & Nitto ATP Finals: Djokovic Games Won Percentage In Set 1

Djokovic’s visible weapons in a match include his aggressive forehands, rock-solid backhands, and a potent return of serve that quickly rebounds deep down the middle of the court, right back at the server. When you look at the scoreboard and see him ahead in the game count, you can add that to the extensive list.

Mardy Fish is known for his efforts on the tennis court, climbing as high as No. 7 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and winning six ATP Tour titles. But the American showed his prowess for another sport this past weekend: golf.

The 38-year-old won the American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament with the $600,000 purse going to charity. Fish competed against superstars from throughout the sports world, including Stephen Curry, Jerry Rice, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Canelo Alvarez. 

“This is the least amount of golf I’ve played going into one of these things, so maybe there’s something to that. Maybe there’s something to riding in the cart with no caddie, maybe,” Fish said. “But maybe I was just due for a win here.”

Mardy Fish” />

The three-day event is based on the Stableford scoring format, in which players are awarded points depending on how they score on a hole compared to their handicap. In normal golf scoring, Fish shot a 63 on Saturday to put himself in great position for the win.

“I can hit it with most people. And then if I can make some putts, I can play really well,” Fish said. “I didn’t light it on fire today or the first day. So I had one great day, but it was enough.”

Former World No. 4 James Blake also played the tournament, finishing in a tie for 26th.

The Hamburg European Open will always hold a special place in Roger Federer’s career as the site of his first ATP Masters 1000 title in 2002.

Prior to arriving that year, Federer had little reason to be confident about his clay-court game. He endured convincing early-round defeats in Monte Carlo and Rome, and stared down a draw in Hamburg that featured nine of the Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The No. 11 seed also received one of the most challenging first-rounds opponents he could have faced  in former Top 10 player Nicolas Lapentti.

But the 20-year-old found his form from the first ball in Hamburg. He powered into the quarter-finals without dropping a set before taking out second seed Gustavo Kuerten in a three-set affair, which included blitzing the Brazilian 6-0 in the opening set. Another quick victory soon followed against Max Mirnyi before Federer dominated sixth seed Marat Safin 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match.

“I find it incredible what has happened,” Federer said afterwards. “I lost my first 11 [tour-level] matches on clay, played badly here before, and in Monte Carlo and in Rome, and felt negative coming into the tournament. I never thought that I would take a title on this surface.”

Federer reduced Safin to a spectator in the first half of the match, launching winners from all parts of the court as he stormed to a 6-1, 5-1 lead. Although the Swiss still performed at a high level in the latter stages of the match, he admitted that his dip in form was due in part to seeing the finish line too quickly.

“At 6-1, 5-1, you think ‘How am I going to celebrate?’ and ‘What am I going to say?’” Federer said. “These things come into your mind. You just can’t help it.”

His title defence the following year resulted in a third-round defeat to Mark Philippoussis, but Federer rebounded by scoring a hat-trick of victories in Hamburg. He prevailed in 2004 (d. Coria) and defended his crown by powering through the field in 2005 without dropping a set (d. Gasquet). Federer missed the 2006 edition of this event, but returned to score one of the most significant victories of his career.

Following wins against Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Ferrer and Carlos Moya, Federer rallied from a set down in the 2007 final to stun Rafael Nadal 2-6, 6-2, 6-0. The match ended Nadal’s 81-match winning streak on clay dating back to April 2005 and also marked Federer’s first victory over the Spaniard on this surface. He lifted his head to the sky and yelled in delight after a Nadal forehand found the net on match point.

Roger Federer owns a tournament record four titles at the Hamburg European Open.” />

“It’s an absolute breakthrough,” Federer said. “It’s just nice to be playing well again. It’s not that I was playing so badly, but it’s my first clay-court title in a couple of years, so that’s great.”

Nadal would get revenge by defeating Federer in the 2008 final, but by that point the Swiss had established himself as the only player in tournament history to win four singles titles. It’s a record that has yet to be matched more than a decade later.

Kevin Anderson already has a pair of Grand Slam finals (2017 US Open, 2018 Wimbledon) and a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 5 to his name. When action resumes on the ATP Tour, the South African is determined to push well beyond those career highlights.

“In 2021, If I’m a Grand Slam champion with some ATP Masters 1000 titles, that would be a very successful year-and-a-half,” Anderson told ATP Tennis Radio. “That’s what I’m aiming for along with my team. I’m really looking forward to pushing myself and giving myself that opportunity.”

The 34-year-old knows doing so will require being at full health. Anderson has endured a challenging 18 months between injuries and the current suspension of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Issues with his right knee limited him to six tournaments since February 2019 and required a pair of surgeries last September and this February. But the always-determined Anderson found a silver lining and used the extra time at home to strengthen his body.

“At this point in my career, it’s the most important thing for me. Everything revolves around that,” Anderson said.  “We probably err on the side of caution right now, whereas with tournaments, you might push through a little bit. I extended my recovery period by four or five weeks before getting back on court. I’ve been training and have a friend who has a court at his house, which has been a nice setup.

“It’s been quite some time since I was in that regular routine of competing and playing in tournaments. I’m trying to take care of my body as much as I can. Hopefully I can take this six months that I haven’t been playing and add that to the end of my career.”

Anderson has had plenty to keep him busy while at home in Florida. He and his wife, Kelsey, welcomed their first child last September, a baby girl named Keira. He also serves as Vice President on the ATP Player Council and has remained an active presence.

But Anderson has also worked on continuing to embrace the concept that sometimes less is more. He’s long been known as one of the hardest-working players on Tour, which prompted one of his coaches, Jay Bosworth, to encourage the South African to trust his training and adopt a more relaxed approach mentally. Although shifting his mindset wasn’t easy at first, Anderson believes it will serve him well in the long run.

“Some of my biggest strengths that helped me get to where I was [in 2018] needed to change a little bit. I’ve always had a good work ethic and always wanted to keep improving… But I also needed to trust my abilities and the work I had put in,” Anderson said. “That was a very difficult change for me at first. Stepping out of your comfort zone and seeing what needs to be done can be challenging, but it’s something I’ve embraced and I can see how it helps you become a tennis player.”