In early April, Dr. Ryan Thacher’s life as a first-year orthopedic surgery resident changed as he knew it.

The 30-year-old works at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, New York, where he now is as comfortable in the operating room as he once was belting groundstrokes on his way to three All-American honours at Stanford University. Thacher sacrificed a tennis career to pursue medicine, and the California native now works with attending surgeons and higher-ranking residents to treat patients as he hones his craft.

“I feel like I had a very successful career as a tennis player and I have a lot of moments and tournaments that I can look back on fondly and feel good about what I was able to accomplish,” Thacher told ATPTour.com. “I feel fulfilled in the job that I do and excited for the future. I think that’s about as much as anyone can ask for.”

The majority of the work at HSS is elective surgery, and because of that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, roles have changed. Thacher, who once left behind tennis for the bigger picture, temporarily put his surgical training on hold to help combat the spread of coronavirus, the biggest health crisis the world has faced in 100 years. The hospital began repurposing its space into Intensive Care Units in order to accommodate COVID-19 patients. Instead of helping perform surgeries, Thacher is working 12-hour days in the ICU.

“As an orthopedic surgery resident, when all of the coronavirus stuff hit, we were a little bit unsure as to what role we’d be playing… I think a lot of us, myself included, were actually happy to be put in a position where we could be as useful as possible to the other members of the medical team,” Thacher said. “We go through a lot of schooling and take a lot of time to get to where we want to be and I think you have to have that type of perspective to stick with it.”

Thacher is grateful that he and his family have remained healthy, saying, “I almost feel guilty about it, it’s kind of weird.” Every day, he takes his temperature using a thermometer provided by the hospital. Thacher hasn’t spoken to many people outside his family about his experiences.

“We’re obviously in the midst of a time in our lives that nobody’s really ever seen before, and we may never see again. I think it is important just to understand and appreciate the impact of every single lost life as a result of the pandemic,” Thacher said. “It’s easy to get caught up in the statistics of it and often sort of forget the humanistic part of it and having been in the hospital and having helped take care of patients who have suffered through this and seeing firsthand the impact that has on families, I just think it’s an important perspective for everyone to keep.”

There are plenty of people who are thankful for the work Thacher has been doing, and he certainly has support in the tennis world, having been a world-class junior who earned a FedEx ATP Ranking.

Thacher chuckles thinking back to it, but nearly 13 years ago, he played his first tour-level tournament when he was only 17. The lefty competed at the Los Angeles ATP Tour event, where he received a qualifying wild card. He won his first-round match, and then got to play another 17-year-old: Kei Nishikori.

“There were some rumblings I recall that he was a really promising up and coming, young player from Japan. I didn’t know much more about him than that, I hadn’t seen him play… I had some fans in the crowd and I remember I came out and I think the first couple of games were pretty close… I actually thought I was playing really well. I was like, ‘Gosh, this guy is so solid,’” Thacher recalled. “I had a pretty good serve and I was serving and volleying a little bit and I felt like I was playing really well, and I was having a really hard time winning points.”

Nishikori won 6-1, 6-4, and less than a year later he would win his first ATP Tour title in Delray Beach. But for Thacher, Nishikori’s on-court presence was not the only memorable aspect of the match.

“He was incredibly polite and really friendly and I actually saw him a few times after that match,” Thacher said. “He remembered me and we would just say, ‘Hello’. That was very meaningful and very telling of what kind of guy he is.”

Less than two months later, Thacher reached the third round of the US Open boys’ singles draw, losing to current World No. 28 Daniel Evans. Thacher got to practise with former World No. 1 John McEnroe in Flushing Meadows.

“That was a pretty cool experience. That was different. He’s not one of the contemporary guys, but he still hit the ball so clean. He was still really good,” Thacher said. “He was trying to tune his game up and stay sharp. That was obviously, for a younger kid, such an incredible experience.”

The Los Angeles Times earlier that year touted him as a future hope for American tennis. Thacher certainly had the respect of his peers, including future college teammate and current ATP Tour pro Bradley Klahn.

“I remember many players used to make the running joke that he hadn’t made an error since a year earlier in the 2000s,” Klahn said. “I can remember numerous players who were very much doubting [their chances] before stepping on court with Ryan just knowing what he could do to them.”

^{Ryan Thacher (left) and Bradley Klahn played doubles together at Stanford University. Photo Credit: Stanford Athletics}
Thacher never seriously considered bypassing college. He attended Stanford, where he played doubles with Klahn for three and a half years. The duo made the final of the 2011 NCAA Doubles Championships and earned three All-American doubles honours.

“He was a guy who was insanely athletic, big, strong, moved exceptionally well. It was very hard to get a ball by him and he was able to use that athleticism. He had a big serve that was always going to put you under pressure and then he wasn’t going to give you anything,” Klahn said. “He had a great backhand, he could hit the open stance sliding defensive backhand when he needed to, and he could step up and crunch one when he needed to as well. He had a lot of variety that would throw people off and the biggest thing was that he won a lot of matches.”

By his junior year, Thacher became fairly set on his future plans: he wanted to become a doctor. After college, the lefty would give life on the ATP Tour a shot to get his taste of life as a pro. But eventually, he was going to go to medical school. That wasn’t a surprise to his peers, including countryman Steve Johnson.

“Growing up Ryan was always the most athletic kid out there and probably the smartest as well, no doubt about it,” Johnson said. “When it all came to it and he went to Stanford, me personally, I really felt like tennis probably wasn’t his main goal in life and there was something driving him beyond and to bigger and better things.”

Thacher graduated from Stanford and in July 2012 began playing professionally. By that December, Thacher competed in his final event, and he was ready to move on to his next chapter. Perhaps he had the potential to push higher than his career-highs of No. 974 in singles and No. 528 in doubles.

Could he have joined Klahn in achieving success on Tour?

“I believe he had the game. He had the athleticism. I think the keys were in place. But he knew what he wanted out of his life and I have a huge amount of respect for him knowing what he wanted to do and making that decision and giving it a try, getting to travel a little bit and then going back and pursuing medicine,” Klahn said. “He’s one of those guys who you knew was going to be successful in whatever he did. I have no doubts that he’ll be hugely successful as an orthopedic surgeon.”

Thacher first moved to New York to take a position as a research assistant, and then he attended Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Although he was no longer on Tour, he had the support of the players he grew up with.

“Lo and behold he’s a doctor out in New York. Couldn’t ask for a better guy, a better human. He’s always someone who would be there for you and someone who would always help if he could,” Johnson said. “He’s always been a standup guy and couldn’t be happier for him and couldn’t think of a better person out in New York fighting this thing and giving it his best shot.”

Thacher spent four years in medical school preparing himself for life as a doctor before beginning his residency in June 2019. He believes his tennis background is helping him as a doctor.

“I think every match that you play, you deal with certain adversity. Nothing ever feels perfect. Your forehand might feel really good one day but you can’t hit a serve and you’ve got a nagging ankle injury and you still have to persevere and do your best to figure out the best way to win,” Thacher said. “I think the learning that I got from playing so many matches, just in terms of how to deal with those situations, has served me the best moving forward in my current career. I think there are lots of instances when you never really know what you’re going to get when you walk into a patient’s room. You have to try to figure out the best way to connect with them and get them to trust you and at the same time try to find the best way to help them with whatever condition they have.”

Whether it’s working on the frontlines combatting coronavirus or performing orthopedic surgery, there is always significant pressure on Thacher.

“As a former athlete now working in the medical field, now you feel pressure to do the best you can for your patient. You feel pressure to perform. As a future surgeon, you feel pressure to perform specifically in the operating room,” Thacher said. “Having experienced those things so frequently in the past, I do think that you’re well prepared to handle those emotions and those feelings that you have when you’re in that operating room.”

Thacher says that his hospital has begun transitioning back to doing urgent orthopedic cases, which means he’ll soon be back in the operating room. Yet the long-term effects of this pandemic remain unknown in the medical field and beyond.

“I think it puts tennis in perspective,” Klahn said. “Seeing what he goes through and hearing the small snippets that I get from him from time to time, tennis is great, I love what we do. But you realise that it is just a game and it could help put things in perspective and also help you play with a broader significance.” 

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has won 18 tour-level titles and reached 12 more finals, but only one of those 30 instances came on clay: the 2017 Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon, which was the event’s clay-court debut.

Tsonga arrived in Lyon having only won one match since February. On 18 March 2017, his first child, Shugar, was born. The Frenchman had plenty of confidence from winning titles earlier in the year in Rotterdam and Marseille.

But Tsonga also had been dealing with shoulder pain, withdrawing ahead of his second-round match at the Mutua Madrid Open and pulling out of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Tsonga needed three sets in his Lyon opener against Carlos Berlocq.

“It was a great atmosphere today. The stadium was full. I am very happy to go through this round,” Tsonga said. “It is really important for me to play back-to-back matches.”

The Frenchman’s next opponent was a tricky one in the powerful 20-year-old Karen Khachanov. But the second seed began to find his form, defeating the Russian 6-0, 6-4.

“I am really pleased that after playing two-and-a-half hours yesterday, I was feeling great today and didn’t have any pain with my shoulder. This is key for me. I need to be healthy,” said Tsonga. “Today was definitely a better match. I hope that I will keep this rhythm for the upcoming matches.”

Tsonga did just that against another big-hitter in Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, overcoming a second-set blip to reach the final with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory.

“It was good for me to play a long match like this,” said Tsonga. “I haven’t played a match this long for a while. I am not playing my best level, but I am giving everything mentally and that gives me confidence.”

Tsonga needed to take his level up even further in the championship against Tomas Berdych, who had won eight of their 12 ATP Head2Head clashes. The Frenchman was able to do so, celebrating his third title of 2017 with a 7-6(2), 7-5 win against the Czech.

“I am very happy. First title on clay court. It is now added to my CV, and I can move on,” Tsonga said. “It has been a great week overall.”

In the fifth profile of a series on the 26 players to rise to No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, ATPTour.com looks back on the career of John McEnroe. View Full List 

First week at No. 1: 3 March 1980
Total weeks at No. 1: 170
Year-End No. 1s: 1981-84

As World No. 1
John McEnroe replaced his great rival Bjorn Borg to become No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on 3 March 1980, initially for three weeks. “To look and go, ‘Oh my God, there’s not one person above me is not something when I was growing up that I was expecting to happen,” said McEnroe, last month. “It was quite surprising to look at my name and below it be like Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors.” He reached the summit of men’s professional tennis on a record 14 different occasions until 8 September 1985. His fourth period at No. 1, from 3 August 1981 to 12 September 1982, was his longest at 58 weeks. The 1981-84 year-end ATP Tour No. 1 added, “It depends on the player, but the most important thing when I was playing was who’s No. 1 at the end of the year. That was the most important. You were the best overall. Your 12-month results were the best of anyone.” He is seventh in the list of most weeks at No. 1 with 170 weeks and ranked in the year-end Top 10 on 10 occasions (1978-85, 1987, 1989). Read 40th Anniversary Feature

Grand Slam Highlights
McEnroe made an immediate impact on the world stage, initially as the 1977 Roland Garros junior and mixed doubles champion (w/childhood friend Mary Carillo) in his first Grand Slam championship. Then, as an 18-year-old qualifier, he went on to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals (the youngest for 100 years), losing to Jimmy Connors in four sets. Within a year, he’d established himself among the best four players in the world. McEnroe went on to win three Wimbledon singles titles (1981, 1983-84) and four crowns at the US Open (1979-81, 1984). At 20 years and six months, he won his first major singles crown in New York, beating his great friend Vitas Gerulaitis to become the youngest US Open champion in 31 years, dating back to when 20-year-old Pancho Gonzales won the title in 1948. McEnroe would later say, “I did a terrible job of composing myself. I was a spoiled brat from Long Island, who benefitted from the energy of New York.” Although he lost the five-set 1980 Wimbledon final, it is best remembered for its 34-point fourth-set tie-break, when McEnroe saved five match points and Borg saved six set points. McEnroe led Ivan Lendl two sets to love only to lose the 1984 Roland Garros final, and after his 1984 peak (62-7 record at the four Grand Slams, .899), reached his 11th and last Grand Slam final at the 1985 US Open (l. to Lendl). He advanced to two further Wimbledon semi-finals in 1989 and 1992, in addition to the 1990 US Open.

Nitto ATP Finals Highlights
McEnroe competed at the singles Masters [now named Nitto ATP Finals] at Madison Square Garden in New York on nine occasions (1978-1985, 1989), compiling a 19-11 match record. Turning professional in 1978, when he won five titles, he beat Arthur Ashe 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 for the first of three Masters crowns. McEnroe also won in 1983 and 1984, beating Ivan Lendl in straight sets both times. He was also runner-up to Lendl in 1982. In partnership with fellow American Peter Fleming, they captured seven straight Masters titles between 1978 and 1984.

Tour Highlights
McEnroe, who moved seamlessly from singles to doubles in a 16-year career, won 77 singles titles and 78 in doubles. He ranked No. 1 for the first time in the team discipline on 23 April 1979. McEnroe, who spent eight different stints in the doubles top spot for a total of 269 weeks, was the year-end No. 1 between 1979-1983. Fleming, who partnered McEnroe to 52 doubles titles — including four at Wimbledon (1979, 1981, 1983, 1984), three US Opens (1979, 1981, 1983) and seven straight season-ending championships (1977-1984), once famously said, “The best doubles pair in the world is John McEnroe and anyone.” He won nine major doubles titles, winning a fifth Wimbledon title with Michael Stich in 1992 and a fourth US Open with Mark Woodforde in 1989. His combined 158 titles are the most in the Open Era, including 10 singles and 17 doubles in 1979. McEnroe’s finest year came in 1984, when he recorded the best single season win-loss record in the Open Era, an 82-3 record (.965) and a career-high 13 titles. He took a six-month break from the sport in 1986, marrying his first wife, actress Tatum O’Neal, and a seven-month break following the 1987 US Open. Much to his frustration, despite his best efforts, he never regained his top form. He represented the United States in Davis Cup ties for 12 years, lifting the trophy in 1978, the year he turned pro, 1979, 1981-82 and 1992). He retired in 1992 but returned 14 years later in 2006 to partner Jonas Bjorkman to the San Jose doubles title.

Overall ATP Singles Match Win-Loss Record 881-198
Overall ATP Singles Titles/Finals Record: 77-32

Biggest Rivalries
McEnroe could match the aggressive counter-punching of Connors, nullify the power of Lendl and trade groundstrokes — and maintain his composure — against Borg, whom he greatly admired. The intense rivalries, particularly with Connors and Borg, took the sport to new heights. McEnroe won 20 of 34 meetings against Connors, while he and Borg split their 14 clashes, with McEnroe winning three of their four major finals. McEnroe said of Borg, “I didn’t get along with most of the players I played against, but the one guy I did get along with was my great rival, so it can be done… People like to see me and Connors, me and Lendl, go at it. We didn’t like each other.”

Legacy
As a player of considerable skill, and superb touch, particularly on fast courts, McEnroe was often likened to an artist, who looked to play the game with ease. One of the most iconic players, McEnroe was outstanding in both singles and doubles throughout his career; also prone to controversy, but nobody could question his talent and commitment to the United States in the Davis Cup. He was more than a tennis player, transcending his sport. Almost 30 years after the end of his playing career, not withstanding mini comebacks in doubles in 1999 and 2006, McEnroe remains as fit as ever. He still competes on the ATP Champions Tour, collects art, is an astute television commentator and engaging. Today, alongside Borg, he is a team captain in the Laver Cup competition.

Memorable Moment
On 22 June 1981, McEnroe hit a serve down the T to Tom Gullikson in a Wimbledon first-round match on the old No. 1 Court. The line judge called a fault, leading to the American to immediately berate the chair umpire, Ted James, by saying, “You cannot be serious! That ball was on the line. Chalk flew up. It was clearly in. How could you possibly call that out?!” Further disputes over line calls, led the American to tell the chair umpire, “You’re the pits of the world” and “You’re incompetent”, leading to a point penalty. The Championships referee, Fred Hoyles, was called out to adjudicate. After the match, McEnroe was fined $1,500 and came close be being thrown out. McEnroe felt terrible, but it cemented his fiery legacy. The British tabloids nicknamed him ‘SuperBrat’.

On 21 January 1990, McEnroe became the first player since William Alvarez in 1963 to be disqualified from a Grand Slam championship, when playing Mikael Pernfors in the Australian Open fourth round. McEnroe led 2-1 in the third set, but during the changeover he stopped in front of a lineswoman he thought had made a bad call and glared at her. Gerry Armstrong, the chair umpire and long-time ATP Supervisor, issued his first warning for intimidation. Leading 4-2 in the fourth set, McEnroe hit a forehand wide and prompted the American to smash his racquet on the court, which led to a point penalty. A livid McEnroe then began swearing at Armstrong and Ken Farrar, the Grand Slam chief of supervisors, leading Armstrong to call a third and final code violation: “Default Mr McEnroe. Game, set, match.” McEnroe thought he had one more violation before he would be disqualified, but the code violation rules had just been reduced from four to three warnings. He was subsequently fined $6,500.

Ashe on McEnroe
“Whereas against Borg you feel like you’re being hit with a sledgehammer, this guy is a stiletto. [McEnroe] just slices people up… It’s slice here, nick there, cut over here. Pretty soon you’ve got blood all over you, even though the wounds aren’t deep. Soon after that you’ve bled to death.”

Connors on McEnroe
“To play Mac is beyond the realm of tennis. He’s my gauge. I look to him to see the level I have to reach to be No. 1 again… Even though Mac and I clash at every turn, we’re so much alike it’s scary. I’m Irish, he’s Irish. I’m left-handed, he’s left-handed. I’ve got a bad attitude, he’s got a bad attitude. I’ve always said I would love to play myself, and Mac is as close to playing me as I’m going to get.”

McEnroe on McEnroe
“I had enough inner strength to know I could beat anyone at any time, on any surface. There was always a devil inside me, whom I had to fight. And the devil was fear of failure.”

Journalist/Broadcaster Graeme Agars on Borg
John McEnroe was a master tactician with a deft touch and when everything came together in his game, he was a treat to watch. The volatile left-hander won his 881 Tour matches and his 77 titles with finesse rather than force, placement over power.

Never a fan of heavy hitting, McEnroe won by outthinking and out maneuvering his opponents, his softly strung racquet often putting the ball where they were not, instead of trying to hit through them. His hard-to-read serve set him up to close out many points at the net, frustrating those who tried to drag him into long rallies where they could gain the upper hand.

The same characteristics that allowed him to dissect his opponents’ games on court later made him an astute, and at times, controversial commentator on the game. McEnroe has never been afraid of calling it like he sees it and he didn’t mind going verbal on court when his matches got tight, either.

Whether his now famous “You cannot be serious” outbursts were designed to slow the tempo of a match, intimidate linesmen or to just blow off steam, they became a part of the McEnroe “show” when he ventured onto court, meaning his fans always had plenty to remember after they’d witnessed the New York native play.

Alex de Minaur owns three ATP Tour trophies and reached a career-high No. 18 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in October 2019.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the 21-year-old.

1) 2019 Was His Best ATP Tour Season
After claiming the ATP Newcomer of the Year Award in 2018, De Minaur raised his game last year. The Australian captured his maiden ATP Tour trophy at his home event in Sydney and later claimed further trophies in Atlanta and Zhuhai.

At the Truist Atlanta Open, De Minaur dropped just seven first-serve points throughout the week (116/123) to become the youngest winner in tournament history. The 6’0” right-hander also reached the Swiss Indoors Basel final (l. to Federer) and advanced to his second straight championship match at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan (l. to Sinner).

2) He’s A Proud Australian
The best of De Minaur’s hard-working and passionate character was seen at the start of this year at the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia. Wearing the famous green and gold colours of his home nation, De Minaur raised his game to new heights in Brisbane and Sydney.

The 21-year-old scored victories against Top 15 stars Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov, before pushing Rafael Nadal to three sets at the innovative team competition. De Minaur played a crucial role in guiding his nation to the semi-finals, saving four match points in a dramatic doubles victory against Great Britain alongside teammate Nick Kyrgios.

“Any chance I get to represent my country is always an honour,” said De Minaur. “Us Australians have a really good team chemistry. We just thrive in these team competitions. We all want the best for each other and there is nothing better than playing in front of an Aussie crowd.”

Following his breakthrough season in 2018, De Minaur was awarded the prestigious Newcombe Medal, Australian tennis’ highest honour. The award is presented annually and named after Aussie legend John Newcombe, who became the second player to reach World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 1974.

3) He Loves Gifts From His Fans
As a three-time ATP Tour titlist with almost 200,000 followers on Instagram, De Minaur enjoys plenty of support at each tournament he plays. During the Asian swing, it is not uncommon for that support to lead to gifts.

At the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships, De Minaur received some tea sets and one rather unusual present: an animal-shaped hat with dancing ears. Naturally, the Australian took the gift back to his hotel and used it to dance along to viral song ‘Baby Shark’. The video has more than 100,000 views on his Instagram account.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Happy with my first round win today, but even happier with this special gift from a fan!! ???‍♂‍

A post shared by Alex De Minaur ?? (@alexdeminaur) on Sep 24, 2019 at 5:38am PDT

4) He’s Mentored By An Aussie Legend
Alongside coach Adolfo Gutierrez, De Minaur can also turn to his mentor for advice: former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt.

Hewitt watched De Minaur during his run to the Wimbledon Boys’ Singles final in 2016 and was immediately impressed by the young Aussie’s work ethic. The two-time year-end World No. 1 has used his experience to advise De Minaur in the early stages of his career on the ATP Tour and also led the 21-year-old as Team Captain for Team Australia at the inaugural ATP Cup in January.

“Hewitt has always been an idol,” said De Minaur. “I always looked up to him growing up. For him to now be in my corner and helping me out as a mentor, really getting me to believe I belong here where I am and that I have got the level, is just incredible.”

5) He’s Improving His Golf Skills In Lockdown
With plenty of spare time on his hands during the COVID-19 pandemic, De Minaur is taking every opportunity to turn his house into a golf course. The World No. 26 was seen practising his pitching skills in multiple videos, before raising his game for his latest trick. From an impressive distance, the three-time tour-level titlist managed to putt a coin in between the tines of a fork before raising his arms and cheering in celebration.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

3 days later!! This took way too long please don’t let this flop ? I would like to thank all of those who believed in me ?‍♂‍???? @atptour #puttfordough #tennisathome?? #golfathome

A post shared by Alex De Minaur ?? (@alexdeminaur) on Apr 15, 2020 at 4:51am PDT

Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Canadian #NextGenATP star, is from Montreal. But early in his career, the 19-year-old has found himself at home in Lyon.

Last year, Auger-Aliassime arrived at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon searching for form. After making the semi-finals in Miami, the Canadian didn’t win consecutive matches in four straight tournaments.

“Lyon is special for me,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Every time I come here, I feel like I’m at home.”

That’s because Auger-Aliassime won the Lyon Challenger in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, at just 16 years and 10 months, he became the eighth-youngest titlist in ATP Challenger Tour history. By retaining the trophy the following year, Felix became the youngest player in history to successfully defend a Challenger crown.

Auger-Aliassime’s love affair with Lyon showed from the start of the 2019 Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon. Felix, who was World No. 28 at the time, was the youngest Top 30 player since Lleyton Hewitt in 1999. He got his tournament off to a strong start by beating scrappy Aussie veteran John Millman 7-6(3), 7-5.

In the quarter-finals, the 18-year-old battled past experienced American Steve Johnson 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, to set a semi-final showdown against powerful Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili. Felix found his back against the wall in that match, as Basilashvili was up a set and held a 0/40 advantage on the Canadian’s serve at 4-4 in the second set.

Auger-Aliassime hit a gutsy forehand winner at 15/40, and defended his second serve well at 30/40 to hang on, before finding some of his best tennis to eliminate Basilashvili 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.

“I stayed pretty calm compared to yesterday [against Johnson]. I think I adjusted that pretty well. I think if I got too frustrated, I probably would have lost in two sets,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Probably wouldn’t have saved those break points at 4-all. That’s a key for me. That’s been a turning point this year, and obviously in this tournament, to be able to get over any mistakes, to keep on playing.”

In February 2019, Auger-Aliassime made his first ATP Tour final at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Now, he had another chance at tour-level glory.

“I came here because I thought maybe something good could happen. I felt good two years in a row in this city, and here I am in the final,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I can’t ask for anything better. It was tough matches throughout the week, but I think I’ve been able to get through every time against tough opponents.”

Auger-Aliassime wasn’t 100 per cent physically in the final against Benoit Paire, experiencing groin pain. The Frenchman beat him for the Lyon title 6-4, 6-3, and that pain ended up forcing Felix to withdraw from Roland Garros. But nevertheless, Auger-Aliassime was happy that for the third consecutive year, he was able to find some of his best form in Lyon.

“I had a good week even though it didn’t end the way I wanted, not playing the way I wanted or being physically well,” Auger-Aliassime said. “There’s disappointment because these finals don’t come around often but there’s a lot of positives to take from that week. Hopefully I give myself other chances for titles.”

Stan Wawrinka won one of the biggest titles of his career at the 2016 US Open, and one of his home country’s tournaments certainly took notice.

Later that year, the organizers of the Geneva Open presented Wawrinka with a sweet surprise: a replica US Open trophy handmade entirely of chocolate!

The full-size trophy, carefully crafted from several kilos of chocolate, took two full days to build and was given to the Swiss star at a pre-tournament press conference. Then World No. 4, Wawrinka won his first title on home soil in May 2016 in Geneva.

“This is a lovely idea from the tournament,” said Wawrinka. “The trophy looks great, what a nice surprise! It’s good that I already started working on my fitness with Pierre Paganini.”

Wawrinka asked how long he could keep the chocolate trophy and was told it would be edible for about a week. The tournament wrapped and delivered the trophy to him following the presentation to ensure it would arrive intact.

Perhaps that made his victory in Geneva the following year, when he retained his crown, even sweeter.

Those aren’t the only special moments Wawrinka has had at the ATP 250 tournament, though. In 2016, he helped launch the Geneva Open tram. He joined Tournament Director Thierry Grin, organisers and media, taking the tram from Place de Neuve to the United Nations.

“The tram looks great. It’s a very nice initiative from the tournament,” said Wawrinka. “It’s always a pleasure to play at home, especially here, in my region.”

Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 28 February 2019.

My right arm was tingling.

I was home in Miami in April 2013, when one morning I woke up at 8:00 am. At first, I thought I had slept in an awkward position. No big deal.

But then my wife asked me a question, and the corner of my lip started drooping. It only got worse from then on and as the hours went by, I lost feeling in my arm and my ability to speak. By the end of the day, I didn’t know my name or what year it was. When medical staff at the hospital asked me questions, I couldn’t respond.

There were days when I woke up and thought, ‘Okay, I’m still alive.’ But the headaches would get crazy. It reached a point where the pain was so unbearable, I almost wanted to die so it would stop. It turns out I had encephalitis, inflammation of the brain.

When I eventually left the hospital I was a different man, realising what was important in my life. Everything cleared up and I knew what I really loved to do: tennis.

Still, getting back on the court was difficult. I began by practising for five minutes. The next day it was eight minutes, then 10 minutes. It was not easy, and I was worried because I was still at risk of the encephalitis returning. I had always been scared of dying, but after this experience I thought that if it happened, it happened.

I was most scared when I had to get on an airplane for the first time since I got sick. There were so many thoughts going through my head: What if the pain came back during the flight? Would anyone understand what was happening to me? Would anyone be able to help?

As I sat on the plane, I noticed that I was completely wet, drenched with sweat. You would have thought that I had walked through a torrential rainstorm to get on the plane.

But as the days went on, things would gradually become more bearable. I was positive about one thing: I was 34 years old and while I understood it would take time to fully recover, there was no way I would finish my career on those terms. I wouldn’t let the disease take away my lifelong passion. Not after everything I’d been through.

* * * * *

I started playing tennis when I was six years old, and to be honest, I didn’t really like it at first. I was young and I didn’t understand the game. Growing up in Croatia in the 1980s, everything was about soccer. That was all that was on TV, so of course I was more into that. Tennis? Barely anyone in my country knew the rules.

I remember watching Boris Becker win his first Wimbledon in 1985 when I was six, and I thought his all-silver Puma racquet was the coolest thing. It was expensive and almost impossible to find at home. A few years later he switched to a red-and-blue racquet, so in 1990 I was able to find a cheap, used version of the all-silver one that I had once looked upon in awe on my TV. I took it everywhere I went.

While living in Croatia at the time meant living in Communism, the one benefit was that sports clubs were basically free for kids. I could go there and practise every day and I didn’t have to pay anything. That was important, because my parents couldn’t afford much.

When I was 11 years old, the Croatian War of Independence started and that’s when everything changed. For the next three years, there were very few possibilities to play. It was a dangerous time, as there were airplanes flying above our city while we were all underground in shelters.

Even as it became safer outside towards the end of the war, tennis became very expensive. So I would always wait until the evenings when the courts were empty, because that’s the only time I was able to practise. There was nobody to play with, so all I was able to do was serve for hours and hours. I guess that explains some things.

When I became a professional tennis player, life didn’t get easier. I didn’t break into the Top 100 until I was 24 and there were moments when I didn’t see the way out. It was difficult to survive, so I played a lot of club matches in places like Croatia, Slovenia and Germany between tournaments to earn the cash I needed to travel to more events.

I was okay without having a lot of money and it was fine if I didn’t stay in the official tournament hotel. I was okay hustling because I did what I had to do to climb the ATP Rankings. I would do whatever it took to make a living as a professional tennis player.

But throughout almost all of last season, I lost the desire to train and compete. It was the worst at Roland Garros, where all I wanted to do was go home. It felt disgusting to even hold the racquet in my hand, and losing did not sting like it used to.

I was 39 and I have two kids at home. When I left them, it was difficult, and I didn’t have enough love for the sport to make it worth it. That is why my Ranking dropped to No. 138 in September. Overcoming encephalitis was one thing. Battling myself was another.

But then I set a goal: I wanted to get into the Australian Open. If I didn’t, I would retire. So I decided to play five ATP Challenger Tour events to try to make the main draw in Melbourne. I knew I had very little room for error and that gave me the will to fight again, because I had something to strive for. I ended up getting into the Australian Open and making the final in Pune, which has put me in good position to play many of the big ATP Tour events in the coming months.

* * * * *

Today I turn 40 and I think I’m still doing pretty well. I’m just happy I’m still able to play tennis at a high level. Every time I have a good result I get mentioned with guys like Jimmy Connors and Ken Rosewall and even though it’s only while we’re talking about age, I still think that’s pretty cool. I don’t feel any weaker or any slower than when I was 38, so why not keep going?

I have worked hard all my life: I’ve served on a war-torn court, overcome financial challenges and health setbacks, yet I’m still swinging.

I’ve learned that it’s easier to go through tough moments if you really like what you’re doing. If you really want something, you will find a way. When there is desire, everything becomes easier. It is easier to train. It is easier to travel. It is easier to fight on the court. You just have to want it, and I still want this sport. I’m not done yet.

– as told to Andrew Eichenholz

Read More ‘My Point’ Essays

The ATP has announced new partnerships with Sporting Chance and Headspace to support the mental health and wellbeing of its player members and staff.

Founded by former Arsenal F.C. and England football captain Tony Adams MBE, Sporting Chance is a leading mental health provider working exclusively with professional and elite sports participants to give them a safe and confidential space to discuss emotional wellbeing and mental health.

The partnership between the ATP and Sporting Chance means ATP Player members will be able to contact a 24/7 helpline providing access to a triage team of therapists. Players will then be referred onto Sporting Chance’s network of therapists, all experienced at working with elite sportspeople. They will help the players deal with any issue they may be struggling with, from the psychological effects caused by COVID-19 and not playing tennis, to dealing with anxiety and depression or the effects of a sporting injury.

The ATP has also announced a new partnership with Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness, meditation and mental fitness through its app and online content offerings. This partnership will provide free Headspace Plus subscriptions to all ATP player members and employees, giving them access to all 1200+ hours of meditation and mindfulness content including sleep, kids, and mindful movement exercises. This also includes access to a new specially curated collection of content to support people’s mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic called “Weathering the storm.”

Today’s announcement highlights ATP’s increased focus on supporting the mental health of its players and staff. Last month, the ATP announced it was offering players a way to develop new skills during the pandemic through a partnership with Coursera, an online education platform, where players will be able to choose from more than 4,200 different courses of study to keep themselves mentally sharp.

“Being mentally strong is just as important as physical strength in tennis and looking after the mental health of our players and staff is a key priority for us,” said ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

“Everyone has been adapting to periods of self-isolation and decreased physical activity during the pandemic, but this can have a particularly detrimental effect on professional athletes who are used to particular training structure and playing day in day out. We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to support our players and staff during this time and I’m proud of the partnerships we’ve been able to announce in recent weeks and months which allow us to do this.”

“We are delighted to be working with the ATP in supporting their players at this difficult time,” said Tony Adams, MBE. “The challenges that all sports and sports professionals are experiencing in the light of this pandemic will be affecting all of us in different ways. I started Sporting Chance twenty years ago with the vision of creating a safe place for professional and elite athletes to discuss their emotional and mental health in confidence. Holding out our hand to those in need at this time is important to me and working with organisations like the ATP is a pleasure – well done Tennis!”

“As a company dedicated to improving the health and happiness of the world, we take our responsibility to help support people’s mental health very seriously. That’s why we’re so delighted to be partnering with the ATP in supporting tennis professionals across the world during such an extraordinary moment,” said Renate Nyburg, general manager for Headspace Europe. “The focus in sports training has often been exclusively on physical health and conditioning, but as the top athletes at all levels have increasingly learned, mental health and fitness is also critical in supporting wellbeing and performance on and off the court.”

About Sporting Chance
Sporting Chance was founded by former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams MBE who, as a recovering alcoholic, saw the need for a safe, dedicated environment where male and female athletes could receive support and counselling for the kinds of destructive behaviour patterns that exist in the world of competitive sport.

Since its creation in the year 2000, Sporting Chance has developed into one of the world’s most innovative centres for the treatment of emotional and behavioural problems among current and former professional sportspeople. The charity operates a 24-hour helpline, a network of over 200 trained therapists across the UK, and a residential treatment centre located in Hampshire – the only one of its kind built specifically to treat professional and elite-level athletes suffering with an addictive disorder.

Today, in addition to its recent partnership with the ATP Tour, the charity works with a number of stakeholders across the professional sporting landscape in the UK and beyond including the PFA, the Premier League, the FA and the LFE (in Football), RL Cares (Rugby League), the PCA (Cricket), both the PJA and the Injured Jockeys Fund (Horse Racing) as well player unions representing the sports of Snooker, Darts and Squash.

About Headspace
Headspace was created with one mission in mind: to improve the health and happiness of the world. Reaching more than 65 million users in 190 countries, Headspace was one of the first meditation apps in the world and remains a leader in mindfulness and mental training. Headspace is committed to advancing the field of mindfulness through clinically validated research, with one of the largest research pipelines of any digital health and wellness company. Headspace operates a B2B business (Headspace for Work) to offer its mindfulness products and services to more than 700 companies, such as Starbucks, Adobe, GE, Hyatt and Unilever, to help them build healthier, more productive cultures and higher performing organizations.

Headspace supports government entities like New York State and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to offer digital mental health tools. Headspace partners with many of the world’s most-recognizable brands, including Apple and Amazon, as well as with Nike, NBA and the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team to offer sport and movement content. Headspace Health is Headspace’s digital health subsidiary pioneering new ways to incorporate the Headspace mindfulness experience into digital medicine.

Headspace has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, Apple’s Best of 2018, Samsung’s Best of 2019 and one of CB Insights’ top digital health companies, along with being selected for five Webby Awards in health and fitness between 2018 and 2019. For more information please visit us at www.headspace.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Rafael Nadal has the best winning percentage in the Open Era at 83.2 per cent, leading legends like Novak Djokovic (83%), Bjorn Borg (82.7%), Roger Federer (82.1%) and Jimmy Connors (81.8%). But according to the ATP Performance Zone, the Spaniard is even deadlier against lefties.

Nadal has won more than 87 per cent of his matches against fellow lefties, holding a 104-15 record. The 85-time tour-level titlist has won 14 consecutive matches against lefties, with his last loss against one coming at the 2017 Coupe Rogers in Montreal, where Denis Shapovalov upset him.

What’s the secret to his success against his own kind? Perhaps it’s that he doesn’t think too deeply about it.

“It’s not a question of lefty or righty,” Nadal said after beating another lefty, Gilles Muller, at the 2016 BNP Paribas Open. “I played against a tough player with tough conditions. In Australia [earlier in 2016] I played against a player who played a great match like [Fernando] Verdasco, and you can lose. I lost. That’s it.”

Best Winning Percentage vs. Lefties (Active)

Not only is Nadal the best in the world against lefties, but the next active player on the Open Era list is Federer, who has won 77.7 per cent of his matches against lefties. That puts nearly 10 percentage points between them. Of course it doesn’t hurt Nadal’s numbers that he’s never had to face the greatest left-hander of his era!

“I’ve played a few other lefties in the past, as well. I always thought it was hard to play left-handed servers because their strength goes into your weakness… It just doesn’t work properly against the lefties,” Federer said in Dubai last year. “For a one-handed backhand player, I have a great record against left-handed players. Obviously Rafa has caused me the most problems throughout. That’s because of the level of play he’s able to achieve.”

On a recent Instagram Live, Federer asked Nadal why he plays left-handed when the Spaniard is naturally a righty.

“I cannot play righty. That’s just a legend!” Nadal said. “My basketball skills are with the right [hand], everything else is with the right, but not with football or tennis. I started playing with a two-handed backhand and forehand. The people I was working with probably didn’t know if I was righty or lefty.”

Interestingly, Nadal has only lost in straight sets against a lefty twice, and both of those matches came against Feliciano Lopez. The first occasion was at 2010 Queen’s Club, and the second was at 2014 Shanghai.

Best Winning Percentage vs. Lefties (Open Era)

The top 12 players on the Open Era list for winning percentage against lefties have all reached No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Pete Sampras comes in second, at 84.1 per cent, with Andy Roddick third at 81.1 per cent.

Following Nadal and Federer on the active list are Andy Murray (77.3%), Novak Djokovic (76.6%) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (74.7%). Unlike Nadal, no other member of the Big Four has a better winning percentage against lefties than they do overall.