Fifth-seeded Chilean Nicolas Jarry got off to a winning start on his Swedish Open debut recovering from a 2-4 deficit in the first set in a hard-fought 7-6(1), 7-5 win over Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland in one hour and 44 minutes on Tuesday. Laaksonen came back from 1-3 down in the second set, which included five service breaks. Jarry, the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open finalist (l. to A. Zverev) in May, will now play Swedish wild card Mikael Ymer.

Elias Ymer, also a wild card recipient, prevailing against Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 after two hours and 38 minutes, avenging his defeat to the Brazilian in last year’s Båstad opener. Both players capitalised on three of their nine break point chances, and Ymer finished the match with 99 points to 98 for Monteiro.  

The 23-year-old Ymer, currently No. 116 in the ATP Rankings, will next meet eighth seed Joao Sousa, who closed out Day 2 action with a 7-6(3), 6-4 win over Jozef Kovalik. Ymer also faced Sousa five years ago in Båstad, the only other time he reached the Round of 16 at his home ATP 250 tournament. Sousa won that meeting in straight sets en route to a runner-up finish (l. to Cuevas).

Sometimes tennis gives you a second chance ?@eliasymer #SwedishOpen pic.twitter.com/qmWNFT7h45

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 16, 2019

Albert Ramos-Vinolas set up a Båstad rematch with fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco after defeating French qualifier Constant Lestienne 6-1, 7-5. Ramos-Vinolas and two-time finalist Verdasco have faced off three times here, with Ramos-Vinolas winning in the 2016 final and Verdasco claiming their meetings in the 2014 second round and 2017 quarter-finals. Verdasco leads the overall FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2. 

Damir Dzumhur, the right-hander from Bosnia and Herzegovina, overcame seventh seed Casper Ruud of Norway 6-4, 6-2 in 86 minutes and will next play Roberto Carballes Baena, who knocked out his fellow Spaniard and doubles partner this week, Jaume Munar, in three sets on Monday. Meanwhile, sixth seed Juan Ignacio Londero defeated qualifier Facundo Arguello 6-3, 6-2 in an all-Argentine encounter. 

France’s Jeremy Chardy recorded his 15th match win of the season by beating Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta, a former No. 10 in the ATP Rankings, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 12 minutes. He now challenges top-seeded Chilean Cristian Garin.

Novak Djokovic took the lead in the battle for year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings from Rafael Nadal by winning his fifth crown at The Championships, Wimbledon, on Sunday. The Serbian passed Nadal in the ATP Race To London with 6,725 points, taking a 500-point advantage over the second-placed Spaniard (6,225), after he saved two championship points to beat Roger Federer 13-12(3) in the fifth set of the final at the All England Club.

It is the first time for three years that Djokovic has led the year-to-date standings after the conclusion of Wimbledon. In 2016, he had 8,040 points, for an 815-point lead over Andy Murray (7,225), who produced a sensational finish to the season with five straight titles, ending with victory over Djokovic in the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals for year-end ATP Tour No. 1.

So, once again in 2019, the stage is set for what could be an exciting battle with Djokovic bidding to equal Pete Sampras’ six year-end No. 1 finishes (1993-98) and Nadal going for a fifth top spot conclusion (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017).

ATP Race To London as of 15 July 2019

Both players will be fully aware that 12 months ago, after Wimbledon, Nadal led the 2018 ATP Race To London with Djokovic in fifth position (3,355 to Nadal’s 5,760). Djokovic won three further titles (including the US Open) from five finals, which included a 22-match winning streak, to finish the year at No. 1. 

Last year, following The Championships, Nadal led second-placed Federer (4,020) by 1,640 points. In 2017, when the Spaniard finished year-end No. 1 for the fourth time, he led Federer by 550 points at this stage (7,095 to 6,545), with Djokovic in seventh position on 2,585 points.

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The 32-year-old Djokovic, who now holds a 35-6 match record in 2019, has already joined Nadal as a qualifier for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November. In addition to the Wimbledon title, Djokovic won a record seventh Australian Open (d. Nadal) and also a 33rd ATP Masters 1000 trophy at the Mutua Madrid Open (d. Tsitsipas). He also advanced to his ninth Internazionali BNL d’Italia final (l. to Nadal).

What happened in the three tie-breaks was the exact opposite of what happened all around them.

Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3) in Sunday’s Wimbledon final after saving two match points with Federer serving 8-7, 40/15 in the fifth set, and then Djokovic dramatically saved two break points on his own serve at 11-11, Ad Out, just a few games later.

The match statistics were overwhelmingly dominated by Federer, except for a handful of moments when Djokovic was able to reign supreme. In all three sets Djokovic won, he controlled the tie-breaks, making Federer significantly bend to his own intentions of playing the big points on the Serbian’s terms with both players trading blows from the back of the court.

At first glance, Federer’s overall net stats look extremely impressive. But when you break down when they occurred – and more importantly when they didn’t – the first real glimpse of this stunning defeat becomes clearer.

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Federer won 13/15 points serving and volleying and 51/65 points approaching the net from a baseline position. But in the 33 total points in all three tie-breaks combined, the Swiss won only one solitary point at net from just two forays forward.

Check mate.

Twenty of the 33 points (61%) in the three tie-breaks were contested with both players standing at the baseline, which played perfectly into Djokovic’s masterplan. Djokovic won 16 of the baseline exchanges, while Federer accumulated only four. Of the eight rallies that reached double digits, Djokovic won six.

In the big moments at the end of sets one, three and five, with an illustrious Wimbledon title up for grabs, Djokovic fought the fight on his terms – and ultimately on his turf. To rub salt into the wound, Djokovic won more points at net (three) than Federer did (one) in the three tie-breaks.

Three Tie-Breaks: Points Won By Strategy

(ND = Novak Djokovic / RF = Roger Federer)

The difference in average rally length in the three tie-breaks when both players finished the point standing at the baseline compared to coming forward or winning the point in the serve and return phase of the point was staggering.

Average Rally Length
Fifth-Set Tie-Break
Both At Baseline = 8 rallies / 53 shots = 6.6 shot average.
All Other Points = 2 rallies / 3 shots = 1.5 shot average.

Third-Set Tie-Break
Both At Baseline = 6 rallies / 51 shots = 8.5 shot average.
All Other Points = 5 rallies / 11 shots = 2.2 shot average.

First-Set Tie-Break
Both At Baseline = 6 rallies / 48 shots = 8.0 shot average.
All Other Points = 6 rallies / 10 shots = 1.7 shot average.

Three Tie-Breaks Combined
Both At Baseline = 20 rallies / 152 shots = 7.6 shot average.
All Other Points = 13 rallies = 24 shots = 1.8 shot average.

When Federer held two championship points serving at 8-7, 40/15 in the fifth set, he lost four consecutive points. Three of them were contested with both players standing at the back of the court.

The match contained 422 points, with almost half of them (46%) finishing with both players standing on their own baseline after the serve and return had successfully been hit in the court.

Throughout the match, when Djokovic kept Federer back and was able to go toe-to-toe from the trenches, he crafted a vastly superior advantage.

Baseline to Baseline Rallies: Total Points Won
Djokovic = 59% won (113/194)
Federer = 41% won (80/194)

First Serves To The Body
Serving right at the body with first serves is a forgotten tactic of yesteryear, rarely seen on the ATP Tour on any surface. Djokovic might have single-handedly revived it on Sunday at SW19. In an effort to jam up Federer’s forward-moving return strategy, Djokovic aimed right at Federer 10 times in the final, winning an impressive eight of those points.

Djokovic First Serves To The Body
Deuce Court = Won 4/4
Ad Court = Won 4/6
Total Won = 8/10

By contrast, Federer served only one first serve at Djokovic’s body in the final, winning the point. Djokovic also hit nine first serves at the body against Hubert Hurkacz in the third round, winning eight of nine. If we start seeing an uptick in body serves in the upcoming North-American hard-court swing, we might know why.

Djokovic’s fifth Wimbledon title is impressive on so many levels. Forcing Federer to play the majority of tie-break points in baseline-to-baseline exchanges is as close to the bullseye of why he won as you will get.

Editor’s Note: Craig O’Shannessy is a member of Novak Djokovic’s coaching team.

One year ago, Jannik Sinner was No. 1,160 in the ATP Rankings. Now 17 years old, the #NextGenATP Italian is knocking on the door of the Top 200, and the World No. 208 moved closer to reaching that benchmark on Monday with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Portugual’s Pedro Sousa in the first round of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.

Sinner has been a breakthrough #NextGenATP star in 2019, becoming the first player born in 2001 or later to win an ATP Challenger Tour title, doing so as a wild card in Bergamo, Italy, in February. He then made a winning ATP Tour debut in Budapest as a lucky loser, and claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 match win in Rome.

The Italian’s triumph against Sousa was his third tour-level victory. Sinner won just three return points in the first set and was broken twice. But he would break the Portuguese four times in the next two sets to advance to the second round after one hour and 43 minutes.

Sinner, who also qualified in Lyon and ’s-Hertogenbosch, will try to reach his first ATP Tour quarter-final against Slovenian Aljaz Bedene, who upset fifth seed Marco Cecchinato 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 20 minutes. Cecchinato, the defending champion, lost just one set en route to the 2018 title on the Croatian clay.

In other action, Czech Jiri Vesely battled past German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(2) after three hours and two minutes. Vesely will play eighth seed Leonardo Mayer or Spaniard Pablo Andujar.

Argentine Guido Andreozzi scored the upset of the day on Monday at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, dismissing 2016 champion Ivo Karlovic 7-6(5), 7-6(6).

Neither player earned a break of serve, but the 27-year-old Andreozzi earned one mini-break more in each tie-break to reach the second round. Karlovic, also a two-time finalist in Newport (2014-15), fell to 17-7 at the grass-court event and was going for his second ATP Tour final of the season (Pune).

At Wimbledon, the 40-year-old Croatian beat Andrea Arnaboldi to become the oldest match winner there since Ken Rosewall in 1975. Andreozzi will next meet German Mischa Zverev or American qualifier Tim Smyczek.

Ilya Ivashka of Belarus knocked out Aussie Bernard Tomic 6-2, 7-6(5) and will face defending champion and fifth seed Steve Johnson or American wild card Christopher Eubanks in the second round.

Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak, who pushed Kei Nishikori to five sets at the Australian Open, will face top seed John Isner in the second round after dismissing Brit wild card Alastair Gray 6-3, 6-4.

Isner owns a 19-5 record in Newport, where he has won three of his 14 titles. The top American returned at Wimbledon after missing three months because of a broken foot suffered in the Miami Open presented by Itau final (l. to Federer).

Twenty-year-old Mikael Ymer was on the brink of defeat at the Swedish Open on Monday, but the home favourite battled past fellow #NextGenATP player Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 after two hours and eight minutes.

Only four spots separate World No. 124 Ymer and No. 128 Davidovich Fokina in the ATP Rankings, but it appeared the Spaniard had the edge, winning the first set and taking a break advantage on three separate occasions in the second set. But the Swede thrilled his home crowd, winning nine consecutive games, after Davidovich failed to serve out the match at 5-4, to triumph.

Ymer won 51 per cent of his return points, and saved five of the nine break points he faced. The wild card will next face fifth seed Nicolas Jarry or Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen. Ymer, who is currently placed 10th in the ATP Race To Milan, is trying to make a move at this week’s ATP 250 clay-court tournament to gain more points in pursuit of a spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

In other action, Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena beat countryman Jaume Munar 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 after two hours and 20 minutes. The 26-year-old will play seventh seed Casper Ruud or three-time ATP Tour champion Damir Dzumhur for a spot in the quarter-finals.

There were two doubles matches on Monday, with Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen ousting Sander Arends and David Pel 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 10-5. Also advancing was the team of Pablo Carreno Busta and Joao Sousa, which beat Romain Arneodo/Dzumhur 7-6(4), 6-2.

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s successful Wimbledon debut saw the teenage prodigy further solidify his place near the top of the ATP Race To Milan. The 18-year-old Canadian gained 90 points at SW19, giving him 1,493 points on the year, good enough for second place.

The Race will determine seven of the eight players who compete at the 21-and-under event, to be held 5-9 November at Palalido Allianz Cloud in Milan, with the eighth place reserved for an Italian wild card.

Auger-Aliassime won his first Grand Slam match and made the third round at the All England Club, beating countryman Vasek Pospisil and #NextGenATP Frenchman Corentin Moutet before falling to Ugo Humbert of France in the third round.

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All eyes were on the teenager, who has climbed 85 spots in the ATP Rankings since the start of the season, but Auger-Aliassime said he’s become used to pressure during his young career.

“I don’t try to add extra pressure from the outside. I think I put extra pressure from myself already,” he said. “I’m sometimes hard on myself, but I think it’s all normal. You have to learn how to deal with it. You can’t escape it. You can’t hide it. This is in your life and you learn how to deal with it.”

Humbert (560 points) made the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time before falling to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. The 20-year-old left-hander surged to the eighth place in the Race with his career fortnight, passing Moutet (534 points).

View The ATP Race To Milan

Seventh-placed Miomir Kecmanovic (617 points) had one of the best stretches of his career on the grass. The Serbian made his first ATP Tour final at the Turkish Airlines Open Antalya (l. to Sonego) and then picked up his first Wimbledon win (d. Carballes Baena).

Greece’s #NextGenATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was upset in the first round at SW19, improved by 10 points and still paces the Race with 3,040 points. Tsitsipas is the Next Gen ATP Finals defending champion.

Auger-Aliassime’s countryman Denis Shapovalov (805 points), American Frances Tiafoe (780) and Norway’s Casper Ruud (693) round out the Race’s top five. The trio lost in the first round at Wimbledon, but 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Alex de Minaur of Australia (sixth, 640 points) beat three-time ATP Tour titlist Marco Cecchinato of Italy to return to the second round (2018, third round).

With only two months to go until the first qualification deadline, a new nation has emerged in the competition for one of the 24 coveted spots in the inaugural ATP Cup. World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Greece has entered the standings for the first time, sitting in seventh place.

A minimum of three ATP ranked players, including two members with singles ATP Ranking points, are required for a country to be eligible to qualify. So when the previously unranked Michail Pervolarakis reached the third round of the Winnetka Challenger last week to earn seven points, that helped Greece fulfil those requirements, adding the nation into a place of strong contention.

On 13 September, the Top 18 countries will qualify, and two months later, on 13 November, the remaining six countries will book their spots at the team event, to be held 3-12 January in Australia.

View ATP Cup Standings

While there was not much movement in the standings after Wimbledon, players from two countries showed why their nations may reign supreme in Australia next year.

Rafael Nadal and Roberto Bautista Agut both represented Spain in the semi-finals at The Championships. Nadal, a two-time champion, advanced to the last four at Wimbledon for the seventh time, and Bautista Agut reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time. Spain remains in second place.

Although no Russian man made the second week at the grass-court major, the ninth-placed nation has something that no other country does: two players in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. Daniil Medvedev cracked the elite group for the first time on Monday, and Karen Khachanov ascended to a career-high No. 8.

Further down the standings, at No. 18, Australia is clinging to the first-deadline’s final qualification spot. The country, led by Alex de Minaur, has 1,285 points, but Cristian Garin-led Chile, with 1,234 points, is only 51 points behind. If Australia does not earn a qualification spot, it will receive a wild card.

The 24-team event will feature US$15 million prize money and a maximum of 750 singles and 250 doubles ATP Rankings points. On-court coaching will be allowed during changeovers and set breaks.

The group stages of the ATP Cup will be hosted across three Australian cities – Sydney, Brisbane and Perth – over six days. Immediately following the group stages will be the four-day knockout stage – quarter-finals over two days, semi-finals and final – all to be played on the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.

Novak Djokovic has taken the lead in the 2019 ATP Race To London, following his fifth crown at The Championships, Wimbledon. The Serbian, who became the second player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals (6,725 points), to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November, is now 500 points ahead of second-placed Rafael Nadal (6,225), who clinched his spot at the season finale as a result of winning his quarter-final. Djokovic is bidding to become a six-time year-end ATP Tour No. 1 in 2019, while Nadal goes for his fifth top-spot finish.

Roger Federer, the six-time former Nitto ATP Finals champion, is next in line to secure a place at the season finale for the 17th time on 5,060 points, with a Wimbledon final run. Dominic Thiem, the Roland Garros runner-up, and the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals titlist Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is bidding to qualify for the first time, are all in strong positions among the Top 5 contenders.

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Four-time former qualifier Kei Nishikori moved up one place to sixth (2,070) by adding 360 points to close the gap on Tsitsipas (2,995), as a result of a run to his third Wimbledon quarter-final, while last week’s semi-finalist Roberto Bautista Agut rose five places to seventh (1,980) — just 90 points behind Nishikori.

Daniil Medvedev, who lost to 2018 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up David Goffin in the Wimbledon third round, sits in eighth position (the final automatic qualification spot) on 1,855 points, 215 points ahead of Fabio Fognini (1,640), the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters winner, who is also attempting to qualify for the first time.

Defending champion Alexander Zverev dropped two places to 10th (1,590) and will look to make up ground on the North American hard-court swing if he is to clinch a spot at The O2 in London for a third straight season. 

View Latest ATP Race To London Standings (as of 15 July 2019)