The 2019 ATP Tour grass-court season begins with ATP 250 events in Stuttgart and ‘s-Hertogenbosch this week. World No. 5 Alexander Zverev headlines a packed field at the MercedesCup, which features eight Top 25 players, while #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas leads the way at the Libema Open.

10 Things To Watch In Stuttgart

1) Sascha Surprise: One day after losing in the Roland Garros quarter-finals, World No. 5 Alexander Zverev accepted a wild card from the MercedesCup, which along with the Libema Open, kicks off the ATP Tour grass-court swing. Zverev is playing his 12th tournament in the past 12 weeks of the ATP Tour calendar, highlighted by championship match appearances in Geneva (d. Jarry) and Acapulco (l. to Kyrgios).

2) All Grown Up: Zverev played at the MercedesCup in its final year on clay (2014) and first year on grass (2015), but he’s missed the last three editions. Local fans will hardly recognize him. Now 22 years old, Zverev is a three-time ATP Masters 1000 champion and two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist who beat Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic en route to the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals title.

3) Welcome to the Club: Karen Khachanov breaks into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings today at No. 9. The 23-year-old becomes the first Russian in the Top 10 since Mikhail Youzhny during the week of 7 February 2011. Khachanov reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros.

4) Not Far Behind: It’s unlikely to take another eight years for a Russian player to be among the Top 10. That’s because Khachanov’s countryman and fellow 23-year-old Daniil Medvedev is ranked a career-high No. 13. Medvedev started the season 25-7, highlighted by a win over Djokovic at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. However, Medvedev enters Stuttgart on a four-match losing streak.

5) Oh, Canada: Canadians Milos Raonic, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov are seeded sixth, seventh and eighth respectively in Stuttgart. Raonic did not play on clay due to a right knee injury, but the 28-year-old remains a major threat on grass. He’s reached grass-court finals at three different tournaments: 2016 London/Queen’s Club, 2016 Wimbledon and 2018 Stuttgart.

Read MercedesCup: All You Need To Know

6) Phenomenal Felix: After advancing to finals in Rio de Janeiro and Lyon, the 18-year-old Auger-Aliassime surpassed Rafael Nadal as the youngest player to break into the Top 25 since Lleyton Hewitt in 1999. Auger-Aliassime will play the first grass-court match of his pro career in Stuttgart. His last match at any level on grass was the 2016 Wimbledon boys’ doubles final with Shapovalov.

7) Elusive Final: Shapovalov reached three Masters 1000 semi-finals before turning 20 on 15 April. But unlike his #NextGenATP countryman Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov is still seeking his first appearance in an ATP Tour final. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if Shapovalov’s breakthrough were to come on grass. He ended his junior career as the 2016 Wimbledon boys’ singles champion.

8) Wild Thing: Like Zverev, Lucas Pouille was granted a MercedesCup wild card on Friday. Pouille is the only former champion in the field, saving a match point in his opener en route to the 2017 title. The 25-year-old Frenchman is 2-9 since defeating Raonic in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

9) Home-Court Advantage: Philipp Kohlschreiber, 35, is in the Stuttgart field for the seventh straight season, reaching finals on clay in 2013 and grass in 2016. For his career, Kohlschreiber is 125-66 with five ATP Tour titles in Germany (.654) and 339-293 with three titles elsewhere (.536).

10) Missing Title: The winningest doubles team of all-time is seeking a maiden MercedesCup title. Bob and Mike Bryan have captured a record 118 doubles titles across 35 different tournaments. But they lost semi-finals in their only previous appearances at the MercedesCup in 2016 and 2017.

10 Things To Watch In ‘s-Hertogenbosch

1) Next Gen Presence: No. 1 seed and World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas leads seven #NextGenATP players from seven different countries in the field at the Libema Open, which along with the MercedesCup, kicks off the ATP Tour grass-court swing. The 20-year-old Tsitsipas and 12-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal are tied for the most wins on Tour this season with 32.

2) One Year Later: Tsitsipas was ranked a career-high No. 37 when he reached the quarter-finals in his Libema Open debut last year. He’s achieved a career-high ranking 10 more times since then. Tsitsipas is seeking the first grass-court championship of his surging career, highlighted by three ATP 250 titles, two Masters 1000 finals and a run to the 2019 Australian Open semi-finals.

3) No. 1 Aussie: Like Tsitsipas, #NextGenATP player Alex de Minaur has shot up the ATP Rankings in the past 18 months. The 20-year-old Aussie has achieved a career-high 23 times since the start of 2018, peaking at his current position of No. 24. De Minaur is the No. 3 seed in ’s-Hertogenbosch.

4) Firsts for Foe: After winning his maiden ATP Tour title at Delray Beach in 2018, Frances Tiafoe has broken new ground this season. He reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open on his 21st birthday and his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final in Miami two months later.

5) Rest of the Next: Joining Tsitsipas, de Minaur and Tiafoe in the Libema Open draw are 17-year-old Jannik Sinner and 20-year-old talents Ugo Humbert, Jurij Rodionov and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Humbert (Marseille) and Davidovich Fokina (Estoril) have already reached semi-finals on the ATP Tour this season.

6) Coric’s Year: Borna Coric is the No. 2 seed after taking a wild card. The Croatian has been ranked between No. 12 and No. 15 all season and is aiming to reach his first final of the year. In 2018, Coric lifted the NOVENTI OPEN title and reached his first Masters 1000 final in Shanghai (l. to Djokovic).

Read Libema Open: All You Need To Know

7) Garin on Grass: All 20 of Cristian Garin’s wins in 2019, and 28 of his 30 career wins, have come on clay. Though the No. 7 seed seeks his first tour-level grass-court victory, he’s had some success on the surface. Garin earned three victories to qualify for Wimbledon in each of the past two years.

8) Dutch Hopes: Robin Haase is playing in the Libema Open main draw for the 12th time in 14 years. He’s joined this week by Dutch wild card Thiemo de Bakker, a former World No. 40 who has spent much of 2019 on the ATP Challenger Tour. It’s been 10 years since a Dutchman reached the ’s-Hertogenbosch final (Raemon Sluiter) and 16 since a home player captured the title (Sjeng Schalken).

9) Former Finalists: Reigning champion Richard Gasquet, 2018 runner-up Jeremy Chardy and 2015 finalist David Goffin return to the Libema Open. Since defeating Chardy in an All-French final last year, Gasquet has struggled with left hip, right wrist and groin injuries. He underwent groin surgery in January and did not make his season debut until the Mutua Madrid Open last month.

10) From Paris with Love: Chardy arrives in ’s-Hertogenbosch after reaching his first Grand Slam doubles final. Alongside fellow 32-year-old Frenchman Fabrice Martin, Chardy reached the Roland Garros men’s doubles championship match (l. to Krawietz/Mies). Chardy and Martin are unseeded in the Libema Open doubles draw, which is led by No. 1 seeds and 2017 champions Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.

Italian Fabio Fognini has made history.

On Monday, the 32-year-old World No. 10 became the oldest player to break into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since 38-year-old Ken Rosewall and 35-year-old Rod Laver on 23 August 1973, when the ATP Rankings were first established. Fognini is just the third Italian man to crack the elite group, joining Adriano Panatta and Corrado Barazzutti.

“To reach the Top 10 is like the fulfilment of a dream. I see myself as a kid on a tennis court with a racquet bigger than me and I think, ‘This kid has gone a long way’,” Fognini told ATPTour.com. “Right now I am happy and I want to thank my family, my wife, my son and all the people who have always been close to me.”

Italian Men To Reach The Top 10

Of the current Top 10, Kevin Anderson was the oldest to join the group for the first time, doing so at 29. The other nine stars were 24 or younger when they accomplished the feat.

“This is another piece of the puzzle which will push me to continue to give my all to the sport I love,” Fognini said. 

Joining Fognini as a first-time entrant into the Top 10 Monday is Russian Karen Khachanov, who ascended to a career-high World No. 9, becoming the first man from his country to be ranked inside the Top 10 since Mikhail Youzhny the week of 17 January 2011. Khachanov and Fognini are the 164th and 165th players to earn a spot in the sport’s upper echelon.

Fognini had to sweat a bit more during Roland Garros than Khachanov, though. When the Italian lost in the fourth round in Paris, there was a chance that multiple players could pass him. But Khachanov defeated Juan Martin del Potro, guaranteeing Fognini would move ahead of the Tower of Tandil. If Del Potro had won that match, he would have passed the 32-year-old.

Watch ATP Uncovered presented by Peugeot: Fognini On Fatherhood & Fantastic Form

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka would have returned to the Top 10 if he reached the final, but the Swiss lost in the quarter-finals against countryman Roger Federer.

Fognini has been a Top 100 stalwart for more than a decade. In fact, he has remained inside the Top 50 since September 2012. In March 2013, he reached what was then a career-high of No. 13. But this year was the first time he made a serious run at the Top 10. Fognini won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on 21 April to position himself for this breakthrough.

A LOOK BACK
Surbiton Trophy (Surbiton, U.K.): The three-week ATP Challenger Tour grass-court swing commenced in the London suburb of Surbiton, with home hope Daniel Evans taking the title on Sunday. Evans, who celebrated his 29th birthday two weeks ago, lifted the seventh Challenger trophy of his career and first on grass.

After fighting for a three-set win over Marius Copil in Saturday’s semi-finals, it was smooth sailing against Viktor Troicki in the championship. Evans clinched a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory in just 65 minutes, securing his return to the Top 70 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since August 2017. It has been a career-year for the Brit, who also reached his second ATP Tour final on the hard courts of Delray Beach in February.

“It’s a great start to the grass-court season,” said Evans. “Viktor seemed a bit flat and I got on top early. I could have been even more clinical in the second set. It was a tough week of matches and I am just grateful to get those in and come through with no injuries. I lost to Jeremy Chardy here last year and Dustin Brown before that, so this was good. The quality and competition is always high at this tournament.”

The Birmingham native is the first British player to win a Challenger title on home soil since Evans claimed his maiden title in Jersey in 2009. He is also the first player from Great Britain to win a grass-court Challenger title since Alex Bogdanovic in Nottingham in 2005.

Moneta Czech Open (Prostejov, Czech Republic): If Pablo Andujar maintains this run of form, it won’t be long until the Spaniard returns to the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings. Andujar rose to No. 82 with the title in Prostejov, dominating all week in the Czech city without dropping a set.

After stopping top seed Casper Ruud in Friday’s semi-finals, the 33-year-old defeated Attila Balazs 6-2, 7-5 in Saturday’s championship. In his return from multiple elbow surgeries in early 2018, Andujar has been a ruthless force on the ATP Challenger Tour. He is now 6-0 in finals in that span and 18-1 overall on the circuit this year.

“It’s definitely one of the top Challengers, no doubt,” Andujar said of Prostejov. “The level is the same as some ATP 250 tournaments. The organizers really understand, which always helps. And small details then make a great tournament.”

Poznan Open (Poznan, Poland): On a picture-perfect afternoon in Poznan, it was 37-year-old Tommy Robredo who became the oldest champion on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2019. Robredo secured a second title in as many years, battling for the trophy on the Polish clay. He rallied from a set down on two occasions, including a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 comeback win over Rudolf Molleker on Sunday. The former World No. 5 contributed to the Spanish title trend over the weekend, with Andujar prevailing in Prostejov and Rafael Nadal capturing his 12th Roland Garros title.

Moreover, the Poznan Open entered a new era this year, celebrating 25 years on the Challenger circuit. Located in the western half of Poland, the city is the third-largest in the European nation. Last year, home hope Hubert Hurkacz secured his maiden title en route to an appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Oldest Challenger Champions

Almaty Challenger (Almaty, Kazakhstan): Welcome to the winners’ circle, Lorenzo Giustino! At the age of 27 years and eight months, the Italian became the oldest first-time winner on the ATP Challenger Tour this year. He capped a breakthrough week with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Federico Coria in Sunday’s final.

The clay of Almaty was Giustino’s battleground all week, as the fifth seed fought for a trio of deciding-set wins and needed one hour and 28 minutes to dismiss Coria in the championship. He is the 20th first-time winner of the 2019 season and fifth different champion from Italy, joining Gianluca Mager, Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini and Stefano Travaglia.

Baptist Health Little Rock Open (Little Rock, Arkansas, USA): Torrential rain was the story of the inaugural Little Rock Open, as storms plagued the tournament all week. But, in the end, it was Israeli veteran Dudi Sela who emerged victorious. The 34-year-old survived the weather and a tough field, dropping just one set all week. He defeated 12th seed Duckhee Lee 6-1, 4-3 in the final, when the #NextGenATP Korean was forced to retire due to a heat-related illness.

It was only fitting that the Israeli would lift the trophy in Little Rock. In Hebrew, Sela means ‘rock’ and standing at just 5’9″, he is undoubtedly the ‘Little Rock’ of the professional circuit. Moreover, the player with the second-most Challenger titles in history has now added one more… No. 23 in total. He rises 45 spots to No. 164 in the ATP Rankings.

Challenger title No. 2⃣3⃣

Dudi Sela is your champion at the inaugural @littlerockopen! The ?? drops one set all week to earn his first ? since 2017. pic.twitter.com/WVDYd6yWZx

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) June 9, 2019

A LOOK AHEAD
The highly prestigious Nature Valley Open returns to the lawns of Nottingham, with 2018 runner-up Daniel Evans the top seed. The Brit is looking to go back-to-back on the grass following his triumph in Surbiton on Sunday. He is joined by Bernard Tomic, Ivo Karlovic and Marcel Granollers, along with #NextGenATP Swede Mikael Ymer, who is seeded 15th.

At the Open Sopra Steria in Lyon, two-time defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime is not back to seek a three-peat, but 2016 titlist Steve Darcis is. The Belgian accompanies top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Prostejov champ Pablo Andujar and #NextGenATP Frenchman Corentin Moutet in leading the field.

In Shymkent, Kazakhstan, Malek Jaziri leads the pack and fourth seed Lorenzo Giustino looks to extend his good run of form after his maiden triumph in nearby Almaty on Sunday. And in Columbus, USA, Michael Mmoh continues his comeback from injury. He is the top seed at the outdoor hard-court event.

In November, they met in the championship match of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. This week in ’s-Hertogenbosch, though, Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and finalist Alex de Minaur could meet in the semi-finals of the Libema Open in The Netherlands.

Tsitsipas and De Minaur are two of the seven #NextGenATP players in the 28-player draw as the grass-court season kicks off on Monday with the ATP 250 in ’s-Hertogenbosch and the MercedesCup, another ATP 250, in Stuttgart.

View The ATP Race To Milan | View ‘s-Hertogenbosch Draw | View Stuttgart Draw

The top-seeded Tsitsipas is looking to become the first player this season to win titles on all three surfaces following his triumphs this year on hard court in Marseille and on clay in Estoril.

De Minaur, on the other hand, is hoping to jumpstart his injury-plagued 2019. The 20-year-old Aussie missed the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell because of a hip injury. He’s only 11-7 on the season.

#NextGenATP At The Libema Open and MercedesCup

In Stuttgart, a pair of #NextGenATP Canadians – Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov – along with Aussie Alexei Popyrin and Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, will lead the #NextGenATP effort. Auger-Aliassime will look to reach his third ATP Tour final of the season (Rio, Lyon), while Shapovalov is going for his first ATP Tour final.

The wheelhouse was not working, so Rafa lit up Paris with Plan B. Rafael Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the Roland Garros final on Sunday despite two of his “go-to” strategic categories yielding no advantage at all.

Nadal won 23 games to 12 for the match, so you would expect him to be about twice as good as Thiem across all columns of the stats sheet. But after almost two hours of play, and both players a set apiece, the match was not going at all to script for the Spaniard.

The first problem for Nadal was the baseline. It was betraying him. Nadal won the first set, winning only 45 per cent (20/44) of baseline points. He lost the second set, winning a lowly 38 per cent (13/34) of points from the back of the court.

The main reason for his demise from the baseline was extended rallies of nine-plus shots. You can normally pencil in a point won for Nadal at Roland Garros any time a rally reaches double digits, but he won only 46 per cent (16/35) of long rallies in the first two sets.

Bonjour Plan B. Nadal played 35 extended rallies in the nine-plus rally length in the first two sets. He played only 11 in the final two sets.

He turned the rules of engagement from the end of the rally to the beginning. Instead of developing the point, he ended it before it had a chance to begin, extinguishing Thiem’s early strategic advantage.

In the final two sets, Nadal crushed Thiem in the short-rally length of zero-to-four shots. Nadal won 29 points to Thiem’s 14 in the category, winning a very healthy 67 per cent. Nadal upped his aggression with the first two touches of the ball, and it carried him to the title.

Plan A was out the window. No more grinding. Plan B was succeeding, and Nadal doubled down on bringing pressure at the front of the point.

In the fourth set, Nadal came to the net the most out of any set in the final, winning eight of nine points at the front of the court. Overall, Nadal won a dominant 85 per cent (23/27) points at net, which was far superior to the 50 per cent (67/134) he won from the back of the court.

Nadal stuck to his traditional first-serve patterns throughout the match, serving mainly down the T in the Deuce court and out wide in the Ad court.

Nadal First-Serve Location
Deuce Court
Wide = 10
Body = 9
T = 20

Ad Court
Wide = 23
Body = 8
T = 8

As Nadal wrestled control of the match in the third set, he won a stunning 100 per cent (8/8) first-serve points, 100 per cent (4/4) second-serve points and 100 per cent (5/5) of net points.

Nadal faced six break points for the match, saving four. Interestingly, he made a first serve on all six, with five of the six directed out wide.

This match was played in two halves. The first two sets were a heavyweight battle. The last two were a gallop.

The match was also played with two separate strategies. The first two sets were long and grinding. The last two were a sprint to the finish line. The average rally length in the first set was 7.76 shots. That was greatly reduced in the third set to 4.23 shots.

Nadal proved once again that he is a master tactician, modifying his primary strategy mid-match to give his opponent a healthy dose of what he didn’t want to see. It was more important for Nadal to employ the strategy that Thiem didn’t want rather than what he wanted to do.