Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2018. Today we feature Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas:

In 2018, no rivalry was more prevalent than Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas. A battle of two of the more potent one-handed backhands in today’s game, the attack-minded stars clashed a total of five times, leading all FedEx ATP Head2Head match-ups. 

Regardless of where they met – on clay or hard, in Europe or North America, the early rounds or latter stages – Thiem and Tsitsipas raised their levels for this budding rivalry. Starting with a season-opening encounter in Doha and concluding with a critical meeting in Toronto in August, they would clash at all three ATP World Tour levels (250, 500 and Masters 1000), as well as the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros.

Coming into the season, the World No. 8 Austrian had never lost to a teenager at the tour-level, while a 19-year-old Tsitsipas had registered just one win over a Top 10 opponent. 

It was a breakthrough campaign for Tsitsipas, as the 20-year-old Greek made great strides en route to Most Improved Player of the Year honours in the ATP Awards presented by Moët & Chandon. And it all started at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. There, he streaked to his second straight ATP World Tour quarter-final as a qualifier, carrying the momentum from a deep run in Antwerp just a few months prior.

Sitting at No. 91 in the ATP Rankings, Tsitsipas made an immediate statement in Doha, but he would encounter a reality check against a fifth-ranked Thiem. The top seed surged to a 7-5, 6-4 victory, turning in an efficient serving performance behind six of seven break points saved. But despite the loss, Tsitsipas made a strong impression on his counterpart.

“He’s already so good at a young age. I think he’s going to be for sure a top player in the near future,” Thiem said. “He’s playing very well, aggressive with a good service, nice one-handed backhand.” 

After taking their first encounter, Thiem would also emerge victorious at the BNP Paribas Open in March. The fireworks flew in an opening-round meeting at the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the year. On a packed Court 1 in Indian Wells, the Austrian battled to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win in one hour and 51 minutes.

As he did in Doha, Tsitsipas put up a valiant fight under the searing Southern California sun. His charge towards the year-end Top 20 was well underway and his growth and maturation would benefit from every elite encounter. In search of his first Top 10 win of the season, he would meet Thiem once again just six weeks later at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

The budding rivalry shifted to clay and the surface change would prove critical for Tsitsipas. The Greek found a second home in the Spanish metropolis, not dropping a set en route to his first ATP World Tour final. After blitzing Corentin Moutet, Diego Schwartzman and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, he would topple Thiem in the quarter-finals. 

The rout was on, as Tsitsipas breezed to a 6-3, 6-2 win in just 80 minutes. Thiem, who consistently played deep behind the baseline, was unable to secure a third straight win against his new rival. He suffered his first defeat to a teenager at the tour-level.

One day later, Tsitsipas would become the first Greek to reach an ATP World Tour final since Nicholas Kalogeropoulos in 1973, before falling to Rafael Nadal in the championship. His run in Barcelona would see him break into the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings for the first time.

If it seemed like Thiem and Tsitsipas were meeting nearly every month, that’s because they were. As the calendar flipped to May, the 25-year-old was finding his top form on the dirt. A runner-up finish at the Mutua Madrid Open (l. to Zverev) was followed by a 10th tour-level title in Lyon, and he would surge into Roland Garros with a bevy of momentum at his back.

The second Grand Slam of the year would become a revenge tour for Thiem, as he defeated Tsitsipas in the second round and Madrid champ Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. After suffering such a decisive defeat to the Greek teen in Barcelona, he would not endure the same fate in Paris. Thiem prevailed 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, en route to his maiden major final.

At first glance, it may appear to be a straightforward four-set affair, but the two-day encounter carried plenty of drama. Thiem would use his experience to stop the surge after Tsitsipas took the second set. And the Austrian would be forced to take a two-sets-to-one lead to sleep as the match was suspended due to darkness. The next day, Thiem dropped just one service point to close it out. His victory over Tsitsipas was followed by signature wins over Kei Nishikori, Zverev and a surging Marco Cecchinato before falling to Nadal in the title match.

The best tournament of Thiem’s career had him on the rise as he entered the summer hard-court season. But his transition from the clay wasn’t a swift one, especially with Tsitsipas standing on the other side of the net to open his Rogers Cup campaign.

This time, it was the Greek’s turn to defeat his rival en route to a breakthrough week. He ousted Thiem 6-3, 7-6(6) in a Toronto tussle, needing one hour and 21 minutes to triumph. The win would continue Tsitsipas’ stunning run to the final, his first at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. In addition, it was his first of four straight Top 10 victories, having followed that up with wins over Novak Djokovic, Zverev and Kevin Anderson. He became the youngest player to defeat four Top 10 players in a single tournament since the ATP World Tour was established in 1990.

Both players would go on to finish inside the Top 20 of the year-end ATP Rankings, with Thiem peaking at No. 8 after appearing in the Nitto ATP Finals and Tsitsipas at No. 15 following a title at the Next Gen ATP Finals. The #NextGenATP star also raised his maiden ATP World Tour trophy in Stockholm. After five pivotal clashes in 2018, expect the pair to take their new rivalry to the next level in 2019.

Thiem vs. Tsitsipas: 2018 Meetings

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2018. Today we feature Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas:

In 2018, no rivalry was more prevalent than Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas. A battle of two of the more potent one-handed backhands in today’s game, the attack-minded stars clashed a total of five times, leading all FedEx ATP Head2Head match-ups. 

Regardless of where they met – on clay or hard, in Europe or North America, the early rounds or latter stages – Thiem and Tsitsipas raised their levels for this budding rivalry. Starting with a season-opening encounter in Doha and concluding with a critical meeting in Toronto in August, they would clash at all three ATP World Tour levels (250, 500 and Masters 1000), as well as the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros.

Coming into the season, the World No. 8 Austrian had never lost to a teenager at the tour-level, while a 19-year-old Tsitsipas had registered just one win over a Top 10 opponent. 

It was a breakthrough campaign for Tsitsipas, as the 20-year-old Greek made great strides en route to Most Improved Player of the Year honours in the ATP Awards presented by Moët & Chandon. And it all started at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. There, he streaked to his second straight ATP World Tour quarter-final as a qualifier, carrying the momentum from a deep run in Antwerp just a few months prior.

Sitting at No. 91 in the ATP Rankings, Tsitsipas made an immediate statement in Doha, but he would encounter a reality check against a fifth-ranked Thiem. The top seed surged to a 7-5, 6-4 victory, turning in an efficient serving performance behind six of seven break points saved. But despite the loss, Tsitsipas made a strong impression on his counterpart.

“He’s already so good at a young age. I think he’s going to be for sure a top player in the near future,” Thiem said. “He’s playing very well, aggressive with a good service, nice one-handed backhand.” 

After taking their first encounter, Thiem would also emerge victorious at the BNP Paribas Open in March. The fireworks flew in an opening-round meeting at the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the year. On a packed Court 1 in Indian Wells, the Austrian battled to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win in one hour and 51 minutes.

As he did in Doha, Tsitsipas put up a valiant fight under the searing Southern California sun. His charge towards the year-end Top 20 was well underway and his growth and maturation would benefit from every elite encounter. In search of his first Top 10 win of the season, he would meet Thiem once again just six weeks later at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

The budding rivalry shifted to clay and the surface change would prove critical for Tsitsipas. The Greek found a second home in the Spanish metropolis, not dropping a set en route to his first ATP World Tour final. After blitzing Corentin Moutet, Diego Schwartzman and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, he would topple Thiem in the quarter-finals. 

The rout was on, as Tsitsipas breezed to a 6-3, 6-2 win in just 80 minutes. Thiem, who consistently played deep behind the baseline, was unable to secure a third straight win against his new rival. He suffered his first defeat to a teenager at the tour-level.

One day later, Tsitsipas would become the first Greek to reach an ATP World Tour final since Nicholas Kalogeropoulos in 1973, before falling to Rafael Nadal in the championship. His run in Barcelona would see him break into the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings for the first time.

If it seemed like Thiem and Tsitsipas were meeting nearly every month, that’s because they were. As the calendar flipped to May, the 25-year-old was finding his top form on the dirt. A runner-up finish at the Mutua Madrid Open (l. to Zverev) was followed by a 10th tour-level title in Lyon, and he would surge into Roland Garros with a bevy of momentum at his back.

The second Grand Slam of the year would become a revenge tour for Thiem, as he defeated Tsitsipas in the second round and Madrid champ Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. After suffering such a decisive defeat to the Greek teen in Barcelona, he would not endure the same fate in Paris. Thiem prevailed 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, en route to his maiden major final.

At first glance, it may appear to be a straightforward four-set affair, but the two-day encounter carried plenty of drama. Thiem would use his experience to stop the surge after Tsitsipas took the second set. And the Austrian would be forced to take a two-sets-to-one lead to sleep as the match was suspended due to darkness. The next day, Thiem dropped just one service point to close it out. His victory over Tsitsipas was followed by signature wins over Kei Nishikori, Zverev and a surging Marco Cecchinato before falling to Nadal in the title match.

The best tournament of Thiem’s career had him on the rise as he entered the summer hard-court season. But his transition from the clay wasn’t a swift one, especially with Tsitsipas standing on the other side of the net to open his Rogers Cup campaign.

This time, it was the Greek’s turn to defeat his rival en route to a breakthrough week. He ousted Thiem 6-3, 7-6(6) in a Toronto tussle, needing one hour and 21 minutes to triumph. The win would continue Tsitsipas’ stunning run to the final, his first at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. In addition, it was his first of four straight Top 10 victories, having followed that up with wins over Novak Djokovic, Zverev and Kevin Anderson. He became the youngest player to defeat four Top 10 players in a single tournament since the ATP World Tour was established in 1990.

Both players would go on to finish inside the Top 20 of the year-end ATP Rankings, with Thiem peaking at No. 8 after appearing in the Nitto ATP Finals and Tsitsipas at No. 15 following a title at the Next Gen ATP Finals. The #NextGenATP star also raised his maiden ATP World Tour trophy in Stockholm. After five pivotal clashes in 2018, expect the pair to take their new rivalry to the next level in 2019.

Thiem vs. Tsitsipas: 2018 Meetings

The Bryan brothers and golf legend Jack Nicklaus again brought together some of the world’s best golfers and tennis players to raise money for their children’s foundations.

The “Fore Love” tournament, which combines golf and tennis pro-ams and was held for the first time in 2017, was hosted again last weekend in North Palm Beach and Jupiter, Florida, and raised $1.1 million for the Bryan Bros. Foundation and the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation.

“We’ve done hundreds of pro-ams and exos and I can honestly say ‘Fore Love’ is unlike any other,” Bob Bryan said. “The venue, intimacy, and star power makes this event really special. The Nicklauses are so gracious to let the donors and pros play tennis at their beautiful home and to play golf at their private golf club. It would be difficult to find two people more humble and warm than Jack and Barbara. They’ve been so supportive of our careers on the court and with ‘Fore Love’ are helping us greatly expand our charitable efforts.”

The tennis players who participated: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Milos Raonic, Andy Roddick, Kevin Anderson, Frances Tiafoe, Mardy Fish, Gaston Gaudio, Fabio Fognini, Guillermo Canas, Jean-Julien Rojer, Reilly Opelka, along with WTA star Sloane Stephens and retired WTA player Flavia Pennetta, who is married to Fognini.

“Countless kids are going to benefit from these funds and that is why we do it. I’m so grateful to my friends who took time away from their busy pre-season training to help out. Kevin Anderson and Reilly Opelka have now participated both years. Sloane Stephens and Mardy Fish came all the way from the west coast. Fabio Fognini and Flavia Pennetta brought their adorable new baby with them. Frances Tiafoe flew from Washington D.C., Andy Roddick from North Carolina, Milos Raonic from the Bahamas, and Jules Rojer, ‘Willy’ Canas, and Gaston Gaudio drove up from Miami,” Bob Bryan said.

Nicklaus, along with PGA players Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger, Kevin Tway and Jason Duffner led the golf pro-am. Donors, who participated in the pro-ams and enjoyed dinner at the Nicklaus’ home, among other perks, each paid $50,000 for the opportunity.

The Bryans met Jack and Barbara Nicklaus eight years ago through a mutual friend and share a passion for philanthropy.

The Bryan brothers and golf legend Jack Nicklaus again brought together some of the world’s best golfers and tennis players to raise money for their children’s foundations.

The “Fore Love” tournament, which combines golf and tennis pro-ams and was held for the first time in 2017, was hosted again last weekend in North Palm Beach and Jupiter, Florida, and raised $1.1 million for the Bryan Bros. Foundation and the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation.

The tennis players who participated: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Milos Raonic, Andy Roddick, Kevin Anderson, Frances Tiafoe, Mardy Fish, Gaston Gaudio, Fabio Fognini, Guillermo Canas, Jean-Julien Rojer, Reilly Opelka, along with WTA star Sloane Stephens and retired WTA player Flavia Pennetta, who is married to Fognini.

Nicklaus, along with PGA players Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger, Kevin Tway and Jason Duffner led the golf pro-am. Donors, who participated in the pro-ams and enjoyed dinner at the Nicklaus’ home, among other perks, each paid $50,000 for the opportunity.

The Bryans met Jack and Barbara Nicklaus eight years ago through a mutual friend and share a passion for philanthropy.

Imagine losing the opening point of your service game and consequently not being favoured to hold serve. You must be playing Rafael Nadal.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the 2018 year-end Top 25 of the ATP Rankings identifies that there is just one player who statistically becomes the favourite when returning if he wins the opening point of the game.

The data set is from the past four seasons and uncovers that Nadal has won 50.4 per cent (649/1288) of his return games when he wins the opening point.

The average for the current Top 25 is breaking 39.5 per cent (9543/23,682) of the time when they win the opening point of the game, which highlights Nadal’s superiority in this specific area.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic comes in second best breaking serve when he wins the opening point of the game when returning, at 49.2 per cent (673/1367).

Current Top 25 Over Past Four Seasons: Breaking Serve When Leading 0/15

Diego Schwartzman moved to a career-high ranking of No. 11 in June, and was the No. 1 returner on the ATP Stats Return LEADERBOARD, powered by Infosys Nia Data, in 2017.

Fabio Fognini was the fourth best returner on tour in 2018, and finished this season with his career-best ranking of No. 13. David Goffin finished second to Nadal in the Infosys Return Ratings in 2018.

Winning the opening point when serving against these return giants is crucial. Otherwise, the game may be over before it’s really started.

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

Imagine losing the opening point of your service game and consequently not being favoured to hold serve. You must be playing Rafael Nadal.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the 2018 year-end Top 25 of the ATP Rankings identifies that there is just one player who statistically becomes the favourite when returning if he wins the opening point of the game.

The data set is from the past four seasons and uncovers that Nadal has won 50.4 per cent (649/1288) of his return games when he wins the opening point.

The average for the current Top 25 is breaking 39.5 per cent (9543/23,682) of the time when they win the opening point of the game, which highlights Nadal’s superiority in this specific area.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic comes in second best breaking serve when he wins the opening point of the game when returning, at 49.2 per cent (673/1367).

Current Top 25 Over Past Four Seasons: Breaking Serve When Leading 0/15

Diego Schwartzman moved to a career-high ranking of No. 11 in June, and was the No. 1 returner on the ATP Stats Return LEADERBOARD, powered by Infosys Nia Data, in 2017.

Fabio Fognini was the fourth best returner on tour in 2018, and finished this season with his career-best ranking of No. 13. David Goffin finished second to Nadal in the Infosys Return Ratings in 2018.

Winning the opening point when serving against these return giants is crucial. Otherwise, the game may be over before it’s really started.

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

Prior to 2018, Borna Coric and Roger Federer had met just once on the ATP World Tour. On that occasion, at the 2015 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Federer cruised past the Croatian in just 56 minutes to reach the championship match in the Middle East.

This year, none of their three FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes showed any resemblance to that meeting. With three years of learning experience under his belt, Coric’s three milestone moments in 2018 were all highlighted by clashes against Federer. With two semi-final encounters and one championship match meeting in 2018, Coric and Federer only met in the latter stages of events as the stakes and both players’ form reached peak levels.

After defeating Kevin Anderson in a final-set tie-break to reach his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Coric was handed the challenge of trying to end Federer’s personal record-tying 16-match unbeaten streak to start the season. (Federer began 2018 in top form, claiming his 20th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open before returning to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings after winning the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in February.)

Coric made a dream start against Federer in the Californian desert, snatching a late break in the opening set before earning an immediate second-set advantage after firing a forehand winner. With Pete Sampras and Rod Laver in attendance, it appeared as though the young Croatian might be able to earn a surprise win over the World No. 1 on one of the grandest stages in the sport. But, as Coric neared the finish line, nerves settled into the 21-year-old’s game.

Federer struck just four unforced errors in the last four games of the second set as Coric’s serve began to fall short and the Swiss took full advantage. Coric once again led by a break in the decider, but Federer clawed his way back into contention before eventually breaking to love to claim a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory and set a personal record 17-0 start to an ATP World Tour season.

“I should have lost [the] match,” said Federer. “I was down twice a break in the third, I was down a break in the second. So no doubt about it, this was definitely the toughest match [of the year so far].”

After registering back-to-back three-set victories over Taylor Fritz and Kevin Anderson, Coric rose 13 spots to No. 36 in the ATP Rankings following his run to the semi-finals in Indian Wells.

“It was very enjoyable, but at the same time it was tough. It doesn’t feel great to lose this match, but I know that’s tennis. I need to look at it from the positive side, definitely, just the whole tournament, and this match as well.”

Three months later, Federer arrived in Halle in search of his 10th Gerry Weber Open trophy. After capturing his first MercedesCup title in Stuttgart the week before, the nine-time champion advanced to his 12th final in Halle riding a 20-match grass-court winning streak. Across the net was Coric, who, prior to his arrival at the ATP World Tour 500 event, owned just two wins in nine tour-level matches on grass.

But, despite his inexperience on the surface, Coric had defeated Alexander Zverev for the loss of just five games en route to the final. Federer needed to lift the trophy in Halle to remain at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, but it was Coric who ended the week with the trophy in his arms after a 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2 victory.

Saving two set points at 4/6 in the first set-tie-break, Coric took a one-set lead over the World No. 1 in dramatic fashion. Despite conceding the second set after dropping serve at 3-4, Coric reeled off four straight games from 2-2 in the decider to charge towards the biggest title of his career.

“It is the most unbelievable feeling, [to beat Federer],” said Coric. “I looked up to him when I was younger, watching his matches back at home with my mum, my dad and my sister. Just playing him here today was a very special moment and beating him just makes it even bigger for me.”

The result lifted Coric to a career-high No. 21 in the ATP Rankings and the Croatian continued to improve that position throughout the remainder of the season. In the final instalment of their 2018 trilogy, Coric and Federer clashed in the semi-finals of another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event; the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

After tough three-set wins over Daniil Medvedev and Roberto Bautista Agut in his opening two matches, Federer arrived in the last four with great confidence following a convincing straight-sets win over an in-form Kei Nishikori. Coric had also been made to work hard for a position in his second Masters 1000 semi-final, navigating his way past Stan Wawrinka and Juan Martin del Potro to set a third meeting of the season against the Swiss.

With confidence from his previous two meetings in 2018 against Federer, Coric produced one of the best wins of his career, beating Federer 6-4, 6-4 in a dominant serving display to reach the biggest final of his career.

“It’s absolutely there. If not the best [win], then it’s in the Top 2, Top 3,” said Coric. “It’s really something special.”

The Croatian landed nine aces, dropped just six points behind his first serve and did not face a break point to overcome the defending champion in 74 minutes. Tying his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Federer for the first time, at 2-2, the Halle champion also guaranteed himself a new career-high of No. 13 in the ATP Rankings heading into his final encounter against Novak Djokovic.

“It’s one of the best matches I have ever played. I was just feeling through the ball,” said Coric. “I think I served the best in my life, for sure. I was going for the angles. I was going for the body. Everything was going in.”

Ending the year at No. 12 in the ATP Rankings, it would appear that Coric and Federer may be forced to continue their trend of only meeting at the back end of tournaments in 2019. As one of the emerging talents on the ATP World Tour, will Coric be able to continue his rapid rise next year and continue his winning streak against Federer? Or will the 99-time tour-level champion find a way to reverse his recent fortunes against the 22-year-old and regain control of their FedEx ATP Head2Head series? If 2018 is anything to go by, it won’t be an easy task for either man.

Coric vs. Federer: 2018 Meetings