A LOOK BACK
Open Harmonie Mutuelle (St. Brieuc, France): For more than a year, former World No. 50 Ricardas Berankis had plotted his return to the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings. After undergoing hip surgery in late 2016, the Lithuanian had fallen as low as No. 243. 

Seventeen months later, Berankis is back, soaring to No. 84 after clinching the title at the ATP Challenger Tour event in St. Brieuc. He overcame home hope Constant Lestienne 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in a tense final. Seeded second, he had not dropped a set entering Sunday’s championship. The 27-year-old claimed his ninth Challenger crown in total, marking the fifth straight year in which he has lifted a trophy.

San Luis Open (San Luis Potosi, Mexico): For more than three decades, the $50,000 event in San Luis Potosi has celebrated ATP Challenger Tour excellence. And on Sunday, the second-longest running tournament crowned its 32nd champion as El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo lifted the trophy.

Arevalo capped an impressive week that included a signature victory over fifth seed Victor Estrella Burgos in the first round, comeback win over Daniel Elahi Galan in the semi-finals and 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-4 battle against first-time finalist Roberto Cid Subervi for the title. Arevalo, who became the first from his country to capture a Challenger crown at Bogota 2017, climbs 47 spots to a career-high No. 175 in the ATP Rankings. Having dropped nine of 10 matches entering the week, the victory couldn’t have come at a better time for the Salvadorian.

It was twice as nice for @CheloArevaloATP, capturing both the singles and doubles ?? in San Luis Potosi. pic.twitter.com/HAoMt4Pq1F

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 2, 2018

Casino Admiral Trophy (Marbella, Spain): With local teens and 2017 junior Grand Slam champions Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Alexei Popyrin receiving main draw wild cards, the inaugural tournament in Marbella had a distinct #NextGenATP flavour. Both advanced to the second round, but in the end it was Italy’s Stefano Travaglia who lifted the trophy. The 26-year-old defeated Guido Andreozzi 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday for his second Challenger title.

✅ 2nd #ATPChallenger ?
✅ 4th different ?? winner this year
✅ Closing in on Top 100 debut

Stefano Travaglia lifts the trophy at the @casinoadmiralt in Marbella. pic.twitter.com/8UGBbRgxMd

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) March 31, 2018

Travaglia is closing in on a Top 100 debut, rising 14 spots to a career-high No. 109 in the ATP Rankings. He is one of our 10 players to watch on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2018, after surging onto the scene at last year’s US Open. Learn more about the Italian’s incredible tragedy-to-triumph story.

Open Region Guadeloupe (Le Gosier, Guadeloupe): After a one-year hiatus, the crown jewel of Guadeloupe tennis returned to the ATP Challenger Tour. Third seed Dusan Lajovic was the last man standing, dropping just one set en route to his sixth Challenger title. He downed Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-0 in Sunday’s final.

One year after Lajovic’s native Serbia notched a tour-leading 12 titles, the nation staked claim to its first in 2018. The 27-year-old is hoping that the title will provide a change of fortune after posting a 3-12 record since mid-October.

Victory for @Dutzee in Le Gosier! Dusan Lajovic claims his sixth #ATPChallenger ? with a 64 60 win over Denis Kudla.

One year after winning a tour-leading 12 titles, ?? has its first of 2018. pic.twitter.com/JNPyPlXtvW

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 1, 2018

A LOOK AHEAD
The Spanish swing continues this week, with Juan Carlos Ferrero’s Equelite Sport Academy in Alicante hosting a €43,000 event. Travaglia faces Andreozzi in a first-round rematch of the Marbella final. The tournament also features in-form #NextGenATP stars Alex de Minaur and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

At the fifth edition of the Visit Panama Cup, in Panama City, Americans Reilly Opelka and Sebastian Korda lead the #NextGenATP charge and are joined by two-time champion Rogerio Dutra Silva.

The season is only three months old, but there’s already a plethora of storylines to track. Here are the top five stories of 2018 so far…

Federer Off To Another Strong Start
If Roger Federer’s start to 2017 was one of the stories of the year, he certainly hasn’t let up in the first quarter of the new season. The Swiss superstar continues to evolve as a player, under the guidance of his long-time coach Severin Luthi and former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic.

Competing in his 21st year on the ATP World Tour, Federer is off to a 17-2 start, including his 20th Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open and his 97th tour-level title at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament. His victory in Rotterdam returned the Swiss back to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings from 19 February for six weeks. With a record 308 weeks in the top spot, he holds records for the longest period between stints at No. 1, as the oldest player to attain top spot and for the longest duration between first and last days at the summit of men’s professional tennis. His great rival, Rafael Nadal returned to No. 1 on 2 April.

Federer’s Best Starts To A Season

Delpo’s Resurgence
Juan Martin del Potro’s career has been blighted by four wrist surgeries, but in 2018 the ‘Tower of Tandil’ has returned into the Top 10, to top form on hard courts and, importantly, has become one of the most feared competitors on the ATP World Tour. In building up a 15-match winning streak (21-3 overall), the old swagger and assurance, coupled with astute scheduling and better fitness, saw the powerful Argentine pick up two titles and reach the semi-finals of a third tournament.

Del Potro, who also started the year with a runner-up finish at the ASB Classic (l. to Bautista Agut), clinched the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC title (d. Anderson) and he then saved three championship points over Federer to lift his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown at the BNP Paribas Open. His streak ended to in the Indian Wells semi-finals (l. to Isner) on 30 March.

#NextGenATP Champion Chung On The Rise…
The enormity of winning the Next Gen ATP Finals at Milan in November 2017 was profound for Hyeon Chung, the softly spoken South Korean, with a compact game. Thoughts of qualifying for his first Nitto ATP Finals may be premature, but the 21-year-old, who found himself at No. 62 in the ATP Rankings on 8 January, has risen 43 spots to a career-high No. 19 on the back of six straight quarter-finals (or better).

In January, Chung became the youngest Grand Slam championship semi-finalist since Cilic, 21, at the 2010 Australian Open and reached back-to-back ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-finals at Indian Wells (l. to Federer) and Miami (l. to Isner). Under the guidance of new coach, Neville Godwin, he has adjusted his service technique and become mentally adept to compile an 18-7 match record in 2018.

Anderson, Back To His Best
Having spent one week in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings (at No. 10) on 12 October 2015, hip, leg and elbow injuries saw Kevin Anderson spend time off the ATP World Tour and drop to as low as No. 80 on 16 January 2017. But the South African, one of the hardest workers on the circuit, returned to the Top 10 on 19 February 2018 and is competing with confidence once more.

Alongside successive quarter-final runs in Indian Wells (l. to Coric) and Miami (l. to Carreno Busta) was his fourth ATP World Tour title at the inaugural New York Open (d. Querrey). He also finished as the runner-up at the Tata Open Maharashtra (l. to Simon) and in Acapulco (l. to Del Potro). If 6’8” Anderson were to secure his first elite eight spot in London, it would erase memories of one near miss in 2015.

Interesting Mix In Early ATP Race To London
While Federer and Del Potro may lead the early stages of the ATP Race To London, for a spot at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals from 11-18 November, there are seven different nations represented in the Top 8 (as of 2 April).

In the mix is 6’10” John Isner, who will be hoping build upon his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown at Miami (d. Zverev) that saw him surge up 288 places to No. 6 and 5’7” Argentine Diego Schwartzman, who captured his second ATP World Tour trophy in February at the Rio Open presented by Claro (d. Verdasco) and also reached the Argentina Open quarter-finals (l. to Bedene).

Federer leads the Race with 3,110 points and is on course to qualify for the season finale, where he is a six-time former champion (2003-04, ’05-06, ’11-12), for a 16th time (2002-15, ’17). Del Potro, having competed at the Nitto ATP Finals on four previous occasions in 2008-09 and 2012-13, highlighted by a run to the 2009 final (l. to Davydenko), is currently No. 2, 980 points behind Federer.

Buy Your London Tickets

No. 9 John Isner, +8
The American has returned to a career-high No. 9 in the ATP Rankings, almost six years since he first attained the position (16 April 2012). The 32-year-old captured the biggest title of his career at the Miami Open presented by Itau by beating then No. 5-ranked Alexander Zverev 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 in the final for his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown (now 13-12 in finals). Isner also knocked out No. 3 Marin Cilic in the third round and No. 6-ranked Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals. Read & Watch Final Highlights

View Latest ATP Rankings

No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta, +7
The Spaniard jumped seven places to No. 12, two spots off his career-high (11 September 2017), following a run to the Miami semi-finals. Carreno Busta saved one match point against No. 8-ranked Kevin Anderson 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(6) in the quarter-finals, before falling to Zverev 7-6(4), 6-2 in the semi-finals – his second Masters 1000 semi-final (also 2017 Indian Wells). He is the second-highest ranked Spaniard in the Top 100, after Rafael Nadal who today returns to No. 1 for his 168th week.

No. 19 (Career High) Hyeon Chung, +4
The 21-year-old South Korean continues his rise up the ATP Rankings, breaking into the Top 20 for the first time (at No. 19) with a run to his second straight Masters 1000 quarter-final (also Indian Wells). The 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion has risen 43 positions from No. No. 62 on 8 January 2018.

No. 28 (Career High) Borna Coric, +8
The 21-year-old Croatian rises eight spots to a career-high No. 28 after completing a productive March (8-2 match record) that included a semi-final run at the BNP Paribas Open (l. to Federer) and a Miami quarter-final exit (l. Zverev). He was No. 50 in the ATP Rankings on 26 February.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 58 (Career High) Frances Tiafoe, +5
No. 70 Joao Sousa, +10
No. 80 Jeremy Chardy, +10
No. 84 Ricardas Berankis, +18
No. 90 Dusan Lajovic, +18
No. 95 Mirza Basic, +20

Rafael Nadal has today returned to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, beginning his fifth stint at the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis, nine-and-a-half years after he first attained the top spot on 18 August 2008. The icon of the game, who begins his 168th week at No. 1, replaces Switzerland’s Roger Federer, who had held the top ranking since 19 February to extend his record to 309 weeks overall.

The 31-year-old Nadal, who has been omnipresent in the Top 10 since 25 April 2005, is now two weeks shy of sixth-placed John McEnroe’s mark in top spot (170).

Nadal first ascended to the top spot at the age of 22 and has spent four previous stints at No. 1 — 46 weeks between 18 August 2008 and 5 July 2009, 56 weeks from 7 June 2010 to 3 July 2011, 39 weeks between 7 October 2013 and 6 July 2014 and 26 weeks from 21 August 2017 to 18 February 2018. Only Federer (309), Pete Sampras (286), Ivan Lendl (270), Jimmy Connors (268), Novak Djokovic (223) and McEnroe (170) have spent more weeks at No. 1 since August 1973.

In each of the seasons he started his stints at No. 1, Nadal has finished atop the year-end ATP Rankings (2008, 2010, 2013 and 2017).

THE NUMBER ONES
A list in chronological order of the 26 players who have ranked No. 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings (since 1973):

NADAL AT NO. 1
A look at the Spanish superstar’s match, Top 10 wins and finals record in his four previous stints at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.

Our understanding of forehands and backhands has just added another layer – ironically from one of the greatest servers our sport has ever seen. 

John Isner defeated Alexander Zverev 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 to win the Miami Open presented by Itau on Sunday, with an analysis of his forehands and backhands shedding new light on what other factors heavily contribute to their overall performance.

The following five areas break down Isner’s forehand and backhand proficiency with a new lens. The analysis does not include returns, volleys or overheads, but does include baseline groundstrokes and approaching the net. 

1. The Serve Protects The Backhand
On the surface, there is nothing special about uncovering that Isner hit 24 backhands in the opening set. What will stop you in your tracks is that 20 of them occurred when he was receiving serve, and only four occurred when serving.

Quite simply, Isner can hide his backhand behind his potent serve. When returning, the server can find it at will. In the second set, Isner hit 18 backhands, which were evenly split at nine apiece when serving and returning. 

In the deciding third set, Isner hit another 18 backhands, with an overwhelming 16 of them hit when he was returning. Overall, Isner hit 60 backhands, with 75 per cent (45 in total) of them being struck after a return of serve. 

It certainly begs the conversation that simply recording forehand metrics such as winners, errors and totals in isolation does not even begin to tell the story.

2. Run Around Forehands = No. 1
You can divide Isner’s baseline and approach performance into three distinct categories.

1. Normal Forehands (struck from the deuce-court)
2. Run-Around Forehands (struck from the ad-court)
3. Backhands

The number one thing that Isner did in this match was hit run-around forehands – standing in the ad-court. Zverev directed 123 shots to the ad-court, but Isner upgraded 63 (51 per cent) of them to forehands.

The following breakdown shows how the American short-circuited Zverev’s baseline tactics.

Isner – Shots Hit / Location
• 28 per cent – Normal forehands (Isner standing in the Deuce court)
• 37 per cent – Run-around forehands (Isner standing in the Ad court)
• 35 per cent – Backhands

Is the backhand considered a weakness if you don’t actually have to hit it?

3. Forehands Struck Around 2 to 1.
Zverev constantly tried to attack Isner’s backhand, but he had a great deal of trouble finding it. Overall, Isner hit 65 per cent total forehands for the match. 

• 112 forehands (11 winners / 24 errors)  
• 60 backhands (4 winners / 9 errors)

The role of the forehand is to attack, so it will typically have more winners and errors, just like this match. Isner averaged committing a forehand error one out of every 4.7 forehands, which was worse than the 6.7 error average hitting backhands. 

The role of the forehand is to make the opponent miss. The role of the backhand is not to miss. Mission accomplished for the American.

4. Set Three: Run-Around Forehands Skyrocketed When Returning
It’s always tougher to hit the preferred run-around forehand when returning, but Isner did a solid job in the opening two sets, hitting 19 run-around forehands when serving, and 21 when returning. In the deciding third set, he was impressively able to hit 18 when returning, which was almost as much as the 21 from the first two sets combined.

In Set 3, he hit an amazing 75 per cent (18/24) of his run-around forehands when returning, while hitting 6 behind his serve. This created a tremendous amount of pressure in Zverev’s service games, with Isner finally breaking him at 4-all.

5. Set Three: Backhand Solid As A Rock
Isner committed eight backhand errors through the first two sets, but only made one in the third set, starving Zverev of a location on the court to attack. Importantly, of the 16 backhands Isner hit when returning serve in the third set, he didn’t miss a single one. 

Thanks to a server, forehand and backhand analysis just took a step forward. 

John Isner has had an adventurous couple of weeks to say the least.

Arriving at Crandon Park, the 32-year-old American had won two tour-level matches all year (2-6). And in his opener at the Miami Open presented by Itau against Jiri Vesely, he lost the second set and appeared he could possibly suffer another early exit.

Yet, after his second win against a Top 5 opponent in this tournament alone (now 10 in his career) on Sunday, Isner leaves Key Biscayne as the oldest first-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champion in history.

“I never thought I would be in this moment considering how I was playing coming into this event,” Isner said.

In fact, at two of his previous three events, Isner failed to convert on match point(s) before suffering early exits. He lost in his opener at the BNP Paribas Open against Gael Monfils after holding one match point and he was bounced earlier in the year in the second round of the Delray Beach Open after failing to convert on three match points against Peter Gojowczyk.

How was he able to get over all that disappointment and turn it around to win the biggest title of his career, when his first 12 triumphs all came at the ATP World Tour 250-level? According to the American, his early-season struggles had nothing to do with how he was feeling physically on the court. “It was more mental,” he admitted.

Believe it or not, the shift in his season all began with a dinner. When Isner arrived in Miami, he had dinner with his coach, David Macpherson, on a Wednesday night. They didn’t have much to discuss technique-wise.

“I especially hashed out what’s been holding me back, and it’s not more reps on the court. I mean, I’m doing that. It’s not more time in the gym. I have been doing that. It was just mental things and myself being tight and tentative on the court holding me back. That’s the reason why I was losing close matches,” Isner said. “We cleared that hurdle this week. So I went into every match super-fresh mentally and loose. After each match I won, we would have another dinner, have another dinner, have another dinner, and we kept hammering that point: just be loose, and I will be a force if I can play freely.”

Isner was certainly able to do that. The right-hander, who will equal his career-best ATP Ranking of No. 9 on Monday, faced just a single break point against World No. 3 Marin Cilic, reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung and arguably the hottest player on Tour, Indian Wells champion Juan Martin del Potro.

So this is what @rogerfederer feels like every other week. @miamiopen . Happy Easter!!! ? pic.twitter.com/4KsHiEeRMX

— John Isner (@JohnIsner) April 1, 2018

And then in the final, despite losing a heartbreaking first set in which he failed to convert on five break points against fifth seed Alexander Zverev — who he has practised with since the German was a young teenager — he was still able to find a way to win, which he hadn’t done all year.

“Somewhere along in the second set I found a second wind,” said Isner, who was not broken in his final 53 service games of the tournament. “To win like that in front of a crowd like that, with that atmosphere, you can’t replicate moments like that. It was absolutely amazing.”

It certainly was a special way to bring the 32-year Crandon Park-era of the Miami Open presented by Itau to a close.

“For me to come out the winner in the last men’s singles match ever here is pretty unique,” Isner said. “This is crazy.”

Rarely does the 6’6” Alexander Zverev find himself overmatched in height, but that’s exactly what John Isner did in the final of the Miami Open presented by Itau.

At a whopping 6’10”, the American struck 18 aces and was unbroken throughout the match, finally earning victory in a tightly contested 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 decision over Zverev. The win was his first over the German in four tries – although the two go back even farther than their ATP World Tour meetings. The two have been frequent practice partners at Saddlebrook Resort for years and have shared a friendship for years.

“The first practice that we ever played I think I was 15, and it was the last day of the offseason and he went to Australia, and he lost to me,” said the 20-year-old, who is 12 years younger than Isner, himself now the oldest first-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titlist.

“He was quite disappointed, I remember. But he’s a great guy,” added Zverev. “He was always kind of pushing the younger guys. I’m happy that, you know — I’m never happy to lose, but if I lose, I’m happy that he won [his] first Masters.”

Ultimately, it wasn’t to be for Zverev this year at the Miami Open. And, at Crandon Park, it will never be.

Contesting the last final to be held at the historic Crandon Park before the tournament moves inland to Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium, Zverev fell just short of his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.

“I’ll never win here,” said Zverev after the match, with a smile. Although the move to a new venue will be a big change for players, who have played at Crandon Park for their entire careers, the German welcomes the change and the excitement that will come with it. 

“[Crandon Park] is a great site; it’s a historic site. It’s one of the oldest ones that we still have. But I think changing next year to the new one is going to be amazing,” he said. “I think the stadium will be amazing. For the crowd it’s going to be amazing. For us players it’s going to be much, much better. It’s a good move, but still we’ll miss this site.”

‘Amazing’ was Zverev’s word of choice, which was completely fitting considering the amazing twists and turns of the final he just contested, saving 10 of 12 break points faced and battling it out against one of the ATP World Tour’s biggest servers.

“I played bad from the baseline,” said Zverev in a critical assessment of his own performance. “But, you know, it’s not easy against John, because you always feel the pressure that if you get broken you’re not going to win the set. 

“He played great. He played very well from the baseline and he returned very well. Obviously his serve, but we don’t need to talk about the serve.”

Zverev, who turns 21 on April 20, was bidding to become the youngest player to win three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles since Novak Djokovic in 2008. Now, just 60 points behind Marin Cilic for third in the ATP Rankings, he is in strong position to surpass his career-high of No. 3 as the year continues.