As a dad, you need to pick your battles with your kids. So while I wouldn’t ever want to jam my story down my sons’ throats, I like to give them a few examples here and there of what I accomplished as a tennis player, including how I won this tournament five times.

They’re 12 and 14, and I’m teaching them how I was never just handed a trophy, and how I had to work hard, and make lots of sacrifices, to be the best in the world. I’m telling them how you can achieve anything, just so long as you want it badly enough.

My kids are proud of my career and curious, too, and occasionally they might come across a YouTube video that they’ll want to share with me. That’s about the only time I’ll watch one of my matches back on a screen; otherwise I only replay those highlights and moments in my head. Some of the best memories of my career were made at this tournament, and there is one occasion at the event that tops them all: the time I won an epic five-setter against Boris Becker in the 1996 final, which was played in front of a pro-Boris crowd in Hanover.

I’m honoured the ATP has named one of the singles groups at next week’s tournament after me; that’s a real treat. When I first heard, I thought: “That’s pretty cool, now I feel a stronger connection with some of the other champions.” And with the other group named after Boris, it’s been an opportunity to reminiscence about a match that came when we were both in the prime of our careers.

Being part of a match like that is a thrill. More than 20 years later, I still haven’t forgotten about the noise from that extraordinarily loud, passionate crowd, and I can still hear myself screaming out after hitting a backhand pass beyond Boris to break his serve. There was so much energy in that place, it was electric. I also have a good recall of the exhaustion I felt – and how my lungs were burning – after I won the match on a rally or 25 or 30 strokes. Boris and I embraced at the net. Finally, we could let our guards down.

Even at that moment, and after a final of that magnitude and quality, we still had huge respect for each other. And the thousands of Germans inside the stadium, even though they had been cheering and shouting for Boris for hours, gave both of us an ovation. I took the title four other times but that match is top of my list because, as well as being an epic, playing against Boris in Germany was a big deal, as he always brought so much buzz, exposure and excitement to the event. We were two heavyweights, playing great tennis.

“I’m sure the competition in London next week is going to be fierce – only those who have had a great year, and who are playing at a high level, make the cut. From my own experiences, I know that players need to be ready from the first point. There’s no chance of easing your way into this tournament. Right from your opening match, you’re competing against another elite player, and there’s no let-up all week. You’ve got to bring it in every match, and I sometimes felt as though this was the hardest title to win. Playing this tournament was always a battle and, as well as winning those five titles, I also had some tough losses.

As much as tennis is an individual sport, and every one of the singles players will be giving his all to beat his rivals and finish the year on a positive note, I imagine there will be a camaraderie among the qualifiers. The years that I qualified, I always felt a connection with the other seven. You’ve all achieved something as a group. At the end of a long year, the eight of you are the best of the best, and it’s like you’re part of a special club. Anyone who has qualified for London is going to be feeling good about himself. Every time I made it into the eight, I felt honoured to be with other great players. And when you arrive in the city, you put on a suit and tie, go to some functions and have your photograph taken at landmarks, and you’re made to feel special.

This will be a great tournament, it always is. You’ve got the best players in the world battling for a big prize, and that’s fantastic for people in London, who love their tennis. Everyone at The O2 should appreciate they’re watching the best generation of tennis players in history.

Each generation of athletes gets stronger and faster, and the players are adding to their knowledge of the game, and as a result you see the level of tennis going up and up. Everyone keeps on improving – today’s players are tremendous athletes and hit the ball incredibly hard. Seeing some of the great things the guys do – especially some of the shots they produce when they’re on the run – is incredible.

Every year at the tournament, the elite are better than the season before. I suppose that’s evolution.

The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals will be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November

Upgrade, double and freeze. Jack Sock successfully tapped into the three main benefits of hitting a run-around forehand instead of a backhand from the baseline in the Ad court to defeat Filip Krajinovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters on Sunday.

Sock relentlessly hunted forehands in the Ad court as his Serbian opponent pummeled that side of the court trying to give Sock a steady diet of backhands. Overall for the match, Sock hit 132 groundstrokes (62%) standing in the Ad court, and just 81 (38%) in the Deuce court. The following breakdown illustrates the American’s thirst for the more lethal run-around forehand when standing in the Ad court.

Court Position & Stroke – Where Sock Stood To Contact The Ball.
• Deuce Court Forehands = 81
• Ad Court Forehands = 67
• Ad Court Backhands = 65

Upgrade
Sock’s backhand groundstroke did it’s job of minimizing errors, and getting out of the way of the run-around forehand at every opportunity.

Shots Hit Standing In The Ad Court
• 67 run around forehands = 15 winners / 7 errors
• 65 backhands = 3 winners / 10 errors

When adding winners and subtracting errors, Sock’s run-around forehand from the Ad court tallied +8 (15 winners – 7 errors), which was vastly superior to the -7 total (3 winners – 10 errors) that his backhand produced. Sock hit a lot of off-pace slice backhands to give Krajinovic no speed of shot to work with, and also to allow time for Sock to run around the next shot intended for his backhand and turn it into a forehand.

A good way to understand the relationship between forehands and backhands is that the forehand is the sword, that you attack more with, and the backhand is the shield, that you primarily defend with and look to minimize errors. Of the 15 run-around forehand winners Sock hit for the match, 11 of them were directed back behind Krajinovic to his backhand wing. This was the match-up that Sock constantly looked to enforce.

Double
Double in this instance means doubling the target area to attack. If Sock was to continuously hit neutral backhands standing in the Ad court, the natural angle goes back cross court to Krajinovic’s stronger backhand wing. By upgrading to a forehand from the Ad court, Sock can hit a more powerful groundstroke, and thus launch attacks to both the Deuce and Ad court.

Freeze
Sock was constantly looking to freeze Krajinovic, essentially removing his anticipation because Sock’s open-stance, run-around forehand offers no visual clues as to where it will end up. It is beautifully disguised and steals tenths of seconds of anticipation, forcing more errors because it imposes less time to prepare.

Krajinovic committed 25 backhand errors for the match, with 14 of them coming straight from Sock’s run-around forehand from the Ad court. Eight of the 14 errors from Krajinovic were trying to force backhands down the line from defensive positions. Leading into the Paris final, Krajinovic was hitting the majority of his backhands down the line, but doing it from Sock’s run-around forehand in the final was a much tougher task.

Krajinovic Backhand Direction: To The Final
• 40% down the line
• 36% cross court
• 24% to the middle

Overall, Krajinovic committed 13 of his 25 backhand errors for the match going down the line. This successful pattern to the final ran into a buzz-saw in the form of the heavy spin and more powerful run-around forehands from Sock. At 5-7, 4-1 Sock’s average topspin forehand speed was 132 km/h, while Krajinovic was only averaging 120km/h. Sock’s heavy rotation of the forehand saw an average spin rate of 3364rpm, with Krajinovic hitting much flatter at 2506rpm. More power, more spin, and more determination to hit forehands instead of backhands made Sock a very tough match-up against the more traditional tactics of the Serb.

Sock was relentless at pounding the Krajinovic backhand with his forehand. For example, in Set Two Sock directed 60 per cent of his groundstrokes wide to the Krajinovic backhand, 13 per cent down the middle, and just 27 per cent to the outer third of the court to the Serb’s forehand wing.

Run-Around Forehands vs. Normal Forehands
Sock’s run-around forehand standing in the Ad court greatly outperformed his regular forehand hit when standing in the Deuce court.

Sock Forehands: Winners / Errors
• 67 run around forehands hit from the Ad court = 15 winners / 7 errors
• 81 regular forehands hit from the Deuce court = 5 winners / 12 errors

Sock’s marauding baseline play promotes forehands to be struck from all baseline locations – especially from the Ad court. It’s a reality of the modern game that the run-around forehand produces more winners and less errors than regular forehands, which is exactly how it played out in this match.

Serve +1 Forehands
Sock was always looking to combine the power of his serve with the strength of a forehand as the first shot after the serve – a tactic known as Serve +1. Overall for the match, Sock hit a substantial 88 per cent (38/43) forehands as the first shot after the serve, winning an impressive 66 per cent (25/38) of them. Of the five points that Sock started the point with a Serve +1 backhand, which were all second serve points, he failed to win a single one.

Summary
Sock’s biggest advantage in the match was in the short rallies of 0-4 shots, where he had a 63-49 advantage in points won. Overall, Sock ran further than Krajinovic for the match (1813 metres to 1710 metres) mainly due to running around his backhand to upgrade to his forehand.

Sock’s run-around forehand was the most dominant shot in the match, and serves as a blueprint for juniors all over the world to emulate. The run-around forehand wears the pants from the back of the court.

In the South American nation of Uruguay, sports are an integral part of its vibrant culture. Its stars are a closely knit group and that fraternity was on display on Saturday at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Montevideo.

Diego Forlan, a former legend of Uruguayan football and one of the greatest players in the world, attended the draw ceremony at the $75,000 clay court event. Alongside countryman and top seed Pablo Cuevas and former champion Guido Pella, Forlan helped make the singles draw for the 13th edition of the tournament.

“It´s a great chance to help this tournament, which is held in my home club, the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club,” said Forlan, an avid tennis fan. “I actually started playing tennis here and it’s where I spend a lot of my free time playing (with Davis Cup captain Enrique Perez).”

Forlan competed for Uruguay’s national team from 2002-2014, scoring 36 international goals. He received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.

The 38-year-old will team up with Cuevas on Wednesday night in an exhibition match against Pella and Argentine actor Martin Bossi. Cuevas is a two-time titlist at his hometown Uruguay Open, having prevailed in both 2009 and 2014. Pella won the title in 2015.

VIEW DRAW

Hoy @DiegoForlan7 junto a los primeros cabezas de serie, @PabloCuevas22 y @guido_pella , en el sorteo del cuadro. ???@ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/rKEGClRjXA

— Uruguay Open (@uruguayopen) November 4, 2017

Tim Smyczek took the ninth edition of the Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger on Sunday, downing countryman and top seed Tennys Sandgren 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in exactly two hours. The American had his back against the wall, trailing by a set and a break, but would storm back to hoist the trophy. It was a significant victory for the 29-year-old, who claimed his first ATP Challenger Tour title in more than two years (Tiburon 2015). He rises 31 spots to No. 158 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

The Wisconsin native is the ninth different American to prevail on the circuit this year. He joins Sandgren, Frances Tiafoe, Ryan Harrison, Noah Rubin, Michael Mmoh, Kevin King, Mackenzie McDonald and Stefan Kozlov in the winners’ circle.

It was an extra special week for Smyczek, who also claimed his first doubles match win in three years, since the Napa Challenger in 2014. He reached the second round with countryman Marcos Giron.

Smyczek on what his victory means in the big picture. #USTAProCircuit pic.twitter.com/E9HwsJsLtm

— C-Ville Challenger (@CMPChallenger) November 5, 2017

It’s been two years since your last trophy. Is that the bigger accomplishment, or winning a doubles match for the first time in three years?
If we’re going on sheer number of days between wins, the doubles is pretty impressive. But I was really happy with the week. I knew coming in that I was playing well, but that doesn’t always guarantee you to win a tournament. I was happy with the way I competed and I was on the ropes a few times. I was down a set and a break today and I just knew that the margins were really small, so if I kept fighting I’d get a look. And I got on a roll there.

When Sandgren lost his focus in the second set, how important was it for you to put your foot down?
I made a little adjustment in the second and it may have looked like he lost focus, but I was doing some things to make him uncomfortable. I had a change in tactics and luckily he had a little valley in his game and gave me a few free points. I’ve seen him come back from big deficits before, so even when I got the second break in the third, it wasn’t quite over yet.

You have gone through a lot in the past couple years. What has changed for you?
I was always planning on playing next year and I’ve done a lot better of thinking my way through matches. It gives you a lot of confidence to feel that you have an objective every time you step out on the court. Especially on the practice court, knowing you have a job to do. I’m really thankful to be here and hopefully I’ll keep it rolling.

How hard is it to be out there without a traveling coach?
Some guys are better at it than others. I really thought I could handle it. I’m really self-motivated and good and getting the work done when nobody is looking. I thought it was going to be ok, but really it’s a matter of the constant feedback. I’m not my best critic and sometimes I walk off the court scratching my head after a match. It’s helpful to have somebody day in and day out to provide feedback and figure out how I can become a better tennis player.

Some people, when they think of indoor tennis, they think of huge servers. That is, players who can blitz through a tournament quickly. But four of your six Challenger titles are indoors. What does it say about your strength on these fast surfaces?
I’m from Wisconsin and grew up playing at least six months a year indoors. It’s something I’m comfortable with. And the other thing is that the indoor courts aren’t always very fast. In Knoxville next week, the courts are historically really slow. This week, the courts are fast and while I served well, I also returned quite well. I thought I did a pretty good job of picking my spots and getting these guys to not serve their best. There’s no doubt that you have to make adjustments on a quicker court and I feel like I’m moving really well right now and taking my angles. I’m not going to beat guys with pace. I have to either take time away or give time. That goes back to working with [coach Dustin Taylor]. It’s really useful on a court like this.

It’s a tough turnaround with a Tuesday start in Knoxville. You have Stefan Kozlov in the first round and you just had a pretty epic match a few days ago. How do you get refocused? You’re also in the lead for the USTA’s Australian Open wild card.
I’ll take the rest of the day to pause and reflect a little bit. It’s going to be a long two weeks and I’ll try to win several more matches. I won’t think about the wild card too much, but I have more work to do. I’ll have a light hit tomorrow night and another hit on Tuesday and get back to work.

A LOOK BACK
Apis Canberra International (Canberra, Australia): The Australian summer of tennis kicked off last week with Jason Kubler hoisting his first ATP Challenger Tour trophy in three years. Another Aussie would end a title drought on Sunday, as Matthew Ebden claimed his first Challenger crown since 2015 with a 7-6(4) 6-4 victory over second seed Taro Daniel. Ebden, who reached the final at the ATP World Tour event in Newport in July, is back in the Top 100 for the first time since 2014 after undergoing knee surgery. On the comeback trail, the 29-year-old ascends to No. 100 in the Emirates ATP Rankings with his seventh Challenger title in total.

Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger (Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.A.): Tim Smyczek took the ninth edition of the indoor hard court event in Charlottesville, marking the third straight year an American has prevailed on home soil. Smyczek downed countryman and top seed Tennys Sandgren 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in exactly two hours, rallying from a set and a break down. It was a significant victory for the 29-year-old, who claimed his first ATP Challenger Tour title in more than two years (Tiburon 2015). He rises 31 spots to No. 158 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Bauer Watertechnology Cup (Eckental, Germany): Maximilian Marterer is sprinting to the finish line in 2017 with a bevy of strong results on the ATP Challenger Tour. A title in Banja Luka in September was followed by victory in Monterrey in October, and the German was not done. He lifted his third trophy in as many months on Sunday on home soil in Eckental, defeating Jerzy Janowicz 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-3. Marterer rises to a career-high No. 90 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. It was a hard-fought run to the title, which included a pair of comeback wins from a set down in the first and second rounds.

Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil (Guayaquil, Ecuador): Austria’s Gerald Melzer won ATP Challenger Tour titles in consecutive weeks, going back-to-back in Lima, Peru and Guayaquil, Ecuador. He defeated Facundo Bagnis 6-3, 6-1 for the trophy in Guayaquil on Saturday, dismissing the Argentine in just 56 minutes. Melzer is set to return to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since January.

Another week, another ? for @GeraldMelzer. The ?? goes back-to-back on South American soil, prevailing @atpguayaquil and returning to the Top 100. pic.twitter.com/JrtXDJEC4z

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 6, 2017

Shenzhen Longhua Open (Shenzhen, China): Third seed Radu Albot clinched his sixth ATP Challenger Tour title and first of the year, defeating qualifier Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-4 in Shenzhen. Albot finished runner-up to Miomir Kecmanovic in last week’s final in nearby Suzhou, but would go one step further to cap the Chinese swing. The Moldovan rises 17 spots to No. 86 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, just five positions off his career-high.

A LOOK AHEAD
Five events are on the calendar this week, including two prestigious European tournaments. A stacked Slovak Open in Bratislava welcomes defending champion Norbert Gombos, fifth seed and 2004 winner Marcos Baghdatis, top seed Mikhail Kukushkin and #NextGenATP Felix Auger-Aliassime and Sebastian Ofner. Meanwhile, in Mouilleron le Captif, France, 2015 champ Benoit Paire and Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk lead the charge. Marterer looks to add a fourth title in three months, while Alexander Bublik and Elias Ymer highlight the #NextGenATP contenders.

On the clay of Montevideo, home hope and top seed Pablo Cuevas returns in search of a third title (2009, 2014). Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Michael Mmoh and Stefan Kozlov lead the teen charge on the indoor hard courts of Knoxville, U.S.A. Finally, Albot and Ebden look to go back-to-back as they descend on Kobe, Japan, where eighth seed John Millman lifted the trophy in 2015.