LOOK BACK

Busan Open (Busan, South Korea): Vasek Pospisil lifted a first ATP Challenger Tour trophy since Vancouver 2013, having swept aside the field in Busan without dropping a set. The 26 year old capped a fine week with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Go Soeda, needing just 55 minutes to land a fifth Challenger title. The former World No. 25 returns to the Top 100 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since July 2016, rising 24 places to No. 82.

BNP Paribas Primrose (Bordeaux, France): Top seed Steve Darcis clinched his 10th Challenger title in the 10th edition of the prestigious clay-court event. On the grounds of the renowned Villa Primrose, Darcis battled past defending champion Rogerio Dutra Silva 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 in the longest final of the season at two hours and 39 minutes. The Belgian’s reward is rising to a career-high No. 38. He is just the third player aged 33-and-over to debut in the Top 40 of the Emirates ATP Rankings in the past 40 years, joining Italian duo Gianluca Pozzi (2001) and Paolo Lorenzi (2016).

What a week… #bestranking #38 #passimallevieux #teamdereve #sharkspirit #??? #vamos pic.twitter.com/urlADmHPAW

— steve darcis (@stevedarcishark) May 22, 2017

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Also in Bordeaux, #NextGenATP Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis ignited his comeback from a brutal run of injuries by competing in the doubles alongside countryman Alex Bolt. Despite falling in the quarter-finals to third seeds Purav Raja and Divij Sharan, Kokkinakis was relieved to be back in competitive action. “I just can’t wait to get onto the singles court really,” stated the 21 year old. “The biggest target is to stay healthy. I hope the results will come, but I need to stay on court healthy and build up my work load from there.”

Neckarcup (Heilbronn, Germany): Filip Krajinovic dropped one set in eight matches to be crowned champion on the ATP Challenger Tour for the first time in two years. The Serbian qualified for the event, managed to save three match points in the semi-finals against sixth seed Guido Pella, before securing a fifth Challenger title with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Norbert Gombos. A right wrist injury sidelined the 25 year old for a portion of 2016, but his perseverance had paid off, rising 91 places to No. 203.

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What a week for ?? Filip #Krajinovic in Heilbronn, dropping just one set in eight matches as a qualifier to claim his 5th #ATPChallenger ?. pic.twitter.com/nXJNxAQdS2

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 21, 2017

Samarkand Challenger (Samarkand, Uzbekistan): Adrian Menendez-Maceiras won his third Challenger title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Aldin Setkic. The 31 year old takes home his second title of 2017, having ended a decade-long wait last month in Leon, Mexico. The 10th player to win multiple titles this year edges up to No. 150, closing in on a career-high of No. 111.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Vasek Pospisil: “It feels great to take the title in Busan, it was a long trip and great way to cap it off,” said the Canadian. “I worked on the right things in the days leading up to the event and I really got into a nice flow. I was serving extremely well so It was tough for my opponents to break. It put pressure on them and that gave me a bit more breathing space. I’m glad to be back in the Top 100 and playing at a high level again.”

Steve Darcis: “I had a tough start to the week, but I managed to fight. My game improved match after match, before a very good performance in the semis (d. De Greef). I was down a lot in the final, so I am very happy to win this final, at my club, it feels great.”

Adrian Menendez-Maceiras: “It feels great, I had a very tough week,” said the Spaniard. “I had three matches going the distance in the earlier rounds, mentally I was exhausted, but my physical condition is great. My recovery was perfect and I felt a lot better from the semi-finals onwards, so it was an unbelievable feeling to take the title.

”I’m in the best form of my career, the title in Leon proved I can win tournaments. Now I’m more relaxed and happy on court, so I need to keep working, to keep enjoying my passion.”

A LOOK AHEAD

A $50,000 clay-court event in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, debuts on the ATP Challenger Tour, with top seed Konstantin Kravchuk targeting a fourth Challenger title. Over to Mestre, Italy, for the €43,000 event and Australian John Millan leads the field. Gianluigi Quinzi will hope to go deep, having qualified for the main draw on home soil.

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ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: The ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallenger at twitter.com/ATPChallenger.

A first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title has launched #NextGenATP German Alexander Zverev into the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.

It was a landmark week for Zverev, who added to his 2017 trophies in Montpellier and Munich, in becoming the first player born in the 1990s to win an ATP Masters 1000 trophy. The 20 year old captured the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title with an emphatic victory over Novak Djokovic to earn a seven-place jump to a career-high No. 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He is today’s ‘Mover of the Week’.

View Latest Emirates ATP Rankings

By virtue of Zverev’s success, he moves up to No. 4 in the year-to-date Emirates ATP Race to London as he seeks to make his first trip to the season-ending ATP Finals. He also extends his lead in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan, which determines who qualifies for the 21-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan from 7-11 November. Zverev has accumulated 2,130 race points, more than triple that of second-placed Borna Coric on 631 points.

Juan Martin del Potro worked his way past Grigor Dimitrov and Kei Nishikori in Rome to reach the quarter-finals. Eventual finalist Djokovic halted his progress, but the popular Argentine edged up four places to No. 30.

Steve Darcis rises to a career-high in the Emirates ATP Rankings, courtesy of his title run at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Bordeaux, France. The Belgian defeated Rogerio Dutra Silva to break into the Top 40 for the first time, rising 12 positions to No. 38. In doing so, Darcis is just the third player aged 33 and over to debut in the Top 40 in the past 40 years, joining Italians Gianluca Pozzi (2001) and Paolo Lorenzi (2016).

Nicolas Almagro and Jan-Lennard Struff both qualified for the main draw in Rome. Almagro was forced to retire with a knee injury in the second round against Rafael Nadal, but three victories on the Italian clay have sent him up six places to No. 67. Struff, who was toppled by Sam Querrey in the second round, re-enters the Top 50 by climbing five spots to No. 47.

Vasek Pospisil was crowned the champion at the Busan Open Challenger to surge back into the Top 100 for the first time since July 2016. The Canadian picked up the title in South Korea without dropping a set and earns a 24-place rise to No. 82.

One week after World No. 1 Andy Murray turned 30 years old, Novak Djokovic joined his friend and rival at the milestone age. In honour of the Serbian’s 30th birthday, the ATP World Tour is celebrating by reliving the 30 facts, moments or memories that have made his tennis career so spectacular thus far.

30 – The number of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles to his name (tied with Rafael Nadal)
29 – The number of consecutive sets won in 2015, a career high
28 – The number of consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals he reached from 2009-16 (second all-time behind Roger Federer’s 36)
27-9 – His record in fifth sets (3-0 vs. Federer)
26-24 vs. Rafael Nadal, 25-11 vs. Andy Murray and 23-22 vs. Federer
25th player to become World No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings (4 July 2011)
24-0 at the end of 2013 with titles in Beijing, Shanghai, Paris, the ATP Finals and Davis Cup
23 straight wins from August to November in 2015 after 28 straight wins from March to June 2015
22 consecutive wins from November 2012 to March 2013, including 11 vs. Top 10 players
21 Grand Slam finals reached (tied with Nadal for second all-time behind Federer’s 28)
20 years old when he won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2008
19 years old when he won his first Masters 1000 title in Miami in 2007
18 years old when he first finished in the Top 100 of the year-end Emirates ATP Rankings (No. 83 in 2005)
17 straight wins vs. Top 10 opponents from the 2015 ATP Finals to 2016 Rome, a career high
16 years old when he made his tour-level debut (d. Skroderis in 2004 Davis Cup)
15 consecutive finals reached by the end of 2015 (17 including 2016 Doha and 2016 Australian Open)
14 straight Grand Slam semi-finals reached from 2010-13 (second all-time behind Federer’s 23)
13 sets won 6-0 in 2011 and 14 sets won 6-0 in 2013
12 Grand Slam titles to his name (tied with Roy Emerson for fourth all-time)
11 ATP World Tour titles won in 2015, a career-high
10 times he has qualified for the ATP Finals in the past 10 seasons
9 losses in Grand Slam finals (Nadal 4, Murray 2, Stan Wawrinka 2, Federer 1)
8 of the nine Masters 1000 events he has won a title (0-5 in Cincinnati finals)
7 singles titles and a career-high 43 victories in a row from December 2010 to June 2011
6-time champion at the Australian Open, Miami and Beijing
5-time champion at Indian Wells and ATP Finals
4 year-end finishes and 223 weeks overall as World No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings
3-time winner of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award (2012, 2015, 2016)
2 match points saved to beat Federer in both the 2010 and 2011 US Open semi-finals
1 of 3 men to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once (also Budge and Laver)

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Alexander Zverev’s serve and forehand steal the limelight, but don’t be fooled: It’s his backhand that carries more of the workload, and is relied upon the most to elevate him up the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Twenty-year-old Zverev defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Sunday, shaking up the pecking order in the tennis world and surging into the Top 10 along the way.

Zverev’s serve was impressive in the final. He hit seven aces, winning 84 per cent (27/32) of first serve points and 69 per cent (9/13) of second serve points. He didn’t face a single break point for the match. The German’s forehand was also strong with five winners, including a 161kmh (100mph) inside-out winner with Djokovic serving at 2-4, 15/0, in the first set. It was a scorcher and a clear show of strength from the back of the court. 

And then there was his backhand. For most players, this specific shot is typically a defensive weapon (like Rafael Nadal’s), or a consistent stroke that rarely misses (like Andy Murray).

Consider Zverev’s backhand numbers from the final:

Backhand Winners

• Zverev 3

• Djokovic 1

Backhand Errors

• Zverev 7

• Djokovic 21

Zverev’s backhand was basically three times as good as Djokovic’s when you compare winners and errors. Zverev’s backhand is stunningly simple, loading the racquet head above the wrists early in the backswing, and then rotating quickly into contact with a clean, circular motion that generates extreme power.

In the head-to-head backhand battle, Zverev’s backhand owned the day over Djokovic’s on Campo Centrale. An analysis of what shot forced Djokovic’s 21 backhand errors gives further weight to the dominance of Zverev on this side.

Djokovic’s 21 Backhand Errors

• 14 came from a Zverev backhand

• 7 came from a Zverev forehand

Zverev’s backhand is so good that, certainly from an analytical standpoint, it could easily be mistaken for another forehand in disguise. Leading into the Rome final, Zverev averaged hitting his topspin forehand at 125 kmh (78mph). His backhand was almost identical, at 123 kmh (76mph). Normally there is around a 13kmh (8mph) difference in forehand and backhand speed among the Top 10 players, but not so with Zverev.

Djokovic said post-match that he wasn’t able to get any rhythm on his returns, which was certainly seen in Zverev’s return speeds coming in much faster than his opponent’s.

Average Return Speeds 

1st Serve Return Speed

• Zverev 121kmh (75mph)

• Djokovic 95kmh (59mph)

2nd Serve Return Speed

• Zverev 133kmh (83mph)

• Djokovic 112kmh (70mph)

The power, depth and direction of Zverev’s returns and groundstrokes constantly had Djokovic on defense in the rally. Zverev has been widely discussed as a star of the future, but the future, evidently, is today. 

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN GENEVA

1) ATP Back in Geneva: The Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open returns for the third straight year with 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka and fellow Top 10 player Kei Nishikori leading the field. Switzerland hosts three ATP events, with Gstaad (July 24-30) and Basel (October 23-29) to follow.

2) Top 4 Seeds: Receiving first-round byes are World No. 3 Wawrinka, World No. 9 Nishikori, Monte-Carlo finalist Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Rome semi-finalist John Isner. Nishikori accepted a wild card into Geneva after falling to Juan Martin del Potro in the Rome third round on Thursday.

3) Stan the Man: Wawrinka is the No. 1 Swiss, No. 1 seed and reigning champion. The 32-year-old enters the week before Roland Garros without a title for the first time since 2012. Wawrinka is 16-8 in 2017 (2-3 on clay) and his best finish is a final at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells (l. to Federer). He defeated Marin Cilic 64 76(11) in last year’s Geneva final for his first ATP title in Switzerland.

4) Ramos-Vinolas on the Rise: Ramos-Vinolas, the No. 2 seed, has 18 clay-court wins in 2017, one shy of the 19 he posted in 2016. The Spaniard peaked at No. 17 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on May 8, having reached the quarter-finals or better at eight tournaments this season (seven on clay). He was runner-up at the Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal) and also in Sao Paulo (l. to Cuevas).

5) Bellucci Already Out: Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, the 2015 Geneva champion, was eliminated on Sunday by Andrey Kuznetsov. Three of Bellucci’s four ATP World Tour singles titles had come on Swiss clay: 2009 Gstaad (d. A. Beck), 2012 Gstaad (d. Tipsarevic) and 2015 Geneva (d. Sousa).

6) Johnson Returns: No. 5 seed Steve Johnson returns to the ATP World Tour for the first time since capturing his second career ATP World Tour title at Houston on April 16 (d. Bellucci). His father, Steve Johnson Sr., passed away unexpectedly on May 11 at the family’s home in California.

7) Tipsarevic Turnaround: Wild card and former World No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic is playing in his first ATP World Tour event since clay-court tournaments at Quito, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro in February. The 32-year-old Serbian has jumped from No. 145 to No. 61 in the Emirates ATP Rankings this season by posting a 20-0 record with four titles on the ATP Challenger Tour (2 clay, 2 hard).

8) American Quartet: Four Americans are seeded: No. 4 Isner, No. 5 Johnson, No. 6 Sam Querrey and No. 9 Ryan Harrison. Johnson (Houston), Querrey (Acapulco) and Harrison (Memphis) have won titles in 2017. Americans are 4-0 in finals this season, not including Jack Sock’s win via walkover in the Delray Beach championship match. Sock also won the Auckland title (d. Sousa).

9) #NextGenATP Watch: Two Next Gen ATP Finals contenders are in the field: Jared Donaldson, 20, and Daniel Altmaier, 18, who qualified and makes his ATP main draw debut against Querrey.

10) Doubles Field: As is the case in singles, the doubles draw features the 2015 and 2016 Geneva champions. Defending champions Johnson and Querrey are teaming for the first time this season. Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, the 2015 champions, are the No. 2 seeds.

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN LYON

1) Lyon Returns to ATP World Tour: The Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon replaces the Open de Nice Cote d’Azur this week as an ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament. Lyon previously hosted an ATP event on indoor carpet from 1987 to 2008 and on indoor hard courts in 2009. That event moved to Montpellier in 2010 and is now known as the Open Sud de France.

2) Strong Field: Four Top 20 players will receive first-round byes: World No. 6 Milos Raonic, No. 1 Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, wild card Tomas Berdych and 22-year-old Nick Kyrgios.

3) Raonic Top Seed: Raonic is playing for the fourth straight week since returning from a right leg injury. He is 6-3 on clay this month, highlighted by his first final on the surface at Istanbul (l. to Cilic).

4) Tsonga on Home Soil: The second-seeded Tsonga is 18-5 with two titles this season, but just 1-1 on clay. He conceded a walkover in the Madrid second round, then withdrew from Rome, due to a right shoulder injury. Tsonga has won seven of his 14 ATP World Tour singles titles in France.

5) Kyrgios Back in Action: Like Tsonga, the fourth-seeded Kyrgios is 18-5 in 2017 and returns to action after withdrawing from Rome (hip). Kyrgios reached the Mutua Madrid Open third round in his only other clay-court appearance of the season (l. to eventual champion Nadal).

6) #NextGenATP Watch: Four of the Top 10 players in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan are in Lyon this week, including Chennai finalist Daniil Medvedev, Munich semi-finalist Hyeon Chung and Barcelona quarter-finalist Karen Khachanov. Borna Coric, who is No. 2 in the race, was eliminated on Sunday by Nikoloz Basilashvili. Rome champion Alexander Zverev leads the race.

7) Kokkinakis Returns: Thanasi Kokkinakis, a #NextGenATP player when the campaign debuted at 2016 Indian Wells, returns to the ATP World Tour this week. Kokkinakis peaked at No. 69 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but right shoulder surgery and an abdominal strain have limited him to three tournaments at any level since October 2015: 2016 Rio Olympics (singles 1R), 2017 Brisbane (doubles champion w/Thompson) and 2017 Bordeaux, France Challenger (doubles QF w/Bolt).

8) French Title Hopes: Tsonga is one of three Frenchmen left in the field after No. 8 seed Benoit Paire was upset on Sunday. No. 5 seed Gilles Simon and Nicolas Mahut are also playing in Lyon.

9) Wild Cards: Berdych, Simon and Juan Martin del Potro are among the Top 6 seeds after accepting wild cards. Del Potro, the No. 6 seed, is 10-5 this year with all five of his losses coming to players ranked in the Top 6. He could meet the sixth-ranked Raonic in the Lyon quarter-finals.

10) Dodig/Granollers Headline Doubles: Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers, a first-year team, are the No. 1 doubles seeds. The Croat and Spaniard are 14-8 this season with a title at Rotterdam and runner-up finish last week at Rome. Also in the field are Paire and his 32-year-old brother Thomas Paire. The Paires previously played doubles together at two ITF Futures Circuit events in 2009-10. 

Re-live nine great hot shots from the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Mutua Madrid Open and Internazionali BNL d’Italia, and help crown the Golden Hot Shot from the 2017 clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.

Watch the clips and cast your vote before the poll closes at 6pm CEST/noon EDT on Friday, 26 May. Here are the candidates:

Monte-Carlo
Nadal Lands Winner From Impossible Angle
Simon Stymies Djokovic
Djokovic Slides To Winner

Madrid
Cuevas Hits Sensational No Look Winner
Kyrgios Wows Fans With Doubles Winner
Goffin Strikes Stunning Backhand Hot Shot

Rome
Del Potro Goes Nuclear With This Forehand
Sock Leaps Into Forehand  
Thiem Blasts Backhand Hot Shot

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