Nicolas Mahut is the new No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, replacing Brazil’s Marcelo Melo at the summit of the team game.

After weeks of no comment, in the end the prospect of becoming the 49th doubles No. 1 was taken out of Mahut’s hands. On Saturday, as Marc Lopez and Feliciano Lopez beat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan for the Roland Garros title, Mahut was 288 miles away preparing for his singles title defence at the Ricoh Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

“I watched the match on television, at the end of the second set I thought the Bryans would win,” Mahut told ATPWorldTour.com. “But the broadcast ended and I then followed the score on the internet and via relatives.”

Guy Forget (No. 3), Michael Llodra (No. 3), Julien Benneteau (No. 5), Henri Leconte (No. 6) and Fabrice Santoro (No. 6) were all never able to follow in the footsteps of Yannick Noah, the last French player at No. 1 in August 1987. Today, officially, it’s Mahut’s fate.

“There was a mixture of pride and fulfillment on learning that the Spaniards had won,” said Mahut, who has been in sensational form this year with partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert. “Although it’s not the same as singles, you’re the first in your discipline. I realise how hard it is to become No. 1. [Mika] Llodra, Santoro and other great French champions did not make it. It’s a special feeling.”

After dinner with Paul-Henri Mathieu on Saturday night, Mahut was able to call his wife, Virginie, and former players and coaches, who had been part of the journey. “Now that it’s done, it will free us,” said Mahut. “Unconsciously, it added more pressure. Pierre-Hugues and I can start over and look to tournament goals again.”

Over the past 18 months, Mahut and Herbert have reached eight finals, captured the 2015 US Open (d. Murray-Peers) and recently won three straight ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies at the BNP Paribas Open (d. Pospisil-Sock), the Miami Open presented by Itau (d. Klaasen-Ram) and the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Murray-Soares).

It could have been so different. Mahut’s career falls into two chapters: pre- and post- ‘The Longest Match’.

It’s now almost six years since Mahut was the valiant loser against John Isner in an 11-hour, five-minute three-day record-breaking match at 2010 Wimbledon. It brought instant recognition for both players, a high point for Mahut, 10 years on from an excellent junior career.

But what next?

“Nicolas had a career before his match against Isner at Wimbledon and a second career after that match,” good friend Fabrice Santoro told ATPWorldTour.com. “Even though he lost that one, people started to talk about this completely crazy match. And that loss gave him confidence.”

For a long time, ice packs compressed onto Mahut’s knees or elbows were a regular sight at tournaments. The problems hindered his progress, but the smart and amiable Frenchman never gave up. With the birth of his son, Natanel, in August 2011, also came the death of a nephew. Yet he continued to graft.

Since turning 30, the classic serve-volleyer has picked up three ATP World Tour grass-court singles titles and 11 doubles crowns. Questions about 2010 Wimbledon have subsided.

Today, at 34 years of age, Mahut adds another line to the history books: a Frenchman at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings. Congratulations, Nico.

How you hit the ball matters. Where you stand to hit it matters more.

Andy Murray got off to a flying start, but Novak Djokovic finally prevailed 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to win the Roland Garros final Sunday. Murray had an opportunity to go up a set and break with Djokovic serving at Ad out in the first game of the second set, but Murray’s strong magnetism for the baseline suddenly lost its attraction.

On break point, the Brit played three defensive shots, finishing the point standing near the back fence as Djokovic dispatched an easy overhead winner at net. Everything to that point in time was primarily controlled by Murray. Almost everything after that was dominated by Djokovic.

“I did a pretty good job of not giving him free points for the first hour or so, and then I started dropping too far behind the baseline, and he was then able to dictate more of the points,” Murray said. “I needed to be a little bit closer to the baseline for more of the match today, and wasn’t able to do it,” he added.

First Set Firepower
Murray won the opening set with power tennis and targeting Djokovic’s forehand wing, where the Serb committed 14 forehand errors, including nine groundstrokes and five on his return of serve. Murray initially broke Djokovic for a 3-1 lead, crushing a 150km/h (93mph) forehand return winner to surge to a 0/30 advantage in that game. Serving at 3-1 30/15, he unleashed with a 159km/h (99mph) forehand winner to clearly send the message that his primary pattern of play was pure aggression from a commanding court position.

With Murray leading 4-1 in the opening set, his average serve speed was 176 km/h (109mph), compared to Djokovic’s 159 km/h (99 mph). The added power helped Murray run less, as he was averaging 16.67 metres moved per point to Djokovic’s 17.39 metres halfway through the opener.

Rally Length
Even on clay, even between these two baseline giants of our game, the shorter 0-4 shot rally length was still where the majority of points were played in this final. Overall, 52 per cent of points ended in the first four shots, 24 per cent ended in the 5-8 shot range, and an identical 24 per cent lasted nine shots or longer.

Amazingly, their Australian Open final in January on hard court and in Madrid on clay last month both produced exactly 52 per cent of total points in the crucial 0-4 shot rally length. In the Roland Garros final, Djokovic did not have a winning record in any rally length in set one, but dominated in almost all of the rally lengths from the second set onward.

Final Rally Length

Drop Shots
A combined 29 drop shots were hit for the match between the two players, sometimes coming from the back of the court or following another drop shot. Djokovic won 59 per cent (10/17), while Murray was even more successful, winning 67 per cent (8/12). The goal was to often pull the opponent out of their comfort zone at the back of the court and fatigue him for the ensuing points.

Net versus Baseline
Djokovic and Murray are widely regarded as two of the best baseliners in the world, but they combined to venture to the net 57 times in four sets to feast on the higher win percentage that the front of the court offers.

Djokovic won just 51 per cent (68/133) of his baseline points in the final, but an astounding 79 per cent (26/33) at the net. Murray won just 42 per cent (59/142) from the baseline and 54 per cent (13/24) venturing forward to the net.

Modern clay court tennis is very much about holding the baseline, dominating with first strike aggression and finishing at the net – just like the other surfaces. To no one’s surprise, Djokovic does it all just a little bit better than the rest.

Roger Federer didn’t watch much of the tennis from Roland Garros, including the final between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. The Swiss star was too busy spending time with family and getting ready to make a run of his own at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, which kicks off the grass-court season on Monday.

Federer, who pulled out of Roland Garros because of a back injury, was rehabbing and making sure he’d be healthy for a strong grass-court campaign. On Sunday, he said withdrawing from the Grand Slam was the right move.

“I feel much better again. It’s been a good last three weeks. No setbacks,” Federer said in Stuttgart while the Roland Garros final was taking place. “My back’s good again. I feel much stronger. I was pretty fragile three weeks ago.”

Federer, 34, had played at Roland Garros every year since 1998. Missing the tournament was emotional at first, he said, but he knew that skipping it this year would be the right move for the long run.

“It was much better for me to look forward to the rest of the season, rest of my life, really. I didn’t want to have setback after setback and injure myself maybe further,” Federer said. “In hindsight, that was definitely the right decision.”

At the MercedesCup in Germany, Federer will join other Top 20 players, including Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem and Gilles Simon. The World No. 3 is eager to finally play in a tournament again. Federer has played in only four tournaments this year, including two since the Australian Open. He underwent knee surgery in February and has had to withdraw from other events because of a stomach virus and his aching back.

“It’s been a tough year,” Federer said. “I’m super excited about playing another tournament.”

One of the all-time best grass-court players should feel at home in Stuttgart. The tournament switched from clay to grass last year. Federer will be playing in the event for the first time.

“They’ve done a really nice job here. I think it’s a huge step for them to go from clay to grass,” he said. “I hope it’s something good for the future for this event, and I can’t wait to play in it.”

Federer receives a first-round bye and is scheduled to play #NextGen star Taylor Fritz or a qualifier in the second round.