Serena Williams is the winner of the WTA Year-End World No.1 Singles Award presented by Dubai Duty Free.
Getting inside your opponent’s head to successfully predict where they are going to hit their next shot is a critical, hidden dynamic of our sport.
Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-2 at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday night, and the Swiss seemed to be a step ahead returning first serves, especially in the second set.
In the opening set, Djokovic’s first serve performed well serving right down the middle in both the deuce and Ad courts, winning 67 per cent (8/12).
But Federer cleverly adjusted in set two, sitting on the middle serve, winning all 10 points that Djokovic directed there in both the deuce and Ad courts.
This was a difference-maker that enabled Federer to break three times in set two, and book his ticket into the semi-finals.
It’s important to note that Djokovic’s service performance did not falter, as he made 72 per cent first serves in the opening set, and 71 per cent in the second set.
Djokovic won a solid 70 per cent (19/27) of his first serve points in the opening set, but that dramatically dropped to only 25 per cent (5/20) in set two – a number that is unheard of from the World No. 1.
Federer’s educated guessing of the timing of the middle serves, and being there waiting for it, enabled the Swiss to own a dominant part of Djokovic’s game.
Djokovic’s second serve performed very well all night, winning 66 per cent (12/18) for the match, including 87 per cent (7/8) in set two.
Federer broke Djokovic to go ahead 4-2 in the second set, defending with a middle backhand return at 15/40, and then hitting a fortunate backhand passing shot down the line that clipped the tape, surging to a set and a break lead.
In the last game of the match, with Djokovic serving at 2-5, the Serb served five times down the middle of the court, including on match point, and Federer won every one of them.
The Swiss mixed attacking returns, putting Djokovic under immediate pressure, and clever defensive slice returns that simply enabled him to get into the point.
Rallying
Federer typically likes to swarm the net against Djokovic, but that was not the case once rallies started in London on Tuesday night.
Both players won exactly six of nine points at the net, with Federer winning a commanding 38 baseline points to Djokovic’s 26.
Federer hit seven forehand winners to Djokovic’s four, with both players hitting five backhand winners for the match.
Overall, Djokovic actually played bigger from the back of the court off both wings, but Federer committed less unforced errors (19-22).
Djokovic averaged 79 miles per hour (mph) off his forehand wing, four miles per hour faster than Federer’s average of 75 mph. Djokovic’s fastest forehand for the match was a blistering 104 mph, with Federer’s coming in at 96 mph.
Djokovic also dominated backhand speed, averaging 70 mph to Federer’s 63 mph, with Djokovic’s fastest at 103 mph – well ahead of Federer’s fastest at 83 mph.
A key to Federer’s baseline winning ways was his determination to not get pushed back against Djokovic’s power, spin and depth.
Federer only hit 28 per cent of his shots inside the baseline (Djokovic 34 per cent), but he did an excellent job of staying within two metres of the baseline, making contact with 62 per cent (Djokovic 48 per cent) of his shots from this aggressive baseline location.
Federer refused to get pushed way back behind the baseline by Djokovic, only making contact 10 per cent (Djokovic 18 per cent) of the time further back than two metres, which was a big improvement from his opening round match against Tomas Berdych, where he was double that at 20 per cent.
This was an important win for Federer, effectively beating the World No. 1 at his own game.
Tennis is very much a thinking sport, requiring constant adjustments to what the conditions and the opponent gives you. Federer ticked all the right boxes, signaling that this could once again be his year to triumph at The O2 in London.
Craig O’Shannessy uses extensive tagging, metrics and formulas to uncover the patterns and percentages behind the game. Read more at www.braingametennis.com.
Watch highlights as Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka win at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
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Stan Wawrinka overcomes a slow start to win in straight sets on Wednesday.
Starting October as one of the “on the bubble” players to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Agnieszka Radwanska had a busy month.
Reaching the semifinals of the China Open – losing to eventual champion Garbiñe Muguruza – the Pole continued her winning ways in Tianjin, capturing her second title of the season without the loss of a set.
Her biggest breakthrough, however, came in Singapore. Looking down and out after dropping her first two matches in hard-fought encounters with Maria Sharapova and September’s WTA Player Of The Month, US Open champion Flavia Pennetta, Radwanska turned things around in emphatic style against top-seeded Simona Halep, taking out the Romanian in straight sets to find herself in the semifinals. Once there, she got her revenge on Muguruza and outlasted 2011 WTA Finals champion Petra Kvitova to win the biggest title of her career, and finish in the Top 5 for the third time in her career.
“I lost my first two matches, but it’s not like I was playing bad,” Radwanska said after the final. “They were still good matches. I just knew being fresh and having a good rest was very important. I don’t know how, but I was really feeling better afterwards, and I think I got used to conditions, used to the surface.”
“I didn’t really expect this at all, especially since the beginning of the year was not great. I think it goes to show that it doesn’t matter how you start; it only matters how you end.”
And what an ending it was. Radwanska heads into the 2016 season full of confidence and back in the hunt to win her first Grand Salm title.
Final Results for October’s WTA Player Of The Month
1. Agnieszka Radwanska (68%)
2. Venus Williams (25%)
3. Garbiñe Muguruza (5%)
4. Petra Kvitova (2%)
2015 WTA Player of the Month Winners
September: Flavia Pennetta
August: Belinda Bencic
July: Samantha Stosur
June: Serena Williams
May: Serena Williams
April: Angelique Kerber
March: Serena Williams
February: Simona Halep
January: Serena Williams
How it works:
Four finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
Former England cricketer Alec Stewart chats about his Barclays ATP World Tour Finals experience of watching Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic.
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Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza are the winners of the WTA Year-End World No.1 Doubles Team Award presented by Dubai Duty Free.
Garbiñe Muguruza’s star rose higher than ever in the month of October; not content merely to qualify for her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut by winning her third round at the China Open, the Spaniard went all the way in Beijing – reaching her second straight final and winning the bigest title of her career. For the Wimbledon finalist, this fall has been a whirlwind.
“A lot of things have been going on in this Asia Swing,” Muguruza said after defeating Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets in Beijing. “But that’s good. I mean, to be able to live this, even if I lost in the final, that would have been good. Well, I won in the final. I qualified.
“It’s a lot of things happening that I have to calm down now and really think about it because it’s a big achievement.”
The achievements began to mount in Singapore; up to a career-high ranking of No.3, Muguruza blew through round robin play with wins over French Open finalist Lucie Safarova, Angelique Kerber, and Petra Kvitova before losing a thrilling three-setter to rival and eventual champion Agnieszka Radwanska.
“I think it’s great. I’m very happy with this month. I think it’s proof that after the US Open I felt a little bit down, but I just cleared my mind and I came here, to give everything I have. I’m super happy the way I played. I think it’s amazing: Tokyo, Wuhan, Beijing, and here and be able to keep the level and go out there and just have amazing matches.”
Final Results for October’s WTA Rising Star Of The Month
1. Garbiñe Muguruza (58%)
2. Naomi Osaka (23%)
3. Karolina Pliskova (19%)
2015 WTA Rising Star of the Month Winners
September: Garbiñe Muguruza
August: Belinda Bencic
July: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
June: Garbiñe Muguruza
May: Daria Gavrilova
April: Elina Svitolina
March: Sloane Stephens
February: Karolina Pliskova
January: Madison Keys
How it works:
Three finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
November 17, 2015
Timea Bacsinszky, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Belinda Bencic, Karolina Pliskova, Johanna Konta – who gets your vote for WTA Most Improved Player Of The Year?
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Injuries tried to keep her down, but she just kept getting back up – Maria Sharapova has battled through a series of injury struggles, including a leg injury that kept her out for almost four months, and scored the 10th Top 10 year-end ranking of her legendary career this week.
Sharapova, who spent most of the season ranked No.2 in the world right behind Serena Williams, dipped down a bit after the aforementioned leg injury that sidelined her from early July to late October, falling to No.4 right before the year-end WTA Rankings this week. But it actually speaks volumes – to miss almost half the season and still finish No.4 is a testament to how good her first half was.
She spoke about the ups and downs of 2015 at the WTA Finals in Singapore a few weeks ago.
“It was frustrating because you train and want to see some sort of reward – and by reward I don’t mean wins, I mean just going out there and seeing how you translate your work onto the field,” she said.
“I did quite a few starts and stops those four months. But I had the luxury to give myself the chance to heal, because I was somewhat consistent in the first half of the year and knew I was already in the WTA Finals. It was frustrating not competing, but it was good to not play through a tough injury.”
Those first six months brought her a number of huge results – most notably her 10th Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, where she fell to Williams, but also a pair of Premier titles in Brisbane and Rome, and a run to the semifinals of Wimbledon, where she was again thwarted by Williams.
After the lengthy lay-off Sharapova looked fantastic in Singapore, powering through her three round robin matches to qualify for the semifinals, where she was edged by an on-song Petra Kvitova.
And this week, No.4 on the year-end rankings – the 10th Top 10 finish of her career, and perhaps even more impressive is that nine of those 10 Top 10 finishes have come in the Top 5.
She’s finished the last five years in a row in the Top 4, too.
“I didn’t have expectations coming into the WTA Finals. Of course it’s always tough to sit down after a match and say you’re happy, especially after you lose it,” she said. “But I think it would be quite unprofessional of me to not take a lot of positives out of this week. I think there’s a lot to look forward to in the off-season and next year – as well as a couple of more matches coming up pretty soon.”
The World No.4 was referring to the Fed Cup final – she, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and the doubles team of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina will take on an all-star Czech team featuring Kvitova, Lucie Safarova, Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova. She’s eyeing her first personal Fed Cup title.
“I’m really glad that I have a chance to compete and be part of the team,” the Russian said.
“I’m just looking forward to the experience – it’s something new for me.”
Back together! #TeamRussia pic.twitter.com/DZsNpZzDi4
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) November 11, 2015