When Grigor Dimitrov lifted the trophy on Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals, it marked the conclusion of the ATP World Tour season. But one week remains on the tennis calendar in 2017, with the ATP Challenger Tour finale featuring four tournaments on three continents. Critical Emirates ATP Rankings points are up for grabs, as players jockey for position to cement themselves in the year-end Top 100. In fact, six players are poised to battle for coveted Top 100 spots this week, as they hope to secure direct entry into ATP World Tour events in 2018. The eight-week South American swing concludes at the Rio Tennis Classic in Rio de Janeiro. Top seed Rogerio Dutra Silva eyes a title on...
One of the biggest storylines of the 2017 ATP World Tour season was undoubtedly the fresh faces ascending the Emirates ATP Rankings. A new contingent of stars staked their claim with career-highs inside the Top 10, sending a message to the rest of the circuit. Meanwhile, veterans returning from injury rediscovered their elite form in returning to the upper echelons of the game. Four players made their debut in the Top 10 in 2017: Alexander Zverev, David Goffin, Jack Sock and Pablo Carreno Busta. Zverev and Carreno Busta are the biggest movers to the Top 10, with both rising 20 spots from the start of the season. At age 20, Zverev is the youngest member of the group and is...
Grigor Dimitrov knows as well as any, the problem with being a precocious prospect is the enormous weight of expectations from a young age. Wrapping up 2017 as the Nitto ATP Finals champion, he has made it abundantly clear he has landed. For years, the gifted Bulgarian has garnered hype as one of the next big things. His results have provided hope, but it was not until 2017 that he solidified his intentions with a first tour title in 2 1/2 years in Brisbane, a title on home soil in Sofia, a maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy in Cincinnati and now the biggest title of his career at The O2. Dimitrov started the year in a canter, falling...
His backhand kept him in the match, but it was his forehand that wrapped both hands around the trophy. Grigor Dimitrov defeated David Goffin 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to win the Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 on Sunday, with his forehand hugely responsible for the only break of serve in the third and deciding set. With Goffin serving at 2-3 in the third, Dimitrov hit 12 rally backhands in the game, committing two errors. Importantly, no Dimitrov rally backhand extracted an error from Goffin on the other side of the court. His forehand, on the other hand, did all the heavy lifting. Dimitrov hit 11 rally forehands in the game, five of which forced an error from the Belgian -...
Pancho Segura, one of the world’s leading players of the 1940s and 1950s, who would later mentor and coach Jimmy Connors, passed away on Saturday aged 96 due to complications of Parkinson's disease at his home in Carlsbad, California. At 5'6", Segura was diminutive in stature, but displayed an imposing game predicated on lightning-fast agility, a lethal two-handed forehand and astute court awareness. Tennis legend Jack Kramer, the ATP’s first Executive Director, once said that he possessed “the single greatest shot in the history of tennis”, as his forehand cut through the court with devastating precision and power. Upon turning professional in 1947, Segura became an immediate fan favourite with his sharp sense of humour and unorthodox style. He would...
