On the most demanding of surfaces, Roger Federer has been pre-eminent this year. The World No. 3 leads the year-to-date Win-Loss Index with the best winning percentage on cement with a 23-2 (.920) record ahead of the US Open, the final Grand Slam championship of the year. His two losses have come at the hands of Russian Evgeny Donskoy at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in February and #NextGenATP German Alexander Zverev at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal earlier this month. The Swiss, just like second-placed Grigor Dimitrov – with an ATP World Tour-best 24-6 mark (.800) on hard courts – has won three titles on the surface this year. While 63 of Federer’s 93 career crowns have come...
Dominic Inglot, Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor demonstrate how to practise for the crucial first volley and fast reactions in this doubles drill with ATP World Tour Uncovered presented by Peugeot.
Two-time champion John Isner claimed his 350th match win at his hometown tournament in Winston-Salem Tuesday night, clinching back-to-back breaks against World No. 70 Russian Andrey Kuznetsov to close out the match 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-3. Isner had dropped serve just three times all summer (Newport, Atlanta, Montreal, Cincinnati) but was broken twice in the opening set and three times overall. But in an encouraging sign, he converted all three break point chances he accrued. The 6’ 11” American came into the tournament having held 146 of his past 149 service games. He was not broken in five matches en route to the semi-finals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last week. "After the end of the second set...
Five #NextGenATP stars moved into the second round on an oppressively hot and humid Day One of US Open qualifying. Conditioning and stamina were put to the test as Akira Santillan battled back for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Sebastian Ofner. The Aussie fought through heat exhaustion and cramps for a two-hour and two-minute victory, converting three of 13 break chances. Santillan called for the trainer at 4-all in the third set and proceeded to claim the decisive break immediately out of the medical timeout. He fell to his knees after serving out the match a game later. In other action, 11th seed Casper Ruud breezed past Dmitry Popko 6-4, 6-0 in 64 minutes, while Canadians Denis Shapovalov and...
The plaudits have rung out for Rafael Nadal since his return to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday. It is a feat few would have thought possible when seeing Nadal desolate at withdrawing during his Roland Garros campaign last year and ultimately dropping to No. 9 in the standings. It was from ninth spot that the Spaniard began 2017 and the tenacity, desire and fighting spirit that has been synonymous with Nadal throughout his career has carried him back to the top. Now Nadal is looking to crown his memorable 2017 by finishing as the year-end No. 1, an achievement that would arguably be of even greater significance in the record books. It is set to be...