Quick: What's the best point of tennis you've seen during the past month? Did it come at 15/15 in the third game of the match, or was it at 5-4, 40/30, with a set on the line? Chances are your “did-you-see-that?” moment came later in the set, when more was at stake and players had sharpened their play because of the scoreline. The big moments – pick your favourite: break points, set points, tie-breaks – stick with us, for better or worse. So, if you could, why not try to create more of those moments? That's the reasoning behind one of the most noticeable innovations to be tested during the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 7-11 November....
Deuce is normally a comfort zone for the server, where they hold around three out of every four visits to this extended-point score. Not so at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan this week. The new event is trialing several exciting innovations, including playing a sudden death point at deuce where the winner takes all. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the eight #NextGenATP players in the 2017 season has identified that this new scoring system will lead to more exciting pressure moments in the match, and the potential for more breaks of serve as a result. The following table identifies the percentage chances for all eight players holding serve from deuce in 2017, and also from...
As a dad, you need to pick your battles with your kids. So while I wouldn't ever want to jam my story down my sons' throats, I like to give them a few examples here and there of what I accomplished as a tennis player, including how I won this tournament five times. They're 12 and 14, and I'm teaching them how I was never just handed a trophy, and how I had to work hard, and make lots of sacrifices, to be the best in the world. I'm telling them how you can achieve anything, just so long as you want it badly enough. My kids are proud of my career and curious, too, and occasionally they might come...
