It must be nice to end a season and see your career-best ranking next to your name. Hello, Marin Cilic. Hello, No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The 6’6” Croatian had a breakout season back in 2014, winning the US Open and three ATP World Tour titles while compiling a 54-21 record. This year, he went 49-24 and won two ATP World Tour crowns, including his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. But in many ways, for Cilic, the past 12 months have been a more impressive body of work than his 2014. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Cilic’s booming first serve identifies it as the centerpiece of his powerful game, with opponents...
Albert Ramos-Vinolas – Bastad [Ramos-Vinolas Spotlight] Competing in his first clay court event since reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final two months earlier at Roland Garros, Ramos-Violas once again showed off his red-clay prowess by capturing his first ATP World Tour title in July in Bastad. After defeating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for the first time in seven tries in his semi-final win, Ramos-Vinolas prevailed in another all-Spanish encounter by defeating Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match. The win also enabled him to snap a three-match losing streak against Verdasco. “I cannot be more happy after a long time waiting. I have been working very hard,” said Ramos-Vinolas. “Everybody wants to win or dreams of winning a title....
Nick Kyrgios - Marseille [Kyrgios Spotlight] Nick Kyrgios soared up the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2016, cracking the Top 15 for the first time in his career behind a trio of hard court titles. The Australian’s maiden title came in February in Marseille, with his flawless week including wins over Top 10 players Richard Gasquet and Tomas Berdych before defeating Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-6(3) in the final. Kyrgios did not drop serve all tournament, becoming the first first-time winner to do so in a tour-level event in the Open Era. He is also the first player under the age of 21 to beat Top 10 opponents in consecutive matches since Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 US Open (SF...
A traditional coaching drill on practice courts all over the world is to play points with just one serve. It creates instant pressure as players develop their prowess hitting second serves, and also attacking them at will on the return. Coaches may as well name it the “Kei Nishikori Drill”. Nishikori won more matches in 2016 than in any other year of his illustrious career, going 58-21 and finishing No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Dominating the second-serve landscape was his specialty. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the Japanese star uncovered just how much his game elevated when points started with second serves instead of first serves. Nishikori won 72 per cent of his first-serve points...
Murray, Djokovic Battle For No. 1 Andy Murray finished as the year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time and enters 2017 with a career-best 24-match winning streak, which included five straight titles. Djokovic saw his run of 122 consecutive weeks at No. 1 end on 7 November. The Serbian had been at the summit of men's professional tennis for 223 weeks overall, behind Jimmy Connors (268 weeks), Ivan Lendl (270 weeks), Pete Sampras (286 weeks) and Roger Federer (302 weeks). For the past 13 years the No. 1 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings has been held by a member of the Big Four: Murray (2016), Djokovic (2011-12, 2014-15), Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010, 2013) or...