Rafael Nadal will look to get the better of a player hoping to join him at next month’s Nitto ATP Finals, Grigor Dimitrov, on Saturday in the China Open semi-finals. Nadal leads Dimitrov 8-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. “He is a player that I really like, a good friend on the Tour," said Nadal. "He's a great guy. I think Grigor is a player always with a great attitude, with a positive character. I’m happy for him that he's having a good year. Tomorrow will be a tough one, for sure. He's playing well. He had a good victory today. Let's see. I going to try to play my best. I hope to be ready for it.” Top...
Rafael Nadal breaks down extraordinary defence from Karen Khachanov to win this point in hot shot style in their Beijing second-round clash. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is through to the quarter-finals of the China Open after defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday in Beijing. The Spaniard is bidding to win his second China Open title, following victory on his debut in 2005 (d. Coria). He also finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the 2013 and 2015 finals. Nadal is also looking to boost his lead over Roger Federer in the battle to finish year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Thursday’s win hands him another 45 points, which extends his lead over his Swiss rival to 1,950 points in the year-to-date standings. Federer returns to action at next week’s Shanghai Rolex Masters, where 1,000 points are awarded to the winner....
As a returner, everything is stacked against you. Firstly, you are facing the hardest shot hit on a tennis court, sometimes upwards of 140 mph. Blink, and it’s gone. Secondly, you begin in a statistical black hole, not even forecast to win three out of every 10 points you play. Returning first serves is one of the toughest elements of our sport, with only a handful of players able to nudge their win rate higher than 30 per cent in this key strategic area. Depending on court surface and speed, average first-serve return win percentages for the Top 100 are typically between 26-30 per cent, with the average right at 28 per cent. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis...
