Roger Federer returns to the ATP World Tour this week at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. But before play gets underway in the ATP Masters 1000 event, he entertained fans in a more light-hearted way on Saturday. Federer got into a dance-off with none other than Mickey Mouse himself on centre court at QiZhong Stadium, showing that he can do more dancing than simply running around a backhand to hit a forehand. The Swiss will resume his pursuit of a record-tying sixth year-end Emirates ATP Rankings No. 1 spot when he plays the winner of Rakuten Japan Open semi-finalist Diego Schwartzman and a qualifier in the second round. A big week in Shanghai will go a long way for the Swiss....
40/30 seems like a very competitive point score, with the returner already capturing two points and being just three points from breaking serve. But don’t be fooled: It’s still one-way traffic for the server. Even though the returner has won 40 per cent (two of five) of the points played so far in the game, his chance of breaking serve is still less than 10 per cent. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings shows that, since the start of the 2015 season, they have held serve from 40/30 92.7 per cent (6331/6826) of the time. The player who has been the toughest to break when leading 40/30 on...
The hunt for an elusive Emirates ATP Rankings point — a goal shared by every aspiring professional tennis player — can be tough and costly. But once attained, the location and year of the achievement will be indelibly marked. Twenty years ago today, on Monday, 22 September 1997, page nine of the weekly rankings list contained this entry: 803T Federer, Roger. The entry didn't attract much attention back then, nor did that of another future World No. 1, '808 Hewitt, Lleyton', just a few lines down. But Federer had taken his first step on the ladder following a four-week series of Swiss clay-court satellite tournaments in Bossonnens — culminating in eight victories and two semi-final runs (l. to Daniele Balducci and...
You check the draw. Who do you play in the first round? Your heart skips a beat when you see your opponent is ranked in the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. It’s equal parts opportunity and fear. What a great win it could be, but how likely are you to actually get the W? An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the Top 10 ranked players show that on average they win three out of every four matches they play. They are dominant, but they also do lose matches just like the rest of us. The current Top 10 players have won 75 per cent (370/496) of their matches so far this season, which is exactly the...
“It should hurt, and it does,” admitted Roger Federer in the aftermath of his four-set defeat to Juan Martin del Potro in the quarter-finals of the US Open on Wednesday night. The Swiss, whose preparations for the final Grand Slam championship of the year were disrupted by a back injury this summer, bowed out of the US Open without the chance to fight Rafael Nadal for the No. 1 ranking in Friday’s semi-finals. [ALSO LIKE] But it is one disappointment in a season of many highs for Federer, who won his 18th and 19th major titles at the Australian Open (d. Nadal) and Wimbledon (d. Cilic). Considering where he was this time last year, injured and unable to play for...
