The ATP has issued a provisional 4-week schedule for the resumption of the Challenger Tour, as professional tennis returns for the first time since its suspension in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Challenger Tour intends to resume on Monday 17 August, aligning with the resumption of the ATP Tour three days earlier in Washington, D.C.

The first week of the revised calendar consists of clay-court events in Prague, Czech Republic and Todi, Italy. The first of back-to-back Challenger 125 events in Orlando, Florida, will highlight the week of 24 August, along with another 125-level tournament in Prague and the inaugural stop in the Italian coastal city of Trieste. Clay-court events in Cordenons, Italy and Ostrava, Czech Republic, join Orlando in the week of 31 August.

September kicks off with the seventh edition of the prestigious Challenger 125 event held in Aix-en-Provence, France, under the direction of former World No. 10 Arnaud Clement. The week of 7 September will also feature the 27th edition of the Czech Open, in Prostejov, as well as the second edition of the Parma Challenger in Italy. Both Ostrava and Prostejov are also Challenger 125 tournaments.

SCHEDULE & DRAW SIZES
As part of a number of measures related to COVID-19, a majority of events at Challenger level will now span nine days and feature 32-player singles and 16-player qualifying draws.

A further update on the intended schedule beyond the first four weeks will be provided in due course.

Editor’s Note: But for the COVID-19 pandemic, Wimbledon would now be underway. During the next two weeks, ATPTour.com will look back on memorable matches and happenings at the grass-court Grand Slam.

“My God, that was brutal!”

Roger Federer’s relief was palpable to everyone in his press conference after surviving an epic third-round tussle with Julien Benneteau at 2012 Wimbledon. The six-time champion came within two points of losing to the Frenchman on five different occasions, but rallied from two sets down to score a 4-6, 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-1 win over his inspired opponent.

“When you’re down two-sets-to-love, stay calm,” Federer said. “Obviously your friends and family are freaking out. You just play point for point. It sounds boring, but it’s the only thing to do… Tonight, it was special.”

Benneteau had four previous wins against players inside the Top 5 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, including a victory on home soil against Federer at the 2009 Rolex Paris Masters. With the roof closed, the Frenchman thrived in the quicker conditions. Although the Swiss was not at his best in the early stages of their match, Benneteau consistently anticipated where his opponent would put the ball due to having seen it countless times from competing in their junior days.

As Federer so often does, he found a way to raise his level as the match wore on. The match was eventually leveled not because of Benneteau’s nerves or errors, but due to well-timed winners from the top seed at crucial moments. He increased his first-serve percentage and cut the errors out of his net game, taking close games or break point opportunities away from his opponent with one-two punches.

Benneteau’s body ultimately betrayed him in the fifth set and removed any further chance of an upset. The effort required to hang with Federer resulted in cramps in his left hamstring that twice required medical treatment. Sensing his opportunity, the Swiss raced through the closing stage of the match to advance after three hours and 34 minutes.

“He’s like a rock,” Benneteau said. “If your level is a little bit lower, he takes the opportunity. Every point against him, you cannot make a mistake. If you do not put the ball in the right place, you lose the point nearly every time.”

Federer used his scare as fuel for the remainder of the tournament, eventually defeating Andy Murray to lift his seventh Wimbledon crown and regain the No. 1 ranking.

Thirteen million tennis points can be boiled down to one core principle: Just 10 points from every 100 are the difference-makers between winning and losing.

An Infosys ATP Insights deep dive into 13,536,026 points of ATP Tour and Grand Slam matches from 1991 to 2020 identifies that match victors average winning 55 per cent of points while match losers still collect a healthy 45 per cent of points. The secret sauce of winning and losing is the 10 percentage-point gap that separates the two.

No match winner creates more separation over their defeated opponent than Rafael Nadal, who wins 56.4 per cent (79,529/140,987) of points on average when he claims victory.

The following list contains the leading 10 players from 1991-2020 with the highest points won percentage when winning their matches (minimum 50 matches won).

1991-2020 Grand Slam/ATP Tour Results
Highest Percentage Points Won When Winning The Match

Rafa has inflicted the most pain on his defeated opponents in Barcelona. Nadal has won the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 11 times, boasting a 61-4 record. The Spaniard first played the tournament in 2003, losing to Alex Corretja 6-3, 2-6, 1-6 in the Round of 32. He then went on a 42 match winning streak there, claiming eight titles before losing to Nicolas Almagro 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in 2014.

The following table highlights Rafa’s points-won percentage at events where he has won at least 30 matches.

Nadal Points Won Percentage When Winning Matches
(Minimum 30 matches won at the event)

This analysis helps mentally reframe our perception about the real difference between winning and losing. Imagine two players walking out on court to compete. They don’t yet know who will win, but they do know that regardless if they play a great match or not, they will still probably win at least 45 per cent of points played.

This way of thinking can help players respond more positively when losing points in a match. Instead of reacting with disappointment or anger when losing a point, just remind yourself that you are giving your opponent a quota of 45 per cent of all points anyway. That last point you lost was just one of them.

Editor’s Note: Davis Cup data is not available and is not part of the data set used for this story.

John Isner is no stranger to extended fifth sets at Wimbledon. Two matches that immediately come to mind are his 70-68 final-set victory against Nicolas Mahut in 2010, and his 26-24 final-set loss to Kevin Anderson in the 2018 semi-finals. Those weren’t the American’s only marathons at the All England Club, though. 

Across two days in 2016, including only the fourth Middle Sunday in tournament history, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga recovered from two sets down to overcome Isner 6-7(3), 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 19-17 in four hours and 24 minutes to reach the Round of 16. It marked the second straight year that Isner had been beaten in the third round at Wimbledon in an extended fifth set, following his 12-10 final-set loss to Marin Cilic in 2015.

“I’m happy to win one more match today,” said Tsonga. “It’s good to be alive.” 

Tsonga’s hopes of improving on his own third-round exit in 2015 looked slim when serving at 5-5, 15/40, in the third set on Saturday night. But the two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist escaped from danger to take the third set and force the match into a second day on No. 2 Court.

On Middle Sunday, Tsonga cruised through the fourth set and saved a match point at 15-16, 30/40 in the decider with a forehand winner. The World No. 12 clinched the only break of the fifth set at 17-17, before closing the match with a backhand volley winner. For only the fourth time in his career, Tsonga had come from two sets down to earn a memorable victory. 

Following his third ATP Head2Head win in five matches against Isner, Tsonga moved through to his fourth Wimbledon quarter-final after Richard Gasquet was forced to retire from their fourth-round clash after just six games.

In the quarter-finals, Tsonga once again recovered from two sets down to force a deciding set against Andy Murray. But, on this occasion, the 31-year-old could not find his way across the line. Murray regained his composure to end Tsonga’s run, before eventually capturing his second title at the All England Club.