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Beyond The Numbers: Dimitrov, Kyrgios Leading The Way This Season

  • Posted: Apr 06, 2017

Beyond The Numbers: Dimitrov, Kyrgios Leading The Way This Season

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows who has been rising above their peers

The first quarter of 2017 is in the books, so let’s see who had the hot hand to start the new year.

The big picture clearly shows Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal out in front in the Emirates ATP Race To London. But what about the specifics of serving, returning and elevating in the pressure moments? That’s where the specific metrics of our game step in to paint a clearer picture.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the first quarter identifies four players who are outperforming their peers, laying the foundation for a rise up the Emirates ATP Rankings this season.

No. 1 Service Games Won = Nick Kyrgios 93.3% (208/223)

Ivo Karlovic has been the leader in this category for the past three years, but Kyrgios has knocked the 6’11” Croatian into second place to kick off 2017. Kyrgios defeated Karlovic 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(2) in the third round of the Miami Open presented by Itau last week.

Kyrgios broke Karlovic once in the opening set, while the Croatian was not able to break Kyrgios at all, seeing just one break point for the match. The Australian dropped serve twice in his opening-round match in Miami against Damir Dzumhur, and then only dropped serve once (to Federer) during the next 62 service games.

No. 1 Break Points Converted = Daniel Evans 53.7% (51/95)

Evans reached a career high of No. 41 just four weeks ago and currently sits at No. 44. He has a 10-6 record in 2017 after going 9-10 up to this point in 2016. Evans is taking advantage of the big moments so far this season.

He’s the only player on the ATP World Tour who has converted more than half of his break points. Evans reached the final of the Apia International Sydney in January, converting an impressive 64.5 per cent (20/31) of his break points.

No. 1 Break Points Saved = Grigor Dimitrov 75.9% (101/133)

Dimitrov has been one of the most dangerous players on tour in 2017, with two titles and a 17-4 record. He played what some think has been the highest quality match so far this season, narrowly going down to Rafael Nadal in five sets during the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

The Bulgarian saved 61.5 per cent (8/13) of his break points in that match, and is saving an astounding 75.9 per cent so far this season. Dimitrov is now up to No. 12 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, from No. 17 at the start of the year, and is knocking hard on the Top 10.

No. 1 Second-Serve Return Points Won = Richard Gasquet 61.1% (225/368)

The 30-year-old Frenchman had a solid February, reaching the final of the Open Sud de France in Montpellier and the semi-finals of the Open 13 Marseille. Gasquet’s career average for winning second-serve points is 51 per cent, so he is clearly crushing that at 61.1 per cent. To give some historical perspective, Spaniard Alberto Berasategui has the career record for second-serve points won at 56.3 per cent.

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Davis Cup: Gilles Simon to miss France's tie against Great Britain

  • Posted: Apr 05, 2017
Davis Cup – France v Great Britain
Dates: 7-9 April Venue: Rouen, France
Coverage: Live on BBC One or BBC Two across all three days of competition, with extra coverage on BBC Red Button and online, connected TVs, the BBC Sport website and app (full coverage details)

Gilles Simon will be replaced by Jeremy Chardy in the French team for this weekend’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Great Britain.

World number 68 Chardy joins Lucas Pouille, Nicolas Mahut and Julien Benneteau in Yannick Noah’s team.

In the absence of the injured Andy Murray, the GB team is made up of British number two Dan Evans, Kyle Edmund, and doubles specialists Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot.

The match is on indoor clay in Rouen.

France are also without the injured Gael Monfils, world number 10 Jo Wilfried-Tsonga, who is short of match fitness, and Richard Gasquet, who is recovering from appendix surgery.

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Nadal & Federer: 89 Hours And Counting…

  • Posted: Apr 05, 2017

Nadal & Federer: 89 Hours And Counting…

Just how much time have the two all-time greats spent together on court?

The very best parts of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry will remain unquantifiable forever. How their games have evolved throughout their careers. The passion they share for tennis. The feelings of excitement they’ve provided millions of fans during the past two decades.

But certain aspects of their rivalry, one of the best in all of sport, can be counted. And when you’ve played each other 37 times over 14 years and your match-ups have decided 23 tour-level titles, the numbers add up quickly.

To begin: They’ve spent a lot of time together. Nadal and Federer have been on court together for the equivalent of almost four full days – three days, 17 hours and 16 minutes, to be precise. If you’re thinking about that in terms of a workweek, that’s one busy week – 89 hours.

They’ve played more than 7,000 points, more than 1,100 games and more than 100 sets. They’ve had their share of faults – 126 double faults to be more accurate – but they’ve also aced each other dozens of times, and that’s not hyperbole.

To relive all 37 matches they’ve played, click here. For more stats, keep reading.

You May Also Like: Big Titles: 'Unpredictable' Start Helps Federer Pad Lead

By The Numbers: Federer v. Nadal

Category Stat
Total Points Played    7,161
Time On Court (Minutes)  5,356
Total Games Played  1,117
Total Sets Played  115

Category Federer Nadal
Break Points Faced 319 297
Break Points Converted  110 133
First-Serve Points Won  1,575 1,747 
First-Serve Return Points Won 871 671
First-Serve Points Played 2,246 2,618
Second-Serve Points Won 658 532
Second-Serve Return Points Won 431 676
Second-Serve Points Played 963 1,334
Total Service Points Won  2,233 2,279
Aces 302 79
Double Faults 65 61

 

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Monterrey Open: Heather Watson begins title defence with win over Nina Stojanovic

  • Posted: Apr 05, 2017

Defending champion Heather Watson beat Serbia’s Nina Stojanovic in three sets to reach the second round of the Monterrey Open in Mexico.

Watson, 24, fought for two hours and 52 minutes to register a 6-2 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 victory over the world number 126.

The British number three smashed her racquet in frustration after squandering two match points in the second set tie-break.

She will face Russian sixth seed Ekaterina Makarova in the second round.

Watson, currently ranked 125th in the world, led the second set 5-2 before Stojanovic hit back to force a deciding set.

She joins compatriot Naomi Broady in the second round, who beat Catherine Bellis on Monday.

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#NextGenATP Race Leader Zverev Has Massive March

  • Posted: Apr 04, 2017

#NextGenATP Race Leader Zverev Has Massive March

From the California desert to sunny Florida, Zverev brought the heat in March

Alexander Zverev started March strong and ended his month with a vengeance. And the 19-year-old German, ranked World No. 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, notched a few career milestones along the way.

Continuing his stranglehold on the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, Zverev began March with 340 points in the Race, holding a 45-point lead ahead of then No. 2 Daniil Medvedev. As of 3 April Emirates ATP Rankings, he leads the pack with 565 points, 260 points ahead of Medvedev.

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At the BNP Paribas Open, the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of 2017, after a bye in the first round, Zverev handily beat Facundo Bagnis to set a third-round clash with Nick Kyrgios, their first tour-level meeting and thus beginning a rivalry that will be one to watch for years to come.

“It will be a very exciting match, because he’s played well this year and I’ve played well this year too,” Zverev said ahead of the match. “I don’t want to say I can be the champion by the end of the next week, but I feel I can play great tennis and I can beat anybody. I have the toughest quarter of the draw and I have a feeling the champion will come out of this section. The next few rounds will be very, very difficult for all us.”

The Aussie claimed the win 6-3, 6-4, but the pair would have a rematch sooner than they thought. But before we get ahead of ourselves, the German teen made waves at the start of his Miami Open presented by Itau campaign.

Following a bye in the first round, he had no trouble getting past Yen-Hsun Lu 6-0, 6-3, before big-server John Isner provided an exceptional challenge. A fourth-round berth in the Masters 1000 tournament in South Florida was Zverev’s prize after saving three match points to beat the American 6-7,(5), 7-6(6), 7-6(5).

Next was a chance to oust top seed Stan Wawrinka, and Zverev didn’t hold back, coming from a set down to run away with the Round of 16 clash and claim a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory. With that, he booked a spot in the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 for the first time.

You May Also Like: A Look Back At The 2017 Miami Open

“I had to be aggressive. I felt like he was the one controlling all the points all the time, so I had to change that. It worked out well for me. Happy to be in the quarter-finals now. Hopefully I can play as great as I did today,” Zverev said after his Wawrinka triumph.

As if his last two matches weren’t entertaining enough, it was time for fireworks in Florida: Zverev was to face Kyrgios for the second time in March in what proved to be a spectacular match. Thursday night, under the lights, Zverev pushed Kyrgios further than their first meeting, forcing the Aussie to require six match points to capture the emotion-filled win 6-4, 6-7(9), 6-3.

The towering German will now look to extend his lead in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan on the clay swing in Europe, where he performed well in 2016. He advanced to the semi-finals in the BMW Open by FWU, the final in the Open de Nice Cote d’Azur, while also reaching the third round at Roland Garros (All lost to Thiem).

Should Zverev manage to maintain his level from March, the ATP World Tour could witness a few more career milestones in the near future.

View Full Emirates ATP Race To Milan

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Doubles Review: Kontinen, Kubot/Melo Take Centre Stage In Early 2017

  • Posted: Apr 04, 2017

Doubles Review: Kontinen, Kubot/Melo Take Centre Stage In Early 2017

ATPWorldTour.com looks back on an exciting first quarter on the doubles circuit

Kontinen New No. 1

Finland’s Henri Kontinen on Monday became the 50th player in the history of the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings to rise to No. 1, following a strong run of form with his regular partner John Peers over the past six months. Kontinen’s rise to the summit ends the 38-week stint at the top spot for France’s Nicolas Mahut.

Read: Kontinen No. 1 Tribute

Kontinen and Peers have put together a 25-6 match record since mid-October 2016, picking up titles at the Paris Masters (d. Herbert-Mahut), the ATP Finals (d. Klaasen-Ram) and the Australian Open (d. Bryans). They were also runners up at the Shanghai Rolex Masters (l. to Isner-Sock). In 2017, they are the early pace-setters in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London.

Kontinen leads Peers (7,560) by 140 points in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, with Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan tied third, narrowly behind on 7,430 points. The Bryans, who have finished in year-end top spot on 10 occasions, had the opportunity to return to No. 1 if they had lifted their fifth trophy at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The twins lost to Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock in the semi-finals.

Kubot/Melo Enjoy Strong Start

One of the season’s new teams, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, are up to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London for one of the eight spots at the ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 from 12-19 November. After a relatively slow start (4-5 record), the Polish-Brazilian tandem hit their stride in the March sunshine by beating Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares twice, en route to finishing runner-up at the BNP Paribas Open (l. to Klaasen-Ram) and capturing the Miami crown (d. Monroe-Sock).

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Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram look to be backing up their late 2016 charge with the Delray Beach Open crown (d. Huey-Mirnyi) and four Match tie-break wins for Indian Wells glory.

Read: Five Things We Learned From Miami

Former No. 1s Close In On Milestones

Keep an eye on Max Mirnyi, who first became No. 1 as a 25 year old on 9 June 2003, as he continues his quest for the 50th doubles trophy of his career in partnership with Treat Huey.

Also, Nenad Zimonjic is seven match wins (693) from becoming the 10th player in ATP World Tour history to record 700 match wins and joining Daniel Nestor, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Todd Woodbridge, Mark Knowles, Sherwood Stewart, Leander Paes and Jonas Bjorkman in the ‘700 Wins Club’. Zimonjic, 40, who first rose to No. 1 on 17 November 2008 and spent 50 weeks in top spot, clinched his 54th career crown in February at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open with Viktor Troicki.

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Tennis For Kids: free lessons from LTA target 20,000 children across UK

  • Posted: Apr 04, 2017

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has followed up last year’s launch of Tennis for Kids with an expanded programme of free lessons for children aged five to eight.

Nearly 1,000 coaches have undergone training to deliver the course of six lessons, which are available to 20,000 participants across the UK.

Children who attend at least four lessons receive a free tennis racquet.

Lessons begin on Saturday, 22 April and continue throughout the summer.

GB Davis Cup captain Leon Smith helped to lead the coach training programme, along with former British number ones Annabel Croft and Greg Rusedski and Wimbledon champion in wheelchair doubles Alfie Hewett.

Rusedski and Croft were present at the launch event at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton on Tuesday, 4 April, hosting a session with 20 children who took part in last year’s course.

Croft said: “As a parent myself, seeing more and more children taking to the courts is great, and it is inspiring to see them enjoying tennis, having fun, learning a new skill and getting active from such a young age.

“Programmes such as this one are a brilliant way of encouraging children to pick up a racquet for the first time.”

The course is aimed at children who have never played the sport before before, focusing on fun and getting kids active, combining basic hand eye co-ordination with rudimentary tennis skills.

A total of 13,200 children took part in the scheme in 2016, with subsequent research revealing that nearly half of those taking part continued to play tennis after the course of lessons ended.

Inspired to play tennis?

Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.

The LTA’s director of participation Alastair Marks said: “We were bowled over with the results last year and wanted to build on the legacy and provide even more children across the country the opportunity to pick up a racket and have fun playing tennis.

“Initiatives such as this are so important in introducing children to a sport they might not necessarily have tried and helping to drive increased participation in our sport.”

To get involved in Tennis for Kids, parents can sign their children up online for participation at their nearest venue.

Local clubs are responsible for their own timings, so some lessons may be at the weekend (starting on 22 April) and some in mid-week.

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