No. 20 Diego Schwartzman, +4
The Argentine did not drop a set en route to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Schwartzman defeated Yoshihito Nishioka, Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Matteo Berrettini, before shocking Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. After falling to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in three sets in the last four, the 26-year-old re-enters the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings, at No. 20, for the first time since 24 February.

No. 6 (Career High) Stefanos Tsitsipas, +1
For the sixth time this season, Tsitsipas rises to a career-high ATP Ranking. After a runner-up finish at the Mutua Madrid Open (l. to Djokovic), the #NextGenATP Greek defeated home favourites Jannik Sinner and Fabio Fognini en route to the semi-finals in Rome. Tsitsipas did not manage to join Novak Djokovic (2011 Madrid & Rome) as the second man to defeat Rafael Nadal in back-to-back clay-court tournaments, but jumps one spot to No. 6 in the ATP Rankings.

Read: A Look Back At Rome

No. 26 Fernando Verdasco, +12
The 35-year-old reached his fourth quarter-final in Rome with three Top 30 victories. Verdasco outlasted Kyle Edmund, World No. 4 Dominic Thiem and Karen Khachanov in three sets, before a straight-sets loss to eventual champion Nadal. The Spaniard soars 12 positions to No. 26 in the ATP Rankings, his joint-highest position since 6 July 2014 (No. 24).

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 56 Pablo Carreno Busta, -13
No. 60 Filip Krajinovic, +9
No. 63 (Career High) Casper Ruud, +13
No. 64 Matthew Ebden, -10
No. 74 Roberto Carballes Baena, +12
No. 96 Peter Gojowczyk, -14
No. 97 Aljaz Bedene, -20

What is the ATP Cup?
The ATP Cup is an annual 24-country team competition featuring US$15 million prize money and a maximum of 750 singles and 250 doubles ATP Rankings points. ATP is staging the event in partnership with Tennis Australia.

When and where will it be played?
The ATP Cup will begin the ATP Tour each season, starting on the Friday before Week 1. The tournament will be a 10-day event finishing on the final Sunday of Week 1. The inaugural event in 2020 will be held from Friday 3 – Sunday 12 January. The ATP Cup will be played alongside an ATP 250 event in Doha that will occupy Week 1 of the calendar. The group stages competition will be hosted across three Australian cities – Sydney, Brisbane and Perth – over six days. Immediately following the group stages will be the four-day knockout stage – quarter-finals over 2 days, semi-finals and final – all to be played on the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.

How does the tournament work?
The 24 teams are divided into six groups of four for group stage, round-robin play. The six winners of each group and the two best second-placed finishers across the groups emerge to contest the eight-country knockout stage.

What is the format?
Each tie will comprise two singles and one doubles match. The country winning two matches wins the tie. Every country will be guaranteed to play three ties in the group stages. Singles will be best-of-three tie-break sets. Doubles will feature No-Ad scoring and a Match Tie-break in lieu of a third set.

What is the order of play?
There is a day session and an evening session each day per venue. The first singles matches will be played at 10.30am local time, starting with the No. 2 players in each tie, followed by the No. 1 players, with the doubles to follow. All doubles matches will be played regardless of whether the tie is decided after the two singles matches.

How does a country qualify for the ATP Cup and which of its players get to play?
A minimum of three ATP ranked players, including two members with singles ATP Ranking points, are required for a country to be eligible to qualify. A country may have up to five players. If a team has five players, at least three must have an ATP Singles ranking. If less than five players, a team must have at least two players with an ATP Singles ranking.

How will entries work?
At the first entry deadline (13 September), a country will gain acceptance into the event based on the singles ATP Ranking of the country’s No. 1 singles player. The qualifying country’s second-highest-ranked singles player will gain acceptance at the same time. If either of the two accepted singles players drop outside their country’s top two ranked singles players at the second entry deadline (13 November), either player may withdraw from the event. Remaining team members (up to an additional three players) will gain acceptance at the 13 November entry deadline, based on the current ATP Rankings.

Rankings to be used for entries are the 52-week ATP Rankings. A Protected Ranking can be used to enter provided the player’s Protected Ranking is valid through the start of the competition; but it will not be used for team seeding.

At the second entry deadline (13 November), the remaining six teams (Nos. 19-24) will qualify and all qualified players from all teams will be committed.

When will the teams be announced?
The top 18 teams will be announced after the 13 September deadline. The remaining six teams will be announced at the 13 November deadline.

Will there be a Wild Card team?
A Wild Card will only be awarded to the host team (Australia) if it does not qualify by ATP Rankings at the first entry deadline inside the Top 18 teams. If the host team receives a wild card, it will be announced together, in addition to the top 18 teams after the first entry deadline and five (rather than six) additional teams will qualify at the second entry deadline.

What are the ATP Cup Standings?
The ATP Cup Standings is a provisional entry list for the ATP Cup, ordered by the ATP Ranking (or Protected Ranking) of a country’s highest-ranked singles player. ATP Cup Standings also show which players within each country would qualify for a place in their country’s team, subject to player entry rules.

What if a country’s top-ranked singles player does not commit to play the event at the time of the first entry deadline?
The country’s eligibility to qualify at the first entry deadline is determined by the singles ATP Ranking of its next-highest ranked entered singles player.

When will the seedings and draw be made?
The locations, seeds and groupings for the top 18 teams will be announced soon after the first entry deadline. At this stage, each of the six groups will have three teams. The remaining teams will be drawn and announced soon after the second entry deadline using the 11 November ATP Rankings, with each additional team drawn at random to a group.

Will a Team Captain be assigned?
Each team will have a captain, selected by the No. 1 singles player in consultation with their team members. The No. 1 singles player will be the captain should one not be selected. The captain must be of the same nationality and meet one of the following criteria: be a Division I ATP player member, an ATP coach member or a qualified coach of a national federation. If a captain is requested that does not fulfill either criteria requirement, a request for an exemption can be made.

Is on-court coaching allowed?
Yes. Coaching will be permitted by the team captain, the competing player’s individual coach or fellow player team members. The player may only receive coaching during changeovers and set breaks.

Can a player play singles and doubles?
Yes. The team captain decides who plays doubles. The on-site ATP Ranking order must be respected for singles matches. For example, the No. 1 ranked player on a team based on on-site ATP Rankings at the start of the competition cannot play No. 2 singles. Protected Ranking will be considered the official ranking for line-up position.

POINTS & RANKING

What is the maximum number of points a player can earn?
Singles: An undefeated player who plays and wins all possible singles matches could earn 750 ATP Rankings points. Doubles: An undefeated player who plays and wins all possible doubles matches will earn 250 ATP Rankings points.

Who can earn points at this event?
All players will have the opportunity to earn ATP Rankings points and prize money.

How will be the points for each player be awarded in a team competition?
Singles: ATP Rankings points are awarded for a match win in each round and the amount of rankings points depends on the ranking of the opponent and the round of the result. Doubles: ATP Doubles Rankings points are awarded for a match win in each round and do not depend on the ranking of the opponents or the round of the result.

How will the ATP Cup points work in a player’s ranking?
ATP Cup will count as an additional event in a player’s ranking breakdown.

How much is the prize money?
The total player prize money is US$15 million. There are three different components of total prize money awarded to players. This includes a participation fee, prize money for individual match wins and prize money for tie victories.

Prize Money (All figures in U.S. Dollars)
Total Prize Money: $15,000,000

Per Participation:

NO. 1 PLAYER

*Entry order (team) as of 13 September 2019
** Entry order (team) as of 13 November 2019
^ Top 20 player will receive $150,000

NO. 2 PLAYER

Ranking as of date of entry of team

NOS. 3-5 PLAYER

Ranking as of November 11, 2019

Per Individual Wins:

Per Team Wins:

All 3-5 players on the team (whether the player plays a match or not) earn the same amount for a team win.

ATP Ranking Points

Singles

Maximum 750 points for undefeated player

Singles Player Ranked 301+

Doubles

Maximum 250 points for undefeated doubles player.

*All the above information is subject to change by the ATP rules and regulations.

Beginning today with the launch of the ATP Cup Standings, tennis fans will have insight into which countries and players may compete at the inaugural 24-nation ATP Cup in Australia next January.

Serbia and Spain currently occupy the top two spots in the inaugural ATP Cup Standings, which are based on the ATP Ranking position of a country’s top-ranked singles player. Novak Djokovic currently holds the top spot in the ATP Rankings with 12,355 points, while Rafael Nadal is in second place on 7,945 points.

View ATP Cup Standings

The provisional ATP Cup Standings are for illustrative purposes only, providing fans with an indication as to which players and teams are currently in contention to compete at the inaugural event in January 2020. Player/team participation will be subject to each player’s commitment to enter by the event’s two entry deadlines of 13 September (first 18 teams), or 13 November (remaining 6 teams).

The ATP Cup Standings will update each Monday that new ATP Rankings are released, giving fans weekly guidance on the teams and players most likely to be part of the blockbuster ATP Tour season opener from 3-12 January 2020.

“The ATP Cup Standings are already beginning to take shape and the players are excited to see this come to life,” said ATP Chief Player Officer, Ross Hutchins. “It’s going to be intriguing to see the countries battle in the coming months to earn their berths. On a weekly basis fans can track which countries look like likely contenders and even which players have the best chance of being part of their respective teams.”

To appear on the ATP Cup Standings a country must have at least two players with an ATP singles ranking and at least one other player with a singles or doubles ranking. A country may have up to five players. If a team has five players, at least three must have an ATP Singles ranking. If less than five players, a team must have at least two players with an ATP Singles ranking. The Standings enable fans to click and expand each selected country and see which players are leading the charge to represent their nation at the inaugural event.

The top 18 teams as of 13 September will be eligible to qualify for the tournament, which features US$15 million prize money and valuable ATP Rankings points. An additional six teams qualify at the second entry deadline of 13 November.

The 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four, with two groups each assigned to the three host cities: Perth, Brisbane and Sydney. The knockout stage, to be played in Sydney, will feature eight teams: the six group winners and the two best-performing second-placed teams.

The two highest-ranked singles players of the 18 teams to qualify at the first entry deadline will be eligible to compete. A country’s remaining team members shall be determined by their rankings at the second entry deadline.

The tournament will be hosted at Perth’s RAC Arena, Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena and Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena at Homebush, where the venue will undergo a AU$50.5 million redevelopment. Sydney has secured the knockout stages of the tournament through 2022.

Each tie comprises two best-of-three-sets singles and one doubles played under the regular ATP Tour doubles format (including no-ad points and a match tie-break in lieu of a third set). On-court coaching will be allowed during change of ends and set breaks.

Editors’ Notes

If Australia does not qualify at the first entry deadline, the host country will receive a wild card, leaving five qualifying spots open at the time of the second entry deadline.

An undefeated singles player could earn 750 ATP Rankings points; an undefeated doubles player could earn 250 points.

Players benefitting from an ATP Protected Ranking are also eligible to enter the ATP Cup ahead of either of the two entry deadlines, provided that the Protected Ranking is still valid at the time of the event. For example, this could potentially apply to Andy Murray (Great Britain) who currently has a protected ranking of 2. 

A full ATP Cup FAQ can be found at www.ATPCup.com.

Rafael Nadal did not just win his first title of 2019 on Sunday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. By defeating top seed Novak Djokovic in the final, the 32-year-old Spaniard also turned up the heat on the Serbian in the battle for the year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking.

With the 1,000 ATP Ranking points that Nadal (3,505) earned with his triumph at the Foro Italico, the nine-time Rome champion now trails first-placed Djokovic (4,005) by just 500 points in the ATP Race To London, which serves as a barometer for the chase for the year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking. If Djokovic had emerged victorious, he would have taken a 1,300-point lead in the Race. 

Watch Rome Final Highlights:

On the Parisian terre battue, Nadal could take the Race lead regardless of how Djokovic performs by lifting his 12th Coupe des Mousquetaires. Since the Roland Garros winner earns 800 more points than the finalist, Nadal would move into first even if Djokovic is his opponent in the final.

So although Djokovic’s grip on the top spot in the ATP Rankings is in no immediate danger because defending champion Nadal cannot gain any additional points at Roland Garros this year, the battle for year-end No. 1 is red hot. And Djokovic believes his rival is the player to watch at the season’s second Grand Slam championship.

“Nadal [is the] number one favourite, without a doubt, then everyone else,” Djokovic said.

Just a week ago, the tennis world was left wondering about Nadal’s status. He had not yet lifted a trophy on the year, his longest early-season trophy drought since 2004, when he captured his maiden tour-level crown at Sopot in August. The World No. 2 arrived in the Italian capital without making a clay-court final in three tries; all semi-final appearances in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid.

But Nadal now has momentum heading into Roland Garros. It may not become clear until later in the year when Djokovic begins to drop more points off his ATP Ranking, but Nadal is making a push to challenge for the year-end No. 1 spot.

Latvian Ernests Gulbis set up a second-round meeting with top seed Alexander Zverev on Sunday at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open. Gulbis beat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 7-6(7), breaking six times out of 15 chances.

In other main-draw action, Cordoba Open champion Juan Ignacio Londero beat Germany’s Mischa Zverev 6-4, 6-4. Grigor Dimitrov, the top seed in qualifying, reached the main draw with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Italian Thomas Fabbiano. Dimitrov, the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion, will face Argentine Federico Delbonis in the first round.

Hit a serve. Vaporize a forehand.

Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 to win his ninth Internazionali BNL d’Italia title in Rome on Sunday with his favourite 1-2 punch of hitting a forehand as the first shot after the serve leading the way.

Djokovic was a step slower after two grueling three-set night matches to reach the final and did not have his trademark speed around the court to counter Nadal’s supreme clay court Serve +1 forehand tactic. Djokovic spent most of the match trying to initially attack Nadal’s less potent backhand wing, but Nadal constantly found a way to turn backhands into run-around forehands, especially as the first shot after the serve.

Nadal’s Serve +1 Groundstrokes
• Serve +1 Forehands = 42 (79%)
• Serve +1 Backhands = 11 (21%)

Nadal hit 79 percent (42/53) forehands as the first shot after the serve, instantly putting Djokovic on the ropes with heavy forehands that stretched the Serb out to the edges of the court. Why does Nadal have such a thirst for forehands right after serve? It’s a bigger weapon than his backhand that can inflict more pain and deliver greater disguise with the open-stance footwork that takes away precious tenths of seconds of anticipation for opponents.

Watch Rome Final Highlights:

Nadal’s Serve +1 Win Percentage
• Serve +1 Forehands = Won 71% (30/42)
• Serve +1 Backhands = Won 45% (5/11)

There is not a part of the court that Nadal will not run to in order to turn a backhand into a forehand, especially with this specific strategy to begin the point. Of the 42 Serve +1 forehands Nadal hit in the match, more than half (23/42) of them were returns directed back through the Deuce court to the Spaniard’s backhand that he simply ran around.

Nadal’s Serve +1 forehand strategy delivers so much power at the beginning of the point with the viscous “one-two” combination that he is able to effectively win the point before it matures into a lengthy rally, which normally becomes far more even. Nadal’s lethal Serve +1 forehand combination ended the point in three shots or five shots a combined 63 per cent (19/30) of the time.

Nadal Serve +1 Forehand Points Won: Rally Length
• 3 shots = 10 points
• 5 shots = 9 points
• 7 shots = 4 points
• 9 shots = 2 points
• 11 shots = 2 points
• 13 shots = 2 points
• 17 shots = 1 point

Djokovic, widely regarded as having one of the best backhands of all-time, also did all he could to hit a forehand as the first shot after the serve. The Serb hit 71 per cent (56/79) Serve + 1 forehands for the match, winning just over half (52%) of them.

Double Digit Rally Length
A secondary area of domination for Nadal was in longer rallies of double digits, where 31 lactic-acid inducing points occurred. Nadal won a dominant 71 per cent (23/31) of these points with superior defense out wide in the court with both forehands and backhands, constantly wearing Djokovic down in the longer exchanges.

Djokovic hit 12 drops shots for the match, winning half of them. Five of the six drop shots he won were in rallies of single digits, but of the six he lost, only three were in single digits, while three were in double digit rallies where he looked to stop trading blows with Nadal from the back of the court.

It was an unusual final with an unusual score line between the top two players in the world. Could it be a dress rehearsal for a Sunday final in Paris in three weeks’ time?

Editor’s Note: ATP Brain Game author Craig O’Shannessy is part of Novak Djokovic’s coaching team.