Serve and volley is relevant again, and Mischa Zverev is a big reason why.

Zverev shocked the tennis world at the Australian Open in January by defeating World No. 1 Andy Murray 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the Round of 16. The German served and volleyed 119 times against the Scot to single-handedly resurrect one of our sport’s most maligned strategies.

The 29-year-old Zverev achieved a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 30 at the end of February, capping off one of the most inspiring comebacks from injury our sport has seen.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Zverev’s resurgence points back to the 2016 Asian Swing as the period when his game caught fire.

Zverev had won only four ATP World Tour main draw matches during the first eight months of 2016, but he would go on to win eight in the final six weeks of the season.

• Shanghai Rolex Masters quarter-finals
• Swiss Indoors Basel semi-finals
• Shenzhen Open quarter-finals

The ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS, powered by the Infosys Information Platform, show that Zverev has actually been performing better on the returning side than on the serving side during the past 12 months.

His ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS Return Rating has him 22^nd best on tour, whereas his ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS Serve Rating puts him at 29^th best. Zverev is a commendable 15^th in break points converted, at 42.6 per cent during the past year.

See Who’s Pushing Zverev In The ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS

The German has a 6-7 record in 2017. He has won 63 per cent (686/1090) of his total serve points and 37 per cent (410/1116) of his return points. As a comparison, his return numbers are slightly higher than World No. 4 Milos Raonic, who is at 36 per cent.

Zverev’s blocking return game is very solid, but it’s his serve-and-volley strategy that is turning heads, proving it is a viable counter-strategy against the current crop of baseliners at the pinnacle of our sport.

In defeating Murray in Melbourne, Zverev served and volleyed on a staggering 88 per cent (119/135) of his service points, winning 59 per cent of them. Zverev won only 48 per cent (34/71) from the baseline, so it’s clear to see coming forward trumped staying back.

Through five matches at the Australian Open, Zverev played more serve-and-volley points than baseline points – something unheard of in today’s game. Serve-and-volley points won accounted for a staggering 44 per cent of Zverev’s total points won through five matches.

Mischa Zverev – 2017 Australian Open Points Won

Serve and Volley = 63% (289/459)

Baseline = 49% (169/348)

There is much to celebrate in the Zverev household these days, as Mischa’s 19-year-old younger brother, Alexander Zverev, posted a career high ranking of No. 18 just last month, and currently sits at No. 20.

One year after the launch of the #NextGenATP campaign, six #NextGenATP players took to the stage at Indian Wells to talk about their early years on tour and an exciting new event.

Americans Taylor Fritz, Stefan Kozlov, Reilly Opelka; Russians Karen Khachanov, Daniil Medvedev; and Croatian Borna Coric all participated in a question-and-answer session with fans at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden ahead of the BNP Paribas Open. The players discussed how they feel to be included in the ATP World Tour’s Next Generation, and they gave their thoughts on the inaugural #NextGenATP Finals.

The tournament, to take place 7-11 November in Milan, will feature the world’s top eight 21-and-under singles players. #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev is currently leading the season-long Emirates ATP Race To Milan, which will track the progress of #NextGenATP players throughout the year. The top seven players in the race will qualify automatically, while the eighth spot will be reserved for a wild card.

Fans are now able to register to get access to tickets for the #NextGenATP Finals when they become available. Click here to register.

All six players who were on stage will strive to reach Milan, but so far, Medvedev has performed the strongest. The 21-year-old right-hander sits at No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan. The Moscow native reached his first ATP World Tour final in January at the Aircel Chennai Open before falling to then No. 14 Roberto Bautista Agut.

See Who’s Pushing Medvedev In The Emirates ATP Race To Milan

“It has been a great past 12 months for me and I will do my best to be in Milan and of course everyone who will be there, who qualifies to this event, they made an amazing year,” Medvedev said. “I will just be very happy to be there.”

Opelka, who’s currently No. 18 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, said he’s excited about the event and for the next decade of competing against his peers.

“It feels good,” said Opelka, who received a wild card into the BNP Paribas Open main draw. “I’m really looking forward to competing here this week and I’m really excited to be competing against these guys for hopefully maybe the next 10-15 years.”

Welcome back, Roger Federer. Now get ready to possibly face Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic if you want to reach the semi-finals during your return to the BNP Paribas Open, the season’s first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, which gets underway on Thursday.

Federer, the ninth seed, opens with a bye and could meet 24^th seed Steve Johnson in the third round. But the potential fourth-round match-up with Nadal is the contest tennis fans have highlighted.

View Draw

The battle would mark the 26^th time the two have played. Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 23-12 but Federer won their last contest, of course, taking the Australian Open final in January for his 18^th Grand Slam title.

Knee surgery last year forced Federer to miss Indian Wells after 15 consecutive main draw appearances in the desert. The right-hander is 52-11 at the Masters 1000 tournament, including four titles (2004-06, 2012) and two runner-up finishes (2014, 2015).

Nadal, however, doesn’t have a free pass to the Round of 16. He has a first-round bye and if he gets through his second-round match, the Spaniard could meet countryman and 26^th seed Fernando Verdasco in the third round, which is always a contest worth watching. Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 15-3, including a third-round win last year in Indian Wells.

Whomever reaches the quarter-finals from that section could meet three-time defending champion Djokovic, who’s riding an 18-match win streak in Indian Wells. But nothing is guaranteed in Djokovic’s portion, either.

After a first-round bye, the Serbian could face Brit Kyle Edmund in the second round and 31^st seed Juan Martin del Potro in the third round. Djokovic beat del Potro in three sets in Acapulco last week and leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 12-4.

If the seeds play out, 15^th seed Nick Kyrgios or #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev, the 18^th seed, could meet Djokovic in the fourth round. The victor from Djokovic’s quarter could face fourth seed Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals.

On the top half, far away from the stacked bottom portion of the draw, sits top seed Andy Murray. The Scot, who has won the past two Masters 1000 titles, could meet 30^th seed Feliciano Lopez in the third round and 16^th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the fourth round.

The highest seed awaiting Murray in the quarter-finals could be seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Stan Wawrinka, the third seed, could meet Murray in the top half’s semi-final.

Before 2015, he was the only person who had beaten Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. Sweden’s Robin Soderling would achieve other notable results during his 10-year ATP World Tour career, including winning the 2010 Paris Masters and nine other ATP World Tour titles, before complications from mononucleosis forced him to retire in December 2015.

The ATP World Tour caught up with Soderling last week and talked with the former World No. 4 about his business, RS Tennis, and what advice he’d give players about life after tennis.

Q: How difficult was the decision to officially retire?

RS: For me, it was extremely difficult, since I was pretty young when I had to retire. I always wanted to play well over 30, especially now when you still see players I used to play against doing really well and even winning Grand Slams. In the beginning, I was pretty sick and when you don’t have your health, that is when you realise what is really important.

Then, after a while when I started feeling better, I could train again. However, I could not really get over it and come back and that is when it was really hard, but it has been some time so now I feel better again.

Q: In regards to your new business, how do you keep the competitive drive that you had when you were playing tennis?

RS: That is the thing I miss most, the feelings you had going onto centre court at a big tournament and maybe winning a match. Those are the feelings you cannot really get somewhere else, at least I cannot. As a top athlete, you feel pressure all the time, you must learn how to deal with it. It gets hard after a while, but those are also the things I really hated, having to deal with the pressure. However, those are the things I have been missing most.

Q: How has having a family helped you in your transition?

RS: It has helped a lot because it made me think of other things. For me, the decision was easy. I tried for at least a year and a half to come back and it did not really work, but with my family it was easier because I had other things to do.

They take a lot of time and even if I thought so when I was playing, I thought tennis was everything. However, when I had a family, you realise that there are other things in life, too.

Q: Was the business that you have now always something that you knew you wanted to do or was it realised towards the end of your career?

RS: No, not really. When I was healthy enough I started thinking about what I wanted to do. Obviously, I worked as a tournament director for Stockholm Open for two years and I really wanted to stay in the tennis world. I played tennis every day since I was four years old and I did not want to leave it and I could not play myself.

So, after being the Stockholm Open Tournament Director, I decided to start doing my own company because when I played I was always really picky with materials. I knew exactly what racquet I liked, balls, grips, everything. So, I just came up with this idea, I wanted to try and start off with tennis balls and I wanted to try to see if I could actually develop a ball myself, a really good ball.

It started off as a fun product. We gave it out to friends and they all liked it. Then, we said, OK, why don’t we try selling it and start a company? It was not long after that we signed a contract with Stockholm to be the official ball there and then it has been growing a lot since.

Q: In Memphis, as well?

RS: Memphis, as well. We are present now in 48 countries, maybe 49. So, yes it has been very fast but it is a lot of work, though. It is keeping me busy, but it is a lot of fun, I enjoy every day of it.

Q: What advice would you give to players today, when everyone will retire?
RS: I think advice for older players is that at the end of their career, I think it is a good thing to start thinking about what they want to do after, while they are still playing, at least in the last couple of years. So, if they want to start studying or doing anything, because the mistakes I made were that I only played tennis.

I thought at that time that there was no time to do anything else, but I think it would have actually been good for me to have something else to think about. So, at the end of their career, to start thinking about what they want to do in a few years’ time and start engaging in that.

Q: You have visited a few college tennis teams in the U.S. How has your experience been?
RS: I have really enjoyed it. There are a lot of good college players and the atmosphere at the matches is great. The players ask a lot of questions and are eager to listen to advice.

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are the two most prolific players in the history of the BNP Paribas Open, with the Serbian earning a record five titles and the Swiss star holding the winner’s trophy four times. With Federer riding the high of his 18^th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and Djokovic holding an 18-match win streak in the desert, both are looking to continue their dominance in Indian Wells for different reasons.

With a 46-6 career record, World No. 2 Djokovic and Indian Wells have proven to be a perfect match almost from the start. The Serbian finished runner-up in his second attempt in 2007 and has prevailed five times (2008, 2011, 2014-2016). Djokovic has made it to at least the semi-finals every year since 2011.

“Players are very welcomed here,” said Djokovic after winning the title last year. “The spectators are sharing their love and passion for the sport with us, and in that kind of environment you are obviously inspired to play your very best.”

Djokovic is also eyeing two significant milestones in Indian Wells.Two victories this year would see him reach 300 match wins at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level and also see him join Pete Sampras (762 tour-level wins) in a tie for 10th place in the list of most wins in the Open Era.

Knee surgery last year forced Federer to miss Indian Wells after 15 consecutive main draw appearances in the desert. The Swiss Maestro is 52-11 here, winning four times (2004-2006, 2012) and finishing runner-up twice (2014, 2015). Federer has reached the quarter-finals or better in his past five appearances.

“Just waking up in the morning and seeing the blue skies every time, it’s really nice here,” said Federer in 2004. “The people who are here, they come to the tennis. A lot of people recognise me here. It’s different here somehow than the reactions in Switzerland. So much louder.”

For both players, leaving Indian Wells as the last man standing has been an omen for a fruitful remainder of their season. Federer completed the Indian Wells-Miami double in 2005 and 2006, and finished as year-end No. 1 in three of the years he won Indian Wells (2004-2006). Meanwhile, Djokovic has completed the Indian Wells-Miami double a staggering four times (2011, 2014-2016) and finished as year-end No. 1 in three of the years he prevailed at this event (2011, 2014-2015).

Djokovic just slightly leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head against Federer 23-22, but their record at Indian Wells is far more one-sided. The World No. 2 has won all three matches they’ve played, emerging victorious in the 2011 semi-finals and 2014 and 2015 finals, but Federer pushed each match to a deciding set. The players have played more than 100 matches at Indian Wells, but it’s their 2014 final that fittingly might be their most memorable match here, with Djokovic taking the title 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3).

Federer and Djokovic haven’t faced off since the Serbian prevailed in their 2016 Australian Open semi-final, so a renewal of their historic rivalry at Indian Wells would undoubtedly be a match that fans worldwide would clamour to see. 

The influence of Novak Djokovic is undeniable. One of the elite standard bearers of his generation, it is hard to argue the impact the 29 year old has had both between the lines and away from the bright lights and boisterous crowds.

A consummate sportsman, Djokovic has earned the respect and admiration of his peers and is idolized by aspiring pros throughout the world. But arguably his biggest impact is much closer to home. Enter the next wave of budding Serbian stars, who are charging up the Emirates ATP Rankings on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“He’s had a big influence on every Serbian player,” said 21-year-old Nikola Milojevic. “Since he became No. 1 and has done all these amazing things, things got better for the players back home. In terms of improving conditions to practise in Serbia and having a lot more courts to play on, we owe it all to him.”

Milojevic soared inside the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time following a pair of runner-up finishes on the Challenger circuit to kick off the season. Final appearances in Noumea, New Caledonia and Tempe, USA are results of years of hard work for the Belgrade native, whose career has blossomed in 2017. The World No. 194 admits that his success would not be possible had it not been for his countryman carrying the mantle and inspiring a nation throughout the past decade.

“He would do even more for Serbian tennis if he could, but he’s too occupied with his career at the moment. But you’ll see, when he finishes it will be even better.

“I’ve reached two Challenger finals and it’s only the second month of the year, so I’d say it’s a pretty good start to the season. I’m so happy it’s paying off and hopefully third time will be the lucky charm.”

Surging Serbians

In many ways, Djokovic’s generous attitude towards taking a hands-on approach in helping his countrymen epitomizes Serbia’s close-knit culture. Flashback to November 2004, when he clinched his second Challenger title, in Aachen, Germany, vaulting into the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time. It was a significant milestone not only for Djokovic, but the emerging nation state of Serbia. Despite being mired in conflict for years, it would declare its independence in 2006 and produced one of the greatest competitors to ever step on a tennis court. At the time, the future No. 1 was one of just two players in the Top 200. Today, there are six, with many more on the doorstep.

Much like Milojevic, fellow Serbians Pedja Krstin, Marko Tepavac, Laslo Djere and Miljan Zekic all credit Djokovic with inspiring them to pursue professional careers. Krstin, 22, says that the World No. 2’s impact provided the spark to claim his first Challenger title last year in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

“For me, it’s great to have Novak,” said World No. 209 Krstin, who had reached a career-high No. 159 following his triumph on Mexican soil. “You can learn so much from him and he’s had a lot of good advice to give us. We look up to him a lot. You see me, Milojevic and Djere are doing well now. We’re a good generation. We just need to have some better tournaments and improve on the big points. That’s the key. I hope to continue winning a few more Challengers and my goal is to be Top 100 soon.”

The 2016 season was an exceptional one for Serbian tennis on the ATP Challenger Tour and Milojevic has since carried the momentum into the new campaign. Krstin’s title in San Luis Potosi set the tone and was followed by maiden crowns for 22-year-old Tepavac in Qarshi, Uzbekistan and Zekic in Todi, Italy, as well as a first final for 21-year-old Djere. In total, five players from Serbia reached a total of 10 Challenger title matches last year.

“Many people in Serbia are very proud of Novak, and not only in the tennis world,” Tepavac added. “Many of us would like to follow his example as a man of great character and one of the best players of all time. He makes me believe that with talent and hard work, one can achieve the highest goals of life.”

“He could go down as No. 1 in the history of the game and while we will never be like him, there’s no doubt we are doing much better with him around than without him,” said Zekic. “Right now we have many players in the Top 200 and we’ve never had that before in Serbia. It’s very good to have friends to practise with at tournaments.”

Serbia is not finished producing talented youngsters. The newest member of the contingent is first embarking on his professional journey. No. 1 junior Miomir Kecmanovic claimed his first ITF Futures title in January and is up to World No. 651 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The Challenger Tour beckons for the 17 year old.