If Kei Nishikori wishes to return to the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings, only hard work on- and off-the-court will satisfy his coaches Michael Chang and Dante Bottini.

Last week, in his return to competitive play for the first time in five months, Nishikori lost to Dennis Novikov on the ATP Challenger Tour in Newport Beach, but there are already signs of progress. The Japanese star has bounced back this week in Dallas, returning to the Challenger circuit to exact immediate revenge on Novikov, and now finds himself in the quarter-finals after a three-set win over Matthias Bachinger.

Chang and Bottini, who both coach Nishikori, shared their thoughts with ATPWorldTour.com on the return of the 2014 US Open finalist. “I think he has been getting better every day,” said Chang. “It was a good test for him to play Dennis (Novikov), losing to him in Newport Beach and then coming to play him first round here [in Dallas], where you saw a much different result. He hasn’t played matches now in five months, so it’s nice to be out there and get used to the crowd, the atmosphere and get matches under his belt.”

“His [first round] was much better than last week [in Newport Beach],” added Bottini. “I saw him with a little more confidence, thinking better. Every week he has been improving in practice. I am happy to see him back on the court, with good spirit, winning.”

After hours of practice sets in recent weeks, former World No. 2 Chang and Bottini were clear in their assessment of what Nishikori needed moving forwards. Competing for the first time since the Rogers Cup in August 2017, the 11-time tour-level titlist needs time, in tournament play, to sharpen his abilities.

“He needs more matches,” said Bottini. “That is why we are here playing Challengers. We have been practising a lot the past couple of months and now what he needs are matches and point situations, being in certain scenarios during matches.

“[He needs] to get back to match toughness,” assessed Chang. “He has been getting more and more comfortable with that and improving little by little.”

Chang remains the youngest ever Grand Slam champion after winning Roland Garros in 1989 at the age of 17, and with his experience on the tour, knows the hard work that needs to be done by his charge to return to the top level.

“We take it in stages, telling him to keep a proper perspective and to continue to keep working. As he continues to work hard, to put the effort into his practices, his practice matches and his main matches, he is just going to keep getting better,” said Chang.

Both coaches were cautious of setting goals so early into the latest comeback of the Japanese star, who has struggled with injuries in recent years. A strong emphasis on work rate and health from both men has been placed above results and his position in the ATP Rankings.

“I think [the main goal is] for him to be able to go out there and play the way he wants to play, the way that got him to beat the best players in the world, the way that got him to No. 4 in the ATP Rankings. That is important. I’m not so concerned about the winning and losing at this point. My goal is, every day, for him to put forth 100 per cent effort and we’ll take it from there,” said Chang.

[The aim is] just to stay healthy and play as many matches as he can,” explained Bottini. “That is going to help him reach the level that we want and that he had the last couple of years. No worries about ranking, or setting goals. Just go match by match, day-by-day and stay healthy and I think that the results are going to come along.

With the inaugural New York Open marked as Nishikori’s ATP World Tour return event, Chang hopes that Nishikori can ‘work out the cobwebs’ in his game in Dallas, to put himself in the best possible position to start the process of rediscovering his best form.

“I hope by the time he reaches New York, he’ll be completely in the mindset, match tough and ready to go and start his year on the ATP World Tour,” said Chang.

Gael Monfils show most facets – if not all – of his likable personality in #lamonfstory, a new web series that documents Monfils’ rehab and recovery from a right-knee injury in 2017.

The Frenchman is serious, discussing how he has drawn inspiration from Roger Federer’s own comeback from his knee injury. Monfils is playful, sprinting around the court and shouting after a point in practice. He is also focused, practising intensely with Grigor Dimitrov in South Florida.

“I feel it. I feel it’s back,” Monfils tells his coach Mikael Tillstrom while practising with Dimitrov.

Watch #lamonfstory Now

Episode One

After his best year in 2016, when Monfils reached a career-high of No. 6 and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, he struggled with injuries for much of 2017. The three-part series chronicles Monfils’ comeback and his passion for the sport.

The 31-year-old seems fully recovered, judging by his strong play. He has started the new season 5-1, winning the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title in Doha (d. Rublev). Monfils fell to Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Australian Open.

Next, Monfils plans to head to South America for the “Golden Swing”, entering the Ecuador Open in Quito, the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, the Rio Open presented by Claro and the Brasil Open in Sao Paolo.

Episode Two

Episode Three

Roger Federer arrived back home in Switzerland after winning his 20th Grand Slam championship crown at the Australian Open on Sunday to great fanfare at Airport Kloten in Zurich.

Holding the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup under his arm, the Swiss signed autographs for fans and posted for photographs on Tuesday as he made his way through the concourse.

The 36-year-old is now just 155 points behind Rafael Nadal, who is currently No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, following his 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 final victory over Marin Cilic in Melbourne.

In the immediate aftermath of the final, Federer received a congratulatory phone call from Switzerland’s President Alain Berset. On Monday, Blick, the country’s only tabloid newspaper, charged only 20 cents for their latest edition (compared to the normal price of 2.50 Swiss Francs) and had Federer’s face mocked up on a coin.

The golden age of the returner has spawned another great returner.

Hyeon Chung is the Mover of the Week in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, charging up 29 spots to No. 29 on the back of his semi-final run at the Australian Open.

The 21-year-old from South Korea follows a recent trend in our sport where the elite-level players are more proficient returning than serving.

For example, when you examine year-end No. 1 players from 1991 to 2017, the best return performance was from 2011 to 2016. Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal have taken the returning side of our game to a whole new level.

By comparison, the five best years for elite serve performance were all before 2010, with Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer leading the way.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of what is powering Chung up the ATP Rankings clearly shows that his return of serve is mature beyond its years.

Chung is ranked No. 29, but he is 11th best on the ATP Stats Return LEADERBOARD, powered by Infosys Nia Data. The Leaderboard is determined by adding the winning percentage in the following four areas:

1. First-Serve Return Points Won

2. Second-Serve Return Points Won

3. Return Games Won

4. Break Points Converted

Chung’s performance serving is not yet at this elite level, as he is ranked just 59th best on tour in the ATP Stats Serve LEADERBOARD during the past 52 weeks.

Watch Chung Discuss His Career-Best Grand Slam

Second-serve points won is his lowest area, being 77th best in this specific category. He actually has a losing record there, winning just 49.3 per cent of points. That’s not going to last for long.

Chung did improve that second-serve stat in his run to the semi-finals in Melbourne, winning an impressive 57 per cent to the semi-finals before having to retire against Roger Federer with blisters on his feet.

Read More: From Milan To Melbourne, Chung Keeps Surging

On the receiving side in Melbourne, Chung elevated his break points converted to the semi-finals, winning 47 per cent (24/51), which was significantly better than the 42 per cent he had won during the past 12 months.

Chung was tied for first in Melbourne with Baseline Points Won, winning an impressive 55 per cent (350/641) of his points from the back of the court. Federer, who won the tournament for a sixth time, won only 51 per cent (322/632) of his baseline points.

There is no doubt about it: Chung is definitely trending towards the Top 10. The returns and baseline play are already there. Expect to see improved serve numbers this season.

There are signs that Denis Kudla is getting back to his best.

After reaching a career-high No. 53 in the ATP Rankings on 23 May 2016, Kudla saw his ranking slowly drop until falling outside of the Top 200 towards the end of 2017. But, after a strong final run in Knoxville (l. Peliwo) on the ATP Challenger Tour, Kudla ended his season with great cause for optimism.

In 2018, Kudla has already built on that strong showing in Tennessee, qualifying for his first Grand Slam main draw since the 2016 US Open, winning four matches and forcing No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem to five-sets in a second-round loss at the Australian Open. This week, he is into the quarter-finals at the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas, a $125,000 Challenger. The American has not dropped a set thus far.

After working with Dustin Taylor in the off-season and spending his time between the Harry Hopman Tennis Academy in Tampa and the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Kudla is confident about the state of his game moving forward in 2018.

“I worked a lot in the off-season,” said Kudla. “I worked really hard to find a little bit more consistency, work on my serve and bring back high energy tennis which I ran away from a little bit.

“I am a guy that brings a lot of energy and wins with fitness and tangibles, so right now… I feel fit and the game is where it needs to be.”

The 25-year-old, who turned professional back in 2010, has plenty of ideas on how he can improve his game and get back into the Top 100 this year with one key factor as the main focus.

“Finding more balance,” said Kudla. “I did a lot more cardio… so I could sustain a higher level of tennis for a longer period of time. That was a big thing. I knew the game was there but I kept dying at a certain point and I realised I just wasn’t in good enough shape. I thought I was but I wasn’t. So that was the biggest thing, when I know I’m in shape, the game is there. It has always been there.”

That extra work in the gym was certainly evident in his five-match run in Melbourne and he was back at work at Challenger level in Newport Beach last week where, despite losing to Reilly Opelka in first-round singles action, he made the doubles final with partner Treat Huey (l. Cerretani/Paes) .

Playing his opening match in Newport Beach just five days after his last match in Melbourne is no easy matter, but for Kudla, with determination to climb the ATP Rankings in 2018, the motivation to succeed is stronger than ever.

“I am incredibly motivated,” said Kudla. “I do believe I am going to have a good year this year as long as I continue to do the right things, but I have a great team around me, playing well. As long as I don’t lose focus and get satisfied, I think I’m going in the right direction.”

Kudla managed to win four matches in Melbourne from first round qualifying, with three of his wins coming against higher ranked opposition, before falling to Dominic Thiem in a bruising five-set encounter. Reflecting on his great efforts at the first Grand Slam of 2018, Kudla expressed his delight at the start he has made to the new season.

“It was a great week for me to qualify and win a round, especially against Steve Johnson who is a good friend of mine and had my number, so it was nice to get that. Then to push (Dominic) Thiem to five sets, I put myself in a good position to win. I was just happy that I was able to bring my game around for five consecutive matches; I haven’t been able to do that for a long time,” admitted Kudla.

“I was up two-sets-to-love against a Top 5 player in the world… I can play right now, with top guys. I need to transfer that into the next couple of tournaments and start this year on a high note… and carry it over for as long as I can and hopefully get back in the Top 100,” said Kudla.

That confidence will surely help Kudla this week as he competes in Dallas on the Challenger circuit once more. The American also emphasised his desire in 2018 to focus on the process, rather than setting a specific numerical goal in the ATP Rankings.

“I tried not to set a ranking goal this year,” said Kudla. “Obviously in the back of my mind I want to be Top 100 and back in the Grand Slams but [my goal] is to be consistent, learn from my mistakes and stay fit, not losing my shape throughout the year. If I can do that, I can play at a high level and I’ll get the match wins that I need.”