A LOOK BACK

Sportsmaster Tennis Championship of Maui (Maui, Hawaii): Second seed and #NextGenATP star Hyeon Chung continued his recent ATP Challenger Tour dominance by picking up another title, rolling through fourth seed Taro Daniel of Japan 7-6(3), 6-1 in the championship match. The 20-year-old didn’t lose a set throughout the week and dropped an average of less than five games per match.

Chung now has eight Challenger titles and the win in Maui is his second on U.S. soil. He has now won at least one Challenger title for four straight years. He returns to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings this week, sitting at No. 73. Chung also puts himself into contention to qualify for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

View Emirates ATP Race To Milan 

Open De Rennes (Rennes, France): Lucky Loser Uladzimir Ignatik of Belarus completed a dream week with his second chance, defeating #NextGenATP star Andrey Rublev of Russia in the championship match, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-6(5).  Ignatik won five straight matches after losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final round of qualifying, becoming the first Lucky Loser winner on the ATP Challenger Tour since October, when Norbert Gombos won in Brest, France. 

The Belarusian picked up his fourth career ATP Challenger Tour title and first in more than four years. He fired 27 aces in the final, the most in a Challenger final since Reilly Opelka hit 28 on his way to prevailing in Charlottesville, Virginia, this past November.

Despite the loss, 19-year-old Rublev has gone 8-2 in his two most recent Challenger events, having also finished runner-up this past November in Mouilleron Le Captif, France.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Ignatik: “Andrey has a really big future. Of course I’m happy that I won this week. That was unexpected after losing in qualies. Thanks also to the organisers and sponsors. This was one of the best tournaments I’ve played.

“I tried to play more focused in the second set and I was a little bit lucky in the third set. I feel good! I’m tired emotionally and it’s not easy to recover, but I’ll try to be ready for next week.”

Rublev: “Congratulations to Uladzimir. He had such a great week and match today. Thanks to the organisers and the public for supporting me all week long.”

“This result isn’t bad, but you always want more. I was surprised with the way I played a few points.”

Chung: “I am really happy to win my eighth ATP Challenger title this week in Maui. It is a beautiful place and I really enjoyed my time here.”

“It was a tough match and I struggled with the wind at the beginning but I was able to settle in half way through the first set. Taro is a tough opponent and I had to fight hard for every point.”

A LOOK AHEAD

There are three Challenger events on the calendar this week, with the $125,000 event in Dallas, Texas, taking top billing as it returns for the 19^th year. Americans hold the top two spots, with Texas native Ryan Harrison as the top seed and #NextGenATP star Taylor Fritz as the second seed. Other #NextGenATP stars in the draw include fourth seed Frances Tiafoe of the U.S., Opelka and Elias Ymer of Sweden.

The $75,000 tournament in Burnie, Australia, is back for the 14^th year. Go Soeda of Japan is the top seed and Jason Jung of Taipei is the second seed. Two #NextGen ATP stars are in the draw, sixth seed Noah Rubin of Russia and seventh seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan.

Lastly, the $50,000 event in Quimper, France, returns for the seventh year. Two local favourites take the two top spot, with Adrian Mannarino as the top seed and Jeremy Chardy as the second seed. Seventh seed Rublev is the defending champion, while #NextGenATP star and local favourite Quentin Halys looks for his first title of 2017. Other notable names in the draw include former Top 10 player Jurgen Melzer and former Top 15 player Jerzy Janowicz.

View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams

ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: The ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.

The analytics of Roger Federer’s dramatic victory at the Australian Open fly in the face of what we think matters most to succeed in our sport. Federer manufactured a stunning 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Rafael Nadal, despite having a losing record from the back of the court.

When you look at practice courts all over the world, the baseline is king. Federer won only 44.6 per cent (70/157) from the back of the court in the Melbourne final. But he thrived in the less popular front of the court, winning 73 per cent (29/40) at net.

Serve and volley is basically a forgotten tactic, but Federer won a substantial 77 per cent (10/13) to enjoy one of the sweetest Grand Slam titles of his career.

Nadal is widely acknowledged as far superior in longer rallies than pretty much every other player on tour, but Federer got the upper hand in the short, medium and long rallies against the Spaniard.

Rally Length Won / Lost

0-4 Shots Federer 95 / Nadal 89 (+6)

5-8 Shots Federer 37 / Nadal 34 (+3)

9+ Shots Federer 18 / Nadal 16 (+2)

The first four sets were a tantalising entree. The fifth set was the main meal and Federer was sitting at the head of the table.

Federer won 80 per cent (12/15) of first-serve points in the fifth set and a resounding 57 per cent (8/14) on second serve. He also made more returns – 82 per cent (31/38) – than he had during any other set in the match. When the ball needed to go in the court, that’s exactly what he made happen.

Federer didn’t back into the fifth set victory. He grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and willed it out of the balmy summer Melbourne evening.

Federer hit 23 winners in the deciding set, which was the most of any of the five sets played. What stood tall under the spotlight of potential Grand Slam glory was his backhand.

Federer had accumulated six backhand winners in the first four sets, but he crushed eight in the deciding fifth set. Everyone on the planet thought that this shot would capitulate against Nadal, who has broken it down in previous encounters better than anyone in the world.

It seemed a foregone conclusion that the Nadal forehand would own the Federer backhand. Someone simply forgot to tell the Swiss legend how the story used to end.

Federer also hit eight forehand winners in the deciding fifth set, adding to the 20 he had already struck in the first four sets.

Federer targeted Nadal’s backhand return in the deuce court, serving 27 first serves out wide and 20 down the middle. In the ad court, Federer went more with the centre serve, hitting 21 down the middle and 16 out wide to Nadal’s forehand.

Nadal’s slight edge came when Federer hit a second serve, with the Spaniard winning 59 per cent (20/34) of baseline points when Federer started the point with his second-serve delivery.

Federer also struggled from the back of the court against Nadal’s second serve, only winning 39 per cent (11/28) of baseline points when the Spaniard started the point with a second serve.

Our eyes want us to believe that Nadal runs around the back of the court far more than Federer, but their distance run in the final was almost identical. Federer averaged 11.14 metres per point to Nadal’s 11.44 metres. Federer ran a total of 3,218 metres to Nadal’s 3,306 metres. That equates to the Spaniard running just 88 metres more over the three hour and 38 minutes.

When Federer won the first point of his service game, he won all 14 of the games. When he lost the first point of his service game, he won just four of eight, which was similar to Nadal’s five of 10. It was these small margins on big points that contributed to the victory.

Federer was magnificent on all levels. He has now 18 Grand Slam titles. After not playing a tour-level match since Wimbledon, this is possibly the sweetest of them all.

Read More: Roger Revels In ‘Beautiful Moment’

ATPWorldTour.com reflects on the Melbourne fortnight

1. ROGER AND RAFA AREN’T DONE YET

With Rafael Nadal’s ongoing wrist issues causing him to cut this past season short in October, and Roger Federer sitting out after Wimbledon to continue rehabbing following knee surgery, some critics wondered if their bodies could withstand the rigours of professional tennis. Those doubts were swiftly erased by both players with their form this tournament.

Federer and Nadal recaptured the level of tennis that has brought them countless titles throughout their careers, firing winners at will and tracking down shots that seemed impossible to reach. Perhaps most importantly, they showed no issues with fitness or stamina, prevailing in a pair of five-set matches en route to the final before producing their own epic five-set classic in the championship match. With both players now back inside the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, it’s possible they could both be challenging for the top spot by the end of the season. Federer and Nadal are also hoping their strong start to the year will aid in a return to the ATP Finals in London.

2. THE ZVEREV BROTHERS ARE PRIMED FOR SUCCESS

Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev both enjoyed outstanding results this fortnight, but their paths to success in Melbourne have been radically different. Alexander is one of the emerging #NextGenATP stars and appears destined for greatness. The No. 24 seed gave Nadal all he could handle in the third round before the Spaniard prevailed in a marathon five-set match, but gained plenty of fans with his aggressive baseline play and ability to work a crowd.

Meanwhile, 29-year-old Mischa has endured a laundry list of injuries that saw him outside of the Top 1,000 of the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2015. But after revitalizing his career and re-entering the Top 60 this past season, he captivated fans this tournament with a magical run to the quarter-finals that included a win over World No. 1 Andy Murray. His vintage serve-and-volley tactics delighted fans and proved that as long as he can continue to remain healthy, he can do plenty of damage on the ATP World Tour.

Watch: Zverev’s Comeback Story

3. THE DEPTH IN MEN’S TENNIS IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH

The days where the top two seeds could be penciled in for major titles are long gone. From Denis Istomin’s shocking second-round upset over two-time defending champion and second seed Novak Djokovic, to Zverev’s victory over Murray, unseeded players are proving they’re also capable of making big runs at important tournaments. The trend even extended to doubles, with Aussie wild cards Marc Polmans/Andrew Whittington reaching the semi-finals.

Watch: Istomin Reacts To Victory Over Djokovic

4. MURRAY, DJOKOVIC NO. 1 BATTLE PUT ON HOLD (FOR NOW)

Although Murray was disappointed with his early exit in Melbourne, he maintained his No. 1 standing by still advancing farther in the tournament than Djokovic. The Brit has minimal points to defend over the next two months, while Djokovic will defend ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Miami. Should there be a change in the top spot, it wouldn’t happen until the clay-court season at the earliest.

5. NEXT GEN ATP STARS ANNOUNCE THEIR ARRIVAL

Zverev wasn’t the only #NextGenATP star to make his presence felt this tournament, with several other emerging stars also producing solid tennis over the past two weeks. Among them are Ernesto Escobedo, Noah Rubin, Andrey Rublev, Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Bublik, who all came through qualifying and won their first-round matches in the main draw. Bublik recorded the biggest upset over No. 16 seed Lucas Pouille. Another honorable mention goes to a future #NextGenATP star in 17-year-old Aussie Alex De Minaur, who saved a match point in winning his opening round five-set battle over Gerald Melzer. 

Watch: Bublik Is King Of Tricks

The talk of history could wait for Roger Federer.

Hours after the Swiss had won his 18^th Grand Slam title, padding his own record, the 35 year old wasn’t interested in discussing what it meant to add another victory to his historic tally and increase the distance between he and Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras, both of whom have 14 Grand Slam crowns.

Instead, Federer was more interested in talking about what had just happened on Rod Laver Arena. “For me it’s all about the comeback, about an epic match with Rafa again. Doing it here in Australia, that I’m so thankful to Peter Carter and Tony Roche, and just people… My popularity here, their support, that I can still do it at my age after not having won a slam for almost five years. That’s what I see,” Federer said. “The last problem is the slam count. Honestly, it doesn’t matter.”

It was a match cherished by all Federer fans, no doubt, but by all tennis fans as well: Two of the all-time greats battling for more than three and a half hours for the Australian Open title, the first Grand Slam of the season. Last November, the two were in the same position as well, except resting. Federer sat in Switzerland, rehabbing his left knee. Nadal was in Spain, undergoing the same delicate process for his left wrist.

For both men, it had also been more than a year since they had last played for a Grand Slam title: Federer, 2015 US Open, which he lost; and Nadal, 2014 Roland Garros, which he won. The wait made the win that much more meaningful for Federer.

“The magnitude of this match is going to feel different. I can’t compare this one to any other one except for maybe [2009 Roland Garros],” said Federer, who won the Paris title after three consecutive runner-up finishes in 2006-08. “ I waited for the French Open, I tried, I fought. I tried again and failed. Eventually I made it. This feels similar.”

The Melbourne title was also Federer’s first Grand Slam title with coach Ivan Ljubicic. “It’s obviously special for the entire team. It was [Ljubicic’s] first Grand Slam final as a player or as a coach. Obviously he was nervous all day. I tried to calm him down,” Federer said, smiling. “The same thing with my physio, too. I think I can sense that this is not something that he’s seen so many times. Whereas Severin [Luthi, Federer’s other coach], he was totally relaxed about it.

“It’s beautiful for all of us. I know how happy they are because they are more than just a coach or a physio or whatever. They’re all my friends. So we spent a lot of time talking about am I going to get back to 100 per cent, and if I did, what would it require to win a Grand Slam. Now we made it. We’re going to be partying like rock stars tonight. I can tell you that.”

The team all contributed to the win, too, Federer’s 18^th and one of his most memorable yet. “I told myself to play free. That’s what we discussed with Ivan and Severin before the matches. You play the ball, you don’t play the opponent. Be free in your head, be free in your shots, go for it. The brave will be rewarded here. I didn’t want to go down just making shots, seeing forehands rain down on me from Rafa. I think it was the right decision at the right time,” Federer said. “I had opportunities early on in the fifth, as well, to get back on even terms. I could have been left disappointed there and accepted that fact. I kept on fighting. I kept on believing, like I did all match long today, that there was a possibility I could win this match.”

Read More: Nadal: ‘Playing Like This, Good Things Can Happen’