Coming into the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, in 52 of the past 56 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (since ’10 Monte-Carlo), one of the Big Four: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Rafael Nadal have lifted the trophy. During that stretch, Djokovic has won 24 titles, Nadal 13, Federer 8 and Murray 7. Since 2013, one of the Big Four has reached the past 31 ATP Masters 1000 finals. On Wednesday, all four play their opening round matches.

In the opening match on Center Court, Federer and Next Generation star Alexander Zverev meet  for the first time. Federer is making his 16th appearance in Rome and looking for his first title after four runner-up showings (2003, 2006, 2013, 2015). The 34-year-old Swiss superstar is playing in only his fourth tournament of the season and he comes in with a 10-3 match record. The 19-year-old German, playing in Rome for the first time, enters with a 17-11 match record, already surpassing last year’s mark (14-17). He is trying to post his first career Top 10 win (0-7).

In the next match on, World No. 1 and two-time reigning champion Djokovic takes on French qualifier Stephane Robert for the first time. Djokovic, a four-time overall winner in Rome, comes in fresh off his record 29th career ATP Masters 1000 crown in Madrid and fifth title of the season. The 28-year-old Serb has a 33-2 match record on the season. The 35-year-old Robert is 1-7 lifetime against Top 10 opponents and his lone win came over No. 6 Berdych at 2011 Roland Garros.

In the evening session, top German Philipp Kohlschreiber meets seven-time Rome champion Nadal, who has won 12 of the previous 13 meetings (5-0 on clay). The Spaniard won the last meeting 63 63 in the semi-finals of Barcelona last month en route to the title. Kohlschreiber is playing a Top 10 opponent for the 101st time in his career (22-78), the eighth time this season (1-6). Nadal leads the ATP World Tour this year with a 17-3 clay court record and his 13-match winning streak came to an end with his SF loss last weekend at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Murray).

On Grandstand, in the second match on, Portugal’s No. 1 player, Joao Sousa, who is a career-high No. 30 this week in the Emirates ATP Rankings, takes on No. 13 seed Dominic Thiem, who is 4-1 in their FedEx ATP Head 2 Head meetings. In the next match on, qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, squares off with Murray, who is 3-0 in their head-to-head meetings (first on clay). Sousa is coming off his best result of the season, a QF at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid, while Murray was runner-up. In the last match on, Spaniards Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and No. 9 David Ferrer collide for the 11th time (Ferrer leads 9-1, including 5-0 on clay), second week in a row (Madrid).

On Pietrangeli, in the third match on, the No. 2 players from their respective country are featured as No. 11 seed Richard Gasquet of France, takes on Italian Andreas Seppi. Gasquet owns a 5-1 advantage in their head-to-head. In the next match on, the youngest player in the Top 10 Emirates ATP Rankings, No. 10 Milos Raonic (25), squares off with the youngest player in the Top 20, No. 20-ranked Next Generation star Nick Kyrgios (21). They have split the previous four meetings.

Coming into the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, in 52 of the past 56 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments (since ’10 Monte-Carlo), one of the Big Four – Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – have lifted the trophy. During that stretch, Djokovic has won 24 titles, Nadal 13, Federer 8 and Murray 7. Since 2013, one of the Big Four has reached the past 31 Masters 1000 finals. On Wednesday, all four play their opening round matches.

In the opening match on Center Court, Federer and Next Generation star Alexander Zverev meet for the first time. Federer is making his 16th appearance in Rome and looking for his first title after four runner-up showings (2003, 2006, 2013, 2015). The 34-year-old Swiss superstar is playing in only his fourth tournament of the season and he comes in with a 10-3 match record. The 19-year-old German, playing in Rome for the first time, enters with a 17-11 match record, already surpassing last year’s mark (14-17). He is trying to post his first career Top 10 win (0-7).

In the next match on, World No. 1 and two-time reigning champion Djokovic takes on French qualifier Stephane Robert for the first time. Djokovic, a four-time overall winner in Rome, comes in fresh off his record 29th career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown in Madrid and fifth title of the season. The 28-year-old Serb has a 33-2 match record on the season. The 35-year-old Robert is 1-7 lifetime against Top 10 opponents and his lone win came over No. 6 Berdych at 2011 Roland Garros.

In the evening session, top German Philipp Kohlschreiber meets seven-time Rome champion Nadal, who has won 12 of the previous 13 meetings (5-0 on clay). The Spaniard won the last meeting 63 63 in the semi-finals of Barcelona last month en route to the title. Kohlschreiber is playing a Top 10 opponent for the 101st time in his career (22-78), the eighth time this season (1-6). Nadal leads the ATP World Tour this year with a 17-3 clay court record and his 13-match winning streak came to an end with his semi-final loss last weekend at the Mutua Madrid Open (l. to Murray).

On Grandstand, in the second match on, Portugal’s No. 1 player, Joao Sousa, who is a career-high No. 30 this week in the Emirates ATP Rankings, takes on No. 13 seed Dominic Thiem, who is 4-1 in their FedEx ATP Head 2 Head meetings. In the next match on, qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, squares off with Murray, who is 3-0 in their head-to-head meetings (first on clay). Sousa is coming off his best result of the season, a quarter-final in Madrid, while Murray was runner-up. In the last match on, Spaniards Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and No. 9 David Ferrer collide for the 11th time (Ferrer leads 9-1, including 5-0 on clay), second week in a row (Madrid).

On Pietrangeli, in the third match on, the No. 2 players from their respective country are featured as No. 11 seed Richard Gasquet of France, takes on Italian Andreas Seppi. Gasquet owns a 5-1 advantage in their head-to-head. In the next match on, the youngest player in the Top 10 Emirates ATP Rankings, No. 10 Milos Raonic (25), squares off with the youngest player in the Top 20, No. 20-ranked Next Generation star Nick Kyrgios (21). They have split the previous four meetings.

Rafael Nadal has played at hundreds of tournaments all over the globe during his 16-year career. But even for the well-traveled veteran, this week’s destination carries extra meaning.

“If Rome is not a special place for the players, I don’t know which place can be special,” Nadal said Tuesday during his pre-tournament press conference. “It’s one of the most historic events on our tour and one of the most important tournaments in our tour. I think everybody has a special feeling here. For me especially because I have a lot of success in the past.”

The 28 year old is the most successful player in the history of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The Spaniard has won the event seven times and holds a 47-4 career record in Rome. He’s reached the final in six of the past seven years and nine of the 11 years he’s played there. The only two years Nadal didn’t make the final was in 2008, when he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round, and last year, when he fell to Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.

“I am happy to be here in Rome another year,” Nadal said.

Ferrero retired years ago and Nadal will have to face Wawrinka only if both players make the final. But another familiar foe looms only two rounds ahead of the Spaniard: four-time champion Novak Djokovic, who’s won the past two Rome titles. The Serb also is coming off his record 29^th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Mutua Madrid Open on Sunday.

He and Nadal are the only players who have won titles in Rome since 2005. The last player to win a title there besides them was former World No. 1 Carlos Moya, who’s now coaching Milos Raonic. Nadal could face Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

“No. No, no, for sure I’m not happy,” Nadal said amid laughs when asked if he was happy about being drawn in the same quarter with Djokovic. “But the real thing is I’m not going to play against Novak tomorrow.”

Nadal opens with World No. 26 Philipp Kohlschreiber. The 32-year-old German won the BMW Open by FWU AG on clay last month in Munich. But Nadal beat him in straight sets the last time they played, at the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open BancSabadell. The left-hander also leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 12-1.

“He’s playing great,” Nadal said. “He’s a very good player on clay… I am worried about that now.”

One of the biggest appeals for fans of the ATP Challenger Tour is catching a rising star before they reach the upper echelons of the sports. In the case of #NextGen star Karen Khachanov, it may not be long before he makes that move.

The 19-year-old Russian won his first ATP Challenger Tour title last September in Istanbul, Turkey, and has continued to build on that milestone moment since then. He reached his second ATP Challenger Tour final last March in Jonkoping, Sweden, and broke through on the main stage last March at the ATP World Tour 500 tournament in Barcelona, Spain, defeating Top 20 player Roberto Bautista Agut en route to a third-round finish.

Khachanov is back on the ATP Challenger Tour this week as the No. 1 seed at the tournament in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. He credits his time in Challengers with helping him achieve his recent success and said it was important for him to keep playing these events as he continues to make a push up the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“My success in Challengers has helped, of course,” said Khachanov. “Passing through the Challengers helped make my character stronger and developed my willpower and patience, which is one of the reasons I performed so well in Barcelona.”

Khachanov has made several trips to Uzbekistan in recent years, winning a Futures title last year and advancing to the quarter-finals of ATP Challenger Tour events in Samarkand, Karshi and Fergana. Although he admitted traveling there is a long process, he said it’s worth it once he arrives.

“It’s a bit complicated to get to Uzbekistan, but the Challengers here are really well-organized,” said Khachanov. “There are also some really beautiful places in Uzbekistan with great historic value that are nice to visit.”

The teenager credited a rigorous off-season for helping to take his game to the next level in 2016, which included plenty of gym work and “lot of hours of practise on court with specific exercises.” With a long career likely ahead for Khachanov, he said his main priority is to simply keep improving.

“I’d like to finish this season with the highest Emirates ATP Ranking possible,” said Khachanov. “The main thing for me though is to improve in every aspect of my profession.”

Stan Wawrinka battled back to beat his good friend Benoit Paire and move into the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Tuesday. Wawrinka, the No. 4 seed in Rome, won 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 against the World No. 21.

After Paire grabbed the opener, Wawrinka earned three breaks to cruise in the second set. During the final set, Paire double faulted to give Wawrinka the break at 1-2, and the Swiss held at love to go up 4-1. He wouldn’t drop a game the remainder of the one-hour and 50-minute match. Paire fell to 5-22 against Top 10 opponents.

Wawrinka next will play Juan Monaco, who also came back from a set down to win his second-round match. The Argentine beat No. 16 seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

David Goffin also advanced into the third round. The No. 12 seed won 74 per cent of his first-serve points to beat American Jack Sock in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Goffin will face Tomas Berdych in the third round. Berdych leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 2-0, but both matches were on hard courts.

No. 15 seed Roberto Bautista Agut improved his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against home-favorite Paolo Lorenzi to 2-0. Bautista Agut won 6-3, 6-1 against the Italian in the first-round matchup. He will face Jeremy Chardy in the second round.

Lucky loser Lucas Pouille took advantage of his luck with a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win against Ernests Gulbis to move into the third round.

They are the biggest tournaments in our sport, where participation is mandatory, entry is reserved for the world’s best and success is rewarded with fame and a rich haul of points and prize money.

Claiming a title at each level – Grand Slam, Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 – has its unique challenges. But the tournaments are all stages upon which legends are made, where careers are defined and where victory earns players universal respect from peers, fans and media. Not surprisingly, the players with the best ‘Big Titles’ records are regarded as the giants of the game.

So which players have the most ‘Big Titles’ and best strike rates at these elite events?

Roger Federer leads the field with 47 Big Titles, including 17 Grand Slams and six Barclays ATP World Tour Finals – both records. He is third all-time with 24 Masters 1000 crowns, including seven in Cincinnati. The Swiss has played 203 tournaments at this level, averaging one title for each 4.3 events played.

Novak Djokovic, who on Sunday won a record-setting 29^th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Madrid, is just two trophies behind Federer with 45 Big Titles. A five-time Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion, Djokovic has by the far the best conversion rate of any player, past or present, winning one Big Title for every 3.2 events played at this level.

Rafael Nadal also boasts an exceptional strike rate, winning one Big Title for every 3.5 appearances. He is joint second all-time for most Grand Slam titles won with 14, and outright second all-time for most Masters 1000 titles won with 28 crowns, just one behind Djokovic’s record haul.

Andy Murray, who throughout his career has competed against the suffocating dominance of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, has won 13 Big Titles. The Scot has 11 Masters 1000s (the same amount as all-time great Pete Sampras) and two majors. Murray wins one Big Title for every 10.4 tournaments played.

Since the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series launched in 1990, Sampras has been the only player to rival the Big Titles strike rates of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. A winner of 14 Grand Slam titles and five Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the six-time year-end World No. 1 averaged one Big Title per 4.9 tournaments played.

One other player whose strike rate is in singles figures is Andre Agassi, who at one time was the record Masters 1000 title holder with 17 titles, including six Miami crowns. Agassi also won eight majors and one season finale. His 26 Big Titles from 164 tournaments played came at an average of one title per 6.3 events played.

Those historical averages put in perspective the utter dominance Djokovic has displayed in his past 21 outings at this level dating back to the 2014 BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. During that time the Serb has won one Big Title for every 1.23 events he’s played, going 4 of 5 at Grand Slams, 11 of 14 at Masters 1000s and 2 for 2 at Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Current and Former Champions (Records Since 1990)

Current Top 10

Although it ended sooner than both would have liked, Andy Murray’s partnership with former coach Amelie Mauresmo was a success, the World No. 3 said on Tuesday.

His two-year working relationship with the former WTA World No. 1 helped Murray’s self-belief and tactical game. During their time together, Murray won seven tour-level titles and jumped six spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“When she first came into the team, I was really struggling. I was not doing well. My confidence was low and I was going the wrong direction,” Murray said during his pre-tournament press conference at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. “When she came on board, my results actually really picked up. For me, the time we spent together was positive.”

Murray announced he and Mauresmo were splitting on Monday, a day after the Brit lost in three sets to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic during the Mutua Madrid Open final. He and Mauresmo started working together on 8 June 2014. At the time, Murray was struggling with confidence and was trying to make his way into top form again after undergoing back surgery in September 2013. Murray was ranked No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and would see his ranking fall to No. 11 later in 2014.

Murray was without a title in 2014 before Mauresmo joined but he’d win three titles later that year. In 2015, Murray won four tour-level titles, including two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and his first clay-court championships. He also made the final at the Australian Open and at two other Masters 1000 events.

In 2016, Murray’s success continued. He again reached the final in Australia and nearly repeated in Madrid on Sunday. “I think the results that we had were good,” Murray said.

Mauresmo gave birth to a baby boy in August 2015, and after Murray went 1-2 at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals last year, there had been talk their working relationship would end. But the two stuck together, and the 28 year old said the decision gave his 2016 a needed boost.

“I think it gave both of us a lift, really. I think when I showed the confidence in her, she was really passionate and pumped and really wanted to make it work and me the same when she also stuck by me,” Murray said. “It was like, OK, we’re going to show everyone we’re a strong team… I think it was maybe my best Australian Open. I played extremely well there and came back well from how I finished [2015].”

The two had discussed trying to continue through Wimbledon but ultimately decided it was best to split now. Between the Australian Open and this week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Murray said they’ve spent only 10 days together. “You simply need more time than that to make an impact and make a difference, in my opinion, and Amelie’s, as well,” he said.

The 11-time Masters 1000 champion said he’ll talk about his next move with his team in the upcoming weeks. Murray begins his Rome campaign against qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazahkstan on Wednesday. Kukushkin, No. 87 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, beat Next Generation star Borna Coric in three sets in the first round. Murray leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 3-0.

The Scot’s best finish in the Italian capital was a semi-final run in 2011. During the past two seasons, Murray has lost only three times on clay (24-3).