Tennis News

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A LOOK BACK
Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger (Charlottesville, U.S.A.): Noah Rubin completed arguably the comeback of the year on the ATP Challenger Tour, saving two match points to defeat fellow American teen Tommy Paul 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-3 for his first title in Charlottesville. The 19-year-old rallied from a 3-6, 1-5 deficit, breaking back twice in the second set and surviving a late charge by 18-year-old Paul in the decider. Rubin was in survival mode all week, having won eight matches in nine days after emerging from qualifying – the fourth qualifier to win a title this year. It was the second all-teenage Challenger final of the year after Taylor Fritz (17) edged Jared Donaldson (19) in Sacramento.

Watch Rubin Interview (courtesy Jacob Stuckey)

Rubin’s win marks the 13th time a teen has triumphed in 2015 and the seventh occasion in which a player outside the Top 300 in the Emirates ATP Rankings has prevailed. The fifth player to save at least one match point in a final this year, he is set to soar from World No. 537 to No. 317. Paul, who was one of 10 teens to feature in the US Open main draw in September, jumped 53 spots to No. 263.

Canberra Tennis International (Canberra, Australia): Benjamin Mitchell claimed his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title on home soil Sunday in Canberra, rallying past countryman and fifth seed Luke Saville 5-7, 6-0, 6-1. Mitchell needed four match points to earn the win after one hour and 51 minutes. The 22 year old, who was appearing in his first Challenger final, is one of six different Aussies to lift trophies this year, joining a strong contingent that includes Thanasi Kokkinakis, Sam Groth, John Millman, Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith. The Gold Coast native is also poised to vault up the Emirates ATP Rankings, from World No. 305 to No. 247.

Watch Mitchell Interview (courtesy Tennis Australia)

Bauer Watertechonology Cup (Eckental, Germany): The ageless Mikhail Youzhny made ATP Challenger Tour history on Sunday in becoming the first player to win titles at least 15 years apart. The 33-year-old Russian claimed his first crown in Samarkand in 2000 and waited 15 years and five months to capture his second on the indoor carpet courts of Eckental, downing 34-year-old and 2013 champ Benjamin Becker 7-5, 6-3. It was the oldest final on the Challenger circuit this year. Entering the week, the longest gap between titles belonged to Michael Chang at 14 years, five months.

Milo Open 2015 (Bogota, Colombia): Eduardo Struvay joined Rubin and Mitchell as first-time champions on Sunday, stunning second seed Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Bogota final. The Colombian’s win on home soil marked the 23rd first-time titlist this year on the ATP Challenger Tour, surpassing last year’s total of 22. Lorenzi, meanwhile, moved to 42-11 on the circuit this year, falling to 4-1 in finals.

Throughout the week, local children in need took part in an initiative known as the 40×40 program, created by the Institute of Recreation and Sports to promote and grow the game in Colombia.

Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil (Guayaquil, Ecuador): Gastao Elias went back-to-back in South America, winning the Guayaquil title one week after hoisting the trophy in Lima, Peru. It was Elias’ fourth Challenger crown. He routed top seed Diego Schwartzman 6-0, 6-4, sending the 2014 ATP Challenger Tour Finals champion to 0-4 in title matches this year. Closing in on a return to the Top 100 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, he soared to World No. 135.

Hua Hin Open (Hua Hin, Thailand): Japan’s Yuichi Sugita completed the Thai sweep, emerging with the inaugural Hua Hin title just two months after lifting the Bangkok trophy. Sugita did not drop a set in Bangkok and battled to the Hua Hin title – his fifth overall – after turning aside qualifier Stephane Robert 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. He was one of six unseeded champions on the ATP Challenger Tour last week.

What The Players Said
Struvay: “It is difficult to describe it. It’s an incredible sense of satisfaction and pride for myself to have survived so many complicated situations: injuries, bad moments, poor seasons. The perseverance is thanks to the good team that I have. I will continue rising.”

Elias: “The truth is that I was not expecting to win two tournaments in a row. I came here tired from last week, but the good thing is that I adjusted very well to the conditions and played my best tennis this week. I won against Top 100 players, tough players and I am very happy.”

Youzhny: “I had a tough year but my career isn’t finished yet. I’m still enjoying playing tennis. No matter on which court and in which tournament. This week was good for me. I played every match better than I did the day before.”

“It was a long time ago that I played challenger tournaments. It’s a little different. The crowd is closer to the court and the area is smaller but that is good for the atmosphere. It was a good atmosphere for tennis and I really enjoyed it.”

“I didn’t play too many matches this year, so that’s why I will probably play one or two more tournaments this year before I start my preparation for the 2016 season. These matches will help me to get confidence. I still think that I can play good tennis.”

WHAT’S AHEAD
There are six tournaments on four continents this week, with World No. 32 Benoit Paire leading the charge on home soil in Mouilleron Le Captif. The top seed is the highest-ranked player to feature on the ATP Challenger Tour this year. All eight seeds are in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, marking the fifth time that has occurred this year (also Irving, Busan, Prostejov & Mons).

The USTA’s three-tournament Australian Open Wild Card Play-offs move to Knoxville, home of the University of Tennessee. Noah Rubin looks to build on his lead, but will face stiff competition in the form of fellow American teens Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Stefan Kozlov, Frances Tiafoe and Jared Donaldson. Malek Jaziri of Tunisia is the top seed, with 2013 champ Tim Smyczek seeded third.

In Bratislava, seventh seed Elias Ymer opens with a blockbuster matchup against wild card Radek Stepanek. Defending champion Peter Gojowczyk, fourth seed and 2011 & ‘13 titlist Lukas Lacko and top seed and 2012 champ Lukas Rosol are also in the field. In Buenos Aires, former champions Diego Schwartzman (2012) and Carlos Berlocq (2011) are seeded third and eighth, respectively. There are also events in Ortisei, Italy and Kobe, Japan.

Andy Murray has been a force on the ATP World Tour in 2015, turning in arguably his most complete season, but the Scot has targeted a key area of improvement to take his game to the next level: consistent success against Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Murray reached the semi-finals in seven of eight Masters 1000 events entered, advancing to his first final appearance at the BNP Paribas Masters this week before falling to Djokovic on Sunday. He will look to finish as the year-end World No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time, needing a strong run on home soil at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Standing in his path is current No. 2 Federer.

The Scot admitted he needs to consistently step up his game against his two rivals in order to break through. “Obviously this year [Novak’s] level has been incredible,” said Murray following the Paris final. “Since the beginning of last year, my results against him and Roger, from my perspective, haven’t been good enough. I need to do better in those matchups.

“It’s harder playing against the best players. Those two are two of the greatest players of all time, so there is no disgrace in losing to them. But I do feel like I need to start doing better in those matchups, because the scoreline in the last couple of matches there hasn’t been good.”

A six-time finalist on the ATP World Tour this year, Murray has hoisted trophies on all three surfaces and eclipsed the 60-match wins threshold for just the second time in his career (2009). Despite succumbing to Djokovic in Paris, he acknowledged the confidence he gets from his strong run of form.

“[In Shanghai], I played excellent tennis against Berdych and against Steve Johnson, I also felt like I played really well. Here, the same thing. Apart from maybe the match against Gasquet, which was a little bit patchy, I played some really good tennis against some tough, tough players.

“Today, again, I would have liked to have done better, but getting to the finals of a Masters 1000 is good. It’s not like it’s a bad result, but I would like to have done better today.”

Murray will be seeded second at the season finale at The O2 in London, having qualified for an eighth successive year. He reached the semi-finals on three occasions, in 2008, ’10 and ’12.

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, set at the O2 Arena in London, will get underway on 15 November. ATPWorldTour.com takes a statistical look at the players who will be competing in the final showdown:

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

YEAR-END FINALE HISTORY

– The 28-year-old Belgrade native is making his 9th consecutive season finale appearance. Comes in as reigning 3-time champion and also won title in 2008 in Shanghai (d. Davydenko). Has won last 14 matches since falling to countryman Tipsarevic in final round robin match in 2011. Last player to win 3 straight year-end titles was Ivan Lendl from 1985-87 (no player has won 4 titles in a row).

– Overall has a 23-9 match record and 1 of 5 players to win 4-more titles in tournament history (only 4-time winner unbeaten in finals). There have been 3 players with 5-more titles (Federer-6, Lendl, Sampras-5 each).

– Has ranked in Top 3 each time coming into year-end finale, including No. 1 in 2011-12, ’14-15.

– In his last 3 title runs, defeated No. 2 Federer in ’12 final, No. 1 Nadal in ’13 and won by walkover last year vs No. 2 Federer, who withdrew due to a back injury.

– Has earned $8,058,000 in tournament, which is No. 3 behind Federer ($13,171,000) and Sampras ($8,290,000).

– Has a 10-2 career record in decisive-set matches (.833), which is 2^nd-best in tournament history behind Ilie Nastase (12-1, .923).

ANDY MURRAY

YEAR-END FINALE HISTORY

– The 28-year-old Scot qualified for 8th straight year (10-9 record) and last year went 1-2 in round robin play (l.  Nishikori 64 64, d. Raonic 63 75, l. Federer 60 61). It was his first appearance since ’12 (W/D in ’13 due to back surgery in September that year).

– In SF showing in 2012, defeated Berdych in opening RR match, lost to No.1 Djokovic and beat Tsonga before falling to Federer.

– Of 9 losses, 6 have come to Top 2 opponents – Federer (4 times), Nadal and Djokovic (once each).

– Also SF in 2008 (l. to Davydenko) and ’10 (l. to Nadal). In ’11, lost to Ferrer in opening match and then withdrew due to groin injury.

– In 6 previous appearances, went at least 2-1 in RR play 4 times. In ’09, went 2-1 in RR play but did not advance to SF, finishing 3rd in group.

– In ’08 debut in Shanghai, only time he won all 3 round robin matches (d. Roddick, Simon, Federer) before falling to Davydenko.

– Older brother, Jamie, has qualified in doubles event (w/Peers) and first brother duo to appear in year-end final since John and Patrick McEnroe in 1989 (John reached SF, Patrick won doubles title w/Grabb).

ROGER FEDERER

YEAR-END FINALE HISTORY

– The 34-year-old Swiss native is oldest player to qualify for year-end finale since Andre Agassi (35) in 2005 and comes in ranked in Top 3 for 11th time in 14 years. Last year was No. 2 and withdrew from final (vs. Djokovic) due to back injury. Went 4-0 coming into final.

– He is playing in a record 14th consecutive year-end championship and with Agassi has qualified most (14 times).

– Has captured most titles (6), won most matches (48-11) and prize money ($13,171,000). Also tournament leader in tie-breaks won (16).

– His 6 titles have come over 6 different opponents and his titles have come back-to-back years in 3 different cities: Houston in 2003 (d. Agassi) and ’04 (d. Hewitt), Shanghai (in 2006 (d. Blake) and ’07 (d. Ferrer) and London in 2010 (d. Nadal) and ’11 (d. Tsonga). Also runner-up in 2005 (l. to Nalbandian in 5 sets) and in ’12 (l. to Djokovic). Only time has won title after losing opening round robin match in ’07 (l. to Gonzalez).

– Only once in 13 years he did not advance out of round robin play (1-2), in 2008. Has reached SF or better 12 times, tied with Lendl.

STAN WAWRINKA

YEAR-END FINALE HISTORY

– The Swiss native is making his 3^rd consecutive appearance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after reaching SF last 2 years (4-4 record).

– Last year, came in No. 4 and defeated Berdych 61 61, l. to Djokovic 63 60 and beat Cilic 63 46 63 before falling to Federer 64 57 76(6) in SF after holding 4 match pts.

– In 2013, ranked No. 8 and both of his round robin match wins went to a decisive set, opening with a 63 67 63 victory over Berdych and closing with a 67 64 61 triumph over Ferrer. In between lost to Nadal in 2 tie-breaks and fell to eventual champion Djokovic 63 63 in SF.         

– He is 1 of 3 Swiss to qualify for season-ending championship along with Federer (13  times) and Jakob Hlasek, who reached SF in 1988 (d. Lendl, Agassi, Mayotte, l. to Becker).

RAFAEL NADAL

YEAR-END FINALE HISTORY

– The 29-year-old Spaniard qualified for the 11^th straight year (13-11 record) and in his last appearance in 2013, reached final (l. Djokovic) after going 4-0 with wins over No. 3 Ferrer, No. 8 Wawrinka, No. 6 Berdych and No. 7 Federer. Ranked No. 1 at time (also in 2010).

– Withdrew last year due to appendicitis surgery he underwent on Nov. 3, 2014. Also withdrew in 2005, ’08 and ‘12.

– In 2010, advanced to final (l. Federer 63 36 61) after winning 4 straight matches. Also SF in 2006 debut and ’07 (l. Federer both times). Has 1-4 record vs. Federer and 2-2 vs. Djokovic in year-end championship.

TOMAS BERDYCH

YEAR-END FINALE HISTORY

– The 30-year-old Czech Republic native is making his 6th consecutive appearance in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (6-10 record) and his best result is SF in 2011 (l. to Djokovic in opener, then beat Tipsarevic, Ferrer in RR play), losing to Tsonga.

– Ivan Lendl is only other Czech player to qualify at least 6 times. Lendl made 12 appearances.

– Last year went 1-2 in round robin play, losing to Wawrinka 61 61 and Djokovic 62 62 with a win in between over Cilic 63 61.

– In ’12, lost to Murray, beat Tsonga and fell to Djokovic in RR play.

– In ’10, lost to Djokovic, defeated Roddick and fell to Nadal in RR.

– Has an 0-5 record in opening round robin matches and 5-0 mark in his 2nd RR match.

DAVID FERRER

YEAR-END FINALE HISTORY

– The 33-year-old Spaniard, who is 2^nd-oldest in singles field (behind Federer 34), has qualified for 6^th time (7^th overall appearance). Has an 8-11 career record and last year came in as an alternate for Raonic and played one match, losing to Nishikori 46 64 61.

– In 2013, lost all 3 round robin matches (Nadal, Berdych, Wawrinka).

– His best result was a runner-up in Shanghai in 2007 debut (l. to Federer) after RR wins over Djokovic, Nadal, Gasquet and Roddick in SF.

– In 2012, went 2-1 in RR play (d. del Potro, l. to Federer, d. Tipsarevic, his last win) but did not advance.

– In 2011, reached SF with wins over No. 3 Murray and No. 1 Djokovic, lost to Berdych in RR play before falling to Federer 75 63.

KEI NISHIKORI

YEAR-END FINALE HISTORY

– The Japanese native is youngest player (25) in this year’s field and making his 2^nd straight appearance in Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

– Last year in debut, came in ranked No. 5 and went 2-1 in round robin play, defeating Murray 64 64 and (alt.) Ferrer 46 64 61 with a loss in between to Federer 63 62. In SF, lost to eventual champion Djokovic 61 36 60.

– Coach Michael Chang qualified 7 times for year-end finale (7-16) and his best result was runner-up in 1995 (l. to Becker). It was only time he made it out of round robin play.

Movers Of The week (9 November)

Kei Nishikori 8 (-1 spot)
John Isner 11 (+2 spots)
Marin Cilic 13 (-2 spots)
Viktor Troicki 23 (+4 spots)
Ivo Karlovic 24 (-1 spot)
Jack Sock 26 (-2 spots)
Grigor Dimitrov 28 (+1 spot) 

Potential Milestones

Marcin Matkowski – 398 wins (doubles)

In Case You Missed It

Djokovic captured a record sixth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in the same season by beating Murray in Paris. Read 

Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo downed Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock in the Paris doubles final, preventing the latter from earning a berth in the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time. Read 

Birthdays

13 November – Jerzy Janowicz (25)

14 November – Alejandro Falla (32), Borna Coric (19)

15 November – Fernando Verdasco (32)

Is it more important to hit the ball where you want to hit it, or more important to hit it where your opponent does not want it?

That was the puzzle Andy Murray could not solve, as Novak Djokovic rolled to a 6-2, 6-4 victory in the final of the BNP Paribas Masters. What works so well for Murray against everyone else in the world is controlling the ad court with his rock-solid backhand, and then opening up angles to attack.

But not against Djokovic. Not even close.

Murray is the second best baseliner in the world in today’s game, but the gap between Djokovic and the rest of the field only seems to be getting wider. In the opening set, Djokovic completely controlled the back of the court, winning 69 per cent (27/39) of baseline points. Overall, the Serb won 67 per cent (47/70) of baseline points for the match, which is a massive advantage that allows the rest of his game to flow freely.

Djokovic’s real advantage came in mid-length rallies of five to nine shots where he stole the show, winning 68 per cent (28/41) of points, as both players tried to force their baseline patterns on the opponent. Murray actually won the longer rallies over nine shots (10-8), but with so few rallies getting this far, it simply wasn’t enough to make an impact on the final outcome.

The real key to Djokovic’s dominance was the backhand-to-backhand arm wrestle in the ad court. Murray made 25 backhand errors to Djokovic’s 11, shutting down the Brit’s strength, and making him bend to his own intentions. The quality of Murray’s backhand errors also speaks to the pressure Djokovic was putting him under in their baseline exchanges.

The number one backhand error by far from Murray was into the net with 13. Djokovic was often making contact standing closer to the baseline, which enabled better depth, and took time away from Murray’s preparation, hence the high number of net errors. Murray also made eight backhand errors long, three wide cross-court, and only one wide down the line. Murray did go to “Plan B” by coming forward to the net, winning 79 per cent (11/14) approaching, and two of three serving and volleying. The problem here for Murray is sheer volume, as dominating 17 points at the net does not come close to negating the 70 points Djokovic controlled from the back of the court.

Djokovic also applied pressure with his deep returns right down the middle, giving no angle for Murray to initially hurt him with. Murray won only 35 per cent (11/31) of his second serve points, as he often had to get out of the way of a deep Djokovic return hit right at him. The deep middle return is a hidden gem in Djokovic’s suffocating game plan. Leading into the Paris final, he had hit 49 per cent of his returns to the middle area of the court, 38 per cent wide in the ad court, and only 13 per cent wide in the deuce court. The middle of the court is a great way for Djokovic to begin the point, enabling him to then dictate from the middle of the court with his first shot after the return.

Djokovic’s forehand produced four winners, but more importantly only made eight groundstroke errors to Murray’s 19. A key pattern of play for Djokovic was to attack Murray’s forehand on the run in the deuce court, forcing Murray to make 15 of his 19 errors standing in the deuce, including seven running hard out wide near the deuce court alley. In the opening set, Murray hit 56 per cent of his forehands down the line, but 95 per cent (18/21) of those were down the line to Djokovic’s impenetrable backhand wing.

Djokovic hit 51 per cent of his forehands down the line in the opening set, and his seven inside-in forehands to Murray’s forehand primarily landed deep and close to the line in the deuce court. Beating an in-form Djokovic is a complex jigsaw puzzle of playing more to his forehand and getting to the net more than feels comfortable.

Simply hitting more winners clearly doesn’t work, as Murray hit 20 winners to the Serb’s 10 for the match, while Murray committed 34 unforced errors to Djokovic’s 12.

Djokovic makes everyone on the planet bend to his rules of engagement, and unless you have got several plans of attack mixed at exactly the right time, the Serb’s reign as the world’s best player is only getting stronger.

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Novak Djokovic carved a slice of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 history on Sunday, as the top seed defeated Andy Murray 6-2, 6-4 for the BNP Paribas Masters title, securing a single-season record sixth crown.

Djokovic, who improved to a staggering 27-4 against Top 10 opponents this year, notched a 26th Masters 1000 title. He pulled level with Ilie Nastase for 10th on the list of Open Era tour-level titlists with his 58th overall crown, bringing home €653,700 in prize money and 1,000 Emirates ATP Rankings points.

“There was couple of games in the second set where Andy started turning things around, so things could have gone different way as they did maybe yesterday against Wawrinka at same stage,” said Djokovic. “But I managed to stay tough. It was, all in all, the best performance of the week, and it came at the right time.

“I’m hoping that I can repeat the kind of performances and success I have had [at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals] in previous years. [The O2 Arena] is a great stage for a tennis tournament.” 

Maintaining a high first serve percentage has been critical for Murray’s success in his previous encounters with Djokovic, and it would prove to be just as crucial on Sunday. The Serb would snatch the early initiative with a quick break to love in the third game, reeling off eight straight points.  Murray converted on just two of four first serves in that game and the top seed and two-time defending champion would pounce.

The Scot looked to break right back, taking the next game to deuce with a sublime drop shot winner from the baseline, but Djokovic would shut the door, consolidating for 3-1. Murray would register an 11-minute hold in the fifth game, denying three additional break chances. Djokovic continued to conquer the baseline battle with his court position and agility, forcing Murray to engage in undesired backhand rallies from a neutral position. He would snatch a second break for 5-2 and close out the opener after 42 minutes.

An important battleground proved to be on both players’ second serves and Djokovic defended his brilliantly in the first set, with 75 per cent points won. He would look to run away with the match after breaking for 2-1 in the second set, but Murray made the most of his first break opportunity a game later. The Scot broke back, capitalising on a momentary lapse in concentration from the Serb, as a punishing second serve return of his own would secure the break to love. 

Murray would have a 0/30 peek into Djokovic’s serve at 3-2, but the Serb reeled off eight of the next nine points to hold and claim the decisive break for 4-3. He would fire 10 winners, converting four of nine break chances for the victory after 92 minutes.

Not since No. 1 Stefan Edberg beat No. 2 Boris Becker in 1990 have the Top 2 seeds met for the BNP Paribas Masters title. Djokovic, who extended his winning streak to 22 straight matches, has now won 10 of his past 11 FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings with Murray, owning a 21-9 advantage overall. The two-time defending champion became the first four-time champion in Paris-Bercy history, adding to titles in 2009 (d. Monfils), 2013 (d. Ferrer) and 2014 (d. Raonic).

Murray, meanwhile, was the first British finalist at the BNP Paribas Masters since Tim Henman won the title in 2003. He was bidding to secure the year-end No. 2 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings by defeating the Serb. He falls to 35-17 in tour-level finals and 11-5 on the Masters 1000 stage, taking home €320,500 and 600 Emirates ATP Rankings points.

“It was a pleasure to play here this week in the beautiful new stadium,” said Murray during the trophy ceremony. “Congratulations to Novak. It’s been a great year for him.

It’s been a great week for me – first time past the quarter-finals. That’s progress and I hope to be back next year.”