Tennis News

The FedEx ATP Rankings were adjusted in early summer from the traditional 12-month ranking to a Best of 22-month ranking with the goal of preserving the principles of merit, fairness and mobility despite the disruption caused by COVID-19. (The FedEx ATP Rankings were frozen from 16 March, just days after the Tour was suspended, until 24 August.)

In October, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, ATP announced that it would move to a Best of 24-month ranking, extending the current ranking approach through and including the week of 1 March 2021. All events continue to be non-mandatory through this period.

Why were the first changes made to the FedEx ATP Rankings?
At the time of the changes, due to the uncertainty of the calendar through 2020 as a result of COVID-19, it was determined that points from the 16 March 2020 Rankings would stay frozen and stay on a player’s ranking through the extended ranking period. Additionally, this provided stability to players who did not feel comfortable travelling and competing due to the pandemic.

How will Tour-level events played after the Tour resumption count toward a player’s ranking?
Players who have played the same Tour-level event twice during the '24 month best of ranking' period can count the best result from the same tournament. The most recent result will only be included in his Rankings breakdown if it is better than the earlier result. (Tour-level includes ATP and Grand Slam events)

How will ATP Challenger Tour /ITF World Tennis Tour events played after the Tour resumption count toward a player’s ranking?
Any points obtained at ATP Challenger Tour/ITF World Tennis Tour events upon Tour resumption will be considered among a player's ‘Best of Other Countable’ results. A player's result obtained after the Tour's resumption that is not better than his lowest ‘Best of Other Countable’ results will be included in the Non-Countable results on his ranking breakdown.

Why are ATP Challenger Tour/ITF World Tennis Tour events being added differently than Tour-level events?
ATP Challenger Tour and ITF World Tennis Tour events are scheduled on a one-year basis and do not have consistent spots in the calendar. Therefore, all results from these events will be added to a player’s Rankings breakdown. However, results will only improv

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/fedex-atp-rankings-adjustments-faq

Tennis has a new game style. Assassin.

It’s easy to identify a serve-and-volleyer, an aggressive baseliner, a counter-puncher, or a pusher. Creating a game plan against them is relatively straightforward.

And then there is Daniil Medvedev - a mercurial master of them all. Take your eye off him at your own peril. There is a much better chance he has you in his sights than the other way around.

His cunning mix of strategies often ends with a surprise attack you didn’t see coming. He obfuscates his game plan by launching attacks from every inch of the court. One moment he is returning serve six metres behind the baseline. The next, he is successfully serving and volleying behind an 84mph second serve facing break point. He spectacularly blurs the lines between traditional game styles to baffle and bamboozle opponents.

The Russian assassin has taken #NextGenATP to next level.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Medvedev’s five victories at the Nitto ATP Finals uncovers five ways that he built control of the point, oftentimes without his opponent being aware that is was happening.

The five matches in the data set are:
Round Robin: def. Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4
Round Robin: def. Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3
Round Robin: def. Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-3
Semi-Final: def. Rafael Nadal 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3
Final: def. Dominic Thiem 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4

1. Backhands Hit Inside The Baseline
Medvedev: 26%
Five Opponents: 12%

Medvedev loves to lean on his backhand and hit it flat as a pancake. In theory, opponents should be able to step forward and attack the spin-less ball at will. The exact opposite happened at The O2. Overall, Medvedev made contact with his backhand inside the baseline 26 per cent of the time. His five opponents combined to hit only 12 per cent of their backhands inside the baseline, less than half of the Russian’s total. In the final, Medvedev made contact with 35 per cent of his backhands inside the baseline. Thiem only managed 12 per cent. Medvedev’s average backhand speed was 67 mph, with his five opponents a few notches lower at 64 mph.

Medvedev's Backhand Hit Point vs. Thiem

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/medvedev-infosys-beyond-the-numbers-november-2020

Dominic Thiem will compete in the next Laver Cup, to take place at the TD Garden in Boston from 24-26 September 2021.

Thiem will play in the team event for the third time following his participation in 2017 (Prague) and 2019 (Geneva). The Austrian holds a 2-1 record representing Team Europe, with his victories coming against Team World's John Isner and Denis Shapovalov. 

“The Laver Cup is a fantastic event and I’m really excited to be a part of Team Europe for the Boston edition,” Thiem said.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be on the winning side at two of the three Laver Cups so far – in Prague and Geneva, and it’s a really unique event, like no other on the tour.  I’m really looking forward to helping Team Europe capture a fourth title. 

“It’s so cool to be competing as part of a team with guys I’m normally facing across the net. We have so much fun together, but I also still learn a lot from the likes of Roger and Bjorn, who have so much experience in the game.”

The 27-year-old is flying as high as ever, fresh off his second consecutive trip to the championship match of the Nitto ATP Finals. Thiem won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open and he is at a career-high No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Former World No. 1 Bjorn Borg is still the captain of Team Europe, and the Swedish legend is excited to have the Austrian on his side.

“Dom has had an incredible season, despite the unprecedented circumstances. He consistently performs at the top level and it was great to see him win his first Slam earlier in the year in New York,” Borg said. “With him and Roger confirmed I feel we’ve got a great foundation, but for sure we’ll need to be in top form as each year Team World gets tougher and tougher and my great friend and rival John McEnroe will be hungrier than ever to win in front of a home crowd!”

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/thiem-laver-cup-announcement-november-2020

Dominic Thiem had a chance to move to the doorstep of the Nitto ATP Finals title on Sunday evening.

With Thiem already leading by a set, it was 3-3, 30/40 in the second set, when Medvedev was forced to hit a second serve. The Russian made a daring play by serving and volleying. Thiem, who moved off the court to run around his backhand, struck a heavy topspin forehand return down the line that Medvedev barely scraped over the net. With the entire Ad court open, the Austrian rushed forward toward a seemingly routine putaway, but he shoveled a forehand well wide.

“Of course maybe the match… would have had a different outcome if I converted that break point,” Thiem said. “But still, it was not an easy shot. I mean, he played serve and volley. Hit a pretty good short volley. I was in full sprint and had the ball under the net, so it was not that easy, that shot. Of course I should put it in the court, but still I have not so much to regret.”

The question is, what went wrong? 

When Thiem struck his forehand return, he had Medvedev in big trouble. The Russian did not guess a side, and he even split-stepped a moment too late, forcing him to lunge for his forehand volley, which looped high over the net and landed about midway into Thiem's service box. Getting it back into play short in the court was a great effort in itself, and likely the best he could have hoped for in the situation.

After Thiem hit his return, he immediately started sprinting to cover the open court. By running around his backhand to hit a forehand, he was well out of position. But the moment in which he rushed to the open court — which was the right thing to do — likely prevented him from getting to the volley in time to hit the ball with topspin. What were the 27-year-old’s options?

Option 1 - Shovel Into The Open Court
Thiem took the most likely path by going into the open court. But as he ran forward, he didn't change to a continental grip. It appeared that he thought he would get to the ball in time to hit a topspin forehand, as evidenced by his left hand momentarily coming up to his racquet, which is one of the early steps of a topspin forehand stroke production.

Since Thiem didn't change to a continental grip, the shot became awkward. Using a forehand grip to hit a shovel shot is less natural, and players need to manipulate their wrist more to open the

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/thiem-nitto-atp-finals-2020-big-point

Over the past week at The O2 in London, Daniil Medvedev won each of his five matches and became the first player in Nitto ATP Finals history to beat the top three players in the FedEx ATP Rankings at the same edition of the tournament.

The Russian was rewarded with the biggest trophy of his career, 1,500 FedEx ATP Rankings points and $1,564,000 in prize money. As a result of his milestone victory, the World No. 4 was also flooded with messages on his phone and social media accounts. The win did come at a price for Medvedev, who revealed on Monday morning that he only managed to managed to get two hours of sleep.

“I didn’t sleep so much. There were a lot of things going on. I did reply to most of my messages, all of them on WhatsApp and most of them on other social media [platforms], which takes some time after a big win like this” said Medvedev. “I even managed to play a little bit of Formula 1 here in the hotel. It was a busy night. I celebrated with my coach after the match [and] did all the media things. I got a good two hours of sleep.”

With so many messages from family, friends and fans across the world. Medvedev spent a large portion of his time on Sunday night replying to the people closest to him. During his time at The O2, he was accompanied only by his coach, Gilles Cervara.

“[I replied to] my wife [and] my family first, my closest friends and my team. I just tried to give them a head's up, something like a photo with the cup or something like this,” said Medvedev. “Then I took it step-by-step and just went up and down to say thank you to everybody for the nice messages they sent me yesterday.”

With just his coach by his side in London, Medvedev took a moment to reflect on his strong bond with Cervara. The Frenchman was voted by his peers as 2019 Coach Of The Year in the ATP Awards. Medvedev entered the Rolex Paris Masters earlier this month with just three wins from his past eight matches, seeking his first final appearance in 13 months, but through the good times and the bad times, Medvedev and Cervara continued to work towards their common goal: making Medvedev a better player each day.

“We are trying to improve all the time,” said Medvedev. “Like any relationship between coach and player, we can have our tough moments [and] our good moments. Sometimes I will not be playing good, I will not be happy with myself, he will not b

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/medvedev-nitto-atp-finals-2020-champion-monday-feature

On Sunday, Brandon Nakashima had his moment in the spotlight. After a tumultuous and unprecedented 2020 season, it was the 19-year-old who seized the opportunity and concluded his campaign with a maiden ATP Challenger Tour crown.

Nakashima was the last man standing in Orlando, prevailing at the USTA National Campus. The California native did not drop a set all tournament, capping a dominant week at the Orlando Open with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Prajnesh Gunneswaran.

Nakashima is building his reputation around a steely resolve and unflappable determination. An elite problem solver on the court, nothing rattles the teenager, regardless of the score, situation and opponent. This was on full display on Sunday, as he saved all eight break points faced to cross the finish line. With Gunneswaran pressing to draw level deep in the second set, Nakashima emerged from a 0/40 deficit and did not look back.

At the age of 19 years and three months, Nakashima is the youngest American champion since Frances Tiafoe in 2017. In addition, his victory marks the sixth time that a teenager has lifted a trophy this year. He joins Tomas Machac, Lorenzo Musetti and three-time champion Carlos Alcaraz in the teen winners' circle.

Nakashima soars 36 spots to a career-high No. 166 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He is one of two #NextGenATP Americans closing in on the Top 100, along with Sebastian Korda. Korda is also coming off a maiden Challenger triumph, prevailing two weeks ago in Eckental, Germany.

Nakashima spoke with broadcaster Mike Cation after taking the title in Orlando...

Brandon, you don't show a lot of emotion, but you dropped your racquet and raised your arms after match point. It seems like this one means a lot to you to get that first Challenger title.
It definitely does. Playing all these Challengers the past couple years was all leading up to this moment, to win my first title. I couldn't be happier right now.

It's been a very interesting progression for you, in terms of what you're trying to do. I know there's that long-term expectation of getting to the Top 100, Top 50 and beyond. How are you managing that while still focusing on these Challenger tournaments?
Ever since I started playing, I've always wanted to play tennis at the highest level and eventually become No. 1 in the world. I think this is just a great stepping stone in that direction. It shows that all my har

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nakashima-2020-first-time-challenger-winner-orlando