Tennishead: Volume 4: Issue 5

TUITION: PLAY LIKE THE PROS

TENNIS TOURIST: CARIBBEAN DREAMS

Agnieszka Radwanska backhand

Serving in the sun at Curtain Bluff

RACKETS THAT RULED THE WORLD How technology has changed the game

WIN! YONEX VCORE 98

WWW.TENNISHEAD.NET | OCTOBER 2013

TH E WORLD’ S B E ST TEN NIS MAGA ZIN E RAFAEL NADAL

IMPROVE YOUR GAME

HARD YARDS

Coaching tips from the Tour

Rafa’s record breaking run

FRENCH CONNECTION How Serena made it 17

GOLDEN OLDIES The era of the 30-something

AU REVOIR Marion Bartoli bows out VOLUME 4 ISSUE 5 OCT 2013 £4.50

PATRICK MOURATOGLOU ON PARENT POWER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS Angelique Kerber / Alexandr Dolgopolov / Jarkko Nieminen

PLUS: TOUR RESULTS • TV GUIDE • US OPEN PHOTOS • PSYCHOLOGY • RANKINGS

CONTENTS

36

WIN!

DUNLOP BIOMIMETIC MAX 200G PAGE 90

GALLERY 22 A sparkling 2013 US Open

BIG READ 8 13 15 18 36 42 50 56 114

66

Rafa’s Extraordinary Year Alexandr Dolgopolov Novak Djokovic’s “Serve to Win” Angelique Kerber’s rise Serena Williams' return to the top The era of the 30-something “Au Revoir” Marion Bartoli What’s it like for a tennis player?

Mikhail Youzhny re-lives 2002 Davis Cup glory

ACADEMY 62 64 66 69 70 74 76

How to serve like Rafa Get a backhand like Agnieszka Radwanska Patrick Mouratoglou on tennis parents How to build mental strength Mats Merkel's view from the Tour Weylu Chang at IMG Academy Your questions answered

GEAR 82 84 86 87 89

Serious kit to improve your game One coach’s invention hits the spot Expert advice from the Pro Shop Jarkko Nieminen talks rackets How racket technology has changed the game

50

TRAVEL 92 Curtain Bluff, Caribbean Paradise

ATP AND WTA RESULTS & RANKINGS 96 98 100 102 104 106 108 110 111

Germany, Sweden, Hungary Switzerland, USA Montreal and Toronto, Canada Cincinnati, USA Complete Men’s Draw US Open Complete Women’s Draw US Open Top 100 WTA and ATP Rankings Doubles Round up Where to watch the action on TV

84

RESULTS AND RANKINGS

95

WIN 15 17 17 86 90

Novak Djokovic’s book Barclays ATP World Tour Final Tickets Wimbledon 2013 DVDs and book Yonex Vcore 98 Dunlop Biomimetic Max 200G

4 W W W.T E N N I S H E A D. N E T

HEAD TO WWW.TENNISHEAD.NET FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 5

WIN!

BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINAL TICKETS

PAGE 17

114 64

08 92

18

42

WIN!

NOVAK DJOKOVIC’S BOOK PAGE 15

15 56 W W W.T E N N I S H E A D. N E T 5

Bringing you the biggest news, views and opinions

HAWKEYE

SPOT LIGHT this time...

Ra f a’s

Extraordinary Year Without any rankings points to defend until February 2014 because of his injury lay-off, Rafael Nadal could soon reclaim the World No.1 spot from Novak Djokovic HEAD TO WWW.TENNISHEAD.NET FOR THE LATEST news

At the start of the year it would have been an almost unthinkable scenario, but as the 2013 tennis season heads into its closing stages Rafa Nadal is poised to complete one of the most extraordinary campaigns in tennis history. After adding the US Open to the nine other titles he had already won this year, the 27-year-old Spaniard is on the brink of reclaiming the world No 1 ranking, which he last held in June 2011.

In one of the finest eras in the history of men’s tennis we have become accustomed to great feats by great players, but can anything match what Nadal has done this year? His stunning victory over Novak Djokovic in the final at Flushing Meadows was perhaps his finest moment, but it came in a year of staggering achievements.

Was it only eight months ago that we were wondering whether Nadal would ever play again, let alone compete for major honours?

Having pulled out of a string of tournaments in the second half of 2012 with his latest knee injury, the Spaniard had set his sights on returning for the start of the new season.

However, the Australian Open came and went before the king of clay finally made his comeback in a minor tournament on his favourite surface in the Chilean resort of Vina del Mar in February.

What happened in the following months has all but defied belief. Since making his return after seven months on the sidelines Nadal has played in 13 tournaments, reached 12 finals and suffered only three defeats.

Since losing to Horacio Zeballos in the final of his first comeback tournament in Chile, Nadal’s only losses have been to Djokovic in the final in Monte Carlo and to Steve Darcis in the first round at Wimbledon, where the

did you know: Rafa is one of six left-handed players to win the US open in the open 8 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

20 YEARS AGO: Monica Seles is stabbed by a fan in 1993 during a change of ends while playing Maggie Maleeva at a WTA event in Hamburg.

HOW TO CELEBRATE…

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic embrace after Rafa’s victory at the 2013 US Open. The match lasted three hours and 21 minutes.

Spaniard clearly paid for his all-out efforts during the clay-court season.

In the early days of his return there was speculation that Nadal might avoid any hard-court tournaments in order to protect his knees, but after his first three comeback appearances on clay he went ahead and played at Indian Wells in March. To widespread astonishment, he beat Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin del Potro in successive matches to claim the title.

It was just the start of a stunning sequence of results by the Spaniard on what has traditionally been his most challenging surface. After four tournaments on hard courts this year, Nadal’s record stands at 22 wins from 22 matches. If his clay-court triumphs in Sao Paulo, Acapulco, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Paris were extraordinary enough, his victories on hard courts at Indian Wells, Montreal, Cincinnati and New York have left his rivals open-jawed in admiration.

Those successes have left Nadal poised to regain his place at the top of the world rankings, a position he last held before Djokovic claimed it by winning Wimbledon two years ago. Apart from a three-month spell when Federer retook the top spot in the

wake of his 2012 Wimbledon triumph, Djokovic has been at the head of the rankings ever since.

The Serb considered his achievement in finishing as the year-end No 1 in 2012 an even greater triumph than having done so in his annus mirabilis of 2011. He would dearly love to complete a hat-trick this year, but the stage has been set for Nadal to deny him. Indeed, with no ranking points to defend until next February, Nadal is likely to establish a huge lead at the top of the rankings by the end of the Australian Open. With two Grand Slams and five Masters 1000 titles already under his belt, he could build a massive points total by the end of January.

Toni Nadal, Rafa’s uncle and coach, says his nephew has learned to play with pain in his knees. By the end of the US Open the 13-times Grand Slam champion was still playing without any tape on his knees, having dispensed with that safeguard earlier in the summer. It remains to be seen how much longer he can put his body under so much stress – it is hard to imagine the Spaniard competing at the highest level into his thirties – but for the time being he remains the most remarkable player of a quite remarkable generation. Vamos Rafa! n

era and third on the all-time grand slam titles list.

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NEWS

10 YEARS AGO: A 21-year-old Andy Roddick claims his only Grand Slam title by beating Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final of the 2003 US Open

© Ray Giubilo

5 YEARS AGO: Rafael Nadal and Elena Dementieva enjoy an Olympic Games to remember in Beijing by securing the men’s and women’s singles gold medals

© Ray Giubilo

1 YEAR AGO: Andy Murray breaks his Grand Slam duck by claiming his first major at Flushing Meadows when he beats Novak Djokovic to land the US Open

HAWKEYE THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL WORLD OF STATS

THENUMBERS Game WAWRINKA’S TOP 10 WINS THIS YEAR

WEEKS DJOKOVIC HAS SPENT AT NO.1 IN THE WORLD

ATP PLAYERS THAT HAVE WON MULTIPLE TITLES THIS SEASON

% OF POINTS RAONIC HAS WON OFF 1ST SERVE IN 2013 – AN ATP BEST

ATP PLAYERS TO REACH 500 CAREER WINS

7 100 10 43

LAST TIME, BEFORE 2013 US OPEN, THERE WERE THREE WOMEN OVER 30 IN A MAJOR SEMI-FINAL

1994 DAVIS CUP CHAMPIONS

FED CUP CHAMPIONS

32

17

28

7

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA, CZECH REPUBLIC

21

MINUTES IT TOOK DJOKOVIC & WAWRINKA TO COMPLETE THEIR 30-POINT GAME IN THE FIFTH SET OF THEIR US OPEN SEMI-FINAL DJOKOVIC’S RUN OF CONSECUTIVE GRAND SLAM SEMI-FINALS

WTA DOUBLES TITLES WON BY MARTINA NAVRATILOVA

YEARS FRANCE WAITED FOR A US OPEN SEMI-FINALIST BEFORE GASQUET'S RUN THIS SEASON

LOSSES NADAL HAS SUFFERED ON HARD COURTS IN 2013

14 177 20 0

USA

USA

9

80

5

FRANCE, GREAT BRITAIN

SPAIN

7

4

SWEDEN

RUSSIA

5

3

SPAIN

ITALY

ATP DOUBLES TITLES WON BY BOB & MIKE BRYAN

92

10 W W W.T E N N I S H E A D. N E T

13

UNSEEDED FEMALE PLAYERS THAT HAVE REACHED A SLAM SEMI-FINAL SINCE 2001

$9,077,322

WILLIAMS’ EARNINGS TO-DATE IN 2013, HIGHEST EVER FOR A FEMALE IN A SINGLE SEASON

ATP’S BEST INDOOR PLAYERS ROGER FEDERER

80.9

ANDY MURRAY

76.7% W-L

ROBIN SODERLING NOVAK DJOKOVIC

SERENA WILLIAMS’ WINNING % IN GRAND SLAM FINALS

80.1% W-L

74% W-L 73% W-L

DAVID NALBANDIAN

72.9% W-L Stats from WTA and ATP

Tiebreak!

LOCKER ROOM

SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW TENNIS...?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV

1

Who was the last player outside the ‘Big Four’ to win an ATP Masters 1000?

INTERVIEW: LEIGH WALSH

“I can’t run for as long as Nadal or Djokovic but I have other plusses”

2

With a dad who used to coach former world top 10 player Andrei Medvedev, the Ukranian Alexandr Dolgopolov has tennis in his genes.

But off court he’s also passionate about cars and racing them...

When you were small you used to travel quite a bit on the tour with your father.

Can you tell us about that? I can’t really remember much. I was about four or five years old and my father was working with [Andrei] Medvedev so I was just always around the courts and I travelled a lot.

Can you remember meeting or playing with any players when you travelled with your dad?

Yeah, I played with a lot of players that would be nice. That’s normal on the tour if there are kids who are with certain players, other players will play with them all the time on the court and off the court. So yeah, I played with some legends, I don’t remember much only what my parents told me.

They say that Thomas Muster always played with me and was nice to me.

Your game style is so unpredictable and your opponents often don’t know what’s coming next.

Do you think that’s your biggest strength?

Well it’s tough to say but I guess it’s a good thing for me because I’m not physically as strong as maybe Nadal or Djokovic, I can’t run for as long as them but I have other plusses. I need to try different ways to win matches so I need to be improvising and hitting a lot of different shots and giving trouble to the opponent. Of course, it’s great that I am able to do that.

Does your coach ever tell you, ‘Alexandr! Stop hitting so many trick shots!’ Mmm, no. Actually the opposite because a few years I was top 20 and I believed maybe I needed to get my game more conservative and every time I started doing that I started losing to more and more players. Players are so good these days and players were getting so used to my game easily and now I understand that my game is my game and I need to risk a lot and that’s why I am winning matches because some players don’t know what to do. Once I start to

play more conservative I started to get more trouble from players that are much lower ranked.

Do you still make computer games? No, that was a long time ago now, maybe when I was 16 or 17 years old. Now there’s not enough time and I have grown up from the games. I wrote it on my first interview on the tour when I was 18 and it has [stayed with me]. The cars have stayed but the games are a long time ago.

How many cars do you own now? I have three.

A Porsche Cayenne and two race cars. One is a Subaru and one is a Nissan GT-R. Do you pimp them up yourself? Yes. The Nissan GT-R is four times the horsepower that it has normally. It’s one of the fastest legal street cars that you can make in the world. I sent it to America and it was half a year there and I got it back last year. I race it in the Ukraine in the drag race championships and [various] other championships. That’s the hobby that I have off the court.

If you could have one superpower what would it be?

I would pick flying. I have no idea why! I just like it.

If you could change one thing about professional tennis what would it be?

I would change having men and women’s tournaments together. I would have them apart because it’s always tough when we have a tournament together. Usually there’s not enough courts, everybody wants to practice alone, singles, doubles and it becomes a little bit of a mess. The girls don’t like to play with each other, they only play with their coaches and then you see four top 20 guys playing four on one court and a girl in the top 100 playing with a coach on the other court. It’s a mess and I think for the guys they don’t enjoy those tournaments. It’s tough to play well and to practice a lot because there are too many people. There are not a lot of sites in the world that can hold men’s and women’s so usually it’s a bit tough. ■

Rafael Nadal won a staggering 11 titles in a single season once. But which year did he do it?

3

Which female player holds the record for most weeks at the top of the world rankings?

4

What’s the name of Serena Williams’ dog who was seen courtside in Canada and Cincinnati this summer?

5

Which well-known former player and coach did Maria Sharapova part ways with after just one match?

6

Novak Djokovic has won all but one of the Masters 1000 titles. Which one has eluded him?

7

Which player held five match points against Sam Querrey in Winstom-Salem this summer – and still lost?

1. David Ferrer, Paris 2012; 2. 2005; 3. Steffi Graf (377); 4. Chip; 5. Jimmy Connors; 6. Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati; 7. Jarkko Nieminen

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV

W W W.T E N N I S H E A D. N E T 13

NEWS

QUIZ

hawkeye

hot stufF Angelique Kerber

Driven to succeed

Self-confessed Formula One fanatic, Angelique Kerber explains why her attitude hasn’t changed since becoming a fixture in the WTA Top Ten

words: jo carter

Angelique Kerber recently enjoyed her

first taste of live F1 as a guest of Red Bull at the Nurburgring this summer as she witnessed compatriot Sebastian Vettel winning his home Grand Prix.

When Vettel was growing up in Heppenheim, Germany’s Michael Schumacher was dominating the sport, winning a record seven world titles between 1994 and 2004; inspiring a young Vettel to follow his idol into motor racing. Meanwhile, a few hundred miles north in Bremen, Kerber was inspired to pick up a tennis racket by a player as equally dominant in her sport as Schumacher was in his.

Steffi Graf won a record 22 Grand Slams between 1987 and 1999, a dominance which has led many to label her as the best female tennis player in history.

And while Vettel’s path to stardom was almost as fast as his Red Bull car as he became the youngest world champion in F1 history in 2010, Kerber’s rise up the WTA rankings was equally rapid. Ranked No.92 in the world at the 2011 US Open, the German moved up 58 places in the WTA rankings after reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final at Flushing Meadows, setting herself up for a stellar 2012 season.

Winning her first two WTA titles, Kerber rose rapidly through the rankings, making her top ten debut in May before a semi-final appearance at Wimbledon put her on course to break into the world’s top five in October.

The first German to finish the year in the top five since her childhood idol, Graf, Kerber won more matches in 2012 than in the previous six years combined. So what was the secret behind her new-found consistency?

“It was very fast that I reached top 10 after a long time,” Kerber admits. “But I always believed in myself the whole time

so it was not a big surprise. I had a great pre-season at the end of 2011 – I worked a lot on my fitness and I was a lot fitter than the years before. Also I started to believe in myself more – I think these two things were very important.”

Kerber is part of a generation of talented German women following the trail that Graf blazed in the late 80s and early 90s.

Among them, Sabine Lisicki agonisingly missed her chance to become Germany’s first Grand Slam champion since Graf, losing her nerve in the Wimbledon final as she lost in straight sets to Marion Bartoli. Back in 2011 Andrea Petkovic was the first German to finish in the top ten since Graf in 1998, while Mona Barthel, Julia Goerges, Annika Beck and Dinah Pfizenmaier make up the seven-strong German contingent in the world’s top 100.

“Steffi was one of my biggest idols, I have watched her matches on YouTube because I was still a little bit young when she was playing,” says Kerber. “Steffi is a legend and she is also an idol for me [and] it was a very great feeling to play Istanbul and to finish in the top five at the end of [last] year.

“I met her at Wimbledon last year for the first time. I was really nervous because it was a dream for me to meet her.”

After a breakthrough season last year, 2013 is about consolidation. Consistent, if not outstanding, results this year have seen her reach the fourth round of both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, while she reached the final in Monterrey and semi-finals in Stuttgart and Indian Wells.

While last year Kerber could quietly make her ascent up the rankings, she now has a target on her back as a member of the world’s elite. “First you need to reach the top ten, but to stay there is also not easy. For me last year was a very different year to this year. Last year I had nothing to lose.” n

kerber factfile: BORN: Bremen, Germany | lives: Puszczykowo, Poland 18 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

HOt stuFF

hot stuff

“Graf was one of my biggest idols. I have watched her matches on youtube”

© Britta Roeske

anGelIQue kerBer

Made in gerMany... → Angelique Kerber (pictured above with racing car driver Sebastian Vettel) is, of course, the latest in a long line of German champions.Steffi Graf leads the way in terms of quantity and quality after winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles and spending a record 377 weeks at the top of the WTA rankings during an illustrious career.

Playing during the same era was German one-off Boris Becker who won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old.

The red-haired superstar collected six Grand Slam singles titles of his own, reached top spot in the ATP rankings and, like Graf, also won an Olympic gold medal during his playing days.

Becker came face-to-face with a fellow German in the Wimbledon final in 1991 when Michael Stich claimed his one and only major singles title. Stich, now tournament director at the ATP 500 event in Hamburg, also made the final of the French Open and US Open, as well as the semi-finals in Australia and enjoyed a career-high world ranking of No.2 in 1993.

Tommy Haas is another German still flying his nation's flag despite playing at the ripe old age of 35.

The Florida-based star was another to reach No.2 in the rankings (way back in 2002) and has been a Grand Slam semi-finalist at Wimbledon and at the Australian Open in the past.

age: 25 | tuRNed pRO: 2003 | RaNkiNg Best: no.5 | wta titles: two W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. n e t 19

G AL LE RY

flushing meadows, new york

An unlikely liaison between Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou has been the key to the American’s stunning run of success

“She came and she said: ‘I wanXX t toXX winXXWimbledon.

I want to start now.’

That’s how it started”

Patrick Mouratoglou

frenCH COnneCtiOn T WORDS: PAUL NEWMAN Paul Newman is Tennis Correspondent of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday

3 6 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. n e t

hey are one of the most unlikely double acts in tennis. Serena Williams grew up in Compton, a crime-ridden neighbourhood to the south of Los Angeles, where she learned her tennis on public courts littered with drug addicts’ syringes, to the background noise of gunfire from drive-by shootings. Her upbringing could hardly have been more different to that of Patrick Mouratoglou, whose father, Paris, is one of the richest men in France, having made fortunes in the renewable energy business.

Patrick, who was a leading tennis junior in his early teenage years, never played professionally but turned to coaching after completing his business studies. At the age of 26 he set up his own tennis academy on the outskirts of the French capital.

The paths of the greatest woman player of the 21st century and one of the sport’s more charismatic coaches might never have crossed but for Williams’ extraordinary exit from last year’s French Open. The American’s defeat to Virginie Razzano, the world No.111, was her

first in the opening round in 47 appearances at Grand Slam tournaments. “It was two or three days after the loss,” Mouratoglou said as he recalled Williams’ arrival at his academy. “She just wanted to practise. She came and she said: ‘I want to win Wimbledon. I want to start now.’

That’s how it started.”

Mouratoglou has coached Williams ever since. Within a month she had indeed won Wimbledon, her first Grand Slam title for two years. Within three months she had added the Olympic and US Open crowns. The American went on to win the season-ending WTA Championships title and by February of this year was back at No.1 in the world rankings, having last held the top spot in October 2010.

Even though a 34-match unbeaten run, the best of her career, ended in a surprise defeat to Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round at Wimbledon this summer, she has lost only five matches since linking up with Mouratoglou. Since their partnership began, Williams has won 14 of the 19 tournaments which she has played, including Wimbledon, the Olympics, the French Open and the last two US Opens.

W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. n e t 3 7

jur ge n me l ze r

D . O .B . 2 2 . 0 5 . 8 1

Golden

Many of today’s most successful pros are in their thirties, a worrying trend for the whippersnappers on tour WORDS: PAUL NEWMAN Paul Newman is Tennis Correspondent of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday

4 2 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

d av id f e r r e r

D . O .B . 0 2 . 0 4 . 8 2

OLDIES

W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 4 3

m ar i on ba r tol i

5 0 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

I did it my way Marion Bartoli on her dramatic goodbye to tennis and how James Bond played a part in her Wimbledon title this summer WORDS: PAUL NEWMAN Paul Newman is Tennis Correspondent of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday

W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 5 1

ACADEMY

Agnieszka Radwanska

backHAND

With Rafa's serve done and dusted, Rob Castorri gets to grips with one of the most consistent performers on the women's tour

1

Radwanska prepares by having her shoulders perpendicular to the net and by performing a small 'loop' in her backswing. Her knees are already bent and racket is low. This tells us it will be a reasonably low ball to return.

double dilemma

2

Radwanska’s shoulders have rotated even more as she is about to begin her forward swing. Most of her weight has shifted forwards and her racket head has dropped from its original position, allowing her to get under the ball.

Both knees and racket continue to drop as she transfers her weight onto the front foot while focusing on the ball. The racket begins moving forwards behind the transfer of her bodyweight.

one or two hands?

While a two-handed backhand isn't for everyone, the sight of a player taking on the shot with just one hand on the WTA tour is pretty rare these days. Using two hands gives you increased power, and helps players 6 4 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

3

execute with added stability too. By adding another hand to the racket players can take the ball early – or on the rise – much more easily and with more confidence, particularly on high bouncing courts.

agnieszka radwanska

the lowdown

Ever since the 24-year-old won the girls' singles title at Wimbledon in 2005 and the junior title at Roland Garros a year later, the young Pole has been regarded as one of the toughest cookies to crack on the WTA tour. In a sport increasingly dominated by strength, Radwanska's approach to

tennis is more about how to outwit her opponent using her astute tactical awareness and precision rather than power. Her finest hour came at Wimbledon in 2012 when she pushed Serena Williams to three sets in the ladies final, after which she rose to a ranking high of No.2.

GOLDEN RULE

For increased balance and ability to get under a low ball, use your legs, not your back, to bend down for the shot.

4

With head and eyes glued to the ball, Radwanska makes great contact in the middle of her racket. Notice how she has got even lower than in the previous picture. She looks balanced due to a deep knee-bend in both legs.

non-playing hand

5

Remaining low to the ground, Radwanska follows through towards her target. Her head and eyes have lifted up rather quickly, but it doesn’t seem to negatively affect her impact point or execution of the ball.

6

Her follow through is almost complete with the racket now fully over her right shoulder.

She rises up from her deep, crouched position.

Many players do this during the stroke to create a little lift on their ball flight.

increased control

The non-dominant hand – in other words, the left hand if you're a right hander and vice versa – plays an important role when hitting a two-handed backhand. Right-handers should think of it like hitting a

left-handed forehand. If effective, the left hand will help add spin, stability and make it easier to 'pull' really wide balls back into court.

Rafael Nadal is a master at using his right hand when hitting backhands.

W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 65

academy

frame by frame

ACADEMY

Mats Merkel Born: September 28 1984 Lives: Germany

2007: Hired by adidas on a fourday trial helping to distribute kit to players before US Open.

Joined adidas as a consultant, travelling up to 30 weeks a year with adidas’ Player Development Program Coaching: Mats has worked with the likes of Justine Henin, Andy Murray, Fernando Verdasco, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic and JoWilfried Tsonga. He is currently working with the next generation of tennis stars such as Kiki Mladenovic, Jack Sock and Monica Puig. “I love working with different players at any one time and enjoy the variety rather than being a full-time coach to a single player.”

Marketing: As well as helping organise promotional events during tournaments, Mats works with the adidas innovation team, helping develop new products – advising on how players are moving on court to inform research into shoe technology.

“A great example of someone who really committed to developing their game rather than just maintaining it was Fernando Verdasco back in 2008” 70 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

Scouting: Towards the end of the season Mats will attend high-profile junior events in Florida – the Eddie Herr International and the Orange Bowl – working with Claus Marten who has been involved in talent identification for over 25 years.

He will report back to adidas on juniors already contracted with the brand and write reports on other players who show potential.

“There are always going to be new Grand Slam champions and my goal is to make sure adidas has the next one, like Andy Murray is now, who is going to be winning Majors in seven or eight years’ time.”

Mats Merkel

academy

biography Mats Merkel has worked with the likes of Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Caroline Wozniacki as part of the adidas Player Development Program. Mats has joined tennishead as a columnist and will be offering an insight into life on tour while sharing his views on current issues in the world of tennis. In his first column, he explains the challenges that lie ahead for players in the latter stages of the season.

Hard yards

As players head towards the end of the season, decisions will be taken that balance matchplay with game improvements.

With the final Grand Slam of the season done and dusted, one of the biggest tests for players at this time of the year is to maintain momentum. The season is long, and between the start of the European clay swing and the end of the US Open it is very intense. Hard courts are a lot tougher on the body and less forgiving on joints – sooner or later you will feel it in your knees, your hips – your entire body will suffer and you will be in need of a break.

If you are a top player you can afford to take a few weeks off, but if you are lower down the rankings you don’t always have that luxury and have to think about prize money and defending points from the previous year.

But if you want to improve you have to take time off and focus on your game – building up your strength, working on your movement and fine-tuning your technique. This is a gamble because your rivals might be making more ranking points in your absence – being inside the top 32 is a major target for many players because you will be seeded at the Slams and, in theory, get an easier draw.

If you choose to take time off you must use the time effectively and really work at a high intensity. While your ranking might take a hit initially, in the longer term you should reap the benefits of improved results.

It is the same for any player, no matter what your standard. As a club player if you want to improve your game you can’t do it during competition. You have to be willing to invest time on the practice court.

A great example of someone who really committed to developing his game rather than just maintaining it was Fernando Verdasco back in 2008. He took a long training block in Las Vegas with his fitness trainer Vicente Calvo and really benefited from the experience of the adidas guys – Sven Groeneveld, and Andre Agassi’s former coach Darren Cahill and fitness trainer Gil Reyes. I was working with Fernando on a daily basis, preparing drills and

making sure he was working at a high intensity and getting the most from his training.

The hard work paid off at the beginning of the 2009 season, when he reached the final in Brisbane before a superb run to the semi-finals at the Australian Open.

It was a very hot Australian summer we found ourselves in, but Fernando was in good shape and upset Andy Murray in the fourth round before beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter-finals, eventually losing to Rafael Nadal in an epic semi-final lasting over five hours.

Fernando surprised Murray – Andy was just not ready for that intensity – I think he expected an easier match but the Spaniard’s efforts paid dividends.

For those who opt to keep playing, it’s vital to stay motivated and not just play for the sake of it. Towards the end of a long season it can be tough to encourage a player to travel to the other side of the world.

I convinced young Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker to travel to Asia in the autumn of 2010. He’d had a good summer, reaching the semi-finals at an ATP 500 in Barcelona and the US Open third round. He was exhausted and really didn’t want to go to Asia but I persuaded him it would be a worthwhile trip and would boost his ranking.

In fact, he only won one match in three tournaments but it was his first full season on the ATP Tour and a good learning experience. It was tough for him as he needed a break but he finished the year inside the top 50 having started it just inside the top 100. It’s tough to tell a player something they don’t want to hear but at the end of the day everything I do is in their best interests.

Yes, it is a strain on the body but it is part of the choice they made when turning professional. They have to remember they are living the dream – there are many others who would sacrifice everything to play on a sold-out Centre Court at the US Open or in Shanghai, or anywhere else for that matter. n W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 7 1

INGEAR

KIT BITS

TAKE YOUR KIT AS SERIOUSLY AS YOUR GAME

Dan Evans ran into trouble with his top at the US Open. Asked why he needed a medical time-out against Bernard Tomic, he told one reporter: ‘My nipples were the colour of your shirt!’

BABOLAT SET FOR SW19 TAKEOVER

WIMBLEDON WILL HAVE a little extra je ne sais quoi in 2014 as Babolat unveils its Championships range.

The French brand – already the official supplier of balls, rackets and strings at Roland Garros – will step up its involvement at SW19 in the new year with a new official rackets, bags, and accessories range.

“We have been impressed by the care and attention that Babolat has paid to all aspects of product development and design,” said Mick Desmond, Commercial Director at the All England Club.

One of the oldest names in tennis, Babolat already supplies the official shoe of The Championships.

“Our shared ambition is to foster the spirit of tennis all year long and all around the world for all players,” said company CEO Eric Babolat.

8 2 W W W.T E N N I S H E A D. N E T

WHAT’S HOT

HEAD TO WWW.TENNISHEAD.NET FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS

FIND YOUR PERFECT FIT Tecnifibre’s new T-Fit range gives club players the chance to tweak their rackets like the pros

HAVE YOU EVER wondered what your racket would be like if you could muster a little extra power or control from the frame? In that case, you’ve probably thought about adding some lead tape to your racket.

The principle is straightforward enough – extra weight near the handle improves control, while weight around the racket head bumps up the swing-weight and power. Many of the game’s top players use fully-customised frames packed with minor tweaks to the stock rackets to get that perfect feel. Still, for anyone starting out in tennis, fiddling with your racket’s specs can feel like playing with fire.

Now Tecnifibre has launched T-Fit, their new entry-level range that introduces the customisation process to players of all abilities.

The sleek paintjobs include zones around the

head and in the throat of the racket where players should add the 2g strips of tape if they’re looking for greater power or control. It may not sound like much, but players will notice the impact of a strategically positioned 4g adjustment to the 260g T-Fit 260 Lite from the very first ball. And if you don’t like the change, simply reposition the tape – a whole lot cheaper than heading out in search of a new racket, particularly if your game changes as you improve.

To make sure new players feel comfortable with their tricked-out sticks, Tecnifibre plans to sell the racket exclusively on the high street so players can get advice from the experts at their local tennis shop. Each T-Fit racket comes with two 2g weighted strips with additional packs of tape also sold separately.

Visit www.tecnifibre.com

gear

Me and my racket

JARKKO NIEMINEN

Wilson Six.OnE 95 BLX

interview: leigh walsH

Finland’s finest started playing with a longer racket as a junior and has stuck with stretched frames ever since. He’s been a Wilson player since turning pro...

“You use some rackets more than the others, so I number them. It’s not superstition – it’s so I practice more with No. 5 and No. 6!” jarkko nieminen

and since then I just liked to play with a longer racket. Obviously if it’s too long it doesn’t feel good, but I liked it right away and I’ve stayed with it. I’ve been playing well with that, so I don’t want to change – that would be a pretty major change for me, to go back to a normal length racket.

What strings do you use, and at what tension?

I used Luxillon AluPower original, and my average tension throughout the year is about 25kg. Sometimes less – it was

Wilson Six.OnE 95 BLX head size

95 square inches length 27 inches unstrung weight 332 grammes string pattern 16 x 18 Cross section 21.6 mm

Tech specs

Does racket technology interest you? Obviously it’s important, because it’s a player’s most important tool. It’s interesting when a new model comes up, but I don’t have a much deeper interest than that. It’s always when new rackets are coming up. Sometimes there are bigger changes, but it’s not often that they have a major change.

Is it difficult to adjust when your sponsor updates your racket from the previous model? In the end, it’s the player who decides [whether or not to switch]. You always have time to try them out. I feel it’s always been up to me, and my free choice.

Personally I’ve never been under pressure to change anything.

How long have you been working with Wilson?

Since 2000.

What is it you like about the brand? Well, first of all I like their rackets. All the brands have very different rackets but this Wilson has been working really well for me – I really like when you have good control with the racket and my racket has very nice control, very good feel. I still get enough pace, but I prefer to have good control.

Is your racket customised in any way?

Mine’s just a little bit longer, otherwise it’s the same as the factory racket. Some are a half-inch longer, mine’s a full inch longer. They used to sell those ones in the shop as well – I think the half-inch is still very popular.

How come you ended up playing with a longer racket? They started to make these halfinch and one-inch stretch rackets about 15 years ago. I was one of those who tried it,

a little bit lower at Wimbledon – and sometimes more.

Do you have any superstitions with your rackets? It’s not a superstition, but when I get a new set of rackets I try to use them all – but sometimes you end up using some of the rackets more than the others. I put numbers on them, so I know that I have played more with No. 1 than No. 6. But it’s not superstition – basically it’s so I know that I have to practice a bit more with No. 5 and No. 6!

Do you keep any rackets after memorable matches? Not really, but I keep one of each model – I have one of every model I’ve played with since I started playing tennis.

Do you hang them up at home? No, but I do have a plan for them. I have all my trophies at the tennis club where I grew up, and I want to do something good later with those rackets. I don’t need them in the closet at home, so I’ll use them for a good cause. n W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 8 7

gear

Log on...

For more advice to improve your game visit

www.tennishead.net

The game changers The evolution of the racket sparked a revolution in tennis over the past 40 years – but for John Barrett, one of the sport’s great servants, it has gone too far

“There’s one of mine,” says the voice that narrated the memories of so many Wimbledon moments. “The Slazenger Challenge, one of the rackets I designed. We incorporated the idea of Fred Perry’s All White design with a blue stripe across it. There’s a fibreglass overlay on top of the throat – can you see it?”

John Barrett is one of the great tennis polymaths. A schoolboy champion, Cambridge Blue and Wimbledon stalwart, he captained the British Davis Cup team and in 1965 established the LTA’s first training squad, the super-fit Barrett Boys – all while working for Slazenger, where he rose to International Promotions Director for tennis, and writing for the Financial Times as tennis correspondent until 2006. For many fans he is best remembered as the BBC’s Voice of Wimbledon until calling time on his 35-year commentary career in 2006.

Now 82, he continues to write; the third edition of his official history of the Championships was released earlier this year. His nomination to the International Tennis Hall of Fame was announced in September.

Our conversation takes place on the anniversary of the birth of the ATP World Tour rankings in 1973, but another revolution that has radically changed the sport over the past 40 years, one that Barrett believes should have been handled with greater care by the game’s governing bodies, is the subject of discussion.

Walking through the museum, Barrett traces the lineage of the tennis racket from its origins in real tennis to the experimental wooden frames of the early 20th century. Among the various sizes and string patterns on display, it is Bunny Austin’s triple-shafted Hazell’s Streamline from the 1930s that catches his eye.

8 8 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

© RAY GIUBILO

Words: Michael Beattie

“the itf didn’t take any action when aluminium and steel came in, then graphite...”

“Nowadays all rackets have the split-throat shape, but that was the first wooden one to have it,” Barrett says. “Austin said it gave him much more control on ground strokes because there was little or no torque. If you hit it off-centre, the head of a wooden racket would bend very slightly, but because there were two arms either side that was eliminated.”

For the most part, the classic lollipop wooden frame dominates the display cases, as it did among the top players until the 1970s, when the ATP was conceived. “The feel on the racket was marvellous,” he continues, “because you’re controlling the ball – the frame is taking some of the power and you can feel the ball on the strings.”

Jimmy Connors and his steel-framed Wilson T2000 would change all that. With his powerful flat drives and

Above: John McEnroe is the only man who has won Wimbledon with both a wooden racket – and a graphite racket

racket revolution

Four watershed moments for rackets 1974: Connors murders Rosewall – twice “The Wilson T-2000 was a Lacoste invention,” recalls Barrett. “Jimmy Connors used it when he beat Ken Rosewall in the final at Wimbledon and then again at the US Open – murdered him. You saw the difference that the steel racket made – he was hitting the ball harder and earlier, it was easy to wield.”

1983: Big Mac changes winning recipe “John McEnroe winning Wimbledon with a graphite frame was a watershed moment. He won his first title with a wooden Dunlop Maxply in 1981. By 1983 he had switched to the Dunlop Max 200G, the first and only injection-moulded graphite frame.”

Barrett on whether Federer should switch rackets permanently... → “I’d say, 'Don’t change.' When Rod Laver changed from his trusty Dunlop Maxply, with which he was invincible and everybody knew he was going to beat them before they walked on court, to a Chemold – they gave him a share in the company, but soon went bust – I said to him: ‘Do you think Yehudi Menuhin would have given up his trusty Stradivarius for a tin fiddle? Never!’ [Laver] lost his aura of invincibility after that.”

ability to hit the ball early, he claimed three Grand Slam titles in 1974 and succeeded Ilie Nastase and John Newcombe as the ATP’s third world No.1. “Connors was the one man who could play with the T2000 because he’d started out with it,” Barrett recalls. “But it was difficult to play with. The head was small so you had to middle it, and the steel loop construction meant there was a lot of torque when you hit it off-centre.”

Connors’ rise to prominence would eventually change the very nature of the game. Wooden rackets did not disappear overnight, but just a decade later the top players had left ash and beech for steel, aluminium and graphite – and soon swapped strategy and touch for pace and power.

“Manufacturers were experimenting with various materials because the laws of tennis said nothing about tennis rackets,” Barrett explains. That changed in 1977 when the ITF banned the double-strung Werner Fischer racket with its ‘spaghetti strings’, used by Nastase to snap Guillermo Vilas’ 46-match winning streak. Regulations on racket dimensions followed in 1981, but for Barrett, who submitted an open letter to

2002: Baseline battle “Our thoughts on how you should play on grass changed when two baseliners met in the Wimbledon final. Lleyton Hewitt beat David Nalbandian in a match that featured a solitary serve-volley point. That was the last great watershed.”

ANDRE Agassi

© RAY GIUBILO

Stick with it, Roger!

1992: Rebel without a volley conquers SW19 “When Andre Agassi won in 1992 against Goran Ivanisevic, the ultimate serve-volleyer, he did so from the baseline.

Agassi’s oversize racket allowed him to hit the ball very early – almost half-volleys around the baseline – and with enough topspin to control the ball.”

W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 8 9

gear

The game changers

world rankings

September 9 2013

wta rankings RANKING

1

PERSONAL

ACHIEVEMENTS

FORM

11-100 RANKINGS

Won titles No.53 and 54 on the clay of Bastad and the hard courts of Toronto. Picked up her first loss since Wimbledon in the final of Cincinnati, losing to Azarenka in a third-set tiebreak, before gaining revenge over the Belarusian in New York to win her fifth US Open.

11 Petra Kvitova (CZE) 12 Roberta Vinci (ITA) 13 Sloane Stephens (USA) 14 Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 15 Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 16 Sabine Lisicki (GER) 17 Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 18 Samantha Stosur (AUS) 19 Simona Halep (ROU) 20 Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 21 Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 22 Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 23 Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 24 Elena Vesnina (RUS) 25 Jamie Hampton (USA) 26 Kaia Kanepi (EST) 27 Nadia Petrova (RUS) 28 Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 29 Alize Cornet (FRA) 30 Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 31 Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 32 Mona Barthel (GER) 33 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 34 Klara Zakopalova (CZE) 35 Laura Robson (GBR) 36 Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 37 Peng Shuai (CHN) 38 Urszula Radwanska (POL) 39 Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) 40 Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 41 Elina Svitolina (UKR) 42 Monica Niculescu (ROU) 43 Madison Keys (USA) 44 Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 45 Monica Puig (PUR) 46 Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 47 Julia Goerges (GER) 48 Lucie Safarova (CZE) 49 Karin Knapp (ITA) 50 Andrea Petkovic (GER) 51 Annika Beck (GER) 52 Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 53 Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) 54 Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 55 Romina Oprandi (SUI) 56 Zheng Jie (CHN) 57 Alison Riske (USA) 58 Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 59 Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP) 60 Ayumi Morita (JPN) 61 Venus Williams (USA) 62 Donna Vekic (CRO) 63 Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) 64 Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 65 Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 66 Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 67 Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 68 Marina Erakovic (NZL) 69 Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) 70 Caroline Garcia (FRA) 71 Alexandra Cadantu (ROU) 72 Lauren Davis (USA) 73 Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 74 Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 75 Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 76 Kiki Bertens (NED) 77 Heather Watson (GBR) 78 Kurumi Nara (JPN) 79 Camila Giorgi (ITA) 80 Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) 81 Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 82 Johanna Larsson (SWE) 83 Shahar Peer (ISR) 84 Christina McHale (USA) 85 Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) 86 Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor (ESP) 87 Polona Hercog (SLO) 88 Anna Schmiedlova (SVK) 89 Petra Martic (CRO) 90 Misaki Doi (JPN) 91 Virginie Razzano (FRA) 92 Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 93 Jana Cepelova (SVK) 94 Vesna Dolonc (SRB) 95 Sharon Fichman (CAN) 96 Marina Duque-Marino (COL) 97 Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 98 Michelle Larcher de Brito (POR) 99 Julia Glushko (ISR) 100 Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP)

Serena WIlliams

usa Born: 26/09/81 Lives: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA Height: 5ft 9in Weight: 155 lbs

This year: $9,077,322 Career to date: $50,875,231 Career-high ranking: 1 (08/07/02) Career titles: 55 Last title: US Open, Grand Slam, New York, USA, September 2013

2

victoria azarenka

belarus Born: 31/07/89 Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 6ft Weight: 145 lbs

This year: $5,796,185 Career to date: $22,653,462 Career-high ranking: 1 (30/01/12) Career titles: 17 Last title: Western & Southern Open, WTA Premier, Cincinnati, USA, August 2013

Bounced back from a disappointing defeat to Sam Stosur in the final of Carlsbad to win in Cincinnati, where she beat Serena Williams in a tight final.

Reached the final at the US Open for a second year in succession, losing to Williams in three sets.

3

maria sharapova

russia Born: 19/04/87 Lives: Bradenton, Florida, USA Height: 6ft 2in Weight: 130 lbs

This year: $3,544,222 Career to date: $26,695,845 Career-high ranking: 1 (22/08/05) Career titles: 29 Last title: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, WTA Premier, Stuttgart, Germany, April 2013

Failed to win a match since Wimbledon, falling to Sloane Stephens in three sets in her opening round in Cincinnati.

Sacked coach Jimmy Connors after just one tournament together before pulling out of the US Open with a shoulder injury.

4

Agnieszka rADWANSKA

Poland Born: 06/03/89 Lives: Krakow, Poland Height: 5ft 8in Weight: 123 lbs

This year: $2,086,815 Career to date: $13,138,492 Career-high ranking: 2 (09/07/12) Career titles: 12 Last title: Apia International, WTA Premier, Sydney, Australia, January 2013

Went 12-4 during the hard-court swing. Fell in the final of Stanford (l. to Dominika Cibulkova), the quarter-final of Carlsbad (l. to Stosur) and the semi-final of Toronto (l. to Serena Williams).

Upset by Ekaterina Makarova in the fourth round at the US Open.

5

li na

CHINA Born: 26/02/82 Lives: Wuhan, China Height: 5ft 8in Weight: 143 lbs

This year: $2,791,585 Career to date: $12,108,289 Career-high ranking: 4 (06/06/11) Career titles: 7 Last title: Shenzhen Longgang Gemdale Open, WTA International, Shenzhen, China PR, January '13

Produced consistent results during the US swing. Reached the semi-final in Toronto (l. to Sorana Cirstea) and Cincinnati (l. to Serena Williams) before becoming the first Chinese player to make the last four at the US Open, where she once more fell to Williams.

6

Sara Errani

ITALY Born: 29/04/1987 Lives: Bologna, Italy Height: 5ft 4in Weight: 132 lbs

This year: $2,197,962 Career to date: $6,977,232 Career-high ranking: 5 (20/05/13) Career titles: 7 Last title: Abierto Mexicano Telcel, WTA International, Acapulco, Mexico, March 2013

Lost to compatriot Robert Vinci on the clay of Palermo before defeat to Radwanska in the last eight in Toronto. Struggled since, losing to Vinci again in Cincinnati before second round losses in New Haven (l. to Makarova) and at the US Open (l. to Flavia Pennetta).

7

marion bartoli

FRANCE Born:02/10/1984 Lives: Geneva, Switzerland Height: 5ft 7in Weight: 139 lbs

This year: $2,890,132 Career to date: $11,055,114 Career-high ranking: 7 (30/01/12) Career titles: 8 Last title: Wimbledon, Grand Slam, London, England, July 2013

Notched just one win on the hard courts of North America against Lauren Davis in Toronto. One week later in Cincinnati announced her shock retirement from the game in her post-match press conference after losing in the first round to Simona Halep.

8

Caroline Wozniacki

denmark Born: 11/07/90 Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 5ft 10in Weight: 128 lbs

This year: $1,221,093 Career to date: $15,392,190 Career-high ranking: 1 (11/10/10) Career titles: 20 Last title: Kremlin Cup, WTA Premier, Moscow, Russia October 2012

After falling in the first round in Toronto, impressed en route to the quarter-final in Cincinnati where she beat No.9 Petra Kvitova along the way - and the semi-final in New Haven. Faltered at the US, losing to world No.136 Camila Giorgi in round three.

9

Angelique Kerber

germany Born: 18/01/88 Lives: Puszczykowo, Poland Height: 5ft 8in Weight: 150 lbs

This year: $1,060,458 Career to date: $4,345,637 Career-high ranking: 5 (22/10/12) Career titles: 2 Last title: e-Boks Open, WTA International, Copenhagen, Denmark, April 2012

Fell to players ranked below her in four out of five hard-court events, reaching the quarter-finals just once in Washington DC (l. to Magdalena Rybarikova). Defeated

by Carla Suarez Navarro in a third-set tiebreak in the fourth round of the US Open.

10

Jelena Jankovic

Serbia Born: 28/02/1985 Lives: Dubai, UAE Height: 5ft 9in Weight: 130 lbs

This year: $1,247,859 Career to date: $14,545,585 Career-high ranking: 1 (11/08/2008) Career titles: 13 Last title: Copa Claro Colsanitas, WTA International, Bogota, Colombia, February 2013

Returned to the top ten after a two-year absence. Reached the round of 16 in Carlsbad and Toronto before beating four top 25 players en route to a semi-final appearance in Cincinnatti (l. to Azarenka). Defeated by Li Na in the last 16 of the US Open.

Points: 12,260

Points: 9,505

Points: 7,866

Points: 6,335

Points: 5,565

Points: 4,325

Points: 3,746

Points: 3,645

Points: 3,420

Points: 3,245

down 2

10 8 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

RANKINGS

september 9 2013

emirates ATP Rankings RANKING

1

PERSONAL

ACHIEVEMENTS

FORM

11-100 RANKINGS

Lost to Nadal for the second time this season in Rogers Cup semi-finals before quarter-final defeat to John Isner in Cincinnati.

Did enough to hang onto No.1 spot by reaching US Open final but leads Nadal by just 120 points after Spaniard's win in New York

11 Milos Raonic (CAN) 12 Kei Nishikori (JPN) 13 Tommy Haas (GER) 14 Jerzy Janowicz (POL) 15 John Isner (USA) 16 Gilles Simon (FRA) 17 Fabio Fognini (ITA) 18 Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 19 Tommy Robredo (ESP) 20 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 21 Kevin Anderson (RSA) 22 Andreas Seppi (ITA) 23 Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 24 Marin Cilic (CRO) 25 Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 26 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 27 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 28 Benoit Paire (FRA) 29 Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 30 Juan Monaco (ARG) 31 Sam Querrey (USA) 32 Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 33 Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 34 Julien Benneteau (FRA) 35 Ivan Dodig (CRO) 36 Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 37 Gael Monfils (FRA) 38 Marcel Granollers (ESP) 39 Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 40 Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 41 Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 42 Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 43 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) 44 Florian Mayer (GER) 45 Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 46 Lukas Rosol (CZE) 47 Denis Istomin (UZB) 48 Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 49 Michael Llodra (FRA) 50 Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 51 Bernard Tomic (AUS) 52 Victor Hanescu (ROU) 53 Albert Montanes (ESP) 54 Pablo Andujar (ESP) 55 Marinko Matosevic (AUS) 56 Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 57 Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 58 Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 59 Federico Delbonis (ARG) 60 Daniel Brands (GER) 61 Radek Stepanek (CZE) 62 Robin Haase (NED) 63 Roberto-Bautista Agut (ESP) 64 Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 65 Martin Klizan (SVK) 66 Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 67 Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) 68 Alex Bogomolov Jr (RUS) 69 Kenny De Schepper (FRA) 70 Lukasz Kubot (POL) 71 Viktor Troicki (SRB) 72 David Goffin (BEL) 73 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 74 Grega Zemlja (SLO) 75 Igor Sijsling (NED) 76 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 77 Albert Ramos (ESP) 78 Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 79 Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 80 Benjamin Becker (GER) 81 Guillaume Rufin (FRA) 82 Tobias Kamke (GER) 83 Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) 84 Jiri Vesely (CZE) 85 Dudi Sela (ISR) 86 Lukas Lacko (SVK) 87 Santiago Giraldo (COL) 88 Jack Sock (USA) 89 Joao Sousa (POR) 90 Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 91 Michael Russell (USA) 92 Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 93 Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 94 Alejandro Falla (COL) 95 Jesse Huta Galung (NED) 96 Denis Kudla (USA) 97 Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) 98 Guido Pella (ARG) 99 Filippo Volandri (ITA) 100 Marc Giquel (FRA)

Novak Djokovic

Serbia Born: 22/05/87 Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 6ft 2in Weight: 176 lbs

This year: $7,259,112 Career to date: $52,945,610 Career-high ranking: 1 (04/07/11) Career titles: 37 Last title: Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, ATP World Tour 1000, Monte-Carlo, Monaco, April 2013

2

rafael nadal

Spain Born: 03/06/86 Lives: Manacor, Mallorca, Spain Height: 6ft 1in Weight: 188 lbs

This year: $10,448,869 $5,714,859 Career to date: $55,776,687 $60,510,697 Career-high ranking: 1 (18/08/08) Career titles: 60 57 Last title: US French Open, Open, Grand Grand Slam,Slam, Paris, New York France, USA,June September 2013 2013

Continued Became thehis first astonishing man to win the same Grandseason comeback Slam tournament with victory at eight times Flushing Meadows when hetodefeated maintain his David Ferrer unbeaten record in French on hard Open courts finalin to claim 2013.

Victories his 12thinmajor Montreal title.and Suffered his Cincinnati were firstfollowed 1R defeat byina a Slam whendisplay dominant he lostintoNew Steve York Darcis to on opening win his second dayUS at Wimbledon.

Open title

3

andy murray

great britain Born: 15/05/87 Lives: London, UK Height: 6ft 3in Weight: 185 lbs

This year: $5,416,221 Career to date: $30,271,843 Career-high ranking: 2 (17/08/09) Career titles: 28 Last title: Wimbledon, Grand Slam, London, England, July 2013

Struggled to replicate his grass-court form on hard courts, falling to Ernests Gulbis in the round of 16 in Montreal and to Berdych in the quarter-final in Cincinnati. Failed to defend his US Open crown, losing to Wawrinka in straight sets in the last eight.

4

David Ferrer

Spain Born: 02/04/82 Lives: Valencia, Spain Height: 5ft 9in Weight: 160 lbs

This year: $3,170,680 Career to date: $20,219,769 Career-high ranking: 3 (08/07/13) Career titles: 20 Last title: Copa Claro, ATP World Tour 250, Buenos Aires, Argentina, February 2013

Produced some uncharacteristic results in North America, losing to No.83 Alex Bogomolov Jr. in Montreal and to No.44 Dmitry Tursunov in Cincinnati. Reached the quarter-final at the US Open for the third time before defeat to Gasquet in five sets.

5

tomas berdych

czech republic Born: 17/09/85 Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 6ft 5in Weight: 200 lbs

This year: $2,023,703 Career to date: $15,151,698 Career-high ranking: 5 (19/08/13) Career titles: 8 Last title: If Stockholm Open, ATP World Tour 250, Stockholm, Sweden, October 2012

Fell to No.104 Thiemo de Bakker on clay in Bastad and to No.71 Vasek Pospisil in Montreal. Broke the top five for the first time after beating Murray en route to the semi-finals in Cincinnati (l. to Nadal) before losing to Wawrinka in the round of 16 at the US Open.

6

Roger Federer

switzerland Born: 08/08/81 Lives: Bottmingen, Switzerland Height: 6ft 1in Weight: 187 lbs

This year: $1,925,336 Career to date: $77,940,114 Career-high ranking: 1 (02/02/04) Career titles: 77 Last title: Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Germany, June 2013

Experimented with a new racket in Hamburg and Gstaad where he fell in the semi-final (l. to Federico Delbonis) and round of 16 (l. to Daniel Brands). Returned to old racket in Cincinnati (l. to Nadal) and at the US Open, where he was upset by Robredo in round four.

7

juan martin del potro

argentina Born: 23/09/88 Lives: Tandil, Argentina Height: 6ft 6in Weight: 214 lbs

This year: $2,367,361 Career to date: $13,220,712 Career-high ranking: 4 (11/01/10) Career titles: 15 Last title: Citi Open, ATP World Tour 500, Washington DC, USA, August 2013

Captured second title of 2013 at the Citi Open, beating John Isner in the final. Defeated in round two in Montreal (l. to Milos Raonic) and in the semi-final in Cincinnati (l. to Isner). Failed to reach round three at the US Open for the first time since debut in 2006 (l. to Hewitt).

8

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

france Born: 17/04/85 Lives: Gingins, Switzerland Height: 6ft 2in Weight: 200 lbs

This year: $1,438,064 Career to date: $12,114,991 Career-high ranking: 5 (27/02/12) Career titles: 10 Last title: Open 13, ATP World Tour 250, Marseille, France, February 2013

Missed the whole North American hard-court swing with the knee injury that forced him out of the second round at Wimbledon.

Expected to return in October and when he does will be without coach Roger Rasheed who he split with at the end of August.

9

richard gasquet

france Born: 18/06/86 Lives: Neuchatel, Switzerland Height: 6ft 1in Weight: 165 lbs

This year: $1,869,183 Career to date: $9,229,196 Career-high ranking: 7 (09/07/07) Career titles: 9 Last title: Open Sud de France, ATP World Tour 250, Montpellier, France, February 2013

A run to the last eight in Montreal (l. to Djokovic) was sandwiched between first round exits in Umag and Cincinnati. Won back-to-back five-set matches over Raonic and Ferrer to reach the US Open semi-final for the first time before losing to Nadal.

10

Stanislas Wawrinka

switzerland Born: 28/03/85 Lives: St Barthelemy, Switzerland Height: 6ft Weight: 174 lbs

This year: $1,952,348 Career to date: $7,834,544 Career-high ranking: 9 (09/06/2008) Career titles: 4 Last title: Portugal Open, ATP World Tour 250, Oeiras, Portugal, May 2013

Struggled for form after Wimbledon, losing to No.29 Feliciano Lopez in Gstaad, No.32 Benoit Paire in Montreal and No.23 Tommy Robredo in Cincinnati before beating Murray en route to his first major semi-final at the US, where he lost to Djokovic in five.

Points: 10,980

Points: 10,860 6,860

Points: 7,060

Points: 6,850

Points: 4,535

Points: 4,515

Points: 4,425

Points: 3,425

Points: 3,165

Points: 3,150

W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 10 9

INSPIRING THE TENNIS GREATS Every summer brings another exciting Championship at Wimbledon, so why not visit the amazing award-winning Museum, which has complimentary audio guides in 10 languages, and learn more about the history which inspires the great players, and see John McEnroe’s ‘ghost’ and the original tournament trophies. You may also take the behind the scenes tour of the grounds and explore the home of tennis, including Centre Court, for a truly inspirational experience.

Open Daily: 10:00am until 5:00pm Nearest Underground: Southfields Telephone: 020 8946 6131 The Museum Building, The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Church Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 5AE WIMBLEDON.COM/MUSEUM

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