tennishead Volume 6 Issue 5

NOVEMBER 2015

MADE IN LONDON

GB CHASE GLORY

DAVIS CUP FINAL ROGER FEDERER

JOHANNA KONTA

ON TENNIS, GELATO AND LIFE

“I DON’T FEEL AS OLD AS I AM”

EXPERT ANALYSIS

HUNT THE SHORT BALL

£4.99

Pliskova Twins // Leonardo Mayer // Kevin Anderson Patrick Mouratoglou: How to improve your serve

NOVEMBER 2015

BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHERS WIN AWARDS

TENNISHE AD.NET

THE WORLD’ S BE S T TENNIS MAG A ZINE

novembeR 2015

contents

34

48

4

30

44

18

upfront

features

academy

8 New York, New York

18 Theory of Evolution

54 Patrick Mouratoglou

26 Twin peaks

34 Belgium v Great Britain

58 Federer serve

The major stories, in pictures, from the 2015 US Open

We sit down with the Pliskova sisters and talk all things tennis

30 Leonardo Mayer

The Argentinean No.1 discusses fitness and fishing

The reinvention of 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer

We preview what will be an historic Davis Cup final in Belgium

44 Johanna Konta

We meet the new British No.1 after a headline-grabbing summer

48 Best in Show

International Tennis Photography Association awards reveal the images that have captured the magic of tennis

81 my racket

Big-serving South African Kevin Anderson talks frames

130 last word

tennishead meets Peter Burwash, a player, coach, author and entrepreneur

Improve your serve with advice from the top French coach

Expert analysis to help your game

60 Tennis Talk

Your questions answered

62 Hunt the Short Ball Craig O’Shannessy on the crucial approach shot

64 Nutrition

How to prevent cramping

gear 69 gear news

Farewell to the Isaac Newton of tennis

72 Think on your feet

The shoe designed for sliding on hard courts

78 Meet the boss 81 Pro Shop



84 results and rankings

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contenTs

26

The latest kit from Pro-Direct

News, draws and results from the ATP and WTA tours

5

Roger Federer, who has a record number of Grand Slam titles to his name, says he is still improving his game

theory of Words Paul Newman

Paul Newman is the tennis correspondent of The Independent, Independent on Sunday and i

18

tennishead.net

ďƒ˜

roger federer

evolution

19

Lockerroom

Twin peaks Twins Karolina and Kristyna Pliskova don’t get to play doubles together often.

But when they do, they enjoy it. Well, most of the time...

Interview Bridget Marrison

Do you like playing doubles together?

On court are you supportive of one another?

Karolina: For me, Kristyna is the best partner because there is really no stress and I have fun as well. I’m not afraid to laugh. I enjoy doubles, but I prefer singles.

Kristyna: I have played a few times with somebody else. Really for me [with other partners] it’s a stress because I am afraid to miss. With Karolina if I miss, it’s OK. It’s fun. I like it.

Karolina: It’s always tough to lose a match tiebreak in the third set. So sometimes we don't talk.

Kristyna: Last year we won two titles together, so we are improving, we are older and we did not spend that much time together. I don't think we’re going to fight that much any more.

Do you have any ambitions to be like the Williams sisters or the Bryan brothers?

Karolina: It’s special to be twins. There aren’t that many twins on the tour. But also it’s tough because with the Williams and Bryans they are both good. I am not thinking about playing like them because it would be really tough concentrating on singles and playing doubles as well.

Kristyna: We have a dream to win a Grand Slam together in doubles.

Karolina: But I have prioritised singles.

Which Slam would you most like to win together?

Karolina: Kristyna probably would prefer Wimbledon because she has had good results there – she won Wimbledon juniors. I also like the US Open, so one of those two would be nice. But I don't think we can win yet, because we are not ready for that.

Growing up, were you competitive with one another?

Karolina: Of course, yes. It’s always like that when there are two brothers or two sisters. Not fighting, but one wants to be better than the other. But not that much.

If I win and she loses I am not like, “Ha ha ha!”

26

What are your match tactics?

Karolina: We don't have any! We have a good serve so we don't need tactics. I mean, yes, we do sometimes change things. I tell Kristyna what to do, but it depends if she wants to change it.

Kristyna: We talk in the changeovers about everything – tactics, life. Or sometimes we don’t talk at all.

Do you always serve first?

Karolina: No, but today [at Roland Garros] I'd already played singles so I was warmed up, so I started today.

Kristyna: We don't decide before the match, we ask each other at the start of the match.

Do you have any other siblings?

Kristyna: We also have a small sister. She’s two years old.

Karolina: I have only seen her a few times. And she calls both of us by the same name. My nickname is Kaya, and it’s difficult for her to say Kristyna, so she is Kaya and I am Kaya.

Kristyna: I am always annoyed because I see her so much and she still calls me Kaya.

In what way is Karolina different to you, Kristyna?

Karolina: I hate this question. In most things we are similar, but sometimes we think a different way.

ďƒ˜ t e nnish e a d . n e t

Twin assets: Karolina (L) and Kristyna Pliskova

B e thani e M att e k - S an d s

up front

27

Belgium v Great Britain The climax of the 2015 Davis Cup competition pits two European nations against one another, both looking for a long awaited victory

Photography Š Dave Shopland

Words PAUL NEWMAN

itpa pic t ure of t h e ye a r

Co r in n e Du breu il Bryan Brothers celebrate 100 titles by winning the US Open

54

academy

biography Patrick Mouratoglou is the founder and Head Coach at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy which is based near Paris. Founded in 1996, it is now considered to be one of the best in the world and offers personalised training which is tailored to each of its players' individual needs.

The perfect serve Developing a consistent serve that fires under pressure is crucial for players at all levels Words Patrick Mouratoglou

 tennishead.net

Serena Williams has probably the best serve in the history of women’s tennis

P at r i c k M o u r at o g l o u

E

arlier this summer, I wrote in these pages about the importance of the serve and the return. I estimate that 60 per cent of points are won or lost depending on what happens to the first two shots of a rally, which is why I place such a strong emphasis on these two areas of the game.

Although there is much you can do to improve your returns, you are also, of course, very much in the hands of your opponent. The serve, however, is different. It’s the only shot in tennis when you make all the decisions on when and how to hit the ball. In that respect it’s much like any shot in golf. Apart from factors like the sun or the wind, you are 100 per cent in control.

It is just as well that time is not generally a factor on the serve, because the motion makes it probably the most complicated shot in all of tennis. There are many reasons why a serve can go wrong, starting with the ball toss. Some players barely need to think about this part of their service action, but for others it can be a nightmare.

There is a real technique to use for the ball toss. You shouldn’t use your fingers too much because they can affect the toss. I would rather players opened their hand and held the ball flat on it for the ball toss. Look at how Andy Roddick used to serve. It’s difficult to work on the ball toss because you have to work on it with the serve – you can’t just practise the ball toss on its own. It’s all about co-ordination.

However, one way you can check whether you are throwing the ball up in the right place is to abort your serve and let the ball fall on the ground. If there is too much variation in your ball tosses you cannot be precise on your serve because you are compensating all the time. For those players who really struggle with their ball toss – players like Ana Ivanovic and Jeremy Chardy – their greatest problems come when they are under stress. The toss needs to be straight and above your right shoulder. In the men’s game look at players like Milos Raonic and John Isner, whose serves are among the best out there.

Yes, their height is an advantage, but the consistent excellence of their ball tosses is also a huge help.

55

Framebyframe

Roger Federer’s serve

Three words that strike fear into most of the Swiss star's ATP peers.

David Sammel gets to grips with a technically flawless delivery

1

The start of Roger’s service motion already shows his right arm moving in a different direction to his left, marking his intention to rotate and separate the shoulders from the hips (called angle of separation). This means the shoulders will rotate further than the hips. This creates energy – a bit like a spring uncoiling.

2

Roger has a ‘platform’ serve. The advantage is that he can drive up with both legs. He has both heels in the air which is how he is sure his weight is evenly distributed. His arms are perfectly symmetrical. His left arm is totally straight which helps create an accurate ball toss – a key element to a consistent serve.

Roddick on Federer: Why Roger is so good Arguably one of Federer’s greatest serving displays came in the semi-finals at Wimbledon this summer when he crushed Andy Murray. After the match, BBC analyst Andy Roddick said it is the variety and element of surprise that does the damage. “He’s able to run his second serve to different places, a short little kick-out or a hard kick-out, a slice second serve into the body, he moves his serve around,” Roddick said. “He does it all off the same toss. It's almost impossible to get a read off Roger Federer.”

58

3

Roger is now fully 'curled', and ready to launch up to the ball and his contact point. His heels are slightly higher than in the previous photo, and he has slightly more weight loaded on to his left leg. His chest muscles are expanding so he can create maximum power to unleash and unload into his delivery.

academy

It’s difficult to pinpoint one element of the serve because it’s the most complex stroke in tennis. There are so many different components to a good, solid serve. Initial positioning is important, a consistent ball toss is vital (see page 54), make sure you’re using the right grip, use the legs to create power, get up to the ball to achieve maximum height at contact point, learn to hit with spin. The list goes on! The good news, though, is that it’s the one stroke you’re in control of. So our golden rule? Go ahead and practise it! It’s not the most exciting thing you’ll ever do on a tennis court, but we can guarantee it’ll be worth it.

The final moment before impact with the ball. Roger's wrist is pronating (rotating from right to left) into the ball and Roger is at his highest point with both feet well off the ground to help him achieve maximum height at contact. Notice how he's still watching the ball, too – right on to his strings – another key element.

6

The Swiss star lands inside the court with great balance and beautiful upright posture, head and chin still up and right leg counter-balancing. Put simply, Roger has the perfect serve. It is rare to find a service action that has no technical flaws or personal quirks but that is still different to what you would find in the tennis 'textbook'.

Meet your coach: David Sammel David has more than 25 years' experience, coaching pros to careerhigh rankings, many of whom have represented their countries in Davis Cup and at the Olympics. David, who became an official ATP coach in 2014, regularly contributes to the UK tennis media including BBC Radio 5 Live, The Times newspaper and Sky Sports. In 2014, David released a psychology and coaching book – Locker Room Power – Building an Athlete's Mind. www.lockerroompower.com

frame by frame

5



This image provides a 'textbook' demonstration of what should be happening to the right arm, wrist and hand with the butt (cap) of the racket facing up to the ball. This will allow Roger to unleash up to the ball with maximum arm extension and maximum wrist pronation – which will both help create power.

tennishead.net

4

59

72

gear

One giant leap?

With Wilson preparing the 2016 release of the Glide, a shoe designed to help you slide on a hard court, it's time to think on your feet Words michael beattie

World No.1 Novak Djokovic is one of the best movers in the game – and known for sliding

 tennishead.net

Best in the business

shoes

I

f you’ve ever taken a break from tennis, you will know precisely how frustrating those first few hits back on court can be. Sure, you can still rally back and forth, and may surprise yourself with how well you are hitting your backhand – was it always this good? – before BAM!: your practice partner angles a cross-court drive that you should make, but don’t. Count to 10, start again – stay focused and you’ll be making that ball within a week.

Ask any coach worth their salt and they will tell you: when you take a break from tennis, footwork is the first thing to go. That’s not to say you are necessarily any less fit; more that your wiring is loose. Moving around a tennis court is a complex exercise in coordination. It needs just as much attention during practice as that backhand, if not more.

The neurological term for this is exteroception – the way our bodies perceive and interact with the world at large. In tennis, it’s the innate thought processes that make you skid on clay, skip around hard courts and call it quits when it rains. When we decide a court is too slippery or dangerous to play on, what we’re really saying is the conditions are beyond our exterosensory range – combined with everything else we have to process during a tennis match, footwork is already complicated enough without asking our brains to factor in puddles, wet patches and those equally dangerous dry patches. You’re going to fall; no tennis shoe in the world can stop it happening, and no sane player would test the theory.

It is also the reason your coach pushes you through so many footwork drills – to train your brain as much as your legs to move on instinct, understand your limits and connect with the court.

Once you can trust your feet to get you to the ball, the game becomes a lot more fun.

73

wta rankings ďƒ˜

05 .10. 2015

RANKING

1

Serena WIlliams

2

simona halep

3

maria sharapova

4

petra kvitova

5

garbine Muguruza

6

lucie Safarova

7

flavia Pennetta

8

agnieszka Radwanska

9

Karolina Pliskova

10

angelique Kerber

down 2

94

PERSONAL

Points: 11,285

Points: 6,670

Points: 4,692

Points: 3,851

Points: 3,691

Points: 3,406

Points: 3,253

Points: 3,225

Points: 3,220

Points: 3,220

ACHIEVEMENTS

FORM

usa

This year: $10,582,642 Career to date: $74,083,421 Career-high ranking: 1 (08/07/02) Career titles: 69 Last title: Western & Southern Open, WTA Premier, Cincinnati, USA, August 2015

Lost to Bencic in Toronto SFs but won 69th career title in Cincinnati (d. Halep). Came within two matches of calendar year Grand Slam but suffered shock defeat to Vinci in US Open SFs. Called time on 2015 season, missing WTA Finals.

romania

This year: $3,598,847 Career to date: $10,158,255 Career-high ranking: 2 (11/08/14) Career titles: 11 Last title: BNP Paribas Open, WTA Premier, Indian Wells, USA, March 2015

Enjoyed a return to form on US hard courts, reaching finals in Toronto (l. to Bencic) and Cincinnati (l. to Williams). Fell in US Open SFs (l. to Pennetta).

Suffered shock Guangzhou QF exit (l. to Allertova) and fell in Wuhan 3R (l. to Konta).

russia

This year: $3,299,284 Career to date: $35,834,486 Career-high ranking: 1 (22/08/05) Career titles: 35 Last title: Internazionali BNL d'Italia, WTA Premier, Rome, Italy, May 2015

Missed American hard court swing with a right leg injury, qualified for WTA Finals despite skipping Toronto, Cincinnati and US Open. Made comeback in Wuhan, but was forced to retire in her first match with a wrist injury.

czech republic

This year: $2,129,442 Career to date: $19,231, 900 Career-high ranking: 2 (31/10/11) Career titles: 17 Last title: Connecticut Open, WTA Premier, New Haven, USA, August 2015

Won in New Haven (d. Safarova in final) after back-to-back defeats in Toronto (l. to Azarenka) and Cincinnati (l. to Garcia) following battle with glandular fever. Reached US Open QFs (l. to Pennetta) but lost to Vinci in Wuhan 3R.

spain

This year: $2,757,303 Career to date: $4,438,772 Career-high ranking: 5 (05/10/15) Career titles: 1 Last title: Hobart International, WTA International, Hobart, Australia, January 2014

Suffered Wimbledon hangover, losing in Toronto 2R (l. to Tsurenko) and Cincinnati 1R (l. to Shvedova) before falling in US Open 2R to Konta. Fell in Tokyo QFs (l. to Bencic), and reached final in Wuhan but retired with ankle injury against V Williams.

czech republic

This year: $2,579,546 Career to date: $8,237,192 Career-high ranking: 5 (14/09/15) Career titles: 6 Last title: Qatar Total Open, WTA Premier, Doha, Qatar, February 2015

Bounced back from Toronto 2R exit (l. to Gavrilova) to reach QFs in Cincinnati (l. to Svitolina) and New Haven final (l. to Kvitova). Broke into top 5 despite US Open 1R defeat to Tsurenko.Suffered ab injury and was hospitalised with infection.

ITALY

This year: $4,016,233 Career to date: $13,808,145 Career-high ranking: 6 (28/09/15) Career titles: 11 Last title: US Open, Grand Slam, New York, USA, September 2015

Fell in Toronto 2R (l. to S Williams) and Cincinnati 2R (l. to Bencic) before 1R exit in New Haven (l. to Rybarikova).

However, enjoyed stunning run at US Open beating Kvitova & Halep en route to first Grand Slam title (d. Vinci in final).

poland

This year: $1,659,215 Career to date: $19,024,635 Career-high ranking: 2 (09/07/12) Career titles: 15 Last title: Toray Pan Pacific Open, WTA Premier, Tokyo, Japan, September 2015

Mixed results – reached QFs in Stanford (l. to Kerber), Toronto (l. to Halep) and New Haven (l. to Kvitova) but fell in Cincinnati 1R to Schmiedlova. Bounced back from 3R US Open defeat to Keys to win Tokyo title (d. Bencic) but lost in Wuhan 1R to V Williams.

czech Republic

This year: $1,250,835 Career to date: $2,549,313 Career-high ranking: 7 (17/08/15) Career titles: 4 Last title: Prague Open, WTA International, Prague, Czech Republic, May 2015

Stanford RU (l. to Kerber), won US Open Series despite Toronto 1R exit (l. to Lucic-Baroni), 3R Cincinnati loss to Jankovic and New Haven QF exit to Tsurenko.

Lost in US Open 1R to Tatishvili.

Fell to Radwanska in Tokyo QF, and to Vinci in Wuhan QF.

Germany

This year: $1,233,465 Career to date: $8,520,587 Career-high ranking: 5 (22/10/12) Career titles: 7 Last title: Bank of the West Classic, WTA Premier, Stanford, USA, May 2015

Won 4th Premier title of 2015 in Stanford (d. Pliskova) before 3R Toronto defeat to Halep.

Lost in Cincinnati 1R to Bencic and made US Open 3R (l. to Azarenka). Reached Tokyo QFs (l. to Wozniacki) and Wuhan SFs (l. to Muguruza).

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

Born: 27/09/91 Lives: Constanta, Romania Height: 5ft 6in Weight: 132 lbs

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

Born: 08/03/90 Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 6ft Weight: 154 lbs

Born: 08/10/93 Lives: Barcelona, Spain Height: 6ft 0in Weight: 161 lbs

Born: 04/02/87 Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 5ft 9in Weight: 137 lbs

Born: 25/02/82 Lives: Brindisi, Italy Height: 5ft 8in Weight: 128 lbs

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

Born: 21/03/92 Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 6ft 1in Weight: 159 lbs

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

11-100 RANKINGS 11 Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 12 Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 13 Belinda Bencic (SUI) 14 Venus Williams (USA) 15 Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 16 Roberta Vinci (ITA) 17 Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 18 Elina Svitolina (UKR) 19 Madison Keys (USA) 20 Sara Errani (ITA) 21 Andrea Petkovic (GER) 22 Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 23 Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 24 Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 25 Samantha Stosur (AUS) 26 Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 27 Anna Schmiedlova (SVK) 28 Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 29 Sloane Stephens (USA) 30 Sabine Lisicki (GER) 31 Camila Giorgi (ITA) 32 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 33 Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 34 Barbora Strycova (CZE) 35 Daria Gavrilova (RUS) 36 Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 37 Madison Brengle (USA) 38 Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) 39 Caroline Garcia (FRA) 40 Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 41 Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 42 Annika Beck (GER) 43 Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 44 Alize Cornet (FRA) 45 Zarina Diyas (KAZ) 46 Monica Niculescu (ROU) 47 Karin Knapp (ITA) 48 Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 49 Johanna Konta (GBR) 50 Julia Goerges (GER) 51 Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 52 Teliana Pereira (BRA) 53 Mona Barthel (GER) 54 Alison van Uytvanck (BEL) 55 Lucie Hradecka (CZE) 56 Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) 57 Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) 58 Carina Witthoeft (GER) 59 Denisa Allertova (CZE) 60 Alison Riske (USA) 61 Johanna Larsson (SWE) 62 Heather Watson (GBR) 63 Christina McHale (USA) 64 Ana Konjuh (CRO) 65 Zheng Saisai (CHN) 66 Magda Linette (POL) 67 Olga Govortsova (BLR) 68 Katerina Siniakova (CZE) 69 Polona Hercog (SLO) 70 Tatjana Maria (GER) 71 Margarita Gasparyan (RUS) 72 Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 73 Timea Babos (HUN) 74 Irina Falconi (USA) 75 Danka Kovinic (MNE) 76 Nao Hibino (JPN) 77 Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) 78 Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 79 Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 80 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) 81 Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 82 Lauren Davis (USA) 83 Kurumi Nara (JPN) 84 Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 85 Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 86 Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 87 Misaki Doi (JPN) 88 Urszula Radwanska (POL) 89 Anett Kontaveit (EST) 90 Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 91 Tereza Smitkova (CZE) 92 Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 93 Andreea Mitu (ROU) 94 Kiki Bertens (NED) 95 Laura Siegemund (GER) 96 Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 97 Elizaveta Kulichkova (RUS) 98 Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 99 Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 100 Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS)

1

novak djokovic

2

roger rafael nadal federer

3

andy murray

4

stan wawrinka

5

tomas berdych

6

kei nishikori

7

david ferrer

8

rafael Nadal

9

milos raonic

10

Gilles Simon

Points: 15,645

Points: 6,860 Points: 9,420

Points: 8,640

Points: 6,005

Points: 5,000

Points: 4,540

Points: 3,945

Points: 3,770

Points: 2,740

Points: 2,530

ACHIEVEMENTS serbia

Born: 22/05/87 Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 6ft 2in Weight: 172 lbs

This year: $14,418,664 Career to date: $86,866,648 Career-high ranking: 1 (04/07/11) Career titles: 55 Last title: US Open, Grand Slam, New York, USA, September 2015

switzerland Spain Born:08/08/81 Born: 03/06/86 Lives: Lives: Manacor, Mallorca, Bottmingen, Spain Switzerland Height:6ft 6ft1in 1in Height: Weight: 188lbs lbs Weight: 187

This year: This year:$6,125,909 $5,714,859 Career to Career todate: date:$94,746,573 $55,776,687 Career-high ranking: Career-high ranking:1 1 (02/02/04) (18/08/08) Career Careertitles: titles:87 57 Last title: & Southern Last title:Western French Open, Grand Open, ATP Masters 1000, Slam, Paris, France, June 2013 Cincinnati, USA, August 2015

great britain

This year: $5,878,111 Career to date: $40,094,595 Career-high ranking: 2 (17/08/09) Career titles: 35 Last title: Rogers Cup, ATP Masters 1000, Montreal, Canada, August 2015

switzerland

This year: $4,688,795 Career to date: $19,126,207 Career-high ranking: 3 (27/01/14) Career titles: 10 Last title: Roland Garros, Grand Slam, Paris, France, June 2015

czech republic

This year: $2,756,294 Career to date: $22,816,648 Career-high ranking: 4 (18/05/15) Career titles: 11 Last title: Shenzhen Open, ATP 250, Shenzhen, China October 2015

japan

This year: $2,530,526 Career to date: $10,563,826 Career-high ranking: 4 (02/03/15) Career titles: 10 Last title: Citi Open, ATP 500, Washington DC, USA, August 2014

spain

This year: $2,215,140 Career to date: $26,966,634 Career-high ranking: 3 (08/07/2013) Career titles: 25 Last title: Malaysian Open, ATP 250, Kuala Lumpur, October 2015

Spain

This year: $2,387,937 Career to date: $73,844,479 Career-high ranking: 1 (18/08/08) Career titles: 67 Last title: bet-at-home Open, ATP 500, Hamburg, Germany, August 2015

CANADA

This year: $1,404,528 Career to date: $8,727,719 Career-high ranking: 4 (11/05/15) Career titles: 7 Last title: St Petersburg Open, ATP 250, St Petersburg, Russia, September 2015

france

This year: $1,281,115 Career to date: $10,338,315 Career-high ranking: 6 (05/01/2009) Career titles: 12 Last title: Open 13, ATP 250, Marseille, France, February 2015

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

Born: 28/03/85 Lives: St Barthelemy, Switzerland Height: 6ft Weight: 179 lbs

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

Born: 29/12/89 Lives: Bradenton, Florida, USA Height: 5ft 11in Weight: 165 lbs

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

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

Born: 27/12/90 Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 6ft 5in Weight: 216 lbs

Born: 27/12/84 Lives: Neuchatel, Switzerland Height: 6ft 0in Weight: 154 lbs

FORM

11-100 RANKINGS

11 Richard Gasquet (FRA) 12 Kevin Anderson (RSA) 13 John Isner (USA) 14 Marin Cilic (CRO) 15 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 16 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 17 David Goffin (BEL) 18 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 19 Dominic Thiem (AUT) 20 Bernard Tomic (AUS) Skipped Montreal but won 7th 21 Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) Cincinnati title (d. Djokovic in final). Reached final at US Open 22 Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 23 Gael Monfils (FRA) for first time since 2009 but 24 Viktor Troicki (SRB) lost in four sets to Djokovic.

25 Andreas Seppi (ITA) Won both Davis Cup rubbers against Netherlands to keep 26 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) Switzerland in World Group.

27 Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 28 Fabio Fognini (ITA) 29 Tommy Robredo (ESP) Beat Djokovic for first time in 8 30 Jack Sock (USA) attempts to win Montreal title.

31 Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) Reached Cincinnati SFs (l. to Federer) but fell in US Open 4R 32 Benoit Paire (FRA) 33 Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) – ending streak of 18 Grand 34 Nick Kyrgios (AUS) Slam QFs. Won three rubbers 35 Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) to steer Great Britain into first Davis Cup final since 1978.

36 Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 37 Pablo Cuevas (URU) 38 Borna Coric (CRO) Lost to Kyrgios in Montreal 2R 39 Adrian Mannarino (FRA) but reached Cincinnati QFs (l. to 40 Jiri Vesely (CZE) Djokovic). Reached US Open 41 Fernando Verdasco (ESP) SFs for second time in 3 years 42 Martin Klizan (SVK) to qualify for London (l. to 43 Gilles Muller (LUX) Federer in SFs). Returned to 44 Vasek Pospisil (CAN) action in Metz but suffered ankle injury in win over Brown. 45 Joao Sousa (POR) 46 Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 47 Juan Monaco (ARG) Mixed results during US hard 48 Steve Johnson (USA) court swing, losing to Young in 49 Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) Montreal 2R and Dolgopolov 50 Sam Querrey (USA) in Cincinnati QFs. Reached US 51 Donald Young (USA) Open 4R (l. to Gasquet). Lost 52 Pablo Andujar (ESP) to Bolelli on return to action in St Petersburg. Won 11th title in 53 Sam Groth (AUS) 54 Aljaz Bedene (GBR) Shenzhen (d. Garcia-Lopez).

55 Chung Hyeon (KOR) 56 Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) Won 10th career title in 57 Federico Delbonis (ARG) Washington (d. Isner in final).

58 Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) Beat Nadal to reach Montreal 59 Simone Bolelli (ITA) SFs (l. to Murray). Missed 60 Robin Haase (NED) Cincinnati with a hip injury, US 61 Jerzy Janowicz (POL) Open 1R defeat to Paire. Won 62 Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) two Davis Cup rubbers as 63 Nicolas Mahut (FRA) Japan d. Colombia 3-2.

64 Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) 65 Santiago Giraldo (COL) Played first match since June 66 Steve Darcis (BEL) at US Open after recovering 67 Denis Kudla (USA) from elbow injury, falling in 3R 68 Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) to Chardy. Won both rubbers v 69 Lucas Pouille (FRA) Denmark to keep Spain in 70 Denis Istomin (UZB) Davis Cup World Group. Lifted 25th ATP title in Kuala Lumpur 71 Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) 72 Diego Schwartzman (ARG) after beating Lopez in final.

73 Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 74 Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 75 Nicolas Almagro (ESP) Won 67th career title in Hamburg (d. Fognini in final) 76 John Millman (AUS) but struggled on return to hard 77 Guido Pella (ARG) courts, falling to Nishikori in 78 Alexander Zverev (GER) Montreal QFs and Lopez in 79 Lukas Rosol (CZE) Cincinnati 3R. Lost to Fognini 80 Dusan Lajovic (SRB) for third time in 2015 with 81 Marcel Granollers (ESP) defeat in US Open 3R. 82 Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 83 Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) Suffered back-to-back defeats 84 Malek Jaziri (TUN) in Montreal (l. to Karlovic) and 85 Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) Cincinnati (l. to Lopez) before 86 Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) falling again to Lopez in US 87 Filip Krajinovic (SRB) Open 3R. Bounced back from 88 Daniel Munoz-De La Nava (ESP) disappointing American 89 Damir Dzumhur (BIH) summer to win title in St 90 Benjamin Becker (GER) Petersburg (d. Sousa in final).

91 Marsel Ilhan (TUR) 92 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 93 Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) Struggled in USA, losing four 94 Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) straight matches in Montreal (l. to Youzhny), Cincinnati (l. to 95 Ernests Gulbis (LAT) Karlovic), Winston-Salem (l. to 96 Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) Bedene) and US Open (l. to 97 Rajeev Ram (USA) Young). However, returned to 98 Tim Smycek (USA) form on home soil, reaching 99 James Duckworth (AUS) final in Metz (l. to Tsonga).

100 Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE)

Lost to Murray in Montreal final before defeat to Federer in Cincinnati final as he attempted to win the only Masters title to elude him.

Dropped just three sets en route to his 10th major title at US Open (d. Federer in final).

rankings

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tennishead.net

05 .10. 2015

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emirates ATP Rankings

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95

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