mtenis.com.pl

Down 4-6, 1-5, Martin Klizan was staring down the barrel. It was the first round of qualifying for the China Open; his opponent, World No. 927 Xin Gao. Somehow, the Slovakian cheated death — saving four match points — to ride his way into the main draw. On 3 October, after victories over Leonardo Mayer and Ernests Gulbis, the World No. 56 was still alive. Now he faced Rafael Nadal, who had clinched the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, at China’s National Tennis Centre.

In a dramatic encounter of twists and turns, Klizan trailed Nadal by a service break in both the second and third sets, but found a way to win 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 37 minutes for a place in his first ATP World Tour 500 semi-final. It was Klizan’s third Top 10 win, having beaten No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2010 US Open and No. 10-ranked Kei Nishikori at this year’s Roland Garros. Nadal, who was playing in his first tournament for 13 weeks, suffered his first loss to a qualifier for 10 years (Julien Benneteau at 2004 Lyon).

"I think my tennis is now great," said Klizan. "I think I can beat anyone on tour. For me this victory, that was the best night in my life. I'm just very happy that I beat Rafa. He's a legend. I'm just very happy that I beat a legend.” Klizan’s run ended at the hands of Tomas Berdych in the last four.

At his mercurial best Gael Monfils is a sight to behold. His athleticism and elasticity is the envy of the ATP World Tour; his personality shines brightly and his hot shots make him a firm fans’ favourite. At a clay-court tournament named after two of Romania’s finest players: Ilie Nastase and Ion Tiriac, Monfils executed an inspired comeback that encapsulated his flare and an internal mental battle.

On 25 April, ‘Lamonf’ recovered from a 0/5 and 2/6 deficit in the second set tie-break against his French compatriot, qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu, to win 3-6, 7-6(8), 6-2 for a place in the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy semi-finals. In saving six match points, Monfils told ATPWorldTour.com, "I played very poorly today. I was too defensive, but I got lucky. On two or three of the match points he got tight. I am very frustrated. I managed to win, which is the only good point. I did not deserve this match, one of the worst I played this year."

It was the spark that ignited the Shanghai Rolex Masters. Competing for the first time in a month, Roger Federer came face-to-face with a player riding on the crest of a wave. Leonardo Mayer came into the match full of confidence at a career-high No. 25 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, with the Hamburg title in his trophy cabinet. The Argentine led 3-1, 40/15 in the first set and was denied the 61-minute opener when serving for the set at 5-4. He continued to battle and ultimately held two match points at 5-4, 40/15 in the decider. On his first opportunity, Mayer was denied by millimetres when he missed a backhand down the line, after a freakish netcord, with Federer motionless at the net.

Federer, MayerFederer worked his way back from a 2/5 deficit in the tie-break — saving three more match points at 4/6 and 6/7 — to complete a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(7) second-round victory that lasted two hours and 42 minutes. "I think I got unbelievably lucky today," said Federer, who went on to call it his "greatest escape thus far". It was the second-most match points Federer had saved in his career. He saved seven match points in his 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(10) first-round win over Scott Draper at the 2003 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Federer, who had committed 57 unforced errors, went on to capture the title (d. Simon) and now remains two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament trophies (Monte-Carlo and Rome) shy of completing a Career Golden Masters.

Feeling unwell, Benjamin Becker earned the win the hard way on 3 February. In a first-time meeting against World No. 93 Jesse Huta Galung at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors, the German saved seven match points in a 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(6) win over two hours and 22 minutes for a place in the second round.

Huta Galung could not convert two match point opportunities at 5-2 in the third set and 15/40 on Becker’s serve, and then held a further three match points at 5-3, 40/0. The Dutchman then led 5/1 in the deciding set tie-break and squandered two more match points at 6/4. “It was the strangest match I ever played,” admitted Becker.

In the countdown to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, Andy Murray and Tommy Robredo were fighting for very different reasons. Murray was looking to qualify for the season finale at The O2 in London for the seventh straight year, while Robredo had pride at stake. He was playing in Spain days after his 500th career match win. Oh, and he’d also failed to convert five match points against Murray in the Shenzhen Open final one month earlier.

Robredo, MurrayWith just two tournaments left in the regular 2014 ATP World Tour season, Murray laid it all on the line as he battled for three hours and 20 minutes to overcome Robredo 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(8) in the longest ATP World Tour final of the season to earn a crucial 500 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London.

As in Shenzhen on 28 September, Robredo again had chances to close out Murray in the second set, but was denied on two match points in the tie-break as Murray dug deep to force a decider. This time, Robredo went toe-to-toe with Murray until the bitter end. The right-hander let slip a 4-3 break advantage as the match went to another tie-break. Robredo had match points at 6/5, 7/6 and 8/7, but Murray rose to the occasion.

“It was an amazing match, and you have to enjoy it," said Robredo, who embraced Murray at the net. "When I finish the season next week, and I watch today’s match against one of the best players we have right now, I will be very happy." Murray, who went on to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, admitted, “I know it was an incredible match. The tennis at the end and in the second set was high level.”

Five-setters are often tense, anxiety-laden affairs that test players’ abilities to perform under pressure. For the past 15 years, no one has been more dominant when a Grand Slam match goes the distance than Tommy Robredo, and the Spaniard’s five-set prowess was on full display once again in 2014.

The 32-year-old Robredo was made to work in his first match of the 2014 season, turning in yet another Houdini act in saving three match points against Lukas Rosol at the Australian Open. Robredo clawed his way back after falling behind two-sets-to-one, needing three hours and 32 minutes to advance to the second round.

Rosol hit 82 winners, but could not overcome 96 unforced errors. Robredo, who fired 13 aces and won six of 18 break points, would advance to the Round of 16 at Melbourne Park for the fifth time (l. to Wawrinka). He further added to his five-set legacy later in the year at the US Open, fighting back from a Robredotwo-set deficit to survive a stern test from Simone Bolelli in the second round. In doing so, he became just the seventh player to rally from two sets down at all four majors.

Robredo’s win over Bolelli extended his win streak to seven straight in five-set encounters, improving to 16-4 overall. According to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone, only three players own a win percentage of .800 or higher in five-set battles in the Open Era: Johan Kriek (.818), Bjorn Borg (.800) and Robredo (.800).

Former World No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has found a second home at Wimbledon in recent years, reaching the quarter-finals in 2010 and semis in both 2011-12, but the Frenchman was on the brink of elimination early in this year’s edition.

After battling back from a two-sets-to-one deficit in a first-round encounter with Jurgen Melzer, Tsonga found himself once again trailing by the same margin in a second-round tilt with American Sam Querrey. The drama was bursting from the seams as the pair fought for more than three hours on No. 2 Court before play was halted due to darkness at 9-all in the fifth set, at 9:23pm. Tsonga saved a match point at 5-6, 30/40 in the decider and had momentum at his back as they returned to action on Thursday.

At the resumption, Tsonga broke in the 25th game for a 13-12 lead and served out the victory in three hours and 48 minutes. The high-octane battle featured a combined 70 aces and 190 winners, 97 of which were struck by the two-time semi-finalist.

“It's always good to win like this,” said Tsonga, who would go on to defeat Jimmy Wang in the third round before falling to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the Round of 16. “It's good for my confidence, and it's good for my game to stay on the court, play points, live some difficult moments.”

Roger Federer added a new chapter to his storied career with a slew of late-season heroics in 2014. The Swiss saved match points in winning efforts on three different occasions in a mere two-month span and it all began on a clear September evening in New York City.

Federer, MonfilsGael Monfils had his sights set on a fourth victory over the 33 year old and a second berth in a Grand Slam semi-final (Roland Garros 2008). The Frenchman was firing on all cylinders in the early stages, sprinting to a two-set lead in just 78 minutes. As Federer fought back to snatch the third set, Monfils made a strong push to close out the match in four, conjuring a pair of match points at 5-4 15/40.

Federer would not be deterred, however, denying both opportunities and he would write the script from then on, holding for 5-all and winning eight of the next 10 games.

After battling for two hours and 53 minutes through the first four sets, the Basel native needed just 27 minutes to clinch the decisive set as he limited Monfils to just 11 points total, picking up his 25th win in 26 night matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Federer was hyper aggressive with his back against the wall, and he would be rewarded with 34/46 net points won over the final three sets. “It's just unbelievable to win matches like this at Slams,” he said following the match. “I have won other big ones in other places, but over best-of-five, saving match points against Gael in an atmosphere like tonight's, it's definitely very special.”

It marked just the second time Federer saved match points and won on the Grand Slam stage, having overcome Peter Wessels in the 2000 first round at Flushing Meadows. He became the third player in the Open Era to come back from two sets down on eight occasions in majors, joining Todd Martin (9) and Aaron Krickstein (8).

A month later, Federer would save five match points in ousting Leonardo Mayer at the Shanghai Rolex Masters and saved four more in denying countryman Stan Wawrinka at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

If it takes a heroic effort to save multiple match points and win, then Gilles Simon was the superhero of the ATP World Tour in 2014.

The 29-year-old Frenchman saved seven match points in overcoming Daniel Brands in a four-hour and 32-minute marathon at the Australian Open, and 10 months later he was forced to stave off six match points in a first round encounter with Roberto Bautista Agut in Tokyo.

Simon turned in a valiant performance against Brands at Melbourne Park, having been on crutches the day before due to an ankle injury. He rallied from 15/40 and three advantages down at 9-10 in the fifth set and again recovered from 15/40 at 13-14. He broke Brands at 14-14 before serving out the victory.

The former World No. 6 fired a career-high 32 aces and 75 winners, while surviving an eye-popping 41 aces and 111 winners from his German opponent. Simon was clutch on serve in the big moments, saving 23 of 25 break points faced.

“I needed fast conditions," said Simon. "I didn’t want to run so I knew that serving would be very effective. I’ve never served that many aces in a match.

“I managed to play very relaxed. It was very important, because for [Brands] it was a very tough match, very complicated. He was hitting every good stroke like it was a winner. He knew he had everything in his hands.”

The drama didn’t end there, as Simon battled back from a two-sets-to-one deficit against Marin Cilic two days later, defeating the Croat 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2 in just under four hours.

If you had a ticket to No. 2 Court for day four of Wimbledon, you were in for quite the treat.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s thrilling match point-saving victory over Sam Querrey was preceded by what was perhaps the match of the tournament. A 19-year-old Australian wild card named Nick Kyrgios wreaked havoc on the All England Club during the fortnight, and it all began with a stunning defeat of 13th seed and former semi-finalist Richard Gasquet in the second round.

The Canberra native tied a Grand Slam record in saving nine match points, as he came back from two sets down to upset Gasquet in three hours and 53 minutes. The right-hander denied 14 of the 16 break points he faced and hit 86 winners to 44 unforced errors. It registered as the biggest win of his career. That is, until he shocked World No. 1 Rafael Nadal four days later.

The only other player to save as many match points in a Grand Slam singles victory was Vincent Spadea against Florent Serra in the 2004 Roland Garros first round.

"It was an unbelievable match out there," said Kyrgios. "My first ever two-sets-to-love down, coming back and winning. It's an amazing feeling.

“I played some unbelievable tennis today. He was coming up with some really good shots as well. I saved nine match points. There's plenty of opportunities he could have taken. I came out on top, I'm really happy."

Novak Djokovic has finished No. 1 on the ATP World Tour in three of the past four years and this season he achieved career-best statistics in four categories, including three serving.

The Serb turned in his highest first serve percentage (67 per cent) while only averaging 1.5 double faults per match, which was a career-low. He won 75 per cent of his first serve points for the third straight year and 88 per cent of service games won for the second year in a row, both career bests.

In service return, he continued to be one of the top players, ranking in the top three in three of the four categories. In his two previous No. 1 finishes in 2011-12, he was No. 1 or 2 in all four return categories.

SERVE

Year Aces (Avg) DF 1st Srv % 1st Srv Pts. Srv Games Won
2011 343 (4.5) 1.9 65% 74% 86% (7)
2012 512 (5.9) 1.7 64% 75% (10) 87% (5)
2014 428 (6.2) 1.5 67% (6) 75% + 88% (5) #

+ Also in 2012-13
# Also in 2013

RETURN OF SERVE

Year Pts. Won
1st Srv Pts. Won
2nd Srv Brk Pts Conv. Return Games
2011 36% (2) 58% (1) 48% (2) 39% (1)
2012 35% (2) 56% (1) 46% (2) 35% (2)
2014 33% (5) 58% (1) % 45% (2) 33% (3)

% Also in 2011

TRIOS WITH MOST TOP 3 FINISHES
In 2014, the trio of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal finished together in the Top 3 Emirates ATP Rankings for the sixth time in the past eight years. There are two other trios to finish in the Top 3 together more than twice: John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl (four times from 1981-84) and Connors, Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas (three times, 1975, ’77-78). Here is a look at the trios:

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal
Top 3 Finishes (Six times)
2014 – Djokovic, Federer, Nadal
2011 – Djokovic, Nadal, Federer
2010 – Nadal, Federer, Djokovic
2009 – Federer, Nadal, Djokovic
2008 – Nadal, Federer, Djokovic
2007 – Federer, Nadal, Djokovic

John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl
Top 3 Finishes (Four times)
1984 – McEnroe, Connors, Lendl
1983 – McEnroe, Lendl, Connors
1982 – McEnroe, Connors, Lendl
1981 – McEnroe, Lendl, Connors

Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Guillermo Vilas
Top 3 Finishes (Three times)
1978 – Connors, Borg, Vilas
1977 – Connors, Vilas, Borg
1975 – Connors, Vilas, Borg

OLDEST NO. 2 FINISHERS
In 2014, Roger Federer, at 33 years, 4 months, finished as the oldest player at No. 2 in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Three other players 30-over have finished No. 2:

Year No. 2 Age
2014 Roger Federer 33 years, 4 months
2012 Andre Agassi 32 years, 8 months
1984 Jimmy Connors 32 years, 3 months
1974 John Newcombe 30 years, 7 months

Five players on the ATP World Tour earned their first titles in 2014. At the time of their victories, they ranged in age from 23 to 28. Below are stories of two winners and how they fared for the rest of the season.

Read: First-Time Winners, Part 1

Leonardo Mayer - Hamburg [Mayer Spotlight]
The 27-year-old Mayer captured his first ATP World Tour title after edging top seed David Ferrer 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6(4) in the bet-at-home Open final in July.

"I can't believe it," said Mayer. "I was able to do it against Ferrer, who is one of the best players on this surface. I'm really happy and it still hasn't sunk in that I won."

At the time, Mayer's triumph made him the lowest-ranked winner (No. 46) of an ATP World Tour 500-level tournament since Radek Stepanek became the Citi Open champion in 2011 while ranked No. 54 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Mayer went on to finish the season as the top-ranked Argentine (No. 28).

David Goffin – Kitzbühel [Bautista Agut Spotlight]
The Belgian Goffin battled past fellow young gun Dominic Thiem 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 to claim his maiden ATP World Tour title at the bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel in August.

In what was the last clay-court match on the ATP World Tour in 2014, the 23-year-old wild card extended his win streak to 20 straight, following a dominant July that included three consecutive ATP Challenger Tour titles in Scheveningen (d. Beck), Poznan (d. Rola) and Tampere (d. Nieminen). He won 40 of 42 sets in that span.

"It's a great day for me, to win an ATP [World Tour] 250," said Goffin. "It's just an amazing feeling right now. I don't believe it. Maybe in a few days I'll realise what happened today."

Goffin would add five more victories to that streak before falling as a qualifier to Jerzy Janowicz in the Winston-Salem quarter-finals. He compiled another run one month later, starting with his second ATP World Tour title in Metz (d. Sousa) and capped by a runner-up finish to Roger Federer in Basel. The Rocourt native vaulted 91 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings over the course of the season to finish at a career-high No. 22. (Read: By The Numbers - Match Wins And Movers)