DAY 8 MEDIA NOTES Sunday, August 23, 2015
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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN: DAY 8 MEDIA NOTES Sunday, August 23, 2015 Lindner Family Tennis Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA | August 16 – 23, 2015 Draw: S-56, D-24 | Prize Money: $4,457,065 ($3,826,655 on-site) | Surface: Outdoor Hard ATP Info: Tournament Info: ATP PR & Marketing: www.ATPWorldTour.com www.cincytennis.com Richard Evans: [email protected] Twitter: @ATPWorldTour @CincyTennis #CincyTennis Edward La Cava: [email protected] Facebook: ATP World Tour facebook.com/cincytennis Press Room: +1 5136510303 (x2250) FEDERER SEEKS 7TH CINCY TITLE, DJOKOVIC EYES ‘GOLDEN MASTERS’ TOP 2 SEEDS IN CINCY FINAL: The all-time winningest champion in Cincinnati history meets the No. 1 player in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Sunday for the Western & Southern Open title. Top seed Novak Djokovic is two sets from the only ATP Masters 1000 title that he’s yet to win. Six-time champ Roger Federer, however, seeks revenge in a rematch of his four-set loss to Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic and Federer have met 40 times over 10 seasons – each man winning 20 times in their FedEx Head 2 Head rivalry. Sunday’s match marks just the second Cincinnati final between the top two seeds since 1999, and it was the same two men who contested the last one. CINCINNATI FINALS FEATURING TOP 2 SEEDS (OPEN ERA) 2012: No. 1 Federer def. No. 2 Djokovic 6-0, 7-6(7) 1999: No. 1 Pete Sampras def. No. 2 Patrick Rafter 7-6(7), 6-3 1988: No. 2 Mats Wilander def. No. 1 Stefan Edberg 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) 1986: No. 1 Mats Wilander def. No. 2 Jimmy Connors 6-4, 6-1 1978: No. 1 Eddie Dibbs def. No. 2 Raul Ramirez 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 1976: No. 2 Roscoe Tanner def. No. 1 Eddie Dibbs 7-6, 6-3 1974: No. 1 Marty Riessen def. No. 2 Robert Lutz 7-6, 7-6 1970: No. 1 Ken Rosewall def. No. 2 Cliff Richey 7-9, 9-7, 8-6 WHAT’S AT STAKE: Winner $731,000 and 1,000 Emirates ATP Rankings points Runner-up $358,375 and 600 Emirates ATP Rankings points FINALS HISTORY: Djokovic is bidding for a 25th ATP Masters 1000 title (24-11) and a 55th overall (54-25). Federer is bidding for a 24th ATP Masters 1000 title (23-18) and an 87th overall (86-45). STATS HEADING INTO THE FINAL: Federer has not been broken in 38 service games: STATISTICS DJOKOVIC FEDERER ACES 13 22 1st SERVE % 64% 57% 1st SERVE POINTS WON 66% 84% 2nd SERVE POINTS WON 56% 71% SERVICE GAMES WON 79% (37 of 47) 100% (38 of 38) BREAK POINTS SAVED 47% (9 of 19) 100% (3 of 3) RETURN GAMES WON 38% (18 of 47) 27% (10 of 37) BREAK POINTS CONVERTED 58% (18 of 31) 36% (10 of 28) Western & Southern Open Day 8 – Sunday, August 23, 2015 Page 2 of 7 www.ATPWorldTour.com CLOSER LOOK AT DJOKOVIC vs. FEDERER: For the third time in Cincinnati and 41st time in their careers, Djokovic and Federer face off. The FedEx Head 2 Head rivalry between Djokovic and Federer goes back nearly a decade, with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds tied at 20 wins. - After 10 matches in their rivalry, Federer led his FedEx Head 2 Head with Djokovic 7-3. - After 20 matches in their rivalry, Federer led his FedEx Head 2 Head with Djokovic 13-7. - After 30 matches in their rivalry, Federer led his FedEx Head 2 Head with Djokovic 16-14. - Djokovic has won three straight meetings against Federer, most recently the 2015 Wimbledon final. - Djokovic is looking to beat Federer four straight times for first time (four times won three in a row). - Djokovic has never led in the rivalry. With a win, he could take the head-to-head lead for first time. - Federer and Djokovic have met 17 times at ATP Masters 1000 events (Djokovic leads 9-8). - Djokovic is also one-up on Federer in Grand Slam matches, leading their series at majors 7-6. - Djokovic is 9-5 in finals against Federer, winning 3 straight and 6 of the last 7 since 2012 Cincinnati. - Federer won the 2009 & 2012 Cincinnati F over Djokovic in straight sets (13 of 19 games in both). - Djokovic saved match points to beat Federer in both the 2010 and 2011 US Open semi-finals. - Federer ended Djokovic’s 43-match win streak in the 2011 Roland Garros semi-finals. RIVALRY FOR THE AGES: Djokovic vs. Federer is second on the ‘Most Open Era Match-Ups’ table and is now just three meetings behind Djokovic vs. Nadal in first. The pair’s respective coaches, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, met 35 times. RANK RIVALRY MEETINGS RECORD 1 Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal 44 Nadal leads 23-21 2 Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer 41 Series tied 20-20 3 Ivan Lendl vs John McEnroe 36 Lendl leads 21-15 T4 Jimmy Connors vs Ivan Lendl 35 Lendl leads 22-13 T4 Boris Becker vs Stefan Edberg 35 Becker leads 25-10 T6 Jimmy Connors vs John McEnroe 34 McEnroe leads 20-14 T6 Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras 34 Sampras leads 20-14 8 Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal 33 Nadal leads 23-10 MASTERING THE ATP MASTERS 1000: No. 1 seed Djokovic is playing for his 20th ATP Masters 1000 title in his 25th final since the start of the 2011 season (39 appearances). Not coincidentally, Djokovic’s dominance at Masters 1000 tournaments coincides with his reign atop the Emirates ATP Rankings. All 160 weeks that he’s spent as World No. 1 have come since 2011, when he went 33-1 with five titles at ATP Masters 1000 events. Djokovic has more titles (19) than losses (18) at ATP Masters 1000s over the last five seasons. YEAR W-L TITLES EVENTS WON 2015 29-1 4 Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Rome 2014 28-4 4 Indian Wells, Miami, Rome, Paris 2013 28-6 3 Monte-Carlo, Shanghai, Paris Western & Southern Open Day 8 – Sunday, August 23, 2015 Page 3 of 7 www.ATPWorldTour.com 2012 34-6 3 Miami, Toronto, Shanghai 2011 33-1 5 Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Montréal TOTAL 152-18 19 8 of 9 ATP Masters 1000 Tournaments DJOKOVIC SEEKS GOLDEN MASTERS: The only ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title missing from Djokovic’s trophy case over the last five years --- and throughout his career – has been the Western & Southern Open. Playing in his fifth Cincinnati final, Djokovic is attempting to become the first player to sweep all nine current ATP Masters 1000 titles. Djokovic has never missed the Western & Southern Open since qualifying for the event in 2005 as the 97th-ranked player in the world. The Serb is 26-10 lifetime in the Cincinnati main draw and making his 11th appearance at the tournament, most of any ATP Masters 1000 event. During the Open Era, only Lleyton Hewitt (28- 11) has won more Cincinnati matches without capturing the title. Djokovic has yet to win a set in four prior Cincinnati finals, claiming just six of 19 games against Federer in 2009, and again in 2012. DJOKOVIC IN CINCINNATI FINALS 2012: [1] Roger Federer def. [2] Novak Djokovic 6-0, 7-6(7) 2011: [4] Andy Murray def. [1] Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-0 ret. 2009: [1] Roger Federer def. [2] Novak Djokovic 6-1, 7-5 2008: [8] Andy Murray def. [3] Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 7-6(5) NO. 2 UP FOR GRABS: If Federer beats Djokovic today, he will overtake Andy Murray for the No. 2 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday, just in time for US Open seedings. That would guarantee the Swiss a place on the opposite half of the US Open draw as Djokovic. Federer was seeded second when he won his last US Open title in 2008, beating Murray in the final. Four years later, Murray was the first No. 3 seed since Patrick Rafter in 1998 to win the US Open. Murray and Rafter are the only third-seeded US Open champions dating back to 1983, while 10 No. 2 seeds have captured the title during that same stretch. FEDERER SERVICE ADVANTAGE: Through four matches and 38 service games this week, Federer has not been broken, saving the only three break points he’s faced against Feliciano Lopez in the quarter-finals. Federer also leads the tournament in first serve pts. won (84%) and second serve pts. won (71%). Djokovic, on the other hand, has been broken 10 times in 47 service games. More breaks means more time, with the Serb logging six hours and 51 minutes on court and the Swiss only four hours and 46 minutes. BIG FOUR DOMINANCE: Regardless of today’s winner, one thing is for sure: Cincinnati marks the 46th title over the last 50 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments for the ‘Big Four’: Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Rafael Nadal. Dating PLAYER 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 back to Nadal’s triumph at Monte- Novak Djokovic - 5 3 3 4 4 Carlo in 2010, the only other men to emerge with an ATP Masters 1000 Roger Federer 1 1 3 - 2 - title are Robin Soderling (2010 Andy Murray 2 2 - 1 - 2 Paris), David Ferrer (2011 Paris), Rafael Nadal 3 1 2 5 1 - Western & Southern Open Day 8 – Sunday, August 23, 2015 Page 4 of 7 www.ATPWorldTour.com Stan Wawrinka (2014 Monte-Carlo) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2014 Toronto).