It is fair to say that there was more than a little scepticism amongst hardcore tennis fans when it was announced that the traditional start of the 2020 ATP Tour season was going to be restructured in favour of a large-scale, brand-new event that was the ATP Cup, which would attempt to balance the individuality of ranking points and the collaborative nature of national team competitions together. There were arguments on both sides; those who took the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” standpoint as well as the justifiable complaint about the loss of the Hopman Cup from the tour calendar, against the claim that the start of the season has little purpose beyond being a dress rehearsal for the first major tournament of the year: the Australian Open.
Having witnessed the spectacle that was the ATP Cup this week, it is clear that it is going to be a mainstay for years to come. First and foremost, the quality of tennis and the passion on display from all the players massively superseded my expectations; you should look no further than the tears Novak Djokovic shed upon clinching the title-decided doubles rubber for Team Serbia. He described it in his post-match interview as “one of the nicest moments in my career” and from someone who has won 16 Grand Slams titles, that is saying something.
The ATP Cup took on a very similar model to the recently revamped Davis Cup: six groups where each group winner along with the two best second place nations progress into the knockout stages. Notable group stage matches included a fierce battle between (Australia’s) Alex de Minaur and (Canada’s) Denis Shapovalov: a high-level encounter that was elevated by both players’ engagement with the vocal Aussie crowd (both positively and negatively). Both of these players ended up pushing Nadal and Djokovic respectively in tight three-set matches, showing just how well they have carried over their tail-end form to the start of this year. Without doubt, the tie of the tournament was the quarter-final between Great Britain and Australia: a sporting matchup that has historically always provided its fair share of theatre and entertainment. It was no different on this occasion, with Dan Evans and de Minaur again playing out a brutal three-hour lung-buster which just went the former’s way, before the Aussie doubles pairing of de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios saved 4 match points (one of which a glaring backhand miss on top of the net from Jamie Murray) before triumphing 18-16 in the match tiebreak.
A clear distinction of the ATP Cup is how it transformed the interactive, team environment of the Davis Cup. One of the major new innovations was the Team Zone; where players from each nation had a team captain, their teammates and sometimes even their own coach to communicate with both during the games and at the changeover. While I feel that on-court coaching is largely a threat to the unique and individual nature of tennis, it was very interesting to see how much of a positive effect these zones had on certain players. The clearest example is Benoit Paire, who threatened to implode after failing to close out the second set against Dusan Lajovic, and most likely would have done if his fellow French players and team captain Gilles Simon hadn’t been courtside to absorb his frustrations and channel them positively (Paire went on to clinch the third set 6-4). The proximity of the Team Zones to the court was another unprecedented feature; moments such as the sharp but good-natured banter between Dan Evans and Australian Team Captain Lleyton Hewitt would not have been possible had they not been set up in such a way. The course of the week definitely showed that in relation to team events, the innovations boosted the entertainment value and should be considered for this year’s Davis Cup.
The natural reaction to seeing Serbia as champions alongside Djokovic’s unbeaten 6-0 record would be that he shouldered the burden and responsibility of carrying his nation to victory. However, the contribution of Serbia’s number two player Dusan Lajovic was that of an unsung hero, winning four of his six singles matches, including two classy and dominant wins against top 20 players Felix Auger-Aliassime and Karen Khachanov. For a player who is more comfortable on red clay, he played a major role in giving Djokovic the comfort blanket of being a rubber up going into his match in both the quarter-final and semi-final. In relation to these matches, Djokovic by no means had it his own way, with precocious talent Shapovalov pushing him all the way to a third-set tiebreak in the last eight. His semi-final war (the only adequate way to describe what unfolded) with Daniil Medvedev was a different matter altogether; already a shoo-in for one of the matches of season, including one point (5-4 in the third set, advantage Medvedev) that has to be seen to be believed.
For Djokovic, it is obvious that the most gratifying aspect of this week was Serbia’s victory, especially considering their heartache in the Davis Cup quarter-final against Russia. Yet, there was a special significance here; in his final match against Rafael Nadal (where the Spaniard was swept aside with frightening ease) Djokovic became a figure of mass adoration due to the overwhelming majority of Serbian fans inside Ken Rosewall Arena. Throughout his career, particularly in comparison to the other two current greats of our sport, there has always been a suspicion within Djokovic that he is respected and admired but not truly loved by mainstream tennis audiences. Whatever the extent to which this is true, you could feel him soaking up every ounce of crowd energy that came his way this week; unquestionably the perfect preparation for his title defence at Melbourne Park in seven days’ time.
Three winners and three losers from the ATP Cup
Winners
- Novak Djokovic – Unbeaten through the week. First sets of 6-1 against Medvedev and 6-2 against Nadal confirmation that he is playing close to his best tennis
- Alex de Minaur – Excellent comeback wins in the group stage against Zverev and Shapovalov. His loss to Dan Evans could easily have gone the other way, and followed it up with the best performance of his career to go within two games of toppling Nadal in the semi-finals.
- Hubert Hurkacz – Despite Poland not progressing past the group stage, Hurkacz was 3-0 in the group, made more impressive by the fact all his wins were against Top 25 opposition (Diego Schwartzman, Borna Coric and Dominic Thiem).
Losers
- Alexander Zverev – 31 double faults in three matches tells you all you need to know. Not just his 0-3 record but the manner of his losses; a mental capitulation against de Minaur when he should have wrapped the match up and a meek 6-2 6-2 thrashing against Shapovalov. Suggests that he hasn’t shaken the demons that hampered him in the middle of last season.
- Felix Auger-Aliassime – Only recorded win was against the world number 483, and similarly to Zverev it was the manner of his three straight sets defeats (all to players outside the top 30) that are cause for concern. Particularly against Millman and Lajovic, a combined total of 73 unforced errors in these two matches shows that he may be struggling to handle the pressure on his young 18-year-old shoulders.
- John Isner – After a difficult 2019 plagued by injuries, an 0-3 start at the ATP Cup is not how he would’ve wanted to start the season. Broken five times through the week, and his issues in protecting his serve exacerbated by only averaging 1/5 points on return. These stats aren’t a strong recipe for success, and this week will only increase the questions as to whether he can get back to his best level.
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