ATP Race: Djokovic, Nadal, Tsitsipas and Federer stand strong after May
After the fifth Masters 1000 tournament of the season in Rome, the time is perfect for checking the latest ATP Race and the players who have done the best job in the first five months of the season. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have shown the most so far in 2019 and they were the protagonists of the title encounter in Rome, with the Spaniard scoring a win to reduce the deficit over the Serb on the list and extend the gap in front of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Roger Federer, their closest rivals. Novak Djokovic is still the leader of the pack with 4005 points, losing early at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo before finding his 'A game' again in Madrid where he conquered the 33rd Masters 1000 crown.
Novak passed some tough obstacles in Rome too (two match points saved against del Potro in the quarters) for another final where Rafael Nadal proved to be too strong, scoring much-needed 1000 points and the first title of the season. The Spaniard suffered the semi-final losses in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, heading to Rome eager to get back at the top on his beloved surface and lift the first title since last August. Winning 25 out of 30 matches this year, Rafa has collected 3505 points and he expects more at Roland Garros where he won 11 titles in the last 14 years, receiving the necessary boost at Foro Italico and looking determined to hunt the 18th Grand Slam crown in Paris.
The 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitipsas is making huge steps towards the pinnacle of the men's tennis in 2019, notching 29 triumphs since the beginning of the season and passing Roger Federer on the ATP Race after playing in the final in Madrid and the semi-final in Rome. The Greek won titles in Marseille and Estoril, competed in the last four in Melbourne and the final in Dubai to master the hard courts and find the rhythm on clay in the previous three events too, becoming one of the closest contenders for the place at the ATP Finals in London in November. Two months before the 38th birthday, Roger Federer is still among the best players on the planet, scoring 22 wins in 25 matches and lifting two titles from six tournaments played.
After winning the title in Miami, Roger was back on clay for the first time in three years, wasting two match points in the quarter-final in Madrid and withdrawing before the quarter-final clash in Rome versus Tsitsipas due to a leg injury. Roger is just 130 points behind Stefanos on the ATP Race list and 535 ahead of Dominic Thiem who suffered an early loss in Rome to Fernando Verdasco. The Austrian is the fifth and the last player to pass the 2000-point mark in 2019, building a nice lead in front of Daniil Medvedev who failed to grab wins in Madrid and Rome.
Fabio Fognini and Kei Nishikori have delivered some good triumphs this year and they are the last players who would have qualified for the ATP Finals at this moment, although they have to continue in this rhythm to stay in front of the closest rivals. Gael Monfils, Roberto Bautista Agut and John Isner are the remaining players with at least 1000 points, all of them hoping to find something special at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and stay in the competition for those last London tickets.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2HIPJnI
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