The ATP World Tour saw a new but familiar face ascend to the No. 1 South African Airways ATP Ranking for the first time last season. After seven years of dominance by superstars Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic emerged in 2011 to finish No. 1. The Serb compiled his best season by capturing 10 titles, including three Grand Slam crowns and a record five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 championships. Djokovic began the season with a 41-match winning streak and never looked back.
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For the fourth season in a row, the Big 4 of Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray finished in the top four ranking positions. When one or more of the foursome competed in a tournament during the year, they combined to win 22 of 23 event trophies. In Grand Slam play going back to 2005 Roland Garros, the top trio of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have collected an amazing 26 of 27 Slam titles.
In the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Federer defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to claim a record sixth year-end title in his 100th final. Federer closed the season with three titles and on a 17-match winning streak. He finished in the Top 3 for the ninth consecutive season.
Along with their Grand Slam supremacy, Nadal is the all-time leader with 19 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and Federer follows with 18. Federer is No. 4 on the Open Era titles list with 70 career championships and with his strong finish, he is well-positioned to challenge for the No. 1 ranking in 2012. He is one week away from tying Pete Sampras’ record for most weeks (286) at top spot.
While the Top 4 grabbed many of the headlines throughout the season, a group of new champions emerged. Last year on the ATP World Tour there were 10 first-time winners from as many countries, with nine finishing in the Top 50. Canadian Milos Raonic, at 20, was the youngest winner on tour.
In doubles, Americans Bob and Mike Bryan are coming off another stellar campaign with eight titles, including their 11th Grand Slam crown. They finished as the No. 1 team for a record seventh time in the past nine years and with an Open Era record 75 titles together. However, at season’s end they were upstaged by Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor, who won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in their first year as a team to finish No. 2 in the 2011 ATP Doubles Team Rankings.
In 2011, the ATP announced significant prize money increases over the next three years with ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events leading the way with a 9 percent increase per year for each of the next three years, topping $90 million (excluding Grand Slams) by 2014. As part of the agreement, prize money at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will increase 30% over the next three years from $5 million to $6.5 million. Additionally, the player bonus pool will increase 33 percent to $8 million in 2014.
Off the court, 2011 marked the launch of ATP ACES For Charity, a global initiative aimed at supporting player and tournament charitable activities, and giving back to communities where ATP tournaments are played. Twelve inaugural honourees, including the Rafa Nadal Foundation, the Bryan Brothers Foundation and the Washington Tennis Education Foundation, received $10,000 grants. The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Gala in London, attended by the world’s top eight players and doubles teams, also raised more than $600,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
At the beginning of the season ATP launched its new ‘GAME ON’ campaign, capturing the raw emotion, athleticism and individuality of the world’s best players, set against a spectacular fantasy stadium.
The season ended on a high with more than 250,000 fans flocking to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the third consecutive year. The event was watched by a record 95 million viewers in 184 countries, a 60 percent increase on 2010. The ATP’s official website and live scoring received 9 million visits, a 30 percent increase on the previous year. Throughout the year the ATP’s web and mobile products attracted more than 225 million visits, a 30 percent increase on 2010.
As focus now moves to 2012, there is no shortage of storylines to captivate fans: Can Djokovic put together another season to rival his 2011 dominance? Will someone break through into the Top 4? Will Federer, at 30 and the oldest player in the Top 10, capture an Olympic gold medal in singles on the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon? Will Murray break through to capture his first Grand Slam title? Can Nadal regain the year-end No. 1 South African Airways ATP Ranking he held in 2008 and 2010?
So many questions with so many possibilities, given the depth of talent on the ATP World Tour.
For the fourth season in a row, the Big 4 of Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray finished in the top four ranking positions. When one or more of the foursome competed in a tournament during the year, they combined to win 22 of 23 event trophies. In Grand Slam play going back to 2005 Roland Garros, the top trio of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have collected an amazing 26 of 27 Slam titles.
In the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Federer defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to claim a record sixth year-end title in his 100th final. Federer closed the season with three titles and on a 17-match winning streak. He finished in the Top 3 for the ninth consecutive season.
Along with their Grand Slam supremacy, Nadal is the all-time leader with 19 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and Federer follows with 18. Federer is No. 4 on the Open Era titles list with 70 career championships and with his strong finish, he is well-positioned to challenge for the No. 1 ranking in 2012. He is one week away from tying Pete Sampras’ record for most weeks (286) at top spot.
While the Top 4 grabbed many of the headlines throughout the season, a group of new champions emerged. Last year on the ATP World Tour there were 10 first-time winners from as many countries, with nine finishing in the Top 50. Canadian Milos Raonic, at 20, was the youngest winner on tour.
In doubles, Americans Bob and Mike Bryan are coming off another stellar campaign with eight titles, including their 11th Grand Slam crown. They finished as the No. 1 team for a record seventh time in the past nine years and with an Open Era record 75 titles together. However, at season’s end they were upstaged by Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor, who won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in their first year as a team to finish No. 2 in the 2011 ATP Doubles Team Rankings.
In 2011, the ATP announced significant prize money increases over the next three years with ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events leading the way with a 9 percent increase per year for each of the next three years, topping $90 million (excluding Grand Slams) by 2014. As part of the agreement, prize money at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will increase 30% over the next three years from $5 million to $6.5 million. Additionally, the player bonus pool will increase 33 percent to $8 million in 2014.
Off the court, 2011 marked the launch of ATP ACES For Charity, a global initiative aimed at supporting player and tournament charitable activities, and giving back to communities where ATP tournaments are played. Twelve inaugural honourees, including the Rafa Nadal Foundation, the Bryan Brothers Foundation and the Washington Tennis Education Foundation, received $10,000 grants. The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Gala in London, attended by the world’s top eight players and doubles teams, also raised more than $600,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
At the beginning of the season ATP launched its new ‘GAME ON’ campaign, capturing the raw emotion, athleticism and individuality of the world’s best players, set against a spectacular fantasy stadium.
The season ended on a high with more than 250,000 fans flocking to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the third consecutive year. The event was watched by a record 95 million viewers in 184 countries, a 60 percent increase on 2010. The ATP’s official website and live scoring received 9 million visits, a 30 percent increase on the previous year. Throughout the year the ATP’s web and mobile products attracted more than 225 million visits, a 30 percent increase on 2010.
As focus now moves to 2012, there is no shortage of storylines to captivate fans: Can Djokovic put together another season to rival his 2011 dominance? Will someone break through into the Top 4? Will Federer, at 30 and the oldest player in the Top 10, capture an Olympic gold medal in singles on the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon? Will Murray break through to capture his first Grand Slam title? Can Nadal regain the year-end No. 1 South African Airways ATP Ranking he held in 2008 and 2010?
So many questions with so many possibilities, given the depth of talent on the ATP World Tour.
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