It’s been an exceptional season for the ATP World Tour with some stand out performances throughout the year. It’s an undeniable statement that the 2017 ATP World Tour was Rafael Nadal’s year. Coming back from a series of injuries Nadal has managed to return in fine form winning two out of four Grand Slams and rising once again to the rank of number one. His standout performances at the French Open and US Open showed Nadal’s ability to still compete at the top level. Nadal currently has a tally of 16 Grand Slam titles a spectacular achievement in itself, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be stopping anytime soon – making the competitive spirit between the big four ( Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic) one that we can look forward to for the next season to come.
Not only did Rafael Nadal win his 16th Grand Slam title he also won his 10th Roland Garros trophy making him the first man or woman in the Open era to win 10 titles at one Grand Slam. Not too far off his heals is Roger Federer and his Wimbledon achievements. Federer notched a record eighth crown at Wimbledon in 2017, surpassing Pete Sampras for a solo first place on the all-time list.
The traditional game has seen many innovations being implemented over the last few years. The NextGen ATP Finals showcased many rules and tech changes. The event featured Hawk-Eye electronic line calling, short format sets (first to four games with a tie-break at 3-all), best of five sets with no-Ad scoring, shorter warm-ups, a shot clock, no let’s, player coaching and one medical timeout per match. Many of the ATP tour players disagreed with the changes stating “there’s not much wrong with the ATP World Tour right now, it doesn’t need much fixing”. Whether the tour needs to take advantage of new technology is a question for the board and the players. One way in which the series has modernised the sport successfully is through the new online platforms fans can now watch live coverage through.
Live-streams on social media was available from a range of events on the tour – notably Wimbledon which showed full coverage, including presenters throughout the course of the two-week competition. Not only did this allow for a new audience to watch the broadcast but it also provided fans with the ability to view footage in a more accessible and sociable way. In the end, this led to better viewing figure and sports fan engagement.
For the 2018 season, Amazon has continued to increase their sports broadcasting opportunities. After outbidding Sky to win exclusive ATP tour tennis rights with a bid thought to be worth as much as 10 million a year. Amazon Prime streaming service will now show nearly all elite men’s tennis events except the four grand slams. The contract covers the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and Masters 500 events from around the world, including tournaments in Monte Carlo, Madrid, Paris, Miami, Indian Wells, Shanghai and the ATP World Tour finals at the O2 Arena in London.
As the league become more social so do the players. One of the stands out accounts of all current players is Roger Federer. Posting a range of tweet, videos, GIF’s and answers back, Federer has managed to build himself a profile on social channels which has made him a social fan favourite with excellent audience engagement.
Kilterer 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/yVqvrmq9od
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) November 7, 2017
To get all the latest news and alerts of all the games across the year, follow @ATPWorldTour on Twitter or ‘ATPWorldTour on YouTube to see the best shots, games, and behind the scenes of your favourite Tennis stars.
Written by Vilson Beiqi
