Five Point Friday: November 8, 2019

Here’s your roundup of the five most interesting things I’m enjoying or thinking about this week.

1.) New Tech at Next Gen Finals

Last year, the ATP began pushing the boundaries of the sport introducing a new set of hotly debated rules at the Next Gen Finals. Last year, changes included:

• Best-of-five 4 game sets
• Tiebreaks at 3-all
• No-Ad scoring
• Line Calls with Hawk-Eye Live
• 25-second Shot Clock
• In-Match player coaching
• Video Review

This year, they’re taking things a step further with wearable technology that will give players unique insight into their on-court performance during the match.

Read the Full Article

2.) Ash Barty – Year-End #1

Starting the year ranked #15 in the world, Barty became the first woman to end the year at world #1, having started outside the top 10. A few seasons highlights include:

• Australian Open Quarter-final
• French Open Champion
• Birmingham Classic Champion
• WTA Finals Champion

Top it off with $11M in prize money at age 23, and we’d say this is absolutely a stellar year for her to remember.

 

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3.) Murray’s Documentary

Andy Murray’s struggle with a chronic hip injury, subsequent surgery, and comeback title has been inspiring, and it’s difficult to fathom what he’s had to go through to make his return to the game.

Amazon seeks to change that with a new documentary set to launch on November 29th. In Murray’s words, “The film will take you on a journey through what were some of the lowest, most difficult periods of my life both physically and mentally, and will hopefully show and inspire viewers, that with the right mindset and work ethic, anything is possible.”

4.) Djokovic & Dimitrov’s Rally

During their tight semi-final match at the Rolex Paris Masters, Djokovic and Dimitrov had an intense 33 shot rally that’s worth a rewind.

Djokovic ultimately prevailed 7-5, 6-4, and would go on to win the tournament, bringing his total Master 1,000 wins to a whopping 34.

5.) Funny Game of What’s In The Box

Watch some of the ATP’s top players, including Federer, Djokovic, Thiem, and more guess their way through a random set of items in this Halloween themed edition of What’s In The Box.

If you have a moment, I’d love to hear your feedback. Which topic is your favorite? What would you like to see more or less of each week?

Share your thoughts in the comments below and have a great weekend.