The countdown to London begins. As part of the lead up to start of the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London on November 22, WorldTennisMagazine.com is presenting a special look at some of the best moments in the history of the season-ending ATP championships, courtesy of the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com). Each day, WorldTennisMagazine.com will present the anniversaries of some of the best matches from the event.
ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY – November 16
2003 – Roger Federer routs Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 to win the year-end ATP Masters Cup for the first time in his career. Playing at the West Side Tennis Club in Houston, Texas, Federer fires 11 aces in the 88-minute match that is delayed two-and-a-half hours due to rain. “It was one of the best matches for me this season,” Federer says. “I’m very happy how the whole year went, especially this tournament. I worked hard this year. You always have ups and downs but I feel this season has been complete.”
2001 – Twenty-year-old Lleyton Hewitt clinches the No. 1 year-end ranking, becoming the youngest player to accomplish the feat in the history of the ATP rankings since 1973. Hewitt clinches the ranking when he defeats fellow Aussie Patrick Rafter 7-5, 6-2 in his final round-robin match at the Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney, Australia. Hewitt’s victory, coupled with the loss of Gustavo Kuerten to Yevgeny Kafelnikov, ensures the top year-end ranking for the Adelaide, Australia native. Says Hewitt, the first Australian to finish the year ranked No. 1, “It’s an unbelievable feeling. To become No.1 at 20 years of age, and to do it in Australia, you couldn’t have written a better dream.” Hewitt, at 20 years, 8 months, is younger than the previous year-end No. 1 Jimmy Connors, at 22 years, 3 months, in 1974.
1997 – Pete Sampras wins the year-end ATP Tour Championships for a fourth time, defeating Russia’s Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in Hannover, Germany. Sampras becomes the first player to win the season-ending championships for a second consecutive year since Ivan Lendl in 1986 and 1987.