Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tomas Machac break new ground as serve and return dominate the stats
The last week of ATP competition introduced two new names to the list of ATP 500 tournament winners. It may come as a surprise that Stefanos Tsitsipas had not previously claimed a title at this level, given his three ATP 1000 titles and consistent presence in the world’s top 10 over the past few years. His victory in Dubai was not just a breakthrough after losing 11 previous ATP 500 finals, but also a much-needed resurgence following a prolonged dip in form over the past few months.
Tsitsipas’s path to the title was anything but easy. The Greek had to overcome several in-form opponents and was not considered a banker favorite by oddsmakers before any of his matches. After grinding through two tough three-set battles against Karen Khachanov and Matteo Berrettini, Tsitsipas shifted into high gear over the weekend. His performance in the final against Felix Auger-Aliassime was particularly impressive. The Canadian had been enjoying a strong season, capturing titles in Adelaide and Montpellier and reaching the semifinals in Doha the previous week. On the other hand, before Dubai, Tsitsipas had won just two matches in 2025, but his dominant display in the final signaled a determined return to form. Despite the seemingly straightforward 6-3, 6-3 scoreline in Tsitsipas’s favor, Auger-Aliassime actually posed more of a threat on return, generating 22 pressure points compared to the champion’s 13. However, Tsitsipas was flawless in handling the challenge, saving all seven breakpoints he faced.
The key to the resurgence of Stefanos Tsitsipas can be traced to his serve. As the performance chart from Dubai compared to earlier in the year illustrates, Tsitsipas served at an entirely different level than in previous weeks. He also displayed greater confidence in attacking second-serve returns.
The improvement in his first serve – both in terms of accuracy and efficiency in winning points – has been particularly striking when compared to his struggles since the second half of 2024.
Tomas Machac also became a first-time ATP 500 champion by securing the title in Acapulco. The Czech player continues his steady rise up the rankings, enjoying an impressive season so far. His year began with heartbreak at the United Cup, where he failed to serve out a semifinal match against Taylor Fritz – a victory that could keep his team in contention against the USA – before retiring moments later due to a muscle injury. However, since then, Machac has lost just two matches: an unfortunate third-round draw against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and a defeat to Denis Shapovalov in Dallas, where Shapovalov went on to win the tournament. Machac’s outstanding results (12-4 in 2025) have been driven by his strong return game. His overall form places him around the top 10 contenders heading into Indian Wells next week, according to the TennisRatio Power Index, which measures a weighted combination of serve, return, on-court dominance, and efficiency factors.
Data supplied by TennisRatio.com, helping to visualize the performance statistics of the best ATP/WTA tennis players. Their analysis focusses on who performs best on serve and return, who dominates their opponents and who’s game most efficiently translates into results.
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