Janlennard Struff

World number 34 Struff has teamed up with Australian pioneer O'Shannessy – Novak Djokovic's former chief strategist, who has continued to transform the sport.

O'Shannessy – using numbers, patterns and data – helped Djokovic rise back to the top of the ATP Tour with four grand slams in three years before separating at the start of 2020.

With O'Shannessy in his corner, Struff almost defeated Djokovic at the Australian Open in January before the Serb superstar went on to claim a record-extending eighth title in Melbourne.

"Craig is an extremely good analyst," Struff told Stats Perform about O'Shannessy, who also works with 2019 US Open semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini, Alexei Popyrin and Tennis Canada.

"He has been working with a lot of the top players over the past years, like Novak Djokovic for example.

"I had the idea, that I could improve myself while working with him, I want to be professional and try to reach everything that is possible within my career. 

"Therefore I think you have to try things like that. I really appreciate him and I think, that he can push me forward even more."

Stats Perform harnesses the true power of sports data by leveraging advancements in AI to generate the industry's richest insights, though it is relatively untapped in tennis.

Asked if AI and numbers will become more important in tennis, Struff added: "Yes of course.

"I don't know exactly, what the other players are doing on that area. You are always trying to hide these things. Nobody wants to talk about what he is doing, how his fitness training looks like and such things.

"Everybody is trying to hide himself, so the opponents don’t see, if certain things are working out or not. This is to prevent the other guys from copying certain things and actually catching up. But this is definitely going to come."

Alcaraz had won both of his opening games with the minimum of fuss, but he needed three sets to get beyond Struff, who won a second-set tie-break.

However, Alcaraz eventually prevailed in the decider, clinching a 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-4) victory.

Alcaraz, who is in the hunt for a third straight title in Madrid, will now face seventh-seed Andrey Rublev for a place in the last four.

Data Debrief: Prodigal son matches the master

There have been plenty of comparisons between Alcaraz and his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

And with his win on Tuesday, Alcaraz matched Nadal's record for the longest winning run at the Madrid Open, at 14 matches, since the tournament began in 2002.

Djokovic - eyeing a record-extending eighth Australian Open title - kicked off his title defence with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 2-6 6-1 victory against tenacious German Struff in Melbourne on Monday.

The 16-time slam champion looked set to close out a straight-sets win after surviving a tense first set, in which he committed 12 unforced errors, before Struff rallied to force a fourth on Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic, though, was not to be denied a 900th ATP career victory and the Serb star told reporters: "I actually like tough first rounds in grand slams particularly.

"Historically I had lots of success in grand slams where I had tough opponents in the first round. Because it gets me going. 

"From the beginning I have to be alert, I have to be on a high level. I think I was."

Djokovic, who will face either Japanese wildcard Tatsuma Ito or lucky loser Prajnesh Gunneswaran in the second round, added: "Overall it was a really solid start, especially in the second and the fourth set I played on a higher level. [I] served pretty good, lots of aces, high percentage of first serves in.

"I felt kind of in control of the match. Even when I lost the third set I just felt like 'if I am on the right level, I have the upper hand'. I ended this match in a good fashion, in a right way and this is very positive."

Djokovic survived a scare on Rod Laver Arena, but the 16-time grand slam champion eventually moved into the second round at Melbourne Park.

Eyeing a record-extending eighth Australian Open title, second seed Djokovic will face either Tatsuma Ito or Prajnesh Gunneswaran for a spot in the third round.

World number 37 Struff presented a tricky opening test for Djokovic, especially with Craig O'Shannessy - the Serbian star's former chief strategist - now in his corner. 

Struff, who had never beaten Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, was not overawed, displaying aggression from the baseline and net.

Despite blinking first as Djokovic broke for a 4-2 lead and consolidated for a 5-2 advantage, Struff was unperturbed and reeled off three consecutive games, despite saving a set point along the way, to level the match and then force a tie-break.

Djokovic, however, managed to hold off the tenacious German in a tense and taxing breaker, using a wide serve to close it out at the second time of asking.

Struff was clearly feeling the effects when he quickly fell 2-0 behind at the start of the second, and Djokovic never relinquished the advantage before he broke again for a two-sets-to-love lead.

It seemed routine for Djokovic but he suffered an uncharacteristic stumble in the third as Struff's chances of a huge upset returned.

The pair traded breaks before the Djokovic serve went AWOL, allowing Struff to move 4-2 up before Djokovic served two double faults at 2-5, 30-30 to hand Struff a lifeline.

Normality was swiftly resumed in the fourth, however, Djokovic breaking in the opening game and again for a 4-1 lead before closing it out on the Struff serve to seal his 900th Tour level win.

STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Novak Djokovic [2] bt Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 2-6 6-1

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 44/28
Struff – 39/34

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 14/3
Struff – 13/7

BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 64%
Struff – 80%

FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Djokovic – 65
Struff – 56

PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Djokovic – 77/50
Struff – 65/41

TOTAL POINTS
Djokovic – 113
Struff – 91

A record seven-time champion in Melbourne, the Serbian will take some stopping once again at the year's first grand slam.

Djokovic was strong during the back end of last year, aside from his ATP Finals failure, and has started 2020 impressively.

We take a closer look at where the 16-time major champion is at ahead of his opener.

Form and results

Djokovic led Serbia to ATP Cup success to begin the year, and he did so in style. The 32-year-old recorded singles wins over Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev during that run, while also beating Denis Shapovalov, Gael Monfils, Kevin Anderson and Christian Garin. If anyone was doubting he would be hard to beat in Australia, those questions were quickly answered.

Awaiting him in the first round is Struff, who would appear one of the trickier tasks given the German is ranked 37th in the world. Struff enjoyed a strong 2019 that included reaching semi-finals in Auckland and Stuttgart and the last eight in Barcelona and Basel, while he stunned Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells. However, Djokovic has enjoyed two straight-sets wins over Struff in their previous two meetings, including a 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory at the French Open last year.

Draw

Djokovic should encounter few early problems. Wildcard Tatsuma Ito or lucky loser Prajnesh Gunneswaran await if he gets past Struff, while 30th seed Dan Evans could be his third-round opponent.

What he said

"Milestones are definitely a motivation, I think. At the same time they make me proud of what I have achieved in my career. They give even more significance to why I'm competing in professional tennis still. But at the same time, there's some other higher goals that I have kind of as a driving force I think more than any other milestone. But they all are important."

Djokovic revealed earlier this month he had spoken to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal about a relief fund that would see up to $4.5million distributed to lower-ranked players with the ATP Tour suspended until at least July 13.

Struff, the world number 34, backed the plan and said it was important that ATP Player Council president Djokovic had led the way.

"You have to look at [it] from two sides. Of course, I have no income, but I have managed to play well in the last few years and have been able to put some money aside. I think it's a good idea," the German told Stats Perform.

"I think it's very important that the initiative comes from Novak Djokovic. It shows that he wants to take care of other players as well. I think that's very important because it's very important for tennis in general.

"I would like to support this, of course. Many players will have problems because they have no income in this area.

"But I would go one step further and say that from the 100 or 150 rankings onwards, players will have problems and, of course, need this support."

Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II, while the French Open has been pushed back to begin in September.

But Struff, who reached the fourth round at Roland Garros last year, questioned whether the French Open – and even US Open – would go ahead.

"I have very big doubts whether the French Open and the US Open can take place. I don't know how long the travel restrictions will last. I just find it very difficult," said Struff, who turned 30 on Saturday.

"It also has to be fair that every player from every nation is allowed to fly to every country and I just don't think that's guaranteed. There will be tournaments on a national level. Internationally, I find it very difficult.

"Wimbledon has, of course, cancelled the tournament early. This is the only tournament that has insurance for this.

"Other tournaments want to be played later in the year and keep their tournament, which is completely understandable, but I doubt that these will take place."

There have been more than 2.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, with the death toll exceeding 197,000.

Djokovic, the world number one, continued his impressive run in New York, where the ATP 1000 event is being held instead of Cincinnati due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Serbian may have been expecting to have Medvedev awaiting him in the last four, but the Russian exited.

Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas is also into the semi-finals.

DJOKOVIC RACES THROUGH

Djokovic needed just 62 minutes to breeze past Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3 6-1 to reach a record-equalling eighth Western & Southern Open semi.

The 17-time grand slam champion, who is yet to drop a set at the tournament, improved to 21-0 this year.

Djokovic tied Jimmy Connors, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer and Bill Talbert's semi-final totals at the ATP 1000 tournament.

BAUTISTA AGUT BEATS MEDVEDEV

Defending champion and last year's US Open runner-up, Medvedev departed in the quarter-finals.

Medvedev, the third seed, was beaten by eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut 1-6 6-4 6-3.

Bautista Agut has lost eight of his 11 meetings with Djokovic, but won two of their three clashes last year.

TSITSIPAS THROUGH AS RAONIC SAVES MP

Tsitsipas was only on court for 38 minutes before Reilly Opelka retired due to a right knee injury.

Opelka led 6-5 against the fourth seed before retiring due to the injury.

Tsitsipas will face Milos Raonic, who saved a match point before overcoming Filip Krajinovic 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-5.

Raonic saved a match point in the 10th game of the third set, winning 11 of the final 13 points to advance.

World number three Nadal saved two set points in the third set on his way to a well-earned 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-3) victory in Tuesday's contest at Roland Garros.

It means that only three players have taken a set from the Spaniard at the grand slam event since 2016 – Diego Schwartzman, David Goffin and Dominic Thiem.

Nadal's victory over Popyrin was his 31st in a row in Paris since 2015 and keeps him on course for a record-extending 14th triumph in the French capital.

The third seed was impressed by what he saw from his 21-year-old opponent, who showed admirable resistance by saving four break points to force a tie-break in the third set.

"With this serve, with these kinds of shots from the baseline, he has everything to become a top player," Nadal said. "If he wants to do it, of course he is going to have his chances, because he has a lot of very difficult things in his game.

"He has everything to become a great, or at least a fantastic player. Let's see. Let's see what is going on in the next couple of months and years."

Asked about his impressive record of rarely dropping a set, Nadal said: "We are playing best-of-five. The other player needs to win two more sets to beat you.

"I know I'm going to be there fighting for every single point. Of course I don't want to lose the set at all, but that's part of the game.

"I'm happy to win that third set. I don't know how I won it, but I did, and I'm glad."

RUBLEV BEATEN BY BIG-SERVING STRUFF

Nadal's path to another French Open title is a little clearer following seventh seed Andrey Rublev's surprise first-round exit to world number 42 Jan-Lennard Struff.

Rublev had reached the quarter-final stage at his previous three majors and was much fancied to go far in Paris, but he fell 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 3-6 6-4 to the big-serving Struff.

The German hit 25 aces on his way to beating a top-10 opponent at a grand slam for the first time, setting up a second-round meeting with Facundo Bagnis.

"I was feeling fine," Rublev said after the defeat. "I practiced well. I don't know why I lost. I think we played a good level today. I played a solid two sets, third and fourth, and then the fifth set.

"I think I should have won the second set, but this is tennis. I was serving for the set and I didn't make it, then in the tie-break I was a bit unlucky and he played well."

MONFILS ENDS SLAM DROUGHT

Fan favourite Gael Monfils battled back from a set down to beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-4 and earn his first grand slam win since the 2020 Australian Open.

Monfils has struggled since tennis resumed last year after the coronavirus-enforced break, with Tuesday's win on home soil just his second this season.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev kicked off his French Open campaign with victory over Jenson Brooksby in three sets.

Tenth seed Schwartzman, who reached the last four in Paris last year, saw off Lu Yen-hsun 6-2 6-2 6-3 in his opening match.

Matteo Berrettini was made to work a little harder for his victory against Taro Daniel, the ninth seed advancing through 6-0 6-4 4-6 6-4.

There was an upset later in the day, though, as number 20 seed Felix Auger Aliassime was beaten in four sets by world number 98 Andreas Seppi.

Murray, ranked 53rd in the world, could not find his usual return with Lajovic winning 72 per cent of second-serve points, prevailing in one hour and 38 minutes.

The Serbian claimed only his fourth win out of 16 matches on hard courts since the start of last year, holding his nerve after failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, converting his third match point in the 12th game.

Lajovic hit 21-14 winners, with Murray committing more unforced errors (15-13). The Serbian converted all three break points he generated.

Former world number six Gael Monfils was forced to retire due to a right wrist injury in his clash with French compatriot Ugo Humbert at 3-3.

Monfils, 36, was playing at only his third event since returning to the ATP Tour following seven months out due to injury.

Argentina's Facundo Bagnis defeated Brazilian qualifier Felipe Meligeni Alves 6-3 1-6 6-4, with his reward a second-round clash with last week's Indian Wells Open winner and top seed Carlos Alcaraz.

World number 50 J.J. Wolf beat world number 48 Alexander Bublik 7-5 6-3 in 79 minutes, earning a second-round clash with sixth seed Andrey Rublev.

World number 74 Martin Fucsovics sent down nine aces as he beat Argentina's Pedro Cachin 6-4 7-6 (7-2) in 107 minutes. Fucsovics will next face seventh seed Holger Rune.

Ilya Ivashka beat Daniel Altmaier 6-2 6-1 to book a second-round clash with third seed Casper Ruud, while Fabio Fognini bowed out, losing 6-4 5-7 6-4 to Jan-Lennard Struff. USA's Brandon Nakashima powered to a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over Germany's Oscar Otte.

Struff was the only seed in action on Tuesday at the first edition of the tournament and he defeated lucky loser Salvatore Caruso 6-4 6-2.

Like Struff, Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas won his first-round match, as did qualifier Tommy Paul and wildcard Alex Bolt.

Evans, meanwhile, is the first man into the last eight after he saw off Alexander Bublik 7-5 6-2.

Inclement weather heavily affected proceedings at the Auckland Open, though there was still time for John Millman to reach the last 16 with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over qualifier Michael Mmoh.

Millman will play Karen Khachanov in round two, with Vasek Pospisil – a winner over Joao Sousa – set to face rising star Denis Shapovalov in an all-Canadian encounter.

Kyle Edmund defeated wildcard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2 4-6 6-3 in a back-and-forth contest.

Home favourite Struff made it to the last eight of the clay-court tournament for the fourth time in his career with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (0-7) 6-2 triumph over German countryman Dominik Koepfer, who had little to celebrate on his 27th birthday in Munich.

Struff recovered from 4-2 down to take the first set and racked up four straight games to seal the deciding set. He served 11 aces and staved off five break points in a match lasting two hours and 39 minutes.

"I am very, very happy that I turned around the first set," seventh seed Struff said in his on-court interview. 

"I played a not good second-set tie-break. Before [that] the set was okay, but I couldn't lock into his service games that much.

"I am very happy that I broke him I the third set and I am very happy to be through. Dominik is a good guy and a very good player."

Fourth seed Krajinovic stands in the way of Struff and a last-four berth, with the Serbian handed a walkover after last-16 opponent Yannick Hanfmann pulled out with a neck injury.

Nikoloz Basilashvili, seeded fifth, defeated Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4 6-2 to set up a last-eight clash with lucky loser Norbert Gombos, who overcame Federico Coria 6-4 6-1.

At the Estoril Open there was a battle between music collaborators as top seed Denis Shapovalov faced off against Corentin Moutet.

The duo were welcomed onto the court by the track 'Drip', which they released together last year.

On the court, it was Frenchman Moutet who managed to snare an upset victory in a 6-4 2-6 6-4 triumph against the Canadian, to score a second top-20 win of the year.

"It was a very close match," Moutet said. "I'm lucky that I won at the end. A few points decided the winner."

Next up is Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2 7-6 (7-3).

Cameron Norrie outlasted wildcard Pedro Martinez 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 to book a quarter-final against second seed Cristian Garin, who never took to the court as opponent Richard Gasquet withdrew with a left adductor problem.

Struff had lost in his previous seven semi-final appearances and it appeared the streak may continue when he quickly fell 3-0 behind against his opponent from Belarus.

However, qualifier Ivashka – who had knocked out top seed Alexander Zverev in the previous round – only managed to win two more games in the remainder of a contest that spanned 87 minutes.

A 6-4 6-1 win for Struff sets up a showdown with Nikoloz Basilashvili, who crushed Casper Ruud 6-1 6-2 to progress through from the other half of the draw.

"I am happy to have reached my first final on home soil in Germany and I will try my best tomorrow," seventh seed Struff said after Saturday's match.

Both Basilashvili and Ruud had completed their quarter-final ties earlier on Saturday, but it was the former who coped better with a quick return to action on the clay court, easing to victory in 71 minutes.

At the Estoril Open, Cameron Norrie moved a step closer to a first ATP title after withstanding a barrage of aces to overcome the big-serving Marin Cilic in two sets.

Norrie managed to save five of the six break-point opportunities on his own serve as he eventually prevailed 7-6 (7-5) 7-5. His only previous experience of a final on the ATP Tour came back in 2019, when he lost to Tennys Sandgren at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

"[Marin] was serving great and it was really tricky to get his first serve back. I am fortunate to get through and I am just happy to be in my second final," the Briton said in his on-court interview.

Albert Ramos-Vinolas is the last player standing in his way, the Spaniard battling back after losing his serve in both sets to beat compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-4.

Top seed Carreno Busta needed an hour and 38 minutes to dispatch his fellow Spaniard 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 in Marbella on Wednesday.

Carreno Busta won 73 per cent of points on his first serve and saved the only two break points he faced to set up a quarter-final against Soonwoo Kwon, who beat Facundo Bagnis 6-1 6-3.

Albert Ramos-Vinolas was another home contender to progress, getting the better of Ricardas Berankis 6-3 4-6 6-3, while Norbert Gombos ousted eighth seed Federico Delbonis 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-1).

There were no surprises in the Sardegna Open, where all three seeds in action moved into the last eight.

Taylor Fritz, the second seed, saw the back of Andrej Martin 6-2 7-6 (7-4) to set up a meeting with Aljaz Bedene, who beat Egor Gerasimov 6-4 7-6 (7-5).

Fifth seed Jan-Lennard Struff needed only 81 minutes to defeat qualifier Liam Broady 6-4 6-2, while Nikoloz Basilashvili rallied from a set – and five match points – down to see off Jozef Kovalik 4-6 6-4 7-5.

Chasing an 18th grand slam title, Djokovic was untroubled by Struff in a 6-3 6-3 6-1 win on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday.

The world number one improved to 26-0 in 2020 and he has dropped just one set through his first three rounds in New York.

Djokovic has now made at least the fourth round in his previous 13 appearances at the US Open, where he is a three-time champion.

The Serbian had won all four of his previous meetings with Struff, including twice this year, and he outclassed the German 28th seed again.

Struff hung in there in the first set, until the eighth game – when Djokovic broke on his way to the opener.

A break in the opening game of the second set put Djokovic further on his way, and he took the Struff serve again to close it out.

Pushed a little to begin the third set, Djokovic landed another break to lead 3-1 and he never looked back on his way to the fourth round.

Awaiting Djokovic in the last 16 is Pablo Carreno Busta, the Spaniard having lost all three of his previous matches against the Serbian.

STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN

Djokovic [1] bt Struff [28] 6-3 6-3 6-1

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS   

Djokovic – 34/23
Struff – 23/32

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS   

Djokovic – 4/5
Struff – 8/3

BREAK POINTS WON    

Djokovic – 5/11
Struff – 0/4

FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE   

Djokovic – 63
Struff – 58

PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE   

Djokovic – 80/57
Struff – 61/44

TOTAL POINTS   

Djokovic – 92
Struff – 64

The world number one had few issues in his previous outing as he improved to 24-0 for the year, but Edmund did initially cause Djokovic problems at Flushing Meadows.

Edmund, ranked 44 in the world, claimed the first set in a tiebreak as the possibility of a shock reared its head, but Djokovic stepped up thereafter and rarely looked in trouble.

After three hours and 13 minutes on court, Djokovic eventually saw off Edmund to set up a meeting with Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round.

Edmund more than held his own in a tight and well-matched first set, the Briton proving particularly adept when coming to the net as he read a couple of Djokovic drop shots to good effect.

Neither player could break the other's serve and the first set ultimately went to the tiebreak, but Djokovic was on the back foot early on as Edmund initially edged ahead.

A wayward cross-court shot at 5-5 from the Serb gifted his opponent a golden opportunity, which he grasped with a ferocious serve straight down the middle to take the lead.

But Djokovic's response was relatively swift, securing the first service break in the fourth game of the second set when an Edmund double fault proved decisive.

Djokovic saw out the set relatively comfortably, sealing it with an ace, before then cranking his game up another level and taking charge of the third with successive breaks, the second of which was to love.

The pair traded another trio of breaks in the following three games, with both players bizarrely error-prone, but Djokovic did eventually close the set out at the fourth time of asking.

Djokovic, seemingly anticipating few issues for the remainder of the match, let out a scream of joy as Edmund failed to hold his serve again at the start of the fourth, and the 17-time grand slam champion cruised thereafter to finish off the 25-year-old's resistance.

Djokovic, who is hunting his first grand slam title of the year on the back of claiming Olympic gold in Paris, won 6-2 6-2 6-4 on Sunday.

However, Djokovic was not at his best, making 40 unforced errors and 10 double faults.

"I wanted to kick start the tournament in the right way and I think I did," Djokovic told ESPN.

"Some ups and downs which I think is normal, getting the rust off your shoulders coming off a different surface and the Olympic Games.

"I haven't played on hard courts for six months, so I'm still finding that groove, finding the tempo on the court."

Next up for Djokovic, who would claim his 100th Tour-level title should he triumph in New York, is his compatriot Laslo Djere, who defeated Jan-Lennard Struff.

Data Debrief: Djokovic equals Federer

Only the great Jimmy Connors (98) has won more US Open singles matches than Djokovic, who claimed his 89th victory at Flushing Meadows to match Roger Federer's tally.

This was also Djokovic's 78th win at Arthur Ashe Stadium, a competition record for a male player.

"By the end of that match, Rafa's mind was scrambled eggs."

Craig O'Shannessy was part of Dustin Brown's coaching team when the German qualifier sensationally eliminated two-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal at the All England Club in 2015.

Through numbers, patterns and data, Australian pioneer O'Shannessy orchestrated the gameplan to send Nadal packing in the second round almost five years ago.

"After the match, I described that as organised chaos," O'Shannessy told Stats Perform News prior to the Australian Open in January. "A lot of times with Dustin it's pure chaos. Sometimes he wins with it, sometimes he loses. What gelled was we organised his chaos so that people didn't know him, would've looked at that thinking all hell is breaking loose. Whereas I'm watching the match going 'he is running the patterns that we talked about perfectly'.

"It's about taking away what Rafa wanted to do. It's about attacking him early on the point, it's about attacking him wide of the forehand, going after returns simply because you know where the serve is going, about drop shots and bringing him in. It's just about messing with his mind and making it very unclear."

O'Shannessy – recognised as a world leader in teaching and analysis – has continued to transform the sport. He teamed up with Novak Djokovic as his chief strategist in 2017 and helped the Serb rise back to the top with four grand slams in three years.

Now working with 2019 US Open semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini, Jan-Lennard Struff, Alexei Popyrin and Tennis Canada, O'Shannessy crunches the numbers for his players.

Struff – with mastermind O'Shannessy in his box – threatened to derail Djokovic's quest for a record-extending eighth Australian Open title before the defending champion fought hard to survive in the opening round in Melbourne, where he eventually hoisted the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup aloft.

"Every single match the player receives a pre-match report that has text, specific details about what the players like to do, I'll put in a bunch of numbers, tables and graphs particularly on serve patterns and rally length, then video," he said. "You just keep hammering away and supporting the winning strategy in as many different ways as you can."

At the forefront of analytics in tennis, how further can data go?

"Still a long away. We're only scratching the surface," O'Shannessy said. "There's a lot of numbers and data that we see but still don't know exactly what it means. The next five years will be incredibly important and we'll know way more than we do now. We're just at the start of the journey."

On data and patterns, O'Shannessy added: "For example, when you're returning, you can't cover everything. Players that try to cover everything, basically end up covering nothing. You look at it by the point score, if a player is at 30-30, they really need the point. If they're at 40-15, they don't necessarily need the point.

"So the players will have the tendency to gravitate to certain locations when they need that point and if you're sitting there waiting for it, all of a sudden the advantage of that point gets completely turned around. Instead of the returner being unbalanced, the server is off balance because the return is coming back harder and faster. They're on defence instead of offence.

"Early in my coaching career, I naturally put a big emphasis on the opponent, the idea being you're going to play 50 matches in a year and you may only play two or three where you think you've played incredible. The other 47 it's going to be your B or C game that triumphs, so the more you can understand it's not about you playing phenomenal tennis, it's about making them play bad. That mentality takes the pressure off and delivers it to the other side of the court."

Then there is artificial intelligence. Stats Perform harnesses the true power of sports data by leveraging advancements in AI to generate the industry's richest insights, though it is relatively untapped in tennis.

"AI is able to crunch some very big data and make sense of it," O'Shannessy added. "The ability to do forecasting through there about percentages and situations. I'm already looking at the best way to incorporate AI and the end result to basically help players win more matches."

World number 34 Struff also shared his thoughts on AI and numbers in an interview with Stats Perform News in April.

"Yes of course," Struff said when asked if AI will become more important in tennis. "I don't know exactly what the other players are doing on that area. You are always trying to hide these things. Nobody wants to talk about what he is doing, how his fitness training looks like and such things.

"Everybody is trying to hide himself, so the opponents don't see if certain things are working out or not. This is to prevent the other guys from copying certain things and actually catching up. But this is definitely going to come."

Alcaraz, whose four Tour-level titles in 2022 are more than any other player on the ATP Tour, has been tipped for a deep run at Wimbledon after surging to seventh in the world rankings.

But the 19-year-old was on the brink of a stunning first-round exit when he was taken to a fourth-set tie-break at 2-1 down on Monday, eventually recovering to post a gruelling 4-6 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 win on No. 1 Court.

In his post-match media conference, the Spaniard reiterated last week's claim that he is not one of the favourites to triumph in London, although he said he could win the tournament if he plays to the best of his ability.

"I don't feel the pressure because I don't rank myself as one of the favourites to win this tournament," Alcaraz said.

"Obviously if I play well, I have [the] level to win the tournament, but there are a lot more experienced players on grass. I don't feel the pressure."

Alcaraz also conceded his grass-court game can still improve as he hailed his tremendous serving display – which brought him 30 aces, as the reason for his victory.

"I enjoyed [the match] a lot," he added. "Great battle over four hours. For me, [to] play on grass is so beautiful. I like to play on grass. 

"I would say my level on grass has to improve a little bit, but I'm happy with my level.

"I didn't expect to move as well as I did. I mean, I played really well, I felt really well playing on grass and I still don't know how I served [so well].

"This is probably my best match serving. This was a weapon that I used [and] that's why I won – the serve, for sure."

Alcaraz will face Tallon Griekspoor in the second round after the Dutch player overcame Fabio Fognini in four sets on day one.