EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was first published on 7 July 2019. Humbert is now through to the semi-finals at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport and is seeded fourth at the event. He also cracked the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday. Humbert will face top seed John Isner as he seeks his first ATP Tour final.

Ugo Humbert reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, his best result at a Grand Slam, after high-profile victories over Gael Monfils and Felix Auger-Aliassime. The rising #NextGenATP player, who plays top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic on Monday, is guaranteed to surpass his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 61 when the newest standings are released. 

Read Humbert Upsets Auger-Aliassime

ATPTour.com takes a look at five things to know about the 21-year-old Frenchman. 

1. He’s Soared Up The ATP Rankings
Twelve months ago, Humbert was ranked No. 290 and playing an ITF Pro Circuit event in France. Since then, he’s won four ATP Challenger Tour titles and finished runner-up in three others.

His success hasn’t been limited to Challengers, though. Humbert defeated Borna Coric en route to his maiden ATP Tour semi-final this February on home soil in Marseille.

2. Humbert Joins Rare Company This Fortnight
Prior to this season, Humbert had never played a professional match on grass. But with his grass-court run, he became the 43rd man in the Open Era to make the Round of 16 in their Wimbledon debut. Only five other players have accomplished this in the past 10 years.

Men To Reach #Wimbledon R16 On Debut In Past 10 Years

3. He Also Hits The Right Notes Off The Court
Music has been an essential part of Humbert’s life since the age of five. Playing piano has provided an outlet for the Frenchman to disconnect off the court that has ultimately benefitted his tennis.

“I love music and I play piano and guitar. It is a big part of my life,” said Humbert. “When I am at the [French Tennis] Federation, they have a piano there for me. It helps me to focus and relax, even on the court. It is important to have something like this outside of tennis.”

More On The Championships
* Nadal Talks Big 3 Grand Slam Success
* 21 Years Later, Federer’s Hunger Remains
* Kukushkin: By Any Means

4. He’s In Contention To Qualify For Milan
Humbert looks to make his debut this year at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. He currently sits at ninth place in the ATP Race to Milan, but will move into one of the seven qualifying positions if he can beat Djokovic. A loss on Monday will put him in eighth place.

5. Humbert Backs Himself Against Djokovic
Some players might be content with their best Grand Slam result and the opportunity to play Djokovic. But with his strong results this season, Humbert believes he has the game to dethrone the defending champion.

“I would like to play my game, and yes, I have the chance,”said Humbert. “If not, I’m not coming on the court.”

Swiss superstar Roger Federer turns 38 in less than three weeks. But he is still the No. 3 player in the ATP Rankings, and his 38 wins in 2019 lead the ATP Tour. The eight-time Wimbledon champion was within one point of claiming his 21st Grand Slam title at The Championships, falling just short against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

For International Tennis Hall of Fame President Stan Smith, one thing in Federer’s game today stands out, even after lifting 102 tour-level titles.

“One of the keys I think for him is his balance. He stays in good balance when he hits the ball and so it prevents him from being injured and it also makes him consistent and also enables him to recover much better after he hits a wide shot, for instance,” Smith said. “He’s in such good balance, he doesn’t have to take an extra couple of steps to recover his balance. He hits the ball on balance even when he’s moving hard to get back into the point. That’s one of the reasons he’s been so effective.”

The Swiss is not the only one, though. Smith points to the other members of the Big Three — World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal — as strong movers, which has helped them maintain their spots atop the sport despite being the three oldest players in the Top 10.

“Djokovic is like a rubber man. He’s got unbelievable flexibility. I think part of it is genetics and part of it is he works at it. He works at his flexibility. Jimmy Connors had tremendous flexibility in the upper body, kind of contorting,” Smith said. “Even Rafa is able to get in some very tough positions and be able to recover back into the court. Flexibility is quite important. Some of it is genetic and some of it is really, really working on it and that also helps prevent injury as well as gives players more power. They’re able to be flexible like that.”

Read Newport QF Report 

Before Smith returned to Newport, Rhode Island for Saturday’s International Tennis Hall of Fame induction ceremony, he was at Wimbledon, where he was delighted with the level of play at The Championships, specifically pointing to the blockbuster semi-final in which Federer defeated Nadal and the championship match.

“It was great tennis. The Federer and Nadal match was unbelievable tennis, really high quality tennis all the way through. Nadal could play on the grass. He has won the tournament and he’s certainly not a pushover on the grass,” Smith said. “Federer played at a very high level to win that match.

“I thought Federer played really, really well the whole match [in the final] and Djokovic sort of went up and down, especially in the second set. He just sort of went away for a while and in the fourth set he wasn’t as sharp. But he was sharp in the three tie-breaks and that made the difference with him winning all three of them.”

The Big Three shows no signs of slowing down, either. Although Smith mentioned elite players such as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and Jimmy Connors to reference players who have enjoyed success at an older age, he also acknowledged that the game has changed since then.

“There are different eras of players — players used to play fairly long. Then you went through an era where they stopped, 35 would be the max. Now, you’ve got Federer taking it to the next level and it’s more difficult now because there’s so much competition out there,” Smith said. “There are very few easy matches and so you’re playing tough matches all the time and you’re playing on these slower surfaces. We used to just play on grass at the US Open, the Australian Open and Wimbledon and then the tournaments in between like Newport, between Wimbledon and the US Open, were on grass. So you weren’t playing points that were quite as long and I don’t think it was quite as hard on the body.

“But for the players today, it’s really tough on the body and to be able to hang in there… is quite impressive.”

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic each holds plenty of records. And one thing that may also be helping them stay near the top is that they are still striving for more.

“Federer’s done so well, he doesn’t need to play, and Djokovic doesn’t need to play and neither does Nadal. It depends upon how much they really want to compete, want to play and travel,” Smith said.

Fourth-seeded Serbian Dusan Lajovic moved closer to his first ATP Tour title on Friday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, advancing to the semi-finals over Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

Lajovic squandered a 5-3 lead in the opening set, but regrouped to break Bedene four more times and prevailed in two hours and 33 minutes. The 29-year-old achieved his maiden ATP Tour final this April at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (l. to Fognini) and recorded his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 23 that same month.

Next up for the fourth seed is Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso, who moved into his first ATP Tour semi-final with a 6-4, 6-0 over Argentine Facundo Bagnis. Caruso only had one ATP Tour victory to his name two months ago, but came through qualifying to reach the third round at Roland Garros before his latest run in Umag. The 26-year-old is projected to crack the Top 100 in the ATP Rankings if he can reach the final.

Fellow Serbian and third seed Laslo Djere continued his excellent year on clay by battling past eighth-seeded Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. A determined Djere saved six points in the second set before Mayer finally evened the score with a backhand winner on his seventh opportunity. But the Serbian remained calm and scored the lone break of the deciding set to advance in two hours and 40 minutes.

Djere improved to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Mayer and is still on track for his second ATP Tour title of the season. He won his maiden crown this February in Rio de Janeiro (d. Auger-Aliassime).

He’ll now play Hungarian Attila Balazs for a place in the final. The 30-year-old qualifier continued his dream week by outlasting Italian Stefano Travaglia 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 for his first ATP Tour semi-final in seven years. Balazs, currently No. 207 in the ATP Rankings, reached two ATP Challenger Tour finals last month in Prostejov and Bratislava.

Marach/Melzer March Into Doubles Final

Top seeds Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer advanced to the doubles final with a 7-6(5) 7-5 victory over fourth-seeded Argentines Mayer and Andres Molteni. The Austrian duo will face second seeds Robin Haase and Philipp Oswald, who defeated third seeds Denys Molchanov and Igor Zelenay 7-5, 1-6, 10-8.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Ugo Humbert kept up his outstanding grass-court form on Friday at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, advancing to the semi-finals over Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.

Humbert, seeded fourth, raced through the final four games of the match to prevail in two hours and 26 minutes. The 20-year-old defeated fellow #NextGenATP player Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the fourth round earlier this month at Wimbledon, marking his best result at a Grand Slam. Humbert, who recorded his maiden ATP Tour semi-final this February on home soil in Marseille, cracked the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings this week.

Next up for the Frenchman is top-seeded American John Isner, who hammered 24 aces to defeat Australian Matthew Edben 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The match was a repeat of their 2017 final, which Isner also prevailed in. The American now leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 5-1 and has won all three of their grass-court matches. Isner is seeking his fourth title in Newport (2011-2012, 2017).

Marcel Granollers continued his Newport success with a convincing 6-3, 6-0 win in his rain-delayed match with German Mischa Zverev. The Spaniard took the first set before showers halted play on Thursday, but he returned with a vengeance and dropped just eight points in the second set. Granollers is through to his first ATP Tour semi-final since this event last year.

He’ll now play seventh seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, who scored his first ATP Tour semi-final by surviving a wild 0-6, 6-3, 6-0 battle with American Tennys Sandgren. After losing 10 of the last 12 points in the opening set, Bublik dropped only five points in the final set.

The 22-year-old Bublik has primarily competed on the ATP Challenger Tour and picked up four Challenger titles in the past year. He’s guaranteed to surpass his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 82 on Monday.

From Novak Djokovic’s celebrations, Juan Martin del Potro continuing his recovery from knee surgery and Kei Nishikori praising the rising stars of the game, the world’s top players have been busy on and off the court. ATPTour.com looks at the best player social media posts from the past week.

Days after clinching his fifth Wimbledon title, World No. 1 Djokovic enjoyed a low-key party to celebrate the birthday of one of his brothers, Djordje Djokovic.

Happy Birthday to my little brother Djordje. Last night we celebrated. Very proud of you. Love you ? pic.twitter.com/llFcGnbsBw

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 18, 2019

Del Potro underwent surgery last month to repair a fractured right kneecap, but shared some positive news on his recovery.

Una nueva etapa en la recuperación. Chau muletas ???‍♂

A new stage in my recovery. Goodbye crutches! pic.twitter.com/CBFswGkePE

— Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) July 13, 2019

Nishikori was delighted at the success of 16-year-old Japanese junior Shintaro Mochizuki, who won the boys’ singles title at Wimbledon. Both players train at the IMG Academy in Florida and have shared the court for hitting sessions.

Huge congrats to @ShintaroMOCHIZU! Such an amazing tournament ????????????????. Amazing to see the continued success of Mr. Morita’s vision! https://t.co/isXtIMuTK4

— Kei Nishikori (@keinishikori) July 14, 2019

Stefanos Tsitsipas enjoyed a night out in Greece with WTA player Maria Sakkari and professional pole vaulter Emmanuel Karalis.

3 ? lovers ❤️
W/ @StefTsitsipas @mariasakkari pic.twitter.com/8A70h78vzv

— Emmanuel Karalis (@FlyManoloFly) July 16, 2019

Karen Khachanov showed impeccable fashion sense in the latest issue of GQ China.

GQ China ?? July issue!!✌??
?Simon Lipman (LGA Management)@GQMagazine pic.twitter.com/kUGDZCiLj6

— Karen Khachanov (@karenkhachanov) July 16, 2019

Daniil Medvedev had good reason to smile after cracking the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings this week.

Top 10 @ATP_Tour!!! ?? pic.twitter.com/7Z7tuPc2zt

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) July 16, 2019

Roberto Bautista Agut’s bachelor party was delayed by his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon, but the Spaniard finally got to relax with the boys.

Noche ibicenca y amigos?? pic.twitter.com/vfYFusvua5

— Roberto BautistaAgut (@BautistaAgut) July 16, 2019

It seems like everyone has been having fun with FaceApp, but Boris Becker posted our personal favourite.

Grandpa BB pic.twitter.com/26acpMOACO

— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) July 18, 2019

At the age of 23, Nicolas Jarry has already reached two ATP Tour championship matches and defeated Top 3 opposition in the ATP Rankings. But, this week, the Chilean is aiming to make a significant breakthrough by lifting his first tour-level trophy and following in the footsteps of his grandfather.

The Santiago-born star has not dropped a set en route to the Swedish Open semi-finals, where he will meet Federico Delbonis for a place in the championship match. His grandfather, Jaime Fillol Sr., lifted six tour-level trophies between 1971 and 1982, including four crowns on clay. Fillol Sr. reached a career-high No. 14 in the ATP Rankings in 1974.

“He is one of the best Chilean tennis players. He taught me the sport since I was little,” said Jarry. “He took me to great tournaments. I remember Wimbledon when I was 12 and I remember going to the US Open a couple of times. There used to be an ATP [tournament] in Santiago, so I was always involved in the tennis.”

Fillol Sr.’s involvement in the sport runs deep. The six-time tour-level titlist played a key role in the establishment of the ATP pension and won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award in 1980.

Fillol Sr. encouraged his family members to take up the sport through to their early teens. That enthusiasm for sharing the sport with his family proved crucial in the development of his grandson, who is now potentially two wins away from joining him as an ATP Tour champion.

“He was part of the creation of the ATP and it was his idea to make the ATP pension,” said Jarry. “He made all his sons and daughters play tennis, it was a must until they were 14, so I was always doing sports and tennis. Every year, [I did] a little bit more until I began doing some fitness before school. Then, when I finished, I dedicated myself completely to the sport.”

For Jarry, his inspiration not only comes from the success of his grandfather, but also the past successes of his countrymen and players of a similar stature and game style. The 6’6” right-hander identifies his serve as his biggest weapon, with a powerful forehand adding an extra layer to his attacking abilities.

“Of course, the top three Chilean players, Nicolas Massu, Marcelo Rios and Fernando Gonzalez, have always been players that I have looked up to,” said Jarry. “But also, outside of that, the tall players [like] Juan Martin del Potro… Marin Cilic and Kevin Anderson.”

Alongside fellow 23-year-old Chilean Cristian Garin, the next chapter of Chilean tennis has clear potential. But can Jarry join two-time tour-level champion Garin in the 2019 winners’ circle this weekend?

Juan Ignacio Londero advanced to his second ATP Tour semi-final on Friday, beating last year’s runner-up Richard Gasquet 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 at the Swedish Open.

The 25-year-old withstood 13 aces and saved seven of nine break points to reach the last four in Båstad after two hours and 51 minutes. Londero is aiming to capture his second clay-court tour-level trophy of the season after picking up his maiden ATP Tour crown at the inaugural Cordoba Open in February.

Sixth seed Londero improves to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Gasquet, following his four-set victory against the Frenchman in the Roland Garros second round in May. The World No. 71, who owns a 17-11 tour-level record this year, will meet Roberto Carballes Baena or Albert Ramos-Vinolas for a spot in the championship match.

Nicolas Jarry needed just 74 minutes to record his third straight-sets victory of the week. The fifth seed converted each of his four break point opportunities to defeat Jeremy Chardy of France 6-1, 6-4.

Jarry will meet Federico Delbonis of Argentina in the semi-finals. The 28-year-old left-hander claimed 76 per cent of first-serve points (28/37) to beat eighth seed Joao Sousa 6-2, 7-5.

Since joining the ATP Tour in 2010, the BB&T Atlanta Open has been won by American in eight of its nine editions: John Isner (5), Mardy Fish (2), Andy Roddick (1). 

Isner, the champion in 2013-15 and ’17-18, will look to continue to trend in 2019 as he goes for his second three-peat at this ATP 250 tournament, and will be joined in the field by fellow Americans Taylor Fritz, Denis Kudla, Reilly Opelka, and Frances Tiafoe. #NextGenATP Australian Alex de Minaur will attempt to follow in Nick Kyrgios’ footsteps by becoming the only other non-American champion here.

Here’s all you need to know about the Atlanta tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 1915

Tournament Dates: 22-28 July 2019

Tournament Director: Eddie Gonzalez

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 20 July at 4pm on-site

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday at 10am and Sunday at 11am
* Main draw: Monday – Wednesday at 11am and 7pm, Thursday at 12pm and 7pm, Friday at 12pm and 8pm, Saturday at 12pm and 7pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 28 July at 5pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 28 July following singles final

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Atlantic Station
Main Court Seating: 3,788

Prize Money: US$694,995 (Total Financial Commitment: US$777,385) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: John Isner (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Matthew Ebden (2)
Oldest Champion: John Isner, 33, in 2018
Youngest Champion: Nick Kyrgios, 21, in 2016
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 49 Mardy Fish in 2010
Most Match Wins: John Isner (31)

2018 Finals
Singles: [1] John Isner (USA) d [8] Ryan Harrison (USA) 57 63 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: Nicholas Monroe (USA) / John-Patrick Smith (AUS) d [2] Ryan Harrison (USA) / Rajeev Ram (USA) 36 76(5) 10-8  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #AtlantaOpen
Facebook: @BBTAtlantaOpen
Twitter: @BBTatlantaopen
Instagram: @bbtatlantaopen

Did You Know… Embracing the hustle and bustle of Atlanta’s I-75 and I-85 corridors, the BB&T Atlanta Open headed downtown to a new venue at Atlantic Station in 2012. 

The J.Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad, founded in 1915, is one of two ATP Tour 250 clay-court tournaments in Switzerland and counts Roger Federer amongst its champions.

The 2019 field will be led by 2018 finalist Roberto Bautista Agut, returning to action following his delayed bachelor party and a semi-final run at Wimbledon (l. to Djokovic), defending champion Matteo Berrettini and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters runner-up Dusan Lajovic. Pablo Andujar, the 2014 titlist, also features. 

Here’s all you need to know about the Gstaad tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 1915

Tournament Dates: 22-28 July 2019

Tournament Director: Jean-François Collet

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 20 July

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday and Sunday
* Main draw: Monday – Friday at 10:30am, Saturday at 11:00am
* Doubles final: Sunday, 28 July at 11:30am
* Singles final: Sunday, 28 July following doubles final

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Roy Emerson Arena
Main Court Seating: 4,500

Prize Money: €524,340 (Total Financial Commitment: €586,140) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Sergi Bruguera, Alex Corretja (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: David Rikl (4)
Oldest Champion: Ken Rosewall, 40, in 1975
Youngest Champion: Richard Gasquet, 20, in 2006
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1979): No. 119 Thomaz Bellucci in 2009
Most Match Wins: Sergi Bruguera (32)

2018 Finals
Singles: Matteo Berrettini (ITA) d [2] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 76(9) 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: [PR] Matteo Berrettini (ITA) / Daniele Bracciali (ITA) d Denys Molchanov (UKR) / Igor Zelenay (SVK) 76(2) 76(5)  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #JSSSOG
Facebook: @SwissOpenGstaad
Twitter: @SwissOpenGstaad
Instagram: @swissopengstaad

Did You Know… Roger Federer was presented with a cow during a homecoming celebration in 2003 after winning his first Wimbledon title. Federer fell in the final that year to Jiri Novak but won the title in 2004. He made a long-awaited return in 2013 and was again gifted a cow in a special ceremony.