The final two ATP 500 events of the season take centre stage this week. Two-time defending champion and top seed Roger Federer will bid to lift his 10th title at the Swiss Indoors Basel, while home favourite Dominic Thiem leads the way at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. With 500 ATP Rankings points available to the champions at each event, the two European indoor tournaments could prove crucial in the ATP Race To London and ATP Race To Milan.

View Draws: Vienna | Basel

Things To Watch In Vienna
1) Top Seed Thiem: World No. 5 Dominic Thiem will make his 10th straight appearance in Vienna this year. The 26-year-old is hoping to advance past the quarter-finals at the ATP 500 event for the first time. Thiem will be confident of success at home this year after lifting his first trophy on Austrian soil at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel two months ago.

2) Tsonga Returns: Thiem’s first-round opponent in Vienna will be 2011 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Making his seventh appearance in Vienna this year, Tsonga has compiled a 15-5 record and reached three championship matches at this event. Tsonga is chasing his third indoor trophy of the year, after title runs at ATP 250 tournaments in Montpellier and Metz.

Read Vienna Draw Preview

3) Matteo In The Race: Third seed Matteo Berrettini is aiming to pick up crucial points in the ATP Race To London. The 23-year-old currently occupies the eighth and final qualification spot, with a 40-point lead over ninth-placed Roberto Bautista Agut. Making his debut in Vienna, Berrettini will bid to reach his first indoor final on the ATP Tour.

4) More Tennis For Denis: Intrum Stockholm Open titlist Denis Shapovalov is back in action after lifting his maiden tour-level trophy in the Swedish capital on Sunday. The #NextGenATP Canadian did not drop a set en route to the ATP 250 title, but can expect to be tested in his opening match against Chengdu champion Pablo Carreno Busta. During his week in Stockholm, Shapovalov also qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the third straight year.

5) Going For No. 3: Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo are aiming to lift their third Vienna trophy as a team. The top seeds claimed back-to-back titles in the Austrian capital in 2015 and 2016 and enter the tournament in impressive form. The Polish-Brazilian pairing reached back-to-back finals in its two most recent events: Beijing and Shanghai.

Things To Watch In Basel
1) Welcome Home: Roger Federer is looking to lift his 10th Swiss Indoors Basel title this year. The World No. 3 — a former ball kid in Basel — has won his past 20 matches at this event and owns a 71-9 tournament record. Federer will contest his 1,500th tour-level match in the opening round against Peter Gojowczyk. The Swiss has reached the championship match in each of his 12 most recent appearances at the ATP 500 event.

2) Zverev Continues Push: Alexander Zverev can qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals this week if he wins the Basel title and other results go his way. The reigning Nitto ATP Finals titlist currently occupies seventh position in the ATP Race To London with just two places remaining at the elite eight-man event to be held at The O2 from 10-17 November. Zverev reached the semi-finals in Basel last year and will be aiming to lift his fourth ATP Tour indoor trophy.

3) The Chasing Pack: Roberto Bautista Agut, David Goffin and Fabio Fognini all feature in the Basel draw. They occupy positions 9-11 in the ATP Race To London and will be hoping to narrow the gap on Zverev and Berrettini with just two weeks remaining for players to book their spot in London.

Read Basel Draw Preview

4) Wild Card Copil: Last year’s runner-up Marius Copil returns to Basel as a wild card this year and will face Nitto ATP Finals contender Bautista Agut in the first round. The Romanian defeated two Top 10 players — Zverev and Marin Cilic — to reach his first ATP 500 final last year. Copil fell in straight sets to nine-time champion Federer in the championship match.

5) In-Form Germans: Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies enter Basel in form after capturing the European Open doubles trophy on Sunday. Krawietz and Mies are attempting to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time this year and currently occupy third place in the ATP Doubles Race To London. The German pairing has lifted three ATP Tour trophies this season.

Last year at the Citi Open, Andy Murray visibly broke down into tears after defeating Marius Copil in a match that ended past 3 am in Washington, D.C. Those emotions didn’t just come because he won, but because the Scot had underwent hip surgery earlier in the year and was struggling through the pain during his comeback.

Little did he know that more than 14 months and another hip surgery later, he would be in tears after a match again. This time, it was after defeating Stan Wawrinka in Antwerp to win the European Open, the first title of his singles comeback.

“I don’t know why you get emotional about certain things or the reason for why it comes. Everyone is different,” Murray said. “It was because the past few years have been hard for me and tennis is something that I love doing and today was unexpected and yeah, there’s lots of reasons for me to be emotional today.”

Before Antwerp, Murray competed in three tournaments in Asia — Zhuhai, Beijing and Shanghai — and ahead of the trip the Scot spoke with his team to discuss goals for what he wanted to achieve.

“I just want to try and be competitive. I want to feel like when I’m on the court I’m not getting smashed, that I’m making it difficult for them and competing as best I could,” Murray told his team.

“I wasn’t thinking I’m going to win tournaments or I’m going to be beating guys like Stan and Berrettini and pushing guys like Fognini close. I just wanted to feel like I was competitive. This has come as a surprise to me and my team.”

Murray did not win a set in his first two tour-level matches back on the singles court in Cincinnati and Winston-Salem. When he arrived in Antwerp, he had not made a quarter-final at any level in six attempts. So although the 32-year-old carried 45 tour-level titles into Sunday’s clash with Wawrinka, it was still uncharted territory.

“I was nervous before the match today for sure. Yesterday, not so much. But before the match I was pretty nervous and I didn’t feel prepared really to win… because I wasn’t expecting it,” Murray said. “When I was out there, I wasn’t ahead at all until right at the end. Had I had a lead maybe I would have found it more difficult but because I was always playing from behind the whole time, I got that break right at the end… I didn’t feel ready to win if that makes any sense. But it happened.”

Earlier in the week, Murray admitted that when he lost in the third round of an ATP Challenger Tour event held in Mallorca during the US Open, he was a bit concerned with both his tennis and his physical conditioning. The Scot thought he was, “quite far from this level”. But the concern was because he had hope. And he showed that in Antwerp, where he battled through four matches in four days — including three consecutive three-setters — to emerge glorious for the first time since 2017 Dubai.

“Once I actually started playing singles matches again and stuff I could see there was something there, I might be able to be competitive and stuff. If I could improve my agility, my movement around the court, I could start asking the question, ‘Why not? Why shouldn’t I be able to compete? I can still hit the ball the same as I did before. I’m able to serve better than I was the past couple of years,’” Murray said. “I made the quarters of Wimbledon when I was pretty much on one leg that year [in 2017]. So I was like, ‘If I could get my leg strong again and get the movement back, I’m in a different spot.’ I just thought it would take longer to get to this point. I thought it would take longer for sure. But obviously I’m happy that it hasn’t.”

As valuable as this Antwerp trophy will remain to Murray for years to come, there’s something that is perhaps even more important. The last time he broke down on a court, it was because he knew how badly he was struggling with his body. This time, his hip is not a worry at all.

“My hip is fine. There’s no pain there anymore, which is amazing. I guess there shouldn’t be because it’s metal, there’s no pain receptors or anything in the metal, so that’s brilliant,” Murray said. “It allows me to compete like that and enjoy what it is that I’m doing.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house at the European Open in Antwerp as Andy Murray completed a remarkable comeback from hip surgery by defeating Stan Wawrinka in Sunday’s final. The win gave the Brit his first ATP Tour title since 2017 Dubai.

The outpouring of love was also evident on social media, where everyone from Feliciano Lopez to James Corden sung their praises for Murray. ATPTour.com looks at some of the best tweets about this unforgettable moment.

Andy ******* Murray!!!!

— Jamie Murray (@jamie_murray) October 20, 2019

Cheers. @andy_murray #antwerp pic.twitter.com/Q7VVDipxiQ

— judy murray (@JudyMurray) October 20, 2019

@andy_murray it’s always been a pleasure sharing a court with you, great to have you back & congrats on a strong tournament!
Antwerp thank you for your love & support, and for a special day on court today!???????❤️
#Antwerp #Final #BackToWork #TrustTheProcess #Belgium #Love pic.twitter.com/sDZ2b4ICP0

— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) October 20, 2019

What can i say @andy_murray ???‍♂️
Makes me so happy to see you succeed..insane what you’ve done this week after everything u went through..truly inspiring ❤️will have ? tonight to celebrate with you from a distance. ? off Sir Andy

— Feliciano López (@feliciano_lopez) October 20, 2019

What Andy Murray has just done is incredible. To win in Antwerp like he has just done shows such unbelievable resilience and commitment. Amazing achievement

— James Corden (@JKCorden) October 20, 2019

‘It ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!’ – Rocky Balboa.
Congrats @andy_murray on one of the all-time great sporting comebacks. ???? pic.twitter.com/bB5hUTwMWs

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 20, 2019

The Comeback King. Well done @andy_murray ??? https://t.co/WqdyVMhp9Z

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 20, 2019

CRYING! @andy_murray Wow. @the_LTA https://t.co/vhJWfmpuij

— Miranda Hart (@mermhart) October 20, 2019

Tremendous fight from Sir Muzzard @andy_murray toughing out Stanimal for the Antwerp @atptour ?, so great ? to see AM competing out the highest level ?????

— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) October 20, 2019

Hip hip hurray Murray . Amazing stuff. Congrats to the whole team @andy_murray

— Ivan Ljubicic (@theljubicic) October 20, 2019

Can’t believe @andy_murray has won his 1st Atp singles title with a metal hip.Incredible effort. What a competitor to win from a set and a break down against Stan the man. Who would have believed it. Amazing

— Greg Rusedski (@GregRusedski1) October 20, 2019

Entering this year’s New York Open, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies had mostly competed on the ATP Challenger Tour, only playing three tour-level events together before that week. But the Germans won that title and they have not looked back since.

Top seeds Krawietz and Mies captured their third title of the season on Sunday in Antwerp, defeating second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 7-6(1), 6-3 in one hour and 14 minutes to triumph at the European Open.

“We enjoyed it a lot all week. The tournament was really nice, very well organised… We had a lot of fun this week,” Mies said. “We had a good time.”

The Germans, who won Roland Garros this year, surge into third place in the ATP Doubles Race To London thanks to their Antwerp victory. Krawietz and Mies are trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, and they saved the only break point they faced against Ram and Salisbury in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

“The Belgians were really loud, actually. We had a great atmosphere. It really helps for the doubles when you have Stan Wawrinka against Andy Murray in the final coming up after our match,” Mies said. “It was pretty packed and we really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was unbelievable, and we played one of our best matches this year.”

Krawietz and Mies earn 250 ATP Doubles Ranking points each and a share of €35,960 for their efforts. They did not drop a set at this ATP 250 event.

“Lovely tournament. A lot of people came for the doubles final, also for the rounds before. The crowd was huge yesterday,” Krawietz said. “[We] enjoyed the game and enjoyed the tournament.”

Ram and Salisbury, who are also in Nitto ATP Finals contention, could have surpassed Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau for sixth place in the Race if they defeated the Germans. Instead, the American-British pair add 150 points to their tallies and split €18,430.

Since his breakthrough semi-final run at the 2017 Coupe Rogers, Denis Shapovalov has been named as a title contender at ATP Tour events across the world.

On Sunday, the #NextGenATP Canadian became an ATP Tour champion for the first time at the Intrum Stockholm Open. Shapovalov became the 15th first-time tour-level champion of the year in the Swedish capital, defeating Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-4 in 84 minutes.

First-Time ATP Champions In 2019

Shapovalov did not drop a set en route to the trophy in Stockholm. The fourth seed beat Alexei Popyrin and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe to reach his eighth tour-level semi-final, before snapping his seven-match losing streak in last-four clashes against Yuichi Sugita on Saturday.

The three-time Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier’s victory marks the second straight year that a #NextGenATP star has captured his first ATP Tour crown at this ATP 250 event. In 2018, Stefanos Tsitsipas picked up his maiden trophy in Stockholm before triumphing at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Shapovalov’s title run comes in the same week that he booked his place at this year’s 21-and-under event. The third edition of the Next Gen ATP Finals will take place from 5-9 November at the Allianz Cloud.

Krajinovic was also attempting to claim his first ATP Tour trophy. The 27-year-old was competing in his third tour-level championship match, with previous runner-up finishes at this year’s Hungarian Open and the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters.

Shapovalov earns 250 ATP Ranking points and collects €109,590 in prize money for lifting the trophy. Krajinovic receives 150 ATP Ranking points and €59,255.

One year ago, the Intrum Stockholm Open was named the ATP 250 Tournament of the Year in the 2018 ATP Tour Awards. The award, voted annually by ATP players, recognises the leading standards set across events on the ATP Tour.

And on Saturday, the event was honoured for its efforts. ATP Supervisor Thomas Karlberg presented Tournament Director Simon Aspelin with a trophy recognising the prestigious award.

“On behalf of Stockholm Open AB and Game Set Events I want to thank everyone involved in planning and delivering this event,” said Aspelin. “It is such an honour to receive this award from the players and makes us very happy as we want all players to feel at home enjoying the best Swedish hospitality. A special thanks to all our loyal sponsors, volunteers and spectators for making this event possible and pushing us to keep improving every year.”

The Intrum Stockholm Open claimed the Tournament of the Year award in the 250 category for the second time. It previously shared the honour with the Winston-Salem Open in 2016. The indoor hard-court tournament marked its 50th anniversary last year. With the help of new tournament promoter Game Set Events, it celebrated unique moments of the tournament, including interviews on court with Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg.