Another captivating decade of tennis has come and gone. And perhaps fittingly, the three players who began the decade in the top three spots of the ATP Rankings — Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer — finish the 2010s in the top three places.

Continuing our Best of the Decade series, ATPTour.com looks at some of the biggest records and achievements from the past 10 years.

Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer

Andy Murray

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut

Milestones Reached During The Past Decade

Did You Know?

Diego Schwartzman and Guido Pella see each other every day in the off-season. But they are much more than just training partners making their joint preparations for 2020. The top two Argentine players in the ATP Rankings enjoy a friendship that goes back to the early days of their tennis dreams.

They will now kick off their respective seasons by leading Argentina in the inaugural ATP Cup. Schwartzman and Pella seek to guide Argentina past Austria, Croatia and Poland in Group E action in Sydney. Juan Ignacio Londero, Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni will complete the team.

“There are some very tough opponents in our group like Dominic Thiem, who I will have to play, and Borna Coric. I’m going to have to be ready to play and compete against them right at the start of the year,” Schwartzman said.

Schwartzman prevailed this August in Los Cabos. (d. Fritz) and followed up with his first US Open quarter-final showing. The 27-year-old also finished runner up in Vienna (l. to Thiem) and Buenos Aires (l. to Cecchinato), in addition to reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Rome.

“[My main focus is] to take it day by day. In anything you’re doing, the most important thing is for it not to be tedious. It’s a daily mental challenge to be able to continue competing as well as possible,” Schwartzman said. “Now we have to adapt. It’s partly in teams, there are [ATP Rankings] points available and there’s a lot of prize money.

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“Knowing that there are some very big points on offer and that you are representing Argentina is a bonus… Not just playing for yourself. It’s a competition that’s going to be very good. I have no doubt.”

Schwartzman selected former World No. 5 and 2004 Roland Garros champion Gaston Gaudio to be the team captain for Argentina. However, he said it was a decision that the entire team approved of.

“We chose him between all of us,” Schwartzman explained. “We thought he was the most logical choice because it’s difficult if I choose my coach for him to also be the captain of the other players. Gaston is a good choice for everyone.”

Pella looks to continue his momentum after completing a career-best season in 2019 that saw him finish inside the Top 25. He won his maiden ATP Tour crown in Sao Paulo (d. Garin), finished runner-up in Cordoba (l. to Londero) and advanced to his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon. He’s eager to compete alongside Schwartzman and believes they can make an impact in Sydney.

“Competing in a team at the start of the year is going to be a beautiful experience and I’m happy to be able to play for Argentina with my teammates,” Pella said. “Everyone knows Diego. He has one of the best backhands on tour and he is extremely solid. There are not many like him on Tour and he has a consistency that few can match. That’s why he’s been in the Top 30 for three years.”

Pella spoke of his own plans for 2020 and said he has one clear goal: to stay on the same path.

“I want to keep playing my best tennis, improve my ranking and validate what I did in 2019,” he explained. “To keep performing at good tournaments and beating good opponents would make me happy.”

The 2019 season for Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime might have been a preview for what tennis fans can expect for the next 10-15 years from the #NextGenATP stars. Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime, who will represent Canada along with Steven Diez, Adil Shamasdin and Peter Polansky at next month’s ATP Cup, spent the year outdoing each other.

Both players endured their highs and lows, but both also played for ATP Tour titles and finished the season inside the Top 25 of the ATP Rankings (Shapovalov, No. 15; Auger-Aliassime, No. 21).

“These two guys really have almost fulfilled every expectation, at this stage to both be where they are,” said Tom Tebbutt, a longtime Canadian tennis writer.

Four years ago, when Auger-Aliassime was 15 and Shapovalov 16, Tebbutt saw the two play for the Canadian 18-and-under boys championship. Since then, and especially in 2019, the two have been on a tear.

In February, Auger-Aliassime, younger then Shapovalov by 16 months, became the youngest ATP 500 finalist in series history (since 2009) by making the Rio Open presented by Claro final (l. to Djere). The next month, Auger-Aliassime, then 18, also became the youngest Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finalist (l. to Isner) in the tournament’s 35-year history.

At that same tournament in south Florida, Shapovalov also reached the semi-finals (l. to Federer), his third at the Masters 1000 level.

But from there, Auger-Aliassime continued climbing while Shapovalov endured a slump. Auger-Aliassime made the final in Lyon (clay, l. to Paire) and Stuttgart (grass, l. to Berrettini) and reached the third round at Wimbledon (l. to Humbert), the first time he had won a match at a major championship.

“For any player to get his first Grand Slam win is a big relief, and it’s a good achievement for me. At the same time, with the level I’m playing now and my ambitions, I look forward and I look to go even further than that,” Auger-Aliassime said.

Shapovalov, meanwhile, went 2-9 after Miami, which included a straight-sets loss to Auger-Aliassime in Madrid. The left-hander began to turn his season around at his home Masters 1000 event in Montreal, where Shapovalov beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France and pushed Dominic Thiem to three sets.

“It put a smile to my face when I walked back on the court,” Shapovalov said. “Every point, [the crowd is] so engaged. Like I’ve always said, I feel that brings the best out of me. I’m able to play more freely and just enjoy myself. I had that fire back today that I’ve been missing, especially the last couple weeks. Maybe it’s been longer than that. It’s good to get back on the right track.”

Two weeks later, he made the semi-finals in Winston-Salem, and the next week, he and Auger-Aliassime met in the first round of the US Open for the second consecutive year. Shapovalov, who won their first New York contest, beat Auger-Aliassime in straight sets.

“Denis played really, really well against him at the US Open,” Tebbutt said.

From there, Shapovalov kept rising, making the semi-finals in Chengdu and winning his maiden title in Stockholm. The Canadian saved his best for the final week of the ATP regular season, reaching his first Masters 1000 final at the Rolex Paris Masters (l. to Djokovic).

Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, went 2-3 during the Asian swing and a sprained ankle limited his play in the final month.

At the moment, Shapovalov has surged ahead. But, as Tebbutt has seen over the years, good luck predicting who will finish higher after the 2020 season, which starts at the inaugural ATP Cup. Canada will compete in Group F in Brisbane against Germany, Greece and Australia.

The Ruud family has been putting Norwegian tennis on the global map for the past 30 years, and they’ll have their biggest opportunity yet next month at the inaugural ATP Cup, to be held 3-12 January in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.

Casper Ruud, No. 54 in the ATP Rankings, will lead the team, and his father/coach Christian Ruud, who reached No. 39 in the ATP Rankings before retiring in 2001, will captain the team, which will face Russia, Italy and the U.S. in Group D in Perth.

The Ruuds, who will be joined by Norwegian players Viktor Durasovic, Lukas Hellum Lilleengen, Leyton Rivera and Herman Hoeyeraal, spoke to ATPTour.com about competing at next month’s ATP Cup, what it’s like to be a travelling father-son duo on the ATP Tour and how they’ve brought recognition to tennis in Norway.

Casper Ruud
On being from Norway
“It’s a little bit tough sometimes to be from a small tennis country like Norway because you don’t have too many people to practise with when you’re home and that kind of stuff. I think many people many times don’t quite understand where I’m from, because Norway is not a typical tennis country and they’re maybe thinking, ‘Norway, where is that?’

“But if I had to choose things, I would like them to think that I of course play well, and I’m a nice guy, likable. That’s my goal and why I try to stay humble all the time and try to work hard and hopefully the results will come and as the results come, more fans will eventually come.”

On growing tennis in Norway
“I’m trying, definitely. It’s one of my goals, to try to make Norway a bigger tennis country. We’ve been talking a little bit if I have a big career, we can maybe try to bring an ATP event to Norway. That would be a huge goal for me in my career, to try to do that. In Sweden, they have two events. That would be nice for Norway and Norwegian tennis.”

On being a part of the #NextGenATP, competing at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals
“I’m not going to say that I feel old, but there are younger players that are doing better than me. It’s something to perhaps gain motivation from.

“I’m a couple of steps behind them now, but I’ve built a good base this year and will hopefully be ready for an even better season next year.”

On having his father as a coach
“I know that he cares about me and he wants everything in the best way for me. So, of course, he’s been a really big part of my success and my team, ever since I was little.

“I’m from a small tennis country, and I don’t have too many people to look up to in my home country, except for him. He’s the only one who knows how it’s been and how the life on the Tour is. I think it’s been a huge advantage, even though I’m from Norway, to have my father so close to me and helping me with my tennis.”

How his dad especially helped him when he was a teenager
“He’s always been there for me and tried to guide me… When you’re 13 or 14, it’s easy to think about other things or want to go out to parties. My dad was strict with me in those ways because he knew you have to be serious from a young age if you want to be a professional tennis player. There were some sacrifices, but it’s paid off.”

Christian Ruud
On Casper choosing tennis
“He was the one that decided at age 11, ‘OK, this is what I want to do. I’m more into individual sports than team sports.’ Since then it’s just been about the tennis.”

On separating the father-coach roles
“Maybe when he’s younger [it was harder], but now he’s a grown-up. I feel more like a coach and also a friend now because we travel and go out to dinners together. It’s not like I’m babysitting him.

“We have a good relationship. He respects that I was a player on Tour and respects me as a coach. He was the one [who] wanted me to be his coach when his other coach quit 18 months ago. I’m just trying to help him be a good player and a good person.”

On his son’s 2019 season
“I think his lowest level has come up a lot. He’s been playing a lot better at ATP events and winning a lot more matches and also beating decent players when he’s not been playing his best, so I think his high level has increased as well as his low level.”