If Tommy Paul is not wearing his match kit, chances are you can find the American decked out in camouflage.

The 25-year-old revealed his interest in camouflage among other fashion favourites and hobbies in the latest edition of ATP Uncovered’s ‘Travel Like A Pro’ series.

“I’m a big camo guy, I love camo,” Paul said while discussing what he brings with him on the road. “I thought it went really well with my facade.”

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Off court, Paul enjoys watching the UFC, going to the beach and more. You will also discover what the 25-year-old often forgets while on the road, but then purchases at the airport.

“Every time I forget them, it’s an expensive mistake,” he said.

Find out what Paul was referring to in the full video feature.

Carlos Alcaraz has a big opportunity to reclaim World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings ahead of Roland Garros.

The Spaniard is chasing Novak Djokovic, the all-time leader in weeks at No. 1, who is not competing this week at the Mutua Madrid Open. They have already traded the top spot three times this season.

If Alcaraz successfully defends his Madrid title he is guaranteed to pass Djokovic for World No. 1 on 22 May just by playing his first match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, regardless of how Djokovic performs there.

This scenario can also be reversed. If Alcaraz wins Rome after playing at least one match in Madrid, he would return to the top on 22 May. He needs to combine for more than 1,005 points between Madrid and Rome to guarantee his return to World No. 1.

Djokovic is dropping 360 points in Madrid and another 1,000 in Rome, where he is set to defend his title. Alcaraz is just defending 1,000 points in Madrid. So when you remove their points from both Madrid and Rome, Djokovic leads Alcaraz by only five points. Alcaraz can also reclaim World No. 1 by reaching the final in both Madrid and Rome.

Pepperstone ATP Rankings w/Points Dropping By 22 May

But Djokovic and Alcaraz are not the only players in the battle for World No. 1. With 2,000 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points up for grabs over the next four weeks, four other players, led by Daniil Medvedev, have a chance at World No. 1.

Medvedev did not compete at the Mutua Madrid Open or the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last year due to injury and therefore is not defending any points at those events. Therefore, when removing players’ points earned by 22 May, the date of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings the Monday after Rome, Medvedev is just 535 points behind Djokovic and 530 points behind Alcaraz.

The former World No. 1 has made clear on several occasions how little he enjoys clay, but he is still in the thick of the battle. And if Medvedev is unable to make a move now, the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which he leads by 655 points over Djokovic and 800 points over Alcaraz, shows that he will have opportunities as the year goes on.

Former Roland Garros finalists Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas as well as recent Monte-Carlo winner Andrey Rublev can give themselves a chance to reach World No. 1 on 22 May if they enjoy big results over the next two tournaments.

Ruud would need to win Madrid or Rome and advance to at least the semi-finals of the other to have a chance. Tsitsipas needs to win one of the tournaments and reach the final at the other to put the pressure on Djokovic and Alcaraz, and Rublev would need to complete a clay-court Masters 1000 sweep by lifting the trophy in Madrid and Rome to force Djokovic or Alcaraz to earn enough points to pass him.

Two of the hottest players on the ATP Challenger Tour extended their winning runs last week.

Zsombor Piros and Tomas Barrios Vera, who were among five Challenger champions on Sunday, each claimed their second Challenger title of the month and extended their match-win streaks to 10.

The Hungarian Piros earned a 6-3, 6-4 final victory against Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the Oeiras Open 3 in Portugal. The 23-year-old is soaking in back-to-back titles, which have lifted him to a career-high No. 118 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“I’m speechless honestly, I’ve never won this many matches in a row at this level,” Piros said in his post-match press conference. “I actually surprised myself with these results. I think the second step is just believe I can play this level and not to think it happened just once. It [will] give me big confidence for the future. I have some great memories on court but I think this is the most important [one] now. It’s the most special.”

Piros, who won the 2017 Australian Open boys’ singles title, is a four-time Challenger champion. The Budapest native, who won the Split Challenger before travelling to Portugal, has dropped just one set in his past 10 Challenger-level matches and now sets his sights on maintaining his form to qualify for the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid.

Barrios Vera enjoyed a week off after claiming this month’s San Luis Potosi Challenger. But when the 25-year-old returned to action, he went on another title run at the Florianopolis Challenger.

Tomas Barrios Vera celebrates winning the Florianopolis Challenger. Credit: Confederacao Brasileira de Tenis

The championship match in Brazil featured the top two seeds: Chileans Barrios Vera and Alejandro Tabilo. But it was the top seed Barrios Vera who prevailed 6-4, 6-4 to win the ENGIE Open de Tenis. Following the Challenger 75 title, the Chillans native rises to No. 133 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, just nine spots shy of tying his career-high.

In other Challenger Tour action, Belgian Zizou Bergs collected his fifth Challenger title at the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in Florida, where he downed Tung-Lin Wu 7-5, 6-2 to lift the trophy.

The 23-year-old Bergs dedicated his first Challenger title of 2023 to his grandfather, who passed away last month. After winning on the green clay, the World No. 132 shared three core values that his grandfather expressed that he will always remember.

Zizou Bergs triumphs in Tallahassee, Florida. Credit: Tallahassee Tennis Challenger

“Definitely means a lot, it’s been a struggling year,” Bergs told commentator Mike Cation. “I think when I played really good tennis was in Australia at a certain point and then maybe Davis Cup. It’s always been a tough period, looking in the mirror, having a strong tournament, and then another tough period.

“There’s been a lot of tension on myself as well. A lot of pressure. I really wanted to get into the Top 100 for [my grandfather] as well, because I knew he was getting sick and he didn’t have too long anymore. [I was] feeling good, playing good tennis with his core values that I remember: positivity, combativeness, and being solution oriented. These three things are so important for tennis.”

In Italy, Filip Misolic rallied from a set down in the final to defeat Belgian Raphael Collignon 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) and win the Regione Abruzzo title.

Filip Misolic celebrates winning the Challenger 75 title in Roseto Degli Abruzzi. Credit: Antonio Tommarelli

Now at a career-high 126, Misolic made a splash at last year’s ATP 250 event in Kitzbühel, where the wild card reached the final in his tour-level debut (l. Bautista Agut). Also in 2022, Misolic claimed his maiden Challenger title in Zagreb and earned his first Davis Cup victory against Pakistan’s Muzammil Murtaza in September.

Thiago Agustin Tirante returned to the winners’ circle Sunday, when he defeated top seed James Duckworth 7-5, 6-0 in the final to win the Morelos Open presentado por Metaxchange.

The Argentine, who celebrated his 22nd birthday this month, didn’t drop a set all week in Mexico to lift his second Challenger title and first since September 2021. A 2019 Roland Garros boys’ doubles champion (w/ Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida), Tirante was also a finalist at the Mexico City Challenger earlier this month.

Thiago Agustin Tirante during Sunday’s Challenger final in Morelos, Mexico. Credit: Regina Cortina

The clay-court season rolls into the Caja Magica, where the world’s biggest stars will compete for an ATP Masters 1000 title at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz leads the field as the top seed in Madrid, while Daniil Medvedev aims to close the gap on Novak Djokovic in the battle for No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch in the Spanish capital.

Alcaraz Defending Champion: Last year, Alcaraz arrived in Madrid off the back of winning the title in Barcelona. The 19-year-old then went on to lift the trophy in the Spanish capital, earning statement wins against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Twelve months on and the top seed enters the clay-court event in the same circumstances, having defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Barcelona final on Sunday. Looking to claim the Barcelona-Madrid double again this year, the Spaniard begins against Ugo Humbert or Emil Ruusuvuori.

Battle For No. 1: With Novak Djokovic missing Madrid due to injury, Alcaraz and Medvedev will look to maintain pressure in the battle for No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Alcaraz, who is defending 1000 points from last year’s title run, is currently 365 points behind Djokovic. If Alcaraz wins Madrid, he is guaranteed to pass Djokovic for World No. 1 just by playing a match in Rome regardless of how Djokovic performs in Italy.

World No. 3 Medvedev trails Djokovic by 1,895 points. The 27-year-old, who has won four tour-level titles this year, is not defending any points in Madrid because he missed last year’s event with an injury. It will be Medvedev’s second clay-court tournament of the season after he advanced to the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo.

Red-Hot Rublev: Andrey Rublev captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Monte-Carlo earlier this month when he defeated Holger Rune in the final. The 25-year-old backed that up with a run to the championship match in Banja Luka. With confidence high, the fifth seed will aim to win his 14th tour-level title in Madrid, where he reached the quarter-finals last year.

Tsitsipas Seeking First Title Of Year: After reaching the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo, Tsitsipas started to find his best level in Barcelona, where he reached the title match. The 2019 Madrid finalist, who has lifted four trophies on clay, will look to build on that in the Spanish capital and clinch his third ATP Masters 1000 crown.

Can Ruud Regain Form? Casper Ruud has struggled to find his best form this season, suffering third-round defeats in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo. The Norwegian did respond in Estoril, where he lifted his ninth clay-court title earlier this month. Ruud’s best result in Madrid came in 2021 when he advanced to the semi-finals. Can he enjoy a similar run this fortnight?

Top 10 Threats: Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz are seeded sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, in Madrid. Rune, who is making his Madrid debut, reached the final in Monte-Carlo and lifted his fourth tour-level trophy in Munich last week, while Fritz advanced to the semi-finals at the same events.

Auger-Aliassime will be competing on clay for the first time this season when he takes to court in Madrid. The Canadian advanced to the quarter-finals last year and opens against Jason Kubler or Banja Luka champion Dusan Lajovic.

Trio Aiming To Make Moves In Turin Race: Karen Khachanov, Cameron Norrie and Tommy Paul are ninth, 10th and 11th, respectively, in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Khachanov reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and in Miami earlier this season, while Norrie captured a clay-court title at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro. Paul enjoyed a run to the last four at the Australian Open and advanced to the title match in Acapulco. All three will be aiming for deep runs in Madrid to move inside the Top 8 in the Race.

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Former Champions Zverev & Murray In Action: Alexander Zverev and Andy Murray hold fond memories in Madrid. Germany’s Zverev lifted the trophy in 2018 and 2021, while former World No. 1 Murray triumphed in 2008 and 2015. Zverev, who has lifted six tour-level trophies on clay, reached the third round in Monte-Carlo earlier this month. Murray’s best result this season was a run to the final in Doha.

Potential Second-Round Blockbusters: The Madrid draw has thrown up several potential early blockbusters. Medvedev could face Murray in his opener and Tsitsipas could meet former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in the second round. Rublev will face former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in his opening match, should the Swiss defeat Maxime Cressy in the first round.

Koolhof/Skupski Defending Champs: Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski overcame Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah to clinch the crown in Madrid last year. Seeking their first title of the season, the top seeds will face competition from Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury and Roland Garros champions Marcelo Arevalo/Jean-Julien Rojer in Madrid. Singles stars Rublev, Auger-Aliassime and Fritz are in the draw.

A three-tournament week on the ATP Tour saw Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Dusan Lajovic lift trophies in Barcelona, Munich and Banja Luka, respectively. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as of Monday, 24 April 2023.

View Pepperstone ATP Rankings

No. 40 Dusan Lajovic, +30
The Serbian has jumped 30 spots after he won his second tour-level title at the Srpska Open in Banja Luka. Lajovic overcame World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and World No. 6 Andrey Rublev en route to the title to earn two Top 10 wins at the same event for the first time. The 32-year-old has now won two tour-level crowns, having triumphed on clay in Umag in 2019. Read Banja Luka Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 58 Alex Molcan, +15
The 25-year-old has climbed 15 places after reaching his first semi-final of the season in Banja Luka. The Slovakian, who reached a career-high No. 38 last May, earned three consecutive three-set wins before falling against Andrey Rublev.

No. 93 Dominic Thiem, +8
The Austrian has returned to the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after he enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals at the BMW Open by American Express in Munich. Thiem, who also advanced to the last eight in Estoril earlier this month, defeated Constant Lestienne and Marc-Andrea Huesler at the ATP 250 clay-court event.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, +1
No. 11 Frances Tiafoe, +1 (Career High)
No. 61 Marcos Giron, + 7
No. 70 Laslo Djere, +8
No. 73 Cristian Garin, +13
No. 74 Nuno Borges, +5
No. 75 Alexei Popyrin, +6
No. 87 Juan Pablo Varillas, +5