It is no secret that Thanasi Kokkinakis loves basketball, including the NBA. The Australian, who this week is playing an ATP Challenger Tour event in Playford, Australia, has long been a huge fan of all-time great point guard Chris Paul.

For years, one of Paul’s greatest rivals was the Golden State Warriors. Now, the 38-year-old is on the Warriors and Kokkinakis will be cheering him on as the season gets underway this week.

“I’m excited to see how it’s going to work out. It was a big trade. It’s going to be interesting,” Kokkinakis told ATPTour.com earlier this year in Washington. “They’ve been rivals for so long, so it’s going to be interesting to see with the Warriors.”

One of Kokkinakis’ early pinch-me moments came when as a teen he met the basketball icon around the 2013 US Open. Paul still follows the Aussie on Instagram today.

“We had the same agency and I saw him train when I was like 15 or 16 in New York for the US Open juniors,” Kokkinakis said. “So I met him and watched him work out in a private facility. So that was pretty cool.”

 

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Kokkinakis typically is a fan of whichever team Paul is playing for. But he follows all the teams and tries to watch the NBA wherever he is in the world.

“In Australia it’s not too bad when I’m home, because the time is okay. Usually the game starts early afternoon. And when I’m in America, it’s great obviously,” Kokkinakis said. “When I’m in Europe and it’s NBA playoffs and finals time, that’s when it’s a mess. I’ve had a few 3 a.m. wake-ups. It messes with my sleeping, that’s for sure.”

It was no surprise that when asked whom he’d like to switch places with for a day, he selected a basketball star.

“It would be probably LeBron [James]. I reckon it would be cool to be playing in L.A.,” Kokkinakis said of the Los Angeles Lakers star. “I reckon it would be too much to be honest. But that’s why for a day, I wouldn’t mind it. But being LeBron every day, I think that would carry a massive, massive amount of pressure. So that would be tough.”

As much of a Chris Paul-fan Kokkinakis is, he has respect for many of the game’s past and present stars. He picked another icon when asked which three people he’d love to go to dinner with.

“One would have been Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant would have been cool,” Kokkinakis said. “Conor McGregor would be interesting. I’m a big WWE fan. So maybe one of the wrestling legends. So maybe The Rock or Stone Cold, something like that.”

Had Kokkinakis not embarked on his life as a professional tennis player, “I would have liked to have thought I would have been a basketball player,” he said. “But I don’t know how good I would have been. I think being a basketball player or an actor or even an artist or a DJ or something like that.

“I like to go to music festivals. I like to listen to that. I obviously love my NBA. And I love driving. I love good cars. So that’s one of my things that I really enjoy doing.

“I like more sort of road cars and things that I can do. I don’t know how well I’d do behind a Formula One car. It’s probably a death sentence in the first sort of five seconds.”

The last nations standing in the 2023 Davis Cup have announced their teams for the Final 8 knock-out stage in Malaga, Spain next month, with some of the game’s biggest stars set to do battle for the right to be named 2023 world champions.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will lead a Serbia team bidding to win a second Davis Cup title, while Jannik Sinner (Italy), Alex de Minaur (Australia) and Cameron Norrie (Great Britain) will also feature in the event at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena.

Defending world champions Canada have restored world No. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime to their team alongside Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil, who starred as the Canadians finished top of Group A in Bologna in September. Former Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic has also been named in the Canadian squad and could make his first Davis Cup appearance since 2018, having battled various injuries in recent seasons.

The Canadians will contest the opening tie of the week on Tuesday 21 November against first-time Davis Cup quarter-finalists Finland, who have named the same squad which finished runner-up to Netherlands in Group D in Split last month. World No. 67 Emil Ruusuvuori, who has won five of his six Davis Cup matches this season, will lead the Finnish team in Malaga.

The second quarter-final on Wednesday 22 November will see 2022 runners-up Australia take on the Czech Republic, both of whom have named unchanged teams from September’s Finals Group Stage and are led by De Minaur and Jiri Lehecka, respectively.

World No. 4 Sinner will return to Davis Cup action for Italy’s quarter-final clash against Netherlands on Thursday 23 November, after the 22-year-old missed the Finals Group Stage due to injury. The Dutch team is spearheaded by world No. 25 Tallon Griekspoor, with doubles world No. 3 Wesley Koolhof also in captain Paul Haarhuis’ squad.

The last of the four quarter-finals on the evening of Thursday 23 November will feature 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic alongside teammates Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic, Miomir Kecmanovic and Hamad Medjedovic. The Serbians are captained by Viktor Troicki, who, along with Djokovic, was a member of the team which won Serbia’s only Davis Cup title to date in 2010.

Serbia will take on Great Britain, who will be hoping to continue the momentum from their dramatic victory over France which saw them secure first place in Group B in Manchester last month. Norrie is the Brits’ highest-ranked player, but the team also includes Daniel Evans (who won both matches he played during the win against France) and three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray, as well as 21-year-old Jack Draper and doubles world No. 4 Neal Skupski.

The Davis Cup quarter-finals will be played from Tuesday 21 to Thursday 23 November. The semi-finals will be played on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 November, with the 2023 Davis Cup final taking place on Sunday 26 November.

For more information about the Final 8 in Malaga, including ticket details, visit the Davis Cup website.

2023 Davis Cup Final 8 schedule

Quarter-finals
Tuesday 21 November, 1600 CET – Canada v Finland
Wednesday 22 November, 1600 CET – Czech Republic v Australia
Thursday 23 November, 1000 CET – Italy v Netherlands
Thursday 23 November, not before 1600 CET – Serbia v Great Britain

Semi-finals
Friday 24 November, 1600 CET – Canada or Finland v Czech Republic or Australia
Saturday 25 November, 1200 CET – Italy or Netherlands v Serbia or Great Britain

Davis Cup final
Sunday 26 November, 1600 CET – Winner semi-final 1 v Winner semi-final 2

2023 Davis Cup Final 8 squads

Canada
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Gabriel Diallo
Alexis Galarneau
Vasek Pospisil
Milos Raonic
Captain: Frank Dancevic

Finland
Emil Ruusuvuori
Otto Virtanen
Patrick Kaukovalta
Harri Heliovaara
Patrik Niklas-Salminen
Captain: Jarkko Nieminen

Czech Republic
Jiri Lehecka
Tomas Machac
Jakub Mensik
Adam Pavlasek
Captain: Jaroslav Navratil

Australia
Alex de Minaur
Max Purcell
Jordan Thompson
Thanasi Kokkinakis
Matthew Ebden
Captain: Lleyton Hewitt

Italy
Jannik Sinner
Lorenzo Musetti
Matteo Arnaldi
Lorenzo Sonego
Simone Bolelli
Captain: Filippo Volandri

Netherlands
Tallon Griekspoor
Botic van de Zandschulp
Gijs Brouwer
Wesley Koolhof
Captain: Paul Haarhuis

Serbia
Novak Djokovic
Laslo Djere
Dusan Lajovic
Miomir Kecmanovic
Hamad Medjedovic
Captain: Viktor Troicki

Great Britain
Cameron Norrie
Daniel Evans
Andy Murray
Jack Draper
Neal Skupski
Captain: Leon Smith

The Davis Cup Finals and Qualifiers are an official part of the ATP Tour calendar, after the ITF and ATP established a new strategic collaboration on the competition’s governance in 2022. 

The 2023 Davis Cup Final 8 is being hosted in Malaga as part of a wider partnership between the ITF and region of Andalucia, which also sees the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals in Seville (7-12 November) and the junior finals of both competitions in Cordoba (30 October-12 November).

Follow @DavisCup on Twitter and Instagram, and Davis Cup Tennis on Facebook for the latest updates on the men’s World Cup of Tennis.

Nicolas Jarry is enjoying the best season of his career, breaking into the Top 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time Monday. On Sunday, he spent time with his family ahead of the Swiss Indoors Basel to take it all in.

Jarry, his wife Laura, sons Juan and Santiago, and his mother Cecilia toured the city, including a ferry ride across the Rhine River.

“Having my family around is wonderful and means the world to me,” Jarry said. “I’m happy to be here and looking forward to playing the Swiss Indoors.”

His wife Laura added: “I enjoy visiting new places and Basel is very beautiful. This summer we had a great time in Geneva and it is nice to be back in Switzerland.”

 

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There is one food you will never catch Nicolas Jarry eating.

The Chilean recently joined ATP Uncovered’s ‘What I Eat’ series to discuss his approach to nutrition and general eating habits. The 2023 breakthrough star also revealed the fruit he does not go anywhere near.

“I don’t like tomatoes,” Jarry said. “It’s always been something that I don’t eat since I’m a kid. Now it’s just mental. I know I can eat it, but it’s just a part of me.”

The 28-year-old brought fans inside his eating routine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He also revealed his favourite tournaments for certain meals. Hint — one event serves particularly good ice cream.

To discover his selections and much more, watch the full video below.

Will this be the week Andy Murray wins his first ATP Tour title since 2019?

The former No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings made a good start on Monday when he defeated German Yannick Hanfmann 7-5, 6-4 to reach the second round at the Swiss Indoors Basel. The Scot snapped a three-match losing streak and will next face Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who ousted eighth seed Sebastian Korda 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

“Happy to come through,” Murray said in his on-court interview. “He’s had a brilliant year and has been playing very well, so it’s a good result.”

Resilience personified 💪

Match point perfectly summing up a gruelling 7-5, 6-4 triumph for @andy_murray #SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/Vif6yxdk9m

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 23, 2023

As normal for a Murray match, straight sets did not necessarily mean straightforward. The 36-year-old faced eight break points in the match and was broken when he served for the match at 5-3 in the second set.

“It was tough. The first four or five games were something like 45 minutes,” Murray said. “I don’t remember having that really before, it was ridiculous. And then had a chance at the end of the first set, didn’t get it and just managed to sneak a break at the end. Up again in the second, couldn’t quite finish it, but did well to respond and get the break at the end. Played a great point obviously on the match point to finish.”

But Murray was unrelenting on return, winning 43 per cent of his return points and breaking his opponent’s serve four times from six attempts to triumph after two hours and 19 minutes.

This is Murray’s third appearance at the ATP 500 event. He reached the second round last year (l. to Bautista Agut) and had not previously played in Basel since 2005. 

Jan-Lennard Struff snapped a four-match losing streak on Monday, when he eliminated American Christopher Eubanks 7-6(7), 6-4. The big-serving German saved one set point in the first-set tie-break at 6/7 before he won 88 per cent (15/17) of points behind his first serve in the second set to earn his first Top 50 hard-court win of the season after one hour and 36 minutes.

Struff, who is making his second appearance in Basel, will next play fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz or Serbian Dusan Lajovic. The World No. 27 Struff has enjoyed standout results on clay and grass this year, advancing to the title match in Madrid as a lucky loser before reaching the final in Stuttgart. He holds a 4-6 record on hard courts in 2023. 

In a three-hour, three-minute clash, Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp battled past former World No. 9 Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-2. The 28-year-old converted six of his 16 break points to set a second-round match against sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or another wild card, home favourite Leandro Riedi.

In other action, Sebastian Baez clawed past Christopher O’Connell 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3 to improve to 2-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The Argentine Baez captured his first title on hard courts in Winston-Salem in August.

The 22-year-old will next meet top seed Holger Rune or Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic. Rune is currently eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and will seek a deep run in Basel to boost his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes.

Alexander Zverev hit 50 tour-level wins for 2023 in style on Monday at the Erste Bank Open, where the fifth-seeded German beat home wild card Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 6-1 at the ATP 500 in Vienna.

After an even start, Zverev won 10 of the final 12 games to claim a 78-minute triumph for a 3-0 lead in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Ofner. The German did not face a break point and converted four of seven break points he earned to improve to 8-1 in Vienna, where he lifted the trophy in 2021.

Now 50-24 for the season, Zverev will take on Cameron Norrie or Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic on in the second round as he looks to add another Vienna crown to the Hamburg and Chengdu titles he has already won this season.

The 26-year-old Zverev, who snapped a three-match losing streak with Monday’s win against Ofner, remains seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he chases a Nitto ATP Finals qualification spot.

More to follow…

With just three weeks to go until the Nitto ATP Finals, the countdown to the prestigious year-end event in Turin is on.

American Ben Shelton boosted his outside hopes of making his debut in Turin, while Stefanos Tstisipas strengthened his position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. ATPTour.com looks at the key movers as of Monday, 23 October.

14th (2,275 points) – Ben Shelton
The American has given himself an outside chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals after he won his maiden ATP Tour title in Tokyo. The 21-year-old defeated Aslan Karatsev in the title match at the ATP 500 event to become the sixth first-time tour-level winner of the year, jumping four places in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as a result.

Shelton is still 825 points behind eighth-placed Holger Rune, who holds the final qualification spot. The lefty will need deep runs in Vienna and Paris if he is to seal his spot in Turin.

Sixth (3,705 points) – Stefanos Tsitsipas
The 25-year-old has consolidated his sixth-placed position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin after reaching his fifth semi-final of the season in Antwerp. The Greek, who will compete in Vienna this week, is 650 points ahead of ninth-placed Taylor Fritz, who is outside of the cut.

Tsitsipas has fond memories at the Nitto ATP Finals, having won the title on debut in 2019. He is seeking his fifth consecutive appearance at the event.

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner have all qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The groups have been announced for the 2024 United Cup in Perth and Sydney.

Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek will begin their respective 2024 United Cup campaigns in Perth, following the official draw on Monday.

Defending champions, the United States, will battle Australia and Great Britain in a loaded Group C, also in the West Australian capital, while a blockbuster clash between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime is on the cards when Greece and Canada square off in Sydney.

World No.1 Djokovic will lead Serbia in the nation’s United Cup debut in Group E against the Czech Republic and China. After adding a 10th Australian Open and record 24th major trophy with a fourth US Open this year, the 37-year-old begins the new season alongside Olga Danilovic and will likely face world No.30 Jiri Lehecka and No.57 Zhang Zhizhen in his group stage singles matches.

Wimbledon champion and world No.6 Marketa Vondrousova leads the Czech team alongside Lehecka and will likely face China’s rising world No.18 Zheng for the first time.

See team line-ups

PERTH

Group A
Poland
Spain
WTA TBC

Group C
United States
Great Britain
Australia

Group E
Czech Republic
China
Serbia

SYDNEY

Group B
Greece
Canada
ATP TBC

Group D
France
Italy
Germany

Group F
Croatia
Netherlands
Norway

TEAM USA WITH TOUGH PATH TO DEFENCE
Of the top four seeds, the United States faces arguably the most challenging route out of the group stage in its bid to defend the title.

US spearhead Jessica Pegula would be up against the home crowd should she take on Ajla Tomljanovic in the Australia tie in Perth. The world No.5, who last year landed an imposing win over then-No.1 Swiatek en route to the final, was also drawn to meet world No.53 Katie Boulter in the team’s showdown with Great Britain.

As the current No.1 in doubles, the 29-year-old could be pivotal to the United States’ chances of going back-to-back. Her teammate from the 2023 triumph, world No.10 Taylor Fritz, also returns and is expected to face two familiar top-20 foes – world No.13 Alex de Minaur and world No.18 Cameron Norrie – in the group stage.

The American holds a 7-6 record against Norrie but trails de Minaur 3-4. Top-ranked Australian de Minaur beat Fritz and Norrie (2-1 overall) en route to his first Masters 1000 final in Toronto in August.

SWIATEK LEADS TOP SEED POLAND
Four-time major winner Swiatek and men’s world No.11 Hubert Hurkacz begin top-seeded Poland’s quest for the trophy against Spain and a yet-to-be-determined nation in Group A. The 22-year-old Swiatek scooped the silverware at Roland Garros for a third time in June while Hurkacz landed his second Masters 1000 title in Shanghai this month.

Hurkacz could have his work cut out squaring a 2-3 ledger against his Wimbledon conqueror Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

GREECE TO LIGHT UP SYDNEY
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari lead second-seeded Greece into battle against Canada and a yet-to-be-determined nation in Sydney.

Last year’s Australian Open runner-up Tsitsipas has claimed five of eight encounters with world No.17 Auger-Aliassime, while ninth-ranked Sakkari will carry a 2-0 record into a likely meeting with former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.

KERBER RETURNS TO PARTNER ZVEREV
Three-time major champion Angelique Kerber makes her anticipated return following the birth of daughter Liana in February. The former No.1 will compete Down Under for the first time in almost two years when she and men’s world No.9 Alexander Zverev headline Germany’s bid in Group D in Sydney.

Fourth seeds France and last year’s finalists Italy round out the group. Kerber owns six victories from nine meetings with French world No.20 Garcia. Following Italy’s upset of Greece to reach last year’s final, a new-look team headed by Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Sonego will lead the nation’s 2023 hopes.

RUUD LEADS NORWAY
World No.8 Casper Ruud returns to lead Norway’s chances in Group F against Croatia and The Netherlands in Sydney. The 24-year-old reached a second straight Roland Garros final in June and while yet to beat Croatian Borna Coric, he denied Dutch world No.25 Tallon Griekspoor in their only prior meeting. It will be Coric’s first event since the US Open when he teams up with world No.24 Donna Vekic.