Roman Safiullin earned the biggest win of his career year by stunning Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday evening at the Rolex Paris Masters. The qualifier recovered an early break in both sets of a shock 6-3, 6-4 victory, dealing Alcaraz his first opening-round loss of 2023.

Safiullin is up to No. 39 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with the victory, setting himself up to break into the Top 40 for the first time. The 26-year-old’s upset win against Alcaraz follows breakthrough runs to the Wimbledon quarter-finals and the Chengdu final in recent months.

“Since qualies, I was not playing at this level but against Carlos and these Top 10, Top 20 guys, you have to lift up the level,” Safiullin said post-match. “I managed to do it.

“For Carlos, it was not his best performance, but still I’m happy that I can win… Even if he’s not in the best shape it’s tough to beat him. So I’m really happy that I made it.”

Alcaraz, who was forced to pull out of Basel due to problems with his left foot and lower back, was competing for the first time since his defeat to Grigor Dimitrov 20 days ago in the Shanghai last 16. The defeat deals a heavy blow to his bid to finish the season atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the second straight year; he remains 500 points behind world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, with the Serbian set to open his Paris campaign on Wednesday.

Following a first-round bye in Paris, Alcaraz started brightly in both sets but was pegged back by the steadier play of Safiullin. The qualifier was aided by 27 unforced error count from the Spaniard, though he played his part in Alcaraz’s miscues by defending well in the corners, particularly at the critical moments.

Playing in a nondescript white shirt devoid of any sponsor patches, the workmanlike Safiullin converted four of eight break chances in the match — two in each set — while saving two of four break points against Alcaraz, one of tennis’ biggest superstars. In addition to his solid baseline play, centred on his commanding forehand, Safiullin also won 10 of 12 points from the net.

Safiullin with the biggest win of his career over Alcaraz‼️

And another outstanding Forehand #ShotQuality performance 💥🎾#TennisInsights | @ATPTour | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/smqvDTiOm8

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) October 31, 2023

He improved to 3-6 against the Top 10 with the victory, backing up his win against Alexander Zverev in Shanghai. Safiullin has now reached the third round at four of the past five ATP Masters 1000s (also Madrid, Rome, Shanghai).

“Everything against these guys [is important]. Tactical, physical, the mental part is very important,” Safiullin said of his success against the ATP Tour’s best. “[It’s key] to stay focussed from the beginning to the end… Who can make it longer is going to be the winner.”

Alcaraz had not lost his opening match at a Masters 1000 since a three-set defeat to Tommy Paul last year in Montreal. The Spaniard had won nine openers in a row at that prestigious level prior to his Tuesday defeat.

Dominic Thiem views food as more than just a meal, the Austrian explained in the latest edition of ATP Uncovered’s What I Eat series.

“Food is obviously something very important. It’s like which fuel you put in the car,” Thiem said. “It’s the same with the food and your body. It’s so important. It gets you going or it can also slow you down.”

When the former World No. 3 was younger, he “didn’t care so much” about what he ate. But his mindset regarding nutrition has changed.

“The past five to 10 years, I got more and more aware of it,” Thiem said. “And now I try to eat healthy, to eat conscious and to have a good relationship with food.”

In the feature, Thiem discussed what he likes to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as how things change before and after matches. The 30-year-old says one food in particular is “almost magic”.

Wonder which? Find out by watching the full ATP Uncovered feature below.

Novak Djokovic will begin his chase for a record-extending seventh title at the Rolex Paris Masters when he competes on Wednesday. Before focusing on singles, though, the Serbian took to court on Tuesday in doubles, teaming with countryman Miomir Kecmanovic to reach the second round.

Djokovic and Kecmanovic swept past Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-4, 6-2 in 68 minutes at the ATP Masters 100 event.

The Serbians won 67 per cent (12/18) of points on Escobar and Nedovyesov’s second serves, breaking four times to set a second-round meeting against third seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

Djokovic will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his opening singles match on Wednesday. The 36-year-old is aiming for another deep run in Paris to boost his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone chances. The Serbian leads Carlos Alcaraz by 500 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer for the year-end World No. 1 battle.

Second serves to the forehand.

Players typically stay away from this higher-risk strategy and kick the second serve to the less potent backhand return.

Not Novak Djokovic. Not by a long shot.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of 41 matches against right-handed opponents this season shows that Djokovic actually prefers to hit second serves to the forehand wing. By going against the grain, he collects more second-serve aces, extracts significantly more return errors and wins a higher percentage of second-serve points overall.

Opponents are sitting on a heavy kick to the backhand return. A hard slider to the forehand is what comes at them more often than not. Djokovic hit 55 per cent (382/690) of his second serves at the forehand corners versus backhand corners in both service boxes, while opponents only hit 26 per cent (164/622) to the forehand corners against him. Interestingly, Djokovic served more to the backhand return against left-handers.

Djokovic is leading the Tour in 2023 with second-serve points won at 57.91 per cent (816/1409). It’s his third-highest season total after 2015 (60.2%) and 2013 (59.61%). Directing second serves out wide in the Deuce court and down the T in the Ad court is powering these Tour-leading match metrics as much as anything else.

Deuce Court: Second Serves Wide To The Forehand Return
The numbers that show the difference in how well Djokovic utilises the wide second serve compared to his opponents are dramatic.

Second Serves: Deuce Court Wide

The performance gap is staggering. Djokovic goes to this location almost three times as much as his opponents (174-60) and has won 100 more points (130-30). He extracts an error when targeting this location 29 per cent (50/174) of the time. His opponents only benefit from a return error 18 per cent (11/60) of the time.

One of Djokovic’s superpowers appears hidden in plain sight.

Ad Court: Second Serves T To The Forehand Return
Serving second serves down the T in the Ad court also clearly catches opponents off guard.

Djokovic collected 13 aces to this specific location, while opponents only managed a solitary ace. Djokovic won precisely 100 more points (130-30) than his opponents in the Deuce court out wide and won almost 100 more (146-52) with the slider down the T in the Ad court.

At some stage, you would think opponents should pick up on this surprise serve and shut it down. But Djokovic has been employing variations of this strategy for several seasons, and he keeps taking it to new levels. The reasons why it works so well are four-fold.

1. Djokovic wins the mental game of surprising his opponent. He reads the opponent’s mind better than they do of him. He knows when they are not expecting it.
2. The larger size of the forehand return backswing can be immediately attacked.
3. He hits this specific serve considerably faster than his regular kick second serve to the backhand. Multiple speeds to multiple directions create confusion in opponents’ minds.
4. He receives more Serve +1 forehands. He hit 50 per cent (473/945) Serve +1 forehands in these matches behind second serves, winning 57 per cent (271/473). Opponents only hit 44 per cent (514/1171) Serve +1 forehands, also winning just 44 per cent (227/514).

Djokovic’s favourite second-serve location appears to be a mystery to his opponents. He backs himself against their perceived strength by taking advantage of multiple weaknesses.

Taylor Fritz withdrew from the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday due to an abdominal strain. The withdrawal puts his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in jeopardy.

The American, who was not scheduled to play Tuesday, advanced to the second round on Monday with a straight-sets win over Sebastian Baez, but received treatment during the second set on his abdominal region.

“It’s something that’s been bothering me for a little bit… I didn’t think it was anything too bad going in [to this match], but one where I slid out and sliced that forehand, I felt like I did something that I had never done to it before,” Fritz said after the match. “Like maybe I tore something or pulled it. So I’m going to have to get it checked out and see what’s going on.”

Fritz trails eighth-placed Holger Rune by 190 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The American is still entered in next week’s Sofia Open, where if he recovers physically and wins the title, he could earn 250 points. However, if Rune defeats Dominic Thiem in the Paris second round, Fritz will be eliminated from Turin contention.

The player Fritz was set to face next, Daniel Altmaier, won his first-round match against Arthur Fils earlier Tuesday. The German will play the winner of Rune and Thiem in the third round.

Novak Djokovic is returning to action this week at the Rolex Paris Masters, but first he took advantage of cool opportunities off the court in Paris.

On Monday evening, the Serbian presented the Women’s Ballon d’Or award to Spaniard Aitana Bonmati.

Novak Djokovic” />
^{Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images}
Djokovic enjoyed the evening and even caught up with David Beckham, who is the co-owner of Inter Miami, the club for which Men’s Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi plays.

Before taking to the football spotlight, Djokovic enjoyed the final of the Rugby World Cup between South Africa and New Zealand.

On Tuesday, the 36-year-old will take to the doubles court alongside countryman Miomir Kecmanovic against Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov. He will open his singles event against Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Alexander Zverev looked as if he was going to miss the chance to fully cement his Nitto ATP Finals qualification claims after 40 minutes of play on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Two hours later and the German’s position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin became comfortable again after he rallied past Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the second round in Paris.

“It was just one or two points [that made the difference],” Zverev said. “He was playing incredibly well and tactically I think he was unbelievable… His slice was effective as I did not know what to do on this surface here. It was a very difficult match and I am happy to be through. I found my level and I am happy with that.”

Zverev recovered from a slow start at the ATP Masters 1000 event in France, where he won 63 per cent (15/24) of his first-serve points in the opening set. He recovered well, improving on serve as the match went on to earn his 52nd tour-level win of the year after two hours and 40 minutes.

Zverev is currently seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin on 3,540 points, 430 points ahead of ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz, who is just outside the Top 8 cut. The 26-year-old is aiming to make his sixth appearance at the prestigious year-end event, having triumphed in 2018 and 2021.

The World No. 9 will continue the quest for his third trophy of the year against Ugo Humbert after the Frenchman beat Marcos Giron 6-4, 6-3.

Hurkacz kept alive his Turin hopes with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 win against American Sebastian Korda. The Pole failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, while he squandered a match point at 6/5 in the second-set tie-break. However, he recovered in the decider to earn victory after two hours and eight minutes.

Hurkacz, who is aiming to make his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals (2021), captured his second ATP Masters 1000 title in Shanghai earlier this month. The 26-year-old will next meet Roberto Bautista Agut.

In other action, Tomas Martin Etcheverry saved one match point en route to defeating Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4, while Dusan Lajovic beat Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 7-5, 6-3.

Reilly Opelka is set to return to action for the first time in 15 months at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour 75 event in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The 26-year-old, who has been sidelined with a hip and wrist injury, will meet Tennys Sandgren on Tuesday in the opening round of the Jonathan Fried Pro Challenger, Opelka’s first tournament since August 2022.

A four-time tour-level titlist, Opelka enjoyed a career-best season in 2022 before suffering injury. The 6’11” American claimed two titles and reached a career-high No. 17 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in February 2022.

Fans can visit Challenger TV to watch all ATP Challenger Tour matches live and on demand at no cost. At the indoor hard-court event in Charlottesville, Opelka and Sandgren will follow seventh seed Denis Kudla and Chris Rodesch, who are scheduled to play at 4pm ET.

Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka did not play for six and a half years entering their clash Monday evening at the Rolex Paris Masters, but the return of their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry proved well worth the wait.

Thiem saved a match point at 3-5 in the third set before rallying past his fellow former World No. 3 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 for a place in the second round. The tantalising encounter between two of the best one-handed backhands in recent memory ultimately ended after two hours and 31 minutes at 2:22 a.m. Tuesday morning.

“It’s very nice to share a great and close match like that with Stan because we have a history together of many great matches,” Thiem said. “Obviously he’s one of my big idols backhand wise.”

What a finish 🤩

After saving a match point, @domithiem edges past Wawrinka 3-6 6-3 7-5.@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/aGn92D8Gsa

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2023

While Thiem hit highlight-reel shots throughout the match, especially with jaw-dropping passing shots, it was Wawrinka who was first on the verge of victory. The Swiss held match point at 5-3, 40/30 in the decider, but double-faulted long. It was one of six double faults he hit in the match.

Thiem took full advantage of the small opening, getting back on serve when Wawrinka missed a forehand long. In what turned into a battle of wills, the Austrian broke again in his next return game and did not let slip his opportunity to close out the match.

When Wawrinka missed a final forehand return long, Thiem held his arms out in celebration and took a deep breath, a sign of how much the moment meant. The victory was his first at a hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event since the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters.

“The last two years I have lost more close matches than I have won, so this one is very, very important for me. The tennis has been getting better since Vienna. I beat two great guys in the qualies and now Stan in a match after saving match point, so it gives me a huge boost.”

The No. 108 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, who is continuing his pursuit of top form after suffering a wrist injury in June 2021, will next play defending champion Holger Rune. The pair met earlier this year in Monte-Carlo, where the Dane prevailed in straight sets.

Did You Know?
Thiem saved 10 of the 13 break points he faced and converted four of his five break chances on Wawrinka’s serve.