Hamad Medjedovic put himself in a commanding position in the Red Group by winning his first two matches at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. He has now taken full advantage of his strong start by securing his semi-final place in Jeddah.

By winning a 4-2 second set against Abdullah Shelbayh on Thursday night, Medjedovic confirmed his place in the knockout rounds. The Serbian then claimed a 4-3(5) third set to eliminate Arab hope Shelbayh from semi-final contention and qualify Luca Van Assche.

With that, the semi-final stage is set in Jeddah. As winner of the Red Group, Medjedovic will face Dominic Stricker on Friday. Van Assche, the second-place finisher in the Red Group, will meet Green Group winner Arthur Fils.

More to follow…

Arthur Fils has been in scintillating form this week at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. Yet the top seed’s post-victory celebrations have been almost as eye-catching as his on-court prowess in Jeddah.

The 19-year-old has celebrated each of his three wins in Green Group at the 21-and-under season finale by performing Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Siu’ celebration inside King Abdullah’s Sports City. Fils is a long-time admirer of the Portuguese football star, who has played for Saudi Pro League team Al Nassr since January.

“I was a huge fan when I was young of Ronaldo,” Fils told ATPTour.com on Thursday after maintaining his perfect record at the 21-and-under event by beating Dominic Stricker. “Now it’s a little bit tough to follow the football [and Ronaldo], especially when he’s here. I’m really a fan of him and I know he is playing here in this country, so I’m really happy [to do it] when I win.”

Come for the victory, stay for the celebration 🔥@ArthurFils1 | #NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/EUc7kZWpv0

— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) November 29, 2023

The reference to Ronaldo’s connection with Saudi Arabia may have been obvious to many in the crowd when Fils celebrated. Yet the Frenchman later revealed an ulterior motive for emulating the Portuguese football legend, who formerly played for Spanish giants Real Madrid.

“My coach Sergi [Bruguera] is a huge fan of Barcelona and Lionel Messi, so I just wanted to make him crazy,” joked Fils. “That’s why I’m doing it, and I think I’m doing it well.”

So will Fils continue to bring out his version of the ‘Siu’ for the 2024 season, even when he is playing outside of Saudi Arabia?

“Probably not, but [maybe] sometimes,” he said. “Why not? I don’t know when [exactly] Sergi will be with me, but if I want to make him crazy, I will do it for sure.”

Luca Van Assche kept alive his semi-final hopes at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM with a marathon five-set win against Alex Michelsen on Thursday night. The second-seeded Frenchman earned a 4-3(0), 3-4(4), 4-3(4), 4-1, 4-3(6) victory to move into first place in the Red Group after two hours, 36 minutes — the second-longest match in the event’s history.

“It was a very tough match,” said the 19-year-old. “It was very difficult. There was four tie-breaks in the match, so it was really close. I’m very happy to win today… I hope that the next result in the next match will qualify me.”

Following the win, there is only one scenario in which Van Assche will not advance to the Jeddah semi-finals: if Abdullah Shelbayh beats Hamad Medjedovic in exactly four sets in the evening’s final match. In that case, Shelbayh would win the group and Medjedovic would finish second.

Van Assche and Michelsen dominated on serve in the first three sets, with both saving all five break points they faced across that period. The first breaks of the match came in the fourth set, when there were three in a row. Van Assche earned two of them by dragging Michelsen into longer rallies on return, with the American unable to break down the agile Frenchman’s defenses.

The opponents would again trade breaks in consecutive games in the final set, with Van Assche fashioning an opportunity to serve for the match before Michelsen answered to force a tie-break. The Frenchman built a 3/0 lead with steady play and never trailed in the decisive tiebreak, though he had to hold his nerve late after Michelsen saved two match points to level at 6/6.

“He was playing very well the whole match,” Van Assche said of his opponent. “It was really, really close. Not a lot of breaks and it was difficult for me today but I am happy.”

The opponents combined for 61 winners in the match (31 for Michelsen), with the American’s 38 net approaches often forcing the action. He won 24 of those net points (68%), repeatedly stretching every inch of his 6-foot-4 frame to deny would-be passing shots form Van Assche — though the Frenchman snuck his fair share of winners beyond his opponent at net.

There were also a combined 20 break points in the match, with Van Assche saving seven of nine and Michelsen erasing eight of 11. In his three group-stage matches, Van Assche saved a combined 31 of 40 break points (78%).

Anyone for tennis? In Saudi Arabia, the answer is increasingly ‘Yes’.

With a growing fan and player base, tennis is fast capturing the hearts and minds in the Kingdom, which boasts a 50 per cent sports participation rate. The Saudi Tennis Federation has a clear target demographic: the country’s 20m citizens under the age of 30.

A look at the faces this week in the Fan Zone at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah and in the stands at the King Abdullah Sports City confirms that young Saudis are quickly warming to the sport.

“Our strategy is to nurture young players, develop infrastructure, and invest in grassroots initiatives because youth is the key to any sport’s long-term success,” said President of the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF), Arij Almutabagani . “We’re certainly on the right path. Our strategy is working and we’re seeing interest and participation increase.”

Arthur Fils with a young Saudi tennis fan at the Fan Zone at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah.” />

Arthur Fils with a young Saudi tennis fan at the Fan Zone at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Saudi today is home to 177 tennis clubs, up 146 per cent since 2019. In the past four years, the number of registered players has increased 46% to 2,300, with a 100 per cent increase in under-14 players, from 500 to more than 1,000.

The Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) also holds 40 national tournaments annually, including three ITF junior tournaments in the past year.

“Major strides have been taken and one of these was tennis being added to the school physical education curriculum earlier this year,” revealed Almutabagani.

Citing youth as the future, Almutabagani’s primary aspiration is building a vibrant junior tennis scene and she is adamant that tennis can embrace the Kingdom’s youth opportunity.

STF’s partnership with the Saudi Sports For All Federation (SFA) presented the ‘Tennis For All’ in 2022, a 16-week mass participation program to introduce tennis to a new generation of sports enthusiasts. 13,000 were introduced to tennis in the program’s first edition, with a much higher figure in 2023.

Young fans enjoying the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah.

This past April, Tennis For All was introduced in the Ministry of Education’s curriculum at 90 public schools, with STF training 170 physical education teachers to provide efficient and effective lessons. Participation more than doubled this time around with an estimated 30,000.

“We’re targeting 200 schools in 2024 and 400 by 2025,” Almutabagani said. “Achieving this will support sustained growth as more tennis academies are launched and more national tennis centers are built. We already have 505 coaches and 182 officials in the Kingdom and we’ll be rolling out more opportunities for people to get involved. Roles like these are equally as important for the sport’s development, as are professional events.”

Young Saudis are coming to tennis through the Tennis For All programme. Photo courtesy Tennis For All.

This week, STF is hosting the first ATP-sanctioned event in the Kingdom, the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah. A global, modern, and innovative competition featuring the world’s best 21-and-under players, the event is underway at King Abdullah Sports City from 28 November to 2 December. Sanctioned by the ATP Tour and hosted by STF, this historic event marks the beginning of a five-year contract to bring the pinnacle of young global tennis talent to the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia’s No. 1 male tennis player, Ammar Alhogbani, has been a hitting partner this week for the eight players competing in the Next Gen ATP Finals. He said of his excitement, “The growth of tennis in Saudi Arabia and for Saudi Arabian’s has been exceptional in recent years. I’m blessed to be even a small a part of it. To now also have the first sanctioned ATP event in our backyard is an immensely exciting part of our next chapter. I’m sure having the best young players from around the world here in Jeddah will inspire future generations of Saudi to follow in their footsteps and encourage all Saudi’s players to come out and experience the event for themselves.”

The value of Saudi Arabia’s sports event industry is growing by 8 per cent a year and will reach $3.3 billion by 2024 – a $1.2 billion increase from $2.1 billion in 2018. Additionally, significant events investments are being made with $2 billion committed to help sports grow by 2024.

The Next Gen ATP Finals are a direct result of this opportunity. With the event sure to inspire new fans, entice a young population, and unite audiences, many more will follow in the future.

“Tennis will become a big part of Saudi’s future sports event industry and this will be the first of many professional tennis tournaments that we stage,” added Almutabagani. “We eagerly anticipate welcoming tennis enthusiasts from across Saudi Arabia and beyond to witness the exhilarating matches and experience the innovation and excitement that the Next Gen ATP Finals will bring to Jeddah.”

Despite defeat, Dominic Stricker sealed his spot in the semi-finals at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM on Thursday when he won the one set he needed against already-qualified Arthur Fils.

After Luca Nardi defeated Flavio Cobolli earlier, 21-year-old Stricker walked onto court in Jeddah knowing that he would advance to the semi-finals if he won just one set.

Stricker dropped the first set but responded to win the second set. Frenchman Fils eventually sealed a 4-2, 3-4(3), 4-2, 4-3(5) win after one hour and 47 minutes to end the Green Group stage with a perfect 3-0 record.

“I knew before the match [that I had qualified], but I just want to win every match that I’m playing,” said Fils in his on-court interview. “I think I put a little bit more focus out there today than the first two days because I know this opponent and he already beat me this year. It was a tough match, but I’m really happy to win and let’s see who I get in the semi-final.”

Stricker has now reached the semi-finals at the 21-and-under event twice, having advanced to the last four 12 months ago. Fils qualified after Nardi defeated Cobolli, who therefore needed Fils to beat Stricker in straight sets.

Top seed Fils is aiming to become the sixth champion at the 21-and-under event, joining Top 10 stars Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 19-year-old will find out who his semi-final opponent is after night session play in Jeddah.

Earlier this year, Fils lifted his maiden tour-level title in Lyon, while he reached the title match in Antwerp. He is playing at a career-high No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this week.

Stricker’s best result result in 2023 was a fourth-round run at the US Open.

Jannik Sinner is blossoming into a superstar well beyond the tennis court.

The Italian was recognised on Tuesday at AC Milan’s match against Dortmund for his sensational close to the season. Sinner reached the championship match on home soil at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and then led Italy to Davis Cup glory.

During his end-of-season surge, Sinner defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic three times in less than two weeks. He upset the Serbian in round-robin action at the Nitto ATP Finals (losing to him in the final) before taking down the 98-time tour-level titlist in singles and doubles when his country played Serbia in the Davis Cup semi-finals.

Jannik Sinner” />
^{Photo: AC Milan}
The 22-year-old was recognised with a custom jersey at San Siro Stadium and had the opportunity to spend time with football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The No. 4 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings stayed close to his tennis roots, though. Sinner caught up at the match with countryman Matteo Berrettini, who was by his side during Italy’s Davis Cup run.

Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner catch up at AC Milan’s match against Dortmund on Tuesday.” />
^{Photo: AC Milan}

Hamad Medjedovic is the youngest player to win three ATP Challenger Tour titles this season. The Serbian, who advanced through qualifying at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, was also a semi-finalist at the ATP 250 events in Gstaad and Astana. Coached by former World No. 12 Viktor Troicki, Medjedovic is now making his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM.

But what is the 20-year-old like off-court? ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 110 in Jeddah to discuss his love for UFC and what he has learned on tour this season…

If you could have dinner with three people from the past or present, who would they be and why?
It’s a tough question but I’ll go to dinner with Mike Tyson, Tupac and Kobe Bryant. I like Mike Tyson’s personality, I was watching him when he was fighting. Even though I was a little kid, he was one of my role models. I love Tupac’s music, I’m listening to it all the time. And then Kobe, he’s one of the greatest athletes of all time and I’d love to meet him.

If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want?
I’d love to be in the FBI or something like that.

Do you watch FBI shows?
Yeah, of course I watch all the shows with FBI, CIA, all this stuff. It’s great to see them doing their job.

Describe your perfect day if you are not playing tennis.
Sleeping long for sure to set up the day well. Then just spending time with my family, girlfriend and all the people I love since I don’t get to do that during the year since we are travelling a lot. Spending time with the people who I love would be the perfect day. Maybe go somewhere or just stay home.

If you had to choose between attending a music concert or a sporting event, what would you choose and why?
I’d go watch a sports event. I love concerts, but I don’t go so often because there’s a lot of people and huge crowds. I prefer sports. I’d love to watch UFC. My favourite fighter retired, but it’s Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. He was a lightweight champion and he was a perfect fighter to me.

Who are your best friends on tour?
The guys from Serbia, I’d say Miomir Kecmanovic being one of them and all the other Serbian guys. I’m good with all the guys that are here [in Jeddah], we have a really good relationship.

What are your thoughts about the new rules and innovations at the Next Gen ATP Finals?
I love new things. I love adding something new to our sport because I feel like for so many years everything has been the same and now we get the chance to try new rules. No warm-up, shot clock, I like it and I’m happy to try it.

What’s something you’ve learned playing this year?
The difference between the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Tour, I don’t think there is a big change of level, they are all playing pretty similar. I will go into the new season knowing that these guys are not monsters. They are all just players and you can play with every single one of them.

Luca Nardi closed his Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM campaign in thrilling fashion on Thursday in Jeddah.

The 20-year-old prevailed 3-4(4), 4-2, 4-3(1), 1-4, 4-3(3) in an all-Italian clash with Flavio Cobolli at King Abdullah Sports City to register his first win of the season-ending 21-and-under event. Although victory in the absorbing two-hour, 14-minute Green Group match was not enough to earn a semi-final place for Nardi, the World No. 115 showcased his class as he battled through a groin issue to seal his second tour-level win of the season.

“I am happy with the win,” Nardi told ATPTour.com. “Even if I didn’t qualify, I think today was the best match I played out of the three. I am a bit sad I did not qualify but I did not want to leave Jeddah without a win. I kept fighting today and I am happy.”

A win for Nardi ensured that top seed Arthur Fils was the first player to qualify for the semi-finals at the first ATP-sanctioned event in Saudi Arabia. The top seeded Frenchman later defeated Dominic Stricker in four sets. Stricker nonetheless secured his own semi-final spot, and simultaneously confirmed Cobolli’s exit from the tournament, by winning the second set against Fils.

Luca Nardi Fuel Index” />

_{^{Fuel Gauge shows how much a player should have left in the tank based on historical benchmarks.}}

Nardi responded to dropping the opening-set tie-break in style against Cobolli as he produced some stunning attacking tennis to claim the second and third sets. He appeared to clutch his groin when serving at 0-1 in the fourth set, however, and later called for a medical time-out at 0-3.

Cobolli closed out the fourth set with ease and, with his movement slightly hindered, Nardi began to take big cuts at the ball to try and shorten the rallies in the decider. The tactic worked, as he produced a rock-solid deciding tie-break which featured one of the shots of the week, a backhand flick from out wide that had the crowd on its feet.

“I don’t know what happened,” said Nardi when asked about the shot in his on-court interview. “I was just running, not even well because I was injured, and I hit the shot unbelievably. I said sorry because it was lucky. I am happy and I would like to see it later.”

As well as two tour-level victories, Nardi finishes 2023 with a 34-22 record on the ATP Challenger Tour which includes two title runs in Porto and Matsuyama, respectively.

Physicality Index Insights

Going into this match the goal for both players was to make it more physical and run less distance than their opponent. Nardi ended up finishing the match with a lower Physicality Index rating (8.1 vs. 8.4) and ran less distance (1.81 km vs. 1.92 km) than Cobolli. Both players saved their best physical performance for the fifth set, showing why they are some of the most elite athletes in the world for their age. Nardi and Cobolli were able to perform their highest distance per minute in the fifth set, due to longer average rallies. The match came down to Nardi ultimately being more aggressive in the bigger moments, pushing Cobolli into performing more higher speed distance and explosive movements.

The ATP and Tennis Data Innovations (TDI) will deliver unprecedented insights at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. Using state-of-the-art tracking metrics, the insights will assess the physical capacity required to compete at the highest professional level of our sport.

Read more to learn about Thursday’s matchups in Jeddah.

Arthur Fils vs. Dominic Stricker

Coming into Thursday’s match between Arthur Fils and Dominic Stricker, both players have had similar physical match profiles. They were both pushed in their first matches, with Physical Index ratings inline with their season averages, and saw those PI ratings drop in their second round match due to their dominating performances. Fils has an average Physicality Index of 7.4 and Stricker with an average rating of 7.0.

Fils has produced the most balanced and efficient physical output of any of the eight athletes in the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. He seems to be hitting his “stride” heading into the last round robin match. He was able to keep the points shorter in his second match which allowed for him to manage the amount of high speed distance he ran. When he had to make explosive movements out to the corners, he executed those movements with ease. This explosive movement showed in Basecamp, when Fils lit up the 5-0-5 test, having the fastest times to the right and left side.

Keys to Match
Distance does not both both players, as they typically have higher distance than their opponents, as these players look to hit their forehand more than any other player in the Next Gen ATP Finals. Fils is going to look to make this more of a physical match, looking to push the PI of Stricker above 7.5 with a lot of high speed distance. Stricker has had most of his success on tour when he has been the aggressor, looking to hit his forehand from the deuce court. If Stricker have a higher distance total than Fils, and keep the average rally length below 3.7, that would means he is doing more of the dictating with his forehand.

Luca Cobolli vs. Luca Nardi

Luca Nardi and Flavio Cobolli both had similar match outcomes in their second match, but the intensities of the match were extremely different. Both players had a Physicality Index rating of 7 or greater in very highly competitive first round-robin matches. In their second-round matches, the PI dropped below a 6, making these two matches the least physical matches of the tournament so far. The biggest difference between both second round matches were the intensities at which the two players were moving. The score of Cobolli’s second round match did not reflect the intensity at which he moved. His workload, high speed distance, and explosive movements per minute jumped way above his season threshold, meaning he was being pushed in every point that was played.

Keys to the Match
Both players have similar styles of play, looking to use their speed to create offense and take time away from their opponents. Both players have shown that they can handle the volume and intensity of movement at the highest levels of the sport. The player with the highest PI with the least amount of distance covered.

Luca Van Assche vs. Alex Michelsen

Luca Van Assche was one point away from taking a commanding two-sets-to-one lead last night, which could have put him in a position to win his second round robin match last night. Going into the forth set, Hamad Medjedovic’s pace of play was starting to slow down. Meaning, he was covering less distance at a slower speed. The exact opposite was happening to Van Assche, he was maintaining his high physical thresholds going into the forth. Van Assche has proven he can handle the physicality of the ATP tour. Earlier this year, he recorded back to back matches against Stanilas Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic with Physicality ratings of over 9.2.

Alex Michelson ran into an opponent who came out firing on all cylinders last night. He was able to put Michelson into defensive positions, using the dropshot to make Michelson use his explosive movements and high speed distance to defend. Both of his opponents have been able to push Michelson to the top of his intensity metrics (high speed distance and explosive movements).

Keys to the Match
In both of their matches against Medjedovic, Van Assche and Michelson’s Physicality Index was pushed due to two times as much high-speed distance than their common opponent. This was largely due in part to the high speeds required to defend the speed and depth of Medjedovic’s shots. Whoever accumulates the least amount of high speed distance in this match should come out on top.

Abdullah Shelbayh vs. Hamad Medjedovic

Hamad Medjedovic has shown amazing resilience bouncing back after his first round-robin match where he pushed the limits of his physicality, winning the match in a fifth set tie-break. In the final set he began to experience cramping but was able to limit the amount of movement by going for bigger shots down the stretch. A large percentage of the physicality in that match came from the sheer volume of play. Michelson was making Medjedovid play a lot of balls to win each rally. In his second round robin match, Medjedovic was forced to cover high amounts of distance per minute. He saw a 20% increase in the amount of distance he was forced to cover per minute in his second match.

The run to round robin match three for Abdullah Shelbayh has looked a little different. He was almost pushed to his career high physicality index rating of 8.8, recording a PI rating of 8.3 in his loss to Van Assche. The high PI rating in round 1 came from Shelbayh reaching a new career high in workload. Yesterday, in round 2, high level returning and more efficient play off the ground allowed Shelbayh to dominate his match against Michelson. This match he was not pushed physically as he was in control the entire match.

Keys to Match
Medjedovic is coming off two very long physical performances and will have to be ready to play one more match that will test his limits if he wants to get out of group play undefeated. Shelbayh must try and make this a physical match, even if this means him reaching a new high PI rating. A high PI rating for Shelbayh would mean he is staying in points longer and making Medjedovic play one to two extra shots. If Shelbayh can force Medjedovic into running a high amount of distance per minute early in the match, this might help fatigue him faster, pushing Medjedovic to his PI limits!

Luca Van Assche first cracked the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in April the same week he earned his maiden tour-level victory in Estoril. The Frenchman is a three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion and is now debuting at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM.

But what is the 19-year-old like off-court? ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 70 to discuss his perfect day and love for other sports…

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
Roger Federer because he’s my idol. Arthur Fils because he is my friend. Then I will choose Bjorn Borg because he was one of the best players in another generation.

Do you remember watching Federer when you were growing up? Was there a match or tournament that stands out?
Yeah, I watched a lot of Roger Federer playing tournaments. If I have to think of one match I think it’s the final against Rafa in the 2017 Australian Open. He was coming back and it was a pretty good match. I watched so many matches from him, difficult to think of just one.

Describe your perfect day if you are not playing tennis.
I would sleep and I would wake up late, around 9:30 or 10 so I can have a long night but I still have some hours to enjoy my day. Then I would have a good breakfast. I will go to a restaurant with some friends, spend time with my family. Just things with friends, doing some activities or go to the cinema or game or some activities.Then eat some good pizza for dinner.

If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want?
I think I could be an engineer because I love everything with mathematics and everything. So I think it could be interesting for me. I enjoy doing mathematics and I’m still continuing it at university now.

You’re very early in your career but is that something that after your career you would maybe pursue?
Yeah, of course after my career. I don’t really want to be a tennis coach. And maybe I would like to change to learn new things outside the sport. I think that’s why I’m continuing my studies and I know that I will have another job after my tennis career.

If you had to choose between attending a music concert or a sporting event, what would you choose and why?
I will choose a sports event. I went twice to a rugby game this past month, the Rugby World Cup in France so maybe that or football, PSG in France. Or maybe Formula 1.

Did you watch France play at the Rugby World Cup?
Yes, I watched two games. One was New Zealand against Ireland and the other one was France against New Zealand.

Who are some of your best friends on Tour?
I think my best friend on tour is Arthur Fils because he’s my age, he’s French, I grew up with him. I know him very well. We spent a lot of time together and we have a lot of memories. I am still young, so I don’t know everybody and not everybody is from my generation. So for the moment it’s him, but maybe in the next years I will have a lot of friends.

When did you first meet Arthur? When do you first play with him?
I think maybe when I was nine years old we played a tournament and then we played a lot of tournaments together. It was great.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve done in your life?
This week in Jeddah is an extraordinary experience for us spending time with other players, who I didn’t know very well. It’s a new country for me, a new civilisation. So it is great experience. It was great to see to see the Old City.

Is there a nice place you’ve been to for holiday?
I went to Venice. I went to Italy a lot. I went for tennis tournaments in Morocco and it was great, another culture from France.

What’s one thing you’ve learned this year on Tour?
I’ve learned a lot of things. I think I learned that I have the level of the best players in the world. I think I gained a lot of experience because it was my first year on Tour. So I had a lot of new experiences, new matches, new tournaments, new cities. It was very interesting for me and I learned a lot of things through all my matches.