Finland’s best-ever Davis Cup run continued on Tuesday at the Final 8 in Malaga, where Otto Virtanen scored wins in singles and doubles to send his country through to the semi-finals at the expense of defending champion Canada.

The 22-year-old Virtanen defeated Canada’s Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 7-5 to force a decisive doubles rubber, then teamed with Harri Heliovaara to beat Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 6-3 in front of vocal Finnish support in Spain.

Virtanen’s heroics were required after Milos Raonic staked Canada an early advantage with a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Patrick Kaukovalta to open the day’s play. The 32-year-old Raonic opened the match with four straight aces and never looked back.

But Virtanen levelled the tie by breaking once in each set against Diallo, and a late break in each set of the doubles match sealed a famous victory for the Finns.

Through to the semi-finals in Malaga, Finland await the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between Australia and the Czech Republic.

In the early stages of his budding career, Jordan’s Abdullah Shelbayh is already etching his name in history.

The 20-year-old, who is at a career-high No. 187 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, became the first Jordanian to win a main-draw ATP Tour match in April and has since continued his rapid rise. Shelbayh will have another opportunity to perform on a big stage as a wild card at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Shelbayh is doing it all with the pride of Jordan behind him.

“It makes me happy to represent my country and the Arab world,” Shelbayh told ATPTour.com. “There is some pressure but you feel like it’s good pressure to have on your shoulders when you’re representing your country and the region you come from.”

Hailing from Amann, the capital of Jordan, Shelbayh has grown to understand and appreciate the significance of leading the way for his nation.

“When I started playing junior tournaments at an advanced level, playing the junior Grand Slams and even before that, I was like, ‘Okay, people are starting to talk about this,’’ Shelbayh said. “I started realising how big it is and how important it is to represent your country and I try to represent it in the best way possible. At that time, I was 16 when I was like, ‘I’m actually representing more than just myself and my family.’”

Since a young age, Shelbayh has been surrounded by some of the sports superstars. Toni Nadal flew to Jordan when Shelbayh was 13 years old to recruit him to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where the #NextGenATP star would move to a year later and graduate from in 2021. 

Shelbayh idolised the 22-time major champion Nadal as a kid and despite being naturally right handed, watching Rafa swayed the Jordanian to play tennis left handed.

“My first memory of watching tennis was Roger [Federer]. I used to play with the right and one-hand backhand as well because of Roger,” Shelbayh said. “I didn’t know who Rafa was. I saw one guy playing Roger because I only knew Roger back then. Then I saw one guy playing with the left hand [Nadal] and later that day I started to play with the left hand.”

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A memorable moment for Shelbayh came in October, when he won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Charleston, South Carolina to become the youngest player from an Arab country to win a title at that level. Another Arab player, WTA star Ons Jabeur, has provided more inspiration to Shelbayh.

“What Ons has been doing lately is incredible and it motivates me. Knowing where she comes from and especially on the WTA side, it’s something that’s inspiring for all of the Arab region,” Shelbayh said.

“I’ve practised with her when I was very young. It was incredible. She has always been so nice, very humble. She’s still as great as before even though she’s achieved much more throughout the past two, three years. When I was able to see her [this year] she was telling me that she has been checking my results and she’s happy with what I’ve been doing.”

Shelbayh is looking forward to an opportunity of a lifetime next week at the Next Gen ATP Finals, where he will be one of eight players to compete in the 21-and-under event. He hopes the tournament, which has seen previous champions such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas, can also accelerate the growth of tennis in the Middle East.

“I think it’s very exciting to have it in a different place, bringing all the eyes and attention to this part of the world. It will also help this region have a bigger impact in the tennis world and produce more talents hopefully throughout the region,” Shelbayh said. “It plays a big part not just having any tournament, but the Next Gen because it’s for young players so I think the younger generations will start getting into this sport much more and be motivated.

“Me being Jordianan is a big part of it and it gives me the inspiration and motivation to represent my country in such a big event. I wish to see many more young players from that region come out and produce more talent. I think we will be able to do that once there’s more attention on the sport in that region.”

Covering a total area of 34,170 sq miles, Serbia is the 111th largest county in the world. While it may not be the biggest in size, it is a nation that has produced world-class tennis players throughout the years. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the clear example, with now-retired Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki climbing as high as No. 8 and No. 12, respectively, in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Aiming to follow in their footsteps is 20-year-old Hamad Medjedovic, who will compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah next week.

“It was a big thing for sure growing up, having so many good players in our country,” Medjedovic told ATPTour.com when discussing his early influences. “I remember starting to watch tennis when I was a kid. We had Novak [Djokovic], Viktor [Troicki] and Janko [Tipsarevic] and they were so good.

“I remember watching them constantly. As a kid it gave me a lot of motivation to start playing tennis and then to become one of them because I saw that they could do it. They’re coming from a small country, same as me, and it gave me a lot of motivation and self-belief that I could do it as well.”

Djokovic captured a record seventh Nitto ATP Finals crown on Sunday to clinch his 71st ‘Big Title’, which is a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals.

At the top of the game for more than 15 years now, the 36-year-old has provided consistent inspiration and support for Medjedovic, who recalls the first time he met the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

“I remember meeting him when I was 10 I think and it was my birthday,” Medjedovic said. “I was in Belgrade and the former Davis Cup captain [Bogdan Obradovic] was working at his academy. I was practising there and he took me to the Novak Centre. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I remember Novak coming and we met there for the first time.

“It was the first time I had seen him in person and I got to talk to him. We just had a couple of words exchanged, and I think at the time it was the biggest thing of my life that happened. I had watched him on TV and now all of a sudden I got to talk to him a little bit. It was a great opportunity.”

Medjedovic has since risen through the Serbian ranks, regularly training with his countrymen. He is grateful for their constant support and revealed their success has been a great source of inspiration.

“I’ve known them for a couple of years already the guys. Even when I wasn’t on the Tour, when I was playing juniors, I was good as a junior, so I practised many times with Dusan [Lajovic], Laslo [Djere], Filip [Krajinovic], Miomir [Kecmanovic] and Noel,” Medjedovic said. “I was talking with them when we were hitting and they were giving me so many things that I could work on. When you have guys like this talking to you and giving you advice for your career, it has had a big impact.

“It motivates me and I’m looking at it from a positive side. I hear so many compliments and some of the guys are saying that I’m the future of our tennis. It gives me motivation and the fuel to be even better.”

Medjedovic continues to make full use of his Serbian network, having joined forces with three-time tour-level champion Troicki at the start of the season. Coach Troicki has helped Medjedovic rise to No. 102 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, win three ATP Challenger Tour titles and reach tour-level semi-finals in Gstaad and Astana.

“Viktor was working at the Novak Centre. He was a head coach there and was supervising me,” Medjedovic said when discussing the pair’s relationship. “He was a mentor and then at the start of 2023 he became my coach full time. He’s giving me a lot of really good advice and he’s helping me every day.

“The season together has been good. The first four or three months I was struggling a little bit. It took time to start doing what we were working on during pre-season. After a couple of months, it all clicked. I played well in India in February. I made my first semis after a long time and then everything started going better. I also played in the semi-finals in Gstaad. It was a big thing for me, beating a couple of players from the Top 100.”

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The 20-year-old will now aim to finish the year strongly at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, where he will compete alongside Arthur Fils, Dominic Stricker, Luca Van Assche, Flavio Cobolli, Alex Michelsen, Luca Nardi and Abdullah Shelbayh.

Medjedovic is excited to play at an event that has crowned Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as champions. He also gave fans insight into what they should expect to see from him on court in Saudi Arabia.

“Knowing that you’re in the Top 8 in the world of 21 and under players, it’s a big thing by itself. Also just knowing that basically whoever played it before is a good player now,” Medjedovic said.

“I find myself as a very aggressive player on the court. I try to dictate that. I see myself as a good server. I’m not going to be talking so many good things about myself, but I think I have a great serve, a great forehand, and my style of game is that I’m aggressive on the court.”

Brazil and Chile have qualified for the United Cup, completing the 18-team line-up for the 2024 event.

Brazil qualified on the strength of their top WTA player Beatriz Haddad Maia, the current world No.11 who closed her 2023 season on a high note with victory at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai.

She cracked the Top 10 in June shortly after Roland Garros, where she enjoyed her best Grand Slam result with a run to the semi-finals.

Haddad Maia will be joined by teammates Marcelo Melo, Thiago Seyboth Wild, Felipe Meligeni Alves and Carolina Alves.

Team Brazil has landed in Group A – headed by No.1 seed Poland – and will play its matches at RAC Arena in Perth. This sets up a showdown between Haddad Maia and World No.1 Iga Swiatek, a rematch of their Roland Garros semi-final.

“I’m happy to be able to participate in the United Cup once again,” Haddad Maia said.

“It’s a special competition and it will be a pleasure to play in Perth again after a few years. I’m excited and motivated to play and learn with the Brazilian team during the week.”

This is Brazil’s second appearance at the United Cup, after exiting in the group stages of the inaugural 2023 event.

Chile qualified thanks to Nicolas Jarry, the 28-year-old who enjoyed a career-best season on Tour and soared into the world’s Top 20.

Jarry won ATP Tour titles in Santiago and Geneva before reaching the fourth round at Roland Garros, performances which helped push him to a career-high No.19 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in November.

He headlines a Chilean squad also featuring Tomas Barrios Vera, Alejandro Tabilo, Daniela Seguel and Fernanda Labrana.

In its United Cup debut, Team Chile will play matches at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena as part of Group B, a strong group also containing second seeds Greece and Canada.

Perth will host the first day of the United Cup on Friday 29 December, with the group stage in Sydney beginning on Saturday 30 December.

Each tie will be determined in one session and will include one men’s singles and one women’s singles match featuring the No.1 ranked singles players, followed by one mixed doubles match.

Group winners in each city advance to the quarter-finals, with one quarter-final spot in each city awarded to the best runner-up in that city.

In Perth, the quarter-finals will be played on Wednesday 3 January and in Sydney, the quarterfinals will be played across Thursday 4 and Friday 5 January.

Winners will progress to the semi-finals and finals at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 January. Teams travelling from Perth to Sydney will have a travel day and rest day before their semifinal.

Teams are competing for AUD $15 million in prize money and 500 Pepperstone ATP and 500 WTA Tour Rankings points.

The United Cup is an ATP-WTA event presented in partnership with Tennis Australia.

Group stage adult prices start from $40 and from $20 for children 3-12 years of age. Family passes (two adults and two children) start from $100. Visit UnitedCup.com/tickets to purchase tickets and follow @UnitedCupTennis on social media for all the latest tournament news.

On Sunday night, Novak Djokovic was lifting the Nitto ATP Finals trophy for a record seventh time. Less than 24 hours had passed when he boarded a flight on Monday at 4:10 pm CET, carrying the No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from Turin to Malaga, where he joined Serbia’s team in the Final 8 of the Davis Cup.

In the terminal, he was awaited by Feliciano Lopez, the director of the Davis Cup, who gave him a special welcome: “What’s up, man?! Congratulations!” “Hey, man,” Djokovic answered jokingly before a warm embrace.

The Balkan side, captained by Viktor Troicki, and led by Djokovic, will also count Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic, Miomir Kecmanovic and Hamad Medjedovic among its ranks.

Serbia will play in the quarter-finals of the competition on Thursday 23 November (not before 4:00 pm CET) against a Great Britain outfit that will have to make do without Andy Murray, who recently announced his withdrawal. The news means Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper, Liam Broady, Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury will take on Djokovic’s men.

Salisbury is also arriving at the Davis Cup as a Nitto ATP Finals champion having claimed the doubles crown alongside the American Rajeev Ram. On Sunday they successfully defended the title they earned last year in Turin.

Djokovic, who celebrates his 400th week as the World No. 1 this week, has played 61 matches this season, with a record of 55-6. He will now try to put the icing on the cake after a brilliant season with victory at the Davis Cup and what would be his second Salad Bowl (2010).