The body may have a few battle scars now, but the mind of Tony Trabert, who on 16 August celebrated his 90th birthday, is as sharp as ever. From his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Trabert, the legendary player, CBS commentator and ambassador for the sport, reads, watches sport on television, occasionally runs errands with his wife, Vicki, and plays host to his great grandchildren.

In witnessing today’s modern, power era, it’s easy to forget that Trabert, the stylish serve-volleyer with a superb backhand, was known the world over for his three Grand Slam singles titles in 1955, a year he lifted 18 trophies (104-5 match record). That fall, Trabert turned pro with Jack Kramer’s circuit and in playing retirement, for the next 50 years, he continued to dedicate — and enrich — the sport of tennis with his talent and good humour. By running successful junior tennis camps, as a United States Davis Cup winning captain, as a television commentator for 33 years or, most recently, as President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, he attracted new fans to tennis.

Happy birthday, Tony. We hope you’ll be following the ATP Tour’s return this week.

Profile below courtesy of the late Bud Collins (1929-2016) Tennis Encyclopedia

One of the finest seasons ever achieved was the 1955 of Tony Trabert, who won three of the Big Four singles titles – Wimbledon, Roland Garros and U.S. – to earn acclaim as the No. 1 amateur of that year. Only three other men, Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969), en route to their Grand Slams, and Rafael Nadal (2010), have won those three championships within a calendar year.

Moreover, Trabert also won the U.S. Indoor and U.S. Clay Court titles, adding them to the pre-eminent American championships on grass at Forest Hills. For that year, probably the most productive ever by an American man – 30 titles – he won 18 of 23 singles tourneys on a 106-7 match record. Included was a winning streak of 36 matches. He also won 12 doubles titles (with Vic Seixas).

An exceptional athlete, Marion Anthony Trabert was born Aug. 16, 1930, in Cincinnati, where he grew up. He was a standout basketball player at the University of Cincinnati, for which he also won the U.S. Intercollegiate singles title in 1951.

The French Championships has traditionally been the most difficult battleground for American men. Trabert won five titles in Paris, the singles in 1954 and 1955. It was 34 years before another American, Michael Chang, won in 1989. Trabert also won the doubles in 1950 (with Bill Talbert) and in 1954 and 1955 (with Seixas). Only a defeat by Ken Rosewall (the eventual champ) in the semi-finals of the Australian Championships ruined Trabert’s chance at a Grand Slam in 1955.

For five years Trabert was a mainstay of the U.S. Davis Cup team, along with Seixas. In each of those years the U.S. reached the challenge round finale, and Trabert’s best-remembered match may have been a defeat, a tremendous struggle against Lew Hoad on a rainy afternoon in 1953 at Melbourne. Hoad won out, 7-5, in the fifth, and Australia kept the Cup. However, Trabert and Seixas returned to Australia a year later, where Trabert beat Hoad on the opening day in singles and he and Seixas won the doubles over Hoad and Rex Hartwig in a 3-2 triumph, the only U.S. seizure of the Cup from the Aussies during an eight-year stretch.

Though an attacker with a powerful backhand and strong volley, the competitive right-hander also had exceptional groundstrokes. In winning the U.S. singles at Forest Hills twice, 1953 and 1955, and Wimbledon, 1955, he did not lose a set, a rare feat. Amassing 13 U.S. titles in singles and doubles, he was one of two Americans (the other was Art Larsen) to win singles championships on all four surfaces: Grass at Forest Hills, indoor, clay court and hard court.

Following the custom of the time, Trabert, as the top amateur, signed on with the professionals to challenge the ruler, Pancho Gonzalez, on a head-to-head tour in 1956. Gonzalez won, 74-27. Trabert was runner-up to Alex Olmedo for the U.S. Pro singles title in 1960, having won the doubles with Hartwig in 1956.

When his playing career ended, Trabert worked as a teaching pro and as a television commentator on tennis. In 1976 he returned to the Davis Cup scene as the U.S. captain, leading the Cup-winning teams of 1978 and 1979. He had four years in the U.S. and world’s Top 10, 1951, 1953, 1954 and 1955, No. 1 in each in 1953 and 1955, before turning pro. His amateur career was interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy. He was named to the International Hall of Fame in 1970.

MAJOR TITLES (10) – Roland Garros singles, 1954, 1955; Wimbledon singles, 1955; US Nationals. singles, 1953, 1955; Australian Open doubles, 1955; Roland Garros doubles, 1950, 1954, 1955; US Nationals doubles, 1954.

OTHER U.S. TITLES (13) – Intercollegiate singles, 1951; Indoor singles, 1955; Clay Court singles, 1951, 1955; Hard Court singles, 1953; Indoor doubles, 1954, with Bill Talbert; 1955, with Vic Seixas; Clay Court doubles, 1951, 1955, with Hamilton Richardson; 1954, with Seixas; Hard Court doubles, 1950, 1953, with Tom Brown; Pro doubles, 1956, with Rex Hartwig.

DAVIS CUP (As player) – 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955; Record 16-5 in singles, 11-3 in doubles; (As captain) – 1953, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980; Record 14-3, 2 Cups.

SINGLES RECORD IN THE MAJORS – Australian Open (4-2), Roland Garros (18-2), Wimbledon (13-2), US Nationals (23-5).

While individual shots and skills are critical in doubles, great doubles players have more intangibles in their repertoires. Part of what forms an “Ultimate Doubles Player” is someone who has the ‘X-Factor’.

“For me it’s the ability to perform under pressure and come out of that with an amazing shot or combination of shots when you need it most,” former World No. 1 Jamie Murray said. “In doubles it might be making that poach by anticipation when you haven’t told your partner. [It’s when] you’re feeling it and you make that move, or you make a sick reflex or something like that. It could be really impressive defensive skills or ability to just make the return at the right time, put the ball in play.”

These are the men who the world’s best believe have the biggest ‘X-Factor’ on the ATP Tour.

Marcelo Melo
“He’s been so solid for many years and so high up in the [FedEx ATP Doubles] Rankings. I don’t want to insult him now, but [he has done it] without any real dangerous weapons. There’s no huge power coming from Marcelo, but he’s just solid all over. I’ve always said Marcelo Melo could be the world’s best doubles partner because his game just gels so well with everybody. He’s got world-class reactions at the net. When it’s an important point, he always makes the return, he always makes you play.” – Robert Lindstedt

“A lot of times he comes up with unbelievable volleys and reactions at the net. Many times in the crucial moments, they really can turn around the matches. We’ve played [Melo and Lukasz Kubot] many times lately and in close situations it’s happened a few times. When he comes up close [to the net], he can pick up unbelievable reactions.” – Filip Polasek

“He’s been a player who has been No. 1 in the world. He’s seemingly always in the Top 5 or 7 players in the world. He finds himself at the end of the majors and the big tournaments quite often throughout the year, whether it’s on clay, grass or hard. He’s able to bring a pretty high level of competitiveness and intensity, but yet in his own way, he’s a pretty chilled guy. He seems to come up with the right shot at the right time more often than not. It’s an incredible asset, incredible quality that he has. It’s not been one or two years, it’s been more than a decade he’s been able to do it.” – Rajeev Ram

Pierre-Hugues Herbert
“When he’s on he can really be very dangerous, can take the match away from you. He’s got a big serve as well when he’s feeling it, a lot of firepower.” – Jamie Murray

“Whenever he’s on, Herbert and Mahut are probably impossible to beat because Nico is so consistent and Pierre-Hugues is just the one who makes the difference. It’s everything [he does]. He’s just going for his shots. He’s basically like Kubot on his return, but with all his shots. Whenever they pass the first two rounds of a tournament, especially a Slam, they end up winning a lot of them when he’s in form and he plays his best tennis. [It’s] because he’s very, very aggressive. That’s why for me he’s a clutch player.” – Jurgen Melzer 

Henri Kontinen
“He has the ‘X-Factor’ to even win matches by himself. He can take the game away from you. He’s very talented. He’s just very aggressive on the doubles court and he’s not scared of doing the outrageous on the court. Him and Jan-Lennard Struff together are a very difficult team to play against, especially when they’re on form together.” – Neal Skupski

“Henri Kontinen has been my nemesis… He’s beaten us many times coming up in big moments with big shots. Even at the start of the year, we played him in Doha. We had a match point against him, played the most ridiculous point and Henri played a world-class cross volley and it was just annoying to face him when he does something like that in such a big moment… He’s a very relaxed person and I think he takes that onto the court with him. He doesn’t get too up, too down, just plays in the moment and no matter what the score is, he’s loose enough to execute such a big shot.” – Ken Skupski

Bob Bryan
“Bob Bryan in his prime, he had that ‘X-Factor’ for sure that won them a lot of extra points that turned into wins. They were both clutch, Bob and Mike, but I thought Bob had just a little bit more of an ‘X-Factor’.” -Jamie Murray

Gilles Cervara began coaching Daniil Medvedev full-time towards the end of 2017 when the Russian moved to Cannes, France, where his sister, Elena, lived. Ever since, Medvedev has been on the rise.

The ATP Tour is resuming its season on 20 August with qualifying at the Western & Southern Open, which is being held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center due to COVID-19. The US Open begins on 31 August. Before the return of play, ATPTour.com caught up with Cervara to discuss how Medvedev handled the time off, his standing near the top of the sport and the Russian’s run to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati last year before reaching the US Open final.

How has everything been going for you and Daniil during this suspension?
Quite okay, quite good. Of course with this long time without tournaments and no matches, it’s been a bit tough. But you have to manage it as you can, also as the player is able to manage it. I think you need to adapt. It depends on all these things that you have to face every day and during five months like we did.

For fans who might not know as much about Daniil or might even be watching him for the first time, what should they know about him, whether it’s as a player or as a person?
[He loves] video games. That’s important for him. He likes to play everything. He likes to win everything he plays. He also likes cars.

You say he likes to win everything he plays. Do you have any anecdotes that show that?
I have many stories about this. Even with me when we play some games, it could even be video games. I like to play an NHL game. When we play, we fight to win. When we play different things on the court, he wants to beat me and I feel if I beat him, it becomes important for him to play against me to beat me. He has this inside himself and I think it’s very, very important to be a top-level player. If you don’t have this, it could be tough. It saves your life when you’re in trouble.

After playing a very tight match against Novak at the ATP Cup Daniil didn’t find the same level as he had last season. Why do you think that was?
He started to find a good thing in the beginning of the year and during these two indoor tournaments in Rotterdam and Marseille it was not that great. It’s tough to maintain a stable mentality or energy level for the whole year. That’s something that he needs to build.

The top players like Novak, like Wawrinka, Federer and Nadal of course, they know [themselves] so they’re better to maintain something better than the young players. That’s also what Daniil is learning. The bad thing is the Tour stopped, because I think when Indian Wells was ready to start he was ready to have a high level.

Last year and even the year before Daniil was on the rise and chasing the best players. Now as the World No. 5 he is one of the guys being chased. How does that affect him?
It’s another part of his career and I think it’s a new thing to learn and get used to managing. You are in this position and you feel other players want to beat you, so you get a new experience and if you’re ready and you accept this position, you are more ready to manage it and to deal with it… He’s ready for it. He knows about it. He knows that his position changed and all the players are like he was before.

Do you think it’s harder to get to this level or stay at this level with everyone trying to pass Daniil?
Because I’m in this situation now, I would say it’s more difficult to stay at this level. But if you asked me two or three years ago if it’s tougher to get in the Top 10 or to stay in the Top 10, I would say getting to the Top 10 is more difficult because that is the thing we needed to do. Now because I need to try to work to make him stay at this level and do better, it’s my situation and this is tougher right now.

Do you agree that the better you get, the harder it is to improve and is that difficult as well?
I think you always have something to improve. These things to improve just get more micro. When you start it is macro. You have many things, bigger things and when you get better and better [the things you work on] get very [narrow]. But you always have something to improve and when you change positions, you work on your game, then you know what you have to work on… It never stops.

There’s a video from July of Daniil working on the technique of his backhand. Even at this level, is there always technique to work on?
There are a few things technique-wise to improve, even at this level. I heard Federer a few years ago, when he came back after stopping for six months, I heard he worked on technique with his backhand. You always have to improve something. It depends what you choose. Sometimes it’s more physical, sometimes it’s technical because you want to improve a shot and you realise to improve a shot like this it’s more technical than physical. It depends on the analysis you do.

Usually the off-season is a month or two months. This has been more than five months, so did it change your approach to working with him?
It’s tough to answer, because at the beginning we didn’t know when we would start again. You don’t have the vision of the time you will have to practise. At this time for every player, for every human being, it is important to have this vision. We had it, but it was changing. It makes you sometimes change the plan you had at the beginning.

I will say the more you have time and the more you know about when you will start tournaments gives you opportunities to work on the deep things you need to improve, the things that are tough to improve in normal times when you have only one month. Then [in those moments] you cannot work like if you have four months. I would say you have more time and more possibilities to work on the deep things.

Now that you are going back, most of the preparation is done. What will be most important for Daniil to start well?
The most important thing is I would say to have a chance to play matches. The more matches he can win the better it is to create another dynamic for this season, but also for next season. It’s a bit of a tough situation because you don’t know how every player will react. We will feel on the court how to play matches. Maybe some players who have gotten injured in the past will know better how to manage this situation than young players, for whom it’s the first time they’ve stopped for five months. Some players with more experience might have a small advantage. 

Last year Daniil won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati and then went on his incredible run in New York. Did you notice as he made those big achievements that players started playing him differently?
Of course. That’s something that I think about many times because players will study his game and try to have a strategy to beat him. I have to think like this to work on [dealing with] different things that players can do to beat him.

What was that experience like for you, watching as Daniil did what he did at last year’s US Open and seeing how he battled Rafael Nadal so well in the final?
I think you don’t realise what’s going on really because you’re focussed on the match, on the goals and the way to win. You’re not disconnected with the action and what was happening. You are 100 per cent in the action and you live this like it’s almost a normal match. I want to say for me it was like all the matches, because Daniil played it like this also.

For another player it could be totally different because his emotions and feelings will be different, so I’d be different also. My job is to be very connected with the experience of the player and I think that’s what he did.

Brad Gilbert, the former World No. 4, isn’t positive which players will shine as the ATP Tour returns in New York for the Western & Southern Open and the US Open. But if he has any advice for fans, it’s this: Expect the unexpected.

“It’s a little bit like the NCAA Tournament in basketball. You might get somebody who is a really low seed to make the semi-finals or a deep run,” Gilbert told ATPTour.com. “I just have a feeling that without a crowd, without a couple guys who are always there not being there, the opportunity is there.”

The former coach of Andre Agassi, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick among others, Gilbert says you can wrack your brain about who will get off to a quick start to the Tour’s resumption. Seven of the Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings are poised to come out of the gates firing and reestablish themselves. But given nobody has competed in more than five months, it is tough to predict. The stakes will be high, since the first tournament back is an ATP Masters 1000 event.

“Who’s going to take advantage of a situation where maybe we get an opening in the draw to a semi-final where nobody’s made a semi or you have nobody who’s ever made a final?” Gilbert wondered. “If a couple upsets happen maybe there’s a section where nobody’s won before. There is going to be opportunity.”

Listen To Gilbert’s New Podcast, Winning Uglier

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will have a chance to tie Rafael Nadal’s record of 35 Masters 1000 titles at the Western & Southern Open, which is being held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center due to COVID-19.

“There are a lot of unknowns, but if he is 100 per cent healthy, on this surface, he’s a huge favourite,” Gilbert said.

Who else could be in the mix to start the return to tennis off on the right foot? Will players with a certain playing style be able to adapt quicker after more than five months off?

“It’s a tough call, it’s just really hard to know. Maybe [it will benefit] someone like a big server. All of a sudden if someone like John Isner, if his serve is fine, the guy can hold serve and you never know,” Gilbert said. “It’s hard to put your brain around it. Especially if someone plays a tough five-setter, how will they recover and manage it? That part I’m most curious about. I’m not sure who it helps the most or hurts the most. But I do think there’s going to be somebody who I say, ‘Whoa! I didn’t see that coming.’”

Gilbert likens this situation to when a player returns with a protected ranking following an injury. Except in this case, everyone has been off. There will also be added elements like not having a crowd, which could potentially reduce nerves for players competing on big courts like Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis-only stadium in the world, during the US Open.

“I do think we’re going to see some crazy results,” Gilbert said. “But let’s say even if the Big Three was playing after all this time, I just don’t think that after something like this you’d expect it to be business as normal… I do think somebody’s going to make a semi or final who is going to be a real surprise. I do think the biggest surprise is going to be somebody who maybe you don’t think about and doesn’t play that well on a big stadium or a big crowd.”

Since this is an unprecedented moment, it’s impossible to isolate exactly what will be most important for the players to succeed. But according to Gilbert, one of the most critical things will be to simply get off on the right foot.

“Sometimes after a long period of time, you come back and you seem like you have no confidence when you haven’t been playing. I do think a lot of people will be in the same boat, so I do think winning that first match, just boom, getting that out of the way [will be key],” Gilbert said. “It’s the same for everybody because everybody’s been missing this time, but the main thing is what you did during this time. Did you make an improvement in your game?

Editor’s Note: Andy Murray’s strength and conditioning coach, Matt Little, shared his thoughts with players and coaches in the weeks leading up to the return to tennis to help them physically prepare safely and successfully. Below we share Little’s advice.

With ATP players expecting to return to competitive action, it is vital for them to prepare for this in the correct way. Returning to elite-level competition after having several months’ layoff is something that is common in tennis players who have been injured, but for those who have been fully fit for the majority of their playing career, getting the balance between preparing in the correct way and not injuring themselves before the tournament is an important balance to strike.

On-Court Volume
The first aspect of a players’ on-court training that needs to be built-up is the volume of hitting that is going to be required to play a best-of-five set tennis match. This isn’t just with regards to the duration of a five-set tennis match, but more the actual loading on the player’s body. The loading can be measured by GPS devices. You may be surprised to hear that it only takes between two and a half and three hours of tennis practice to replicate the same loading on the muscles and joints of the body as a best-of-five set match. Given that there are practice days in between matches at Grand Slams, you may want to consider having a light day after you’ve had a day of two and a half to three hours, if you are looking to replicate this loading.

Intensity
This for me is the number one factor in whether or not players get injured when they return to competition. We know that it is impossible to replicate match scenarios in practice, purely because the intensity is not the same. In the Battle of the Brits [exhibition] tournament, we noted high-intensity changes-of-direction more than 100 times during two-set matches, therefore tennis players need to perform at least 100 to 150 high-intensity change of directions in order to replicate three-set matches and so on.

A high-intensity change-of-direction can be defined as when a player is running into a shot fast, then decelerates and runs back out of the shot. For example, if a player volleys into the forehand corner of their opponent and then volleys immediately into the backhand corner, their opponents would have to execute a high-intensity change-of-direction — in the forehand corner — to do this.

Players need to make sure that their practice sets are as close to Grand Slam match intensity as they can possibly be. in order to have exposed themselves to the level of intensity that this level of competition would bring. I would suggest increasing intensity at a moderate rate so as not to cause too much muscle soreness as they build up to tournaments. This would look like taking three weeks from starting practice sets, to playing your first match. Whilst this may seem like a longer time than you would usually take, it is really important to build up slower than normal because the break has been longer than normal.

Planned Agility
Tennis players need to replicate movements at extremely high speeds in practice. The best way to begin doing this is with planned agility exercises where the player knows exactly where they are going to move to and how they are going to change direction. Because this is predictable movement, they can execute this at higher speeds than they could do if it was an unpredictable movement and know that they are going to be safe in doing so. This would be the first type of speed movements that I would introduce to the tennis player who is building up to competition. An example of this type of drill would be the fan drill.

Reactive Or Open Agility
These are the most intense forms of movement on the muscles and joints of the tennis players body because of the reactive nature and unpredictable nature of the muscle contractions. These would cause the most damage to muscle tissues and the bodies joints because of the fast, reactive contractions muscles and connected tissues are having to withstand. These would be the last element of speed and movement training that I would introduce to a tennis player. An example of this type of movement would simply be points play or points-based drills.

Maximum Speed
Players will also find it beneficial to do some very simple straight-line maximal speed sprints on the baseline to the net. This will have benefits not only for the speed that their neuromuscular system can operate at, but also it will expose again the muscles and connective-tissues of the body to fully explosive maximal movements. Players won’t experience these movements very often in a tennis match, but they will experience them occasionally, therefore this must be added in to the training program to get some exposure.

Lockdown Training History
A key factor in how quickly a player will be able to build up to maximal intensity training will be how much training that they continued to do whilst being in lockdown. Players who chose to recover and relax during this period should take longer and be more cautious in building up both the volume and intensity of training. Players who maintained a good level of fitness and movement whilst they were in lockdown should be able to return to this type of activity a little quicker. There are no set rules or guidelines as to how players should build up but, common sense suggests that the less active you have been, the slower you should build up. The more active you have been, the faster you can build up.

Shoulders
One of the key risk factors that I have already seen from players returning to tennis from a period of sedentary activity has been the risk to injury of the shoulder girdle and the surrounding muscles and soft tissues. If players have not been serving or performing this type of action with their arm during lockdown, they should build up the number of serves that they hit very slowly. Even simple muscle soreness is very high when returning to serving having had a break. I believe this is purely down to the violent and complex action of the serving motion on the joints and its muscles which are all very small and interconnected.

Stan Wawrinka was made to work, but the former World No. 3 completed a successful return to competition at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Prague. Wawrinka resumed his 2020 campaign with a gritty 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 win over Roman Safiullin on Monday afternoon.

In his first competitive match since the professional circuit was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swiss needed one hour and 51 minutes to move past Safiullin. He converted six of 13 break chances and fired five aces to prevail.

After nearly six months on the sidelines, Wawrinka acknowledged that while it wasn’t easy, he’s happy with his performance in the deciding set.

“It was as expected, after six months being out,” said Wawrinka. “I came here to find some rhythm and check where I am. I’m happy for the victory for sure. There’s a lot of work to do, but the most important thing was to win the match, so I can play again here.”

The World No. 17 has returned to the ATP Challenger Tour for a pair of tournaments in the Czech capital. In search of form and confidence, he admits that getting back in the competitive mode again is a critical first step.

“I think he played better [in the second set],” Wawrinka added. “I was moving slower and wasn’t aggressive enough. Again, I’m here to play as much as I can. It’s different from practising all the time. I’m far from where I want to be, but that’s the reason I’m here. It’s a process and it takes time after so many months away from the competition.”

Wawrinka entered the I.CLTK Prague Open by Moneta with an 8-3 record at the tour-level this year. He opened the season with a semi-final run in Doha and reached back-to-back quarter-finals at the Australian Open and ATP 500 event in Acapulco.

The 35-year-old will next face Germany’s Oscar Otte in the Round of 16, after Otte earned a 6-2, 6-3 win over 13th seed Arthur Rinderknech on Monday. The World No. 217 dropped his only previous meeting with a Top 20 opponent, falling to Roger Federer at Roland Garros last year.

Other winners on Day 3 in Prague included sixth seed Sumit Nagal of India and former World No. 36 Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The Frenchman opened his restart with a comeback victory over Czech teen Jonas Forejtek. He prevailed 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to set an encounter with another Czech, Zdenek Kolar. Former World No. 16 Philipp Kohlschreiber punched his ticket to the last 16 as well, defeating Mats Moraing 6-1, 7-6(3).

The youth movement is alive in the Czech Republic, with local teenagers Jiri Lehecka and Tomas Machac both earning straight-set upsets over seeded opponents. Making just his sixth Challenger appearance, 18-year-old Lehecka defeated Blaz Rola 6-4, 7-6(4), while 19-year-old Machac stopped Ilya Ivashka 6-0, 7-5. Machac is looking to build on his maiden Challenger title in February, having triumphed on the indoor hard courts of Koblenz, Germany.

Lehecka

Machac

Photos: Martin Sidorjak

After a two-year hiatus, the ATP Challenger Tour is back in Todi. The first round of the Internazionali Di Tennis Citta Di Todi kicked off on Monday under bright skies in the Italian hilltop town.

It was the Germans that stole the headlines on Day 1, with Daniel Altmaier and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe both advancing to the second round. Altmaier upset eighth seed and home hope Lorenzo Giustino 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, needing two hours and 18 minutes to advance. The 21-year-old, who has battled abdominal and shoulder injuries since reaching his first ATP Tour quarter-final in 2017 (Antalya), used his time in quarantine to work on his fitness and build a “more stable” body structure.

“I am happy with the result today, but not with my performance,” Altmaier told Tennis TourTalk after the match. “I didn’t start well and it was more of fight than a nice win. I served well and I opened the points in a solid way. When I started to improve my forehand, it felt easier to hit my backhand down the line. That was key today.

“The atmosphere is pretty nice. Of course you have to wear a mask but that’s good. During a tournament week, I usually do not spend too much time at the venue. It’s all about the right behaviour of our entire community.”

Stebe, meanwhile, needed just 65 minutes to defeat Italy’s Andrea Vavassori 6-1, 6-3. The fourth seed is just one year removed from his first Tour-level final in Gstaad. A seven-time Challenger champion, he will face Frenchman Elliot Benchetrit on Wednesday.

Two days ago, men’s professional tennis made its long-awaited return at the Challenger event in Prague, and now it was Italy’s turn to enter the spotlight in Todi. Today’s Challenger stars resumed their 2020 campaigns after a five-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spain’s Mario Vilella Martinez set a second-round date against sixth seed Antoine Hoang after dispatching Andrea Arnaboldi 6-3, 7-6(3). The 25-year-old qualified for his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January, before taking the opening set from Karen Khachanov in the first round.

“I’m very happy,” said Vilella Martinez. “He’s a tough guy to play with a lot of experience. He plays with very good tactics and I’m just happy to get the win. It’s good to be able to travel again and come back to the circuit.”

It was not to be for Vilella Martinez’s countryman Carlos Alcaraz, who succumbed to Gian Marco Moroni 6-3, 6-2 after qualifying for the main draw. Joined by coach and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in Todi, the 17-year-old is one to watch on the Challenger circuit. Moroni dismissed the Murcia native after one hour and 17 minutes and will next face Altmaier in the second round.

Other Italians advancing on Day 1 were Alessandro Giannessi after a 6-2, 6-3 over Maxime Janvier and third seed Federico Gaio, who rallied past countryman Matteo Viola 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Gaio, who opened his 2020 campaign with a title on the hard courts of Bangkok, concluded Monday’s action in Todi at 11pm.

Get ready, the ATP Tour returns this week! After a 175-day suspension due to COVID-19, ATP Tour main draw action will resume on Saturday with the Western & Southern Open, and the US Open will follow soon after. Both events will be held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.

Qualifying gets underway at the Western & Southern Open, an ATP Masters 1000 event, on Thursday, and main draw play — led by World No. 1 and 2018 titlist Novak Djokovic — is set to start on 22 August. Dominic Thiem, defending champion Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas also feature among 15 of the Top 20 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Marin Cilic (2016) and Grigor Dimitrov (2017) are among the former winners in the field.

The start of the Western & Southern Open main draw on Saturday will mark five months and 22 days since the last ball at the ATP Tour tournament was struck competitively on 1 March at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open in Santiago.

Officially on the way to New York!!! ???@CincyTennis @usopen pic.twitter.com/pHLCvnPWiZ

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) August 16, 2020

✈️?NY?? pic.twitter.com/nqu84LUIAS

— Karen Khachanov (@karenkhachanov) August 15, 2020

Vamos ???? pic.twitter.com/khKlmPttWw

— Leo Mayer (@YacaMayer) August 14, 2020

Of course, if you can’t wait to watch professional tennis again, tune into ATP Challenger Tour action that is already underway at the I.CLTK Prague Open By Moneta in Prague. Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka headlines the tournament, which includes Jiri Vesely, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Philipp Kohlschreiber.

You can also follow play at the Internazionali di Tennis Citta di Todi this week.

Watch Free Live Stream & Full Match Replays: The New ‘Challenger TV’

This week, as the ATP Challenger Tour kicks off its long-awaited restart, players have descended on the scenic town of Todi in central Italy. After a two-year hiatus, the Internazionali Di Tennis Citta Di Todi is back for a 12th edition.

The Challenger 100 event is one of two stops on the circuit, as professional tennis returns on the clay of Todi and Prague. Located in the Umbria region, the Tennis Club Todi 1971 is nestled at the base of the hilltop town and offers stunning panoramic views of the surrounding municipality.

View Todi Draw

This week, seven players in the Top 150 of the FedEx ATP Rankings are competing in Todi, led by top seed Roberto Carballes Baena. Three-time ATP Tour champion and former World No. 16 Marco Cecchinato leads the Italian charge along with third seed Federico Gaio.

Carballes Baena opens against 21-year-old Jurij Rodionov, while Cecchinato faces Argentina’s Andrea Collarini and Gaio battles countryman Matteo Viola. Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, who reached his first final on the ATP Tour a year ago in Gstaad, rounds out the Top 4 seeds.

The #NextGenATP contingent is well represented in Todi, with Rodionov looking to carry his dominant form from February. The Austrian scored an impressive 15 wins from 17 matches before the tour was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lifting trophies in Dallas and Morelos.

Rodionov, who opens against Carballes Baena on Tuesday, is joined by surging teens Carlos Alcaraz, Giulio Zeppieri, Lorenzo Musetti and Hugo Gaston in the draw. Alcaraz is looking to build on his own breakthrough, when he claimed an impressive victory in his ATP Tour debut in Rio de Janeiro. At the age of 16, he stunned countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas at 3:00am for his first Top 50 win.

“It’s been a long time since we played tournaments, so I’m happy to play well [in qualifying],” said Alcaraz. “I’ve was trying to stay in shape in quarantine and I know I can do well here this week.”

Alcaraz, who is coached by former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, qualified for the main draw on Sunday.

“Of course we are happy to be back on the tour again after so many months at home,” added Ferrero. “Carlos needs to compete, he’s young and he’s been working hard to increase his level. I know he can play against anyone on the tour.”

Look who’s in Todi ?

Former World No. 1 @juankiferri discusses his work with @alcarazcarlos03, as the ?? teen kicks off his restart.

?️ @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/kGnlE7CGr2

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 16, 2020

Sitting at World No. 318, Alcaraz will hope for a deep run in Todi as he continues to rise the FedEx ATP Rankings. He opens against Italy’s Gian Marco Moroni on Monday, with a potential second-round date against another Italian, eighth seed Lorenzo Giustino.

Past champions in Todi include two-time winners Carlos Berlocq (2010-11), Aljaz Bedene (2014-15) and its most recent titlist Federico Delbonis in 2017.