In the fifth episode, Michael Mmoh talks about the movement towards racial equality and social justice and how he’s been inspired by the recent wave of activism. The 22-year-old also provides an update on his training and gives us a tour of his new home…

Embracing the unexpected and seizing new opportunities is a part of life. For tennis players, that’s no different.

In recent months, Michael Mmoh has taken this philosophy to heart. Just one year ago, the American was sitting on the sidelines due to a persistent shoulder injury. He was steadily making progress in his return to form, but, as the calendar flipped to 2020, he admits that his shoulder was still not feeling 100 per cent. Mmoh would push through the pain over the course of a swing of events, but needed more time to fully recover.

Now, with his sights firmly set on returning to the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, the 22-year-old is taking full advantage of the stoppage in play on the ATP Challenger Tour. Committing these last four months to getting the shoulder right and getting in top shape has been the ultimate priority for Mmoh. While unexpected, the break couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I’m hitting a solid five times a week now. I’m ramping it up. Now I’m hitting for two and half hours and doing more fitness and more therapy. I’m just taking care of my body. To this point in my career, I haven’t had a full season where I’ve been healthy. I’m using this time to build my body, so whenever we get back on tour, it’s ready to go and it won’t break down.

“During this time, I don’t know how many people can say this, but I’ve gotten more fit and everything I want out of my body. I train now and I’m not getting sore. My shoulder isn’t an issue anymore and that was a big problem before the break. I’ve been doing the right things to make sure my body is in the right place.”

With his shoulder on the mend, a title on the indoor hard courts of Knoxville capped a rollercoaster 2019 season for Mmoh. And as he fought to rediscover his form, fitness and confidence, the victory most importantly earned him a main draw wild card into the Australian Open.

The Florida native would not waste the opportunity, securing his first Grand Slam match victory and returning to the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. Just 15 months after peaking at No. 96, Mmoh was gaining momentum in his push for a Top 100 return.

Now, having trained with the likes of Denis Shapovalov, Miomir Kecmanovic and Sebastian Korda (at IMG Academy in Florida) during the tour’s suspension, Mmoh is working hard to pick up where he left off. He believes that the ability to train at a high level with fellow world-class athletes is critical to success.

“It’s huge having these guys to hit with. If I was just solo and I didn’t see any of my peers, it would be tough on the motivational side. Trying to push yourself every day and you don’t have a goal to see the results. But when I have Misha (Kecmanovic) right next to me or I’m playing sets against Sebi (Korda), I want to keep my level high. We’re all pushing each other and having everyone in one place training, it’s been very beneficial.”

#NextGenATP star Alex de Minaur is nicknamed ‘Demon’. His physical attributes — blinding speed and relentless groundstrokes — certainly make him a demon to play against. But it’s the 21-year-old’s attitude that sets him apart.

“Every day counts. You don’t realise that at such a young age, but as soon as you start maturing a bit and you have a couple more years of experience, you realise that if you want to be at the top and you want to play against these top guys, you’ve just got to constantly improve,” De Minaur said. “You can’t be satisfied with your level and where you’re at. You’ve always got to want to push for more and strive for higher: higher rankings, higher-level matches and hopefully beat higher-ranked opponents as well.”

De Minaur took his first tennis lesson aged four in Sydney. At five, his family moved to Spain for the next eight years. They returned to Australia for three years after that before going back to Spain once more. That was mostly because of his parents’ business. But De Minaur, who learned a lot from experiencing both cultures, enjoyed tennis through it all.

“I reckon as soon as I competed for the first time when I was eight years old [I] wanted to be a tennis player. I enjoyed it so much and since then I’ve just tried to play as much tennis as I could and improve as much as I could,” De Minaur said. “I’m fortunate enough to be in the situation that I am playing with all these guys who I grew up watching.

“Any time there was a Roger-Rafa final at a Grand Slam event, those were probably the matches I would watch on repeat, nonstop. Those are the matches that gave me the hunger and drive to achieve my dreams as a tennis player and to try and keep improving to hopefully one day be in that situation.”

De Minaur, a two-time Next Gen ATP Finals competitor, won his first three ATP Tour titles last year. He has overcome adversity, too. The Aussie dealt with a groin injury in the first half of 2019 and an abdominal tear earlier this season.

“There are always ups and downs in the journey. There are always bumps. But you just have to keep pushing through,” De Minaur said. “It’s not always going to go your way. But if you have the right mentality and you look at things in a positive manner, sort of putting yourself in the right direction, that’s the most important thing.”

Remaining close to his roots has helped De Minaur. He loves returning home to spend time with family when his schedule allows, and he has worked with the same coach, Adolfo Gutierrez, for the past decade. The World No. 26 believes Gutierrez helps keep him grounded and focussed on the “important things”, including enjoying the work he puts in.

“We’ve grown up together. He’s watched me grow as a tennis player and as a person. It’s amazing to see the things we’ve been able to accomplish together,” De Minaur said. “He’s a constant reminder of where I came from and the struggles that have occurred for me to be where I am right now.”

De Minaur isn’t the loudest person off the court; he lets his actions and competitiveness speak for him. And as he continues his ascent, the Aussie will continue to leave everything he has out there.

“I would love to be known as that guy who is funny, nice and really chilled out off the court,” De Minaur said. “But as soon as I step out on court to be that guy who will never give up, will fight until the end and if you really want to beat him, you’re going to have to put me down.

After winning eight consecutive matches from qualifying to collect his third ATP Challenger Tour title of the year in Nottingham, Nick Kyrgios walked through the gates of the All England Club for the first time in 2014 with plenty of confidence.

The 19-year-old wild card picked up his first Wimbledon victory against Stephane Robert in four sets to book a second-round clash with World No. 14 Richard Gasquet. It was in that match, on No. 2 Court, that Kyrgios claimed his maiden Top 50 victory in dramatic fashion.

Gasquet, a semi-finalist at SW19 in 2007, also entered the contest in impressive form. In the previous week, the Frenchman finished as a runner-up in Eastbourne. To reach the second round at Wimbledon, Gasquet had to recover from two-sets-to-one down against James Duckworth.

After dropping the opening two sets, Kyrgios saved four match points with powerful serving and bravery on his forehand side to frustrate his opponent. When facing his fifth match point, the Australian appeared to have lost the match after serving a double fault. Fortunately for Kyrgios, his Hawk-Eye challenge proved his daring second serve had clipped the back of the line.

”Obviously the challenge kept me in it,” said Kyrgios. ”The serve was in. It was a bit unlucky to be called out.”

After saving a total of nine match points, Kyrgios fought his way to a 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, 10-8 triumph after three hours and 53 minutes. The World No. 144 completed the upset with a love service hold, firing his 21st ace of the match to reach the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time.

“I played some unbelievable tennis today… I think it’s a massive stepping stone for me to finally reach the third round of a Grand Slam. It can be a bridge for more things to come,” said Kyrgios.

Following his win against Gasquet, Kyrgios continued to prove his talent to his growing fanbase at the grass-court Grand Slam championship. The Canberra native recovered from a set down to beat Jiri Vesely in the third round, before stunning two-time champion Rafael Nadal in four sets to book his place in the quarter-finals. At that stage, the Aussie was beaten by World No. 9 Milos Raonic in a fourth-set tie-break.

One year later, Gasquet gained his revenge against Kyrgios at Wimbledon. The pair met in the Round of 16, with Gasquet claiming a 7-5, 6-1, 6-7(7), 7-6(6) win. The Frenchman went on to reach his second Wimbledon semi-final, where he fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

When Dustin Brown stepped onto Centre Court for the first time in 2015, the German was aiming to record his second victory against a former champion at the event in three years.

Two years after beating 2002 winner Lleyton Hewitt in the second round, Brown met two-time champion Rafael Nadal at the same stage. Brown entered the contest with confidence, having beaten Nadal on grass in their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting at the 2014 NOVENTI OPEN. But if the World No. 102 wanted to repeat that victory, he would have to maintain his best level for longer than his 60-minute win in Halle.

For the first time in his career, Nadal arrived at Wimbledon in 2015 after appearances at two grass-court tournaments. Taking advantage of the newly-extended grass-court season, the Spaniard clinched his fourth title on the surface in Stuttgart before a first-round defeat to Alexandr Dolgopolov at The Queen’s Club.

That Stuttgart success and an extra week to adjust to the surface gave fans a reason to believe that 2015 could be the year that Nadal reversed his fortunes at SW19. After reaching the final in five straight Wimbledon appearances from 2006 to 2011, Nadal suffered early losses to players ranked outside the Top 100 in three straight visits to the All England Club from 2012 to 2014.

After splitting the opening two sets on Centre Court, Brown fully committed to his brand of attacking tennis to complete a stunning victory. The 6’5” right-hander enjoyed success with his serve-and-volley tactics and attacked Nadal’s second serve to keep points short and disrupt the Spaniard’s rhythm. After two hours and 33 minutes, Brown fired his 11th ace of the match to confirm his spot in the third round.

“I’m happy I got to play him on that court win or lose,” said Brown. “All the kids that play tennis dream about being able to play on that Centre Court. Playing against him there is special.”

With his second victory in as many matches against Nadal, Brown became only the second player after Alex Corretja to hold a 100 per cent record against the left-hander after two ATP Head2Head matches.

“Obviously he’s one of the best players of the sport, and for me, being able to play against him twice, obviously on my favourite surface, is probably my luck,” said Brown.

Nadal’s loss to Brown marked the end of a disappointing four-year streak at the grass-court Grand Slam championship. Since that defeat, the 19-time Grand Slam champion has claimed 13 wins from 16 matches at SW19, with his only losses coming against Gilles Muller, — in a dramatic 15-13 fifth set — Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

“On this court especially, you meet players that don’t want to play from the baseline sometimes. [Brown] is one of these ones,” said Nadal.

Following his milestone victory against Nadal, Brown struggled to replicate his form in the next round. Backed by an enthusiastic crowd on No. 3 Court, the German was broken on four occasions during a four-set loss to Viktor Troicki.

On a recent episode of Tennis United, co-host Vasek Pospisil revealed that he enjoys maple syrup on his pizza crust. Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas was firm in his disagreement.

“That’s a double fault!” 

Tsitsipas and WTA star Naomi Osaka answered a series of questions during the segment, including: Does pineapple belong on pizza?

“I personally think it’s a no-no,” Tsitsipas added.

“I’m going to disagree. I’m going to say yes and the only reason I think yes is because people love it,” Pospisil said.

Tsitsipas and Osaka answered various questions throughout the segment, including: If you’re bored, are you boring? If your food is bad at a restaurant, would you say something? What are you most likely to stay up all night thinking about?

“It’s all about tennis,” Tsitsipas said. “Just thinking about tennis. If I lose that day, I might stay up. I’ve had nights where I stayed up all night and I was just overthinking and processing what happened out there.”

I’m done being shy. It’s really a waste of my time. I could’ve shared so many ideas by now, I could’ve had convos with so many different people. All the things I could’ve learned ??‍♀️ but no I’m over here actually putting my own limiter on myself.

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 5, 2020

Tsitsipas also explained why something Osaka tweeted in May — “I’m done being shy” — inspired him.

“I get it, and I saw a lot of realism and pragmatism to that. I thought to myself, ‘That’s really pure. That’s real,’” Tsitsipas said. “I would like to retweet it for the world to see because coming out of your shell and expressing yourself and just sharing your ideas and whatever you feel in that given moment, I found it quite inspiring, to be honest.”

Editor’s Note: But for the COVID-19 pandemic, Wimbledon would now be underway. During the next two weeks, ATPTour.com will look back on memorable matches and happenings at the grass-court Grand Slam.

At the start of June 2016, Marcus Willis was giving tennis lessons at the Warwick Boat Club in Great Britain for £30 an hour. Four weeks later, he found himself facing Roger Federer in a second-round clash on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

”I’ve had to cancel a few lessons,” Willis joked. “Everyone’s been really understanding and just said, ‘Don’t be silly. Get on with it and good luck.’”

The 25-year-old was a former Top 15 player in the ITF junior rankings, but a lack of discipline prevented him from making inroads at the pro level. After Willis brought a candy bar and soda on court during one of his ATP Challenger Tour matches, commentator Mike Cation nicknamed him Cartman, a reference to the rotund character on “South Park”.

When Willis finally found the motivation to maximise his potential, a series of injuries limited him to one tournament in the first five months of 2016 as his FedEx ATP Ranking dropped to No. 772. He continued to train in the morning and taught clinics in the afternoon, but considered ending his playing career to take a coaching job in Philadelphia. 

But after a last-minute withdrawal allowed him to sneak into the pre-qualifying draw for Wimbledon, the Brit seized his opportunity and produced the best tennis of his career. He won three matches to earn a wild card into the qualifying draw, then earned another three victories to qualify for his maiden Grand Slam main draw.

Willis took an immediate liking to the attention and local support as his unlikely story generated headlines. In his debut tour-level match, he stunned World No. 54 Ricardas Berankis in straight-sets to set up an improbable clash with Federer, rushing into a courtside pile of eager friends and family.

”I was overweight. I was [drinking] pints. I was just a loser. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought that I’m better than this,” Willis said after the win. “I’ve been behind the scenes working very hard… Ridiculous times in the morning. Ran myself into the ground, but it’s worth it now.”

Even Federer became a fan and called the unlikely run “one of the best stories in a long time in our sport.” Although the Swiss swiftly ended Willis’ Hollywood tale with a convincing straight-sets win, he made sure to make the moment about his opponent. Federer let Willis walk out ahead of him onto Centre Court and kept his post-match celebration brief, giving the Brit a chance to wave to the crowd and soak in their cheers.

”Not my standard Wednesday,” Willis said, smiling. “It was all just a blur. It was amazing. I did enjoy myself even though I was getting duffed up. I loved every bit of it… Just the whole experience was incredible.”

Although he wasn’t able to recapture his Wimbledon magic when he returned to the ATP Challenger Tour, Willis’ moment of magic remains one of the popular storylines in recent history at the All England Club.