Every year #NextGenATP players deliver surprises, upsets and breakouts. Who will do the honours in 2020? Here are 14 #NextGenATP players to watch next season.

The following players were born in 1999 or later, making them eligible for the 21-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals in November 2020. Frances Tiafoe, Casper Ruud, Ugo Humbert and Mikael Ymer were born in 1998 or earlier, making them no longer #NextGenATP players.

1. Denis Shapovalov, No. 15 in the ATP Rankings
Shapovalov will bring loads of momentum into the 2020 season. The left-hander won his maiden ATP Tour title at the Intrum Stockholm Open (d. Krajinovic) in October and reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Rolex Paris Masters (l. to Djokovic) in November.

The Canadian ended the year at a career-high ATP Ranking (No. 15) and will look to crack the Top 10 in 2020.

?? How good was that, @denis_shapo fans?! ??

38 winners later, Shapovalov defeats World No. 6 Zverev 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to make his eighth quarter-final in 2019!

?: @TennisTV | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/bCuP0jv2QO

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2019

2. Alex de Minaur, No. 18
The 20-year-old Aussie fell short in his second Next Gen ATP Finals title match last month. But if De Minaur isn’t in London at the Nitto ATP Finals in November 2020, you can almost guarantee – barring injury – the Aussie will once again be back in Milan playing with the best 21-and-under players.

In 2019, De Minaur only built on his breakout 2018, winning three ATP Tour titles in Sydney, Atlanta and Zhuhai. He ended the season at a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 18.

This guy trains seriously hard. ?

?? @alexdeminaur is back in action this week at the @ZhuhaiChampions ? pic.twitter.com/TneYHCk7Xb

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 23, 2019

3. Felix Auger-Aliassime, No. 21
The 19-year-old Canadian will look to pull a De Minaur and build on his breakout season. Auger-Aliassime became the youngest ATP 500 finalist in series history (since 2009) at the Rio Open presented by Claro (l. to Djere) and the youngest semi-finalist in the 35-year history of the Miami Open presented by Itau.

Auger-Aliassime, along with De Minaur and Shapovalov, will compete at the inaugural ATP Cup, to be held 3-12 January in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.

“I never thought of doing anything else.”

Watch @felixtennis‘ full Spotlight Series now ?

— ATP Tour (@atptour) December 2, 2019

4. Miomir Kecmanovic, No. 59
The 20-year-old Serbian made his debut last month at the Next Gen ATP Finals, going 2-1 in round-robin play and reaching the semi-finals. Expect Kecmanovic, who was nominated for the 2019 Newcomer Of The Year Award, to return to Milan and reach more ATP Tour finals (2019 Antalya) next year.

5. Jannik Sinner, No. 78
Sinner was No. 553 at the start of the 2019 season and needed a wild card to play at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals. But the 18-year-old was one of the stories of the final month of the season, going 4-1 in Milan and beating De Minaur in the title match to gain one of the biggest wins of his young career.

Sinner, who received the 2019 Newcomer Of The Year Award, ended the season at No. 78 and became the youngest player to finish in Top 80 since 17-year-old Rafael Nadal (No. 47) in 2003.

Thank you so much to my fellow players for picking me ✌️ It’s an honor! @atptour #newcomeroftheyear @PiattiTennis @RPiatti https://t.co/z0wRX2FseW

— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) December 20, 2019

6. Corentin Moutet, No. 83
France’s Moutet, who made the third round at his home Grand Slam, Roland Garros, cracked the Top 100 in June with his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title and second of the season. Moutet will look to follow in countryman Humbert’s footsteps and make his debut in Milan in November 2020.

7. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, No. 87
The Spaniard became the first player from his country to compete in Milan last month, and Davidovich Fokina endeared himself to thousands of fans with his fearless and aggressive style of play. The 20-year-old, like Shapovalov, ended the season with his best tennis yet, winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles and cracking the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings.

8. Alexei Popyrin, No. 97
The big-hitting Aussie will look for more consistency in 2020 after showing flashes of excellence in 2019. Popyrin, who was one spot away from competing at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals, also reached the third round at his home Grand Slam, the Australian Open, and made the quarter-finals in Atlanta. He’ll look for more deep runs in 2020.

9. Emil Ruusuvuori, No. 123
The rising Finn sits at a career-high No. 124 in the ATP Rankings after lighting up the ATP Challenger Tour in the second half of the season. Ruusuvuori won four titles and produced a 20-3 record in his past six events. With only 50 ATP Rankings points to defend until June, Ruusuvuori is poised to make a run for the Top 100 next season.

That feeling when you win the title in your hometown. ??@EmilRuusuvuori is the champion at the inaugural Tali Open in Helsinki. The FOURTH title of the year for the ??. pic.twitter.com/0FlChPK4IK

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 17, 2019

10. Rudolf Molleker, No. 164
Molleker continued his rise in 2019 by scoring tour-level wins on home soil in Munich and Hamburg, in addition to qualifying for the Australian Open and Roland Garros. The precocious 19-year-old picked up his first Top 50 win after upsetting Hubert Hurkacz en route to a runner-up showing in June at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Poznan.

11. Thiago Seyboth Wild, No. 211
The Brazilian turned his attention to the pros after clinching the 2018 US Open boys’ singles title. Seyboth Wild proved to be a quick learner by picking up his first tour-level win this February in at the Brasil Open. He finished the year on a high note with his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Guayquil.

12. Nicola Kuhn, No. 214
Two years after grabbing a pair of ATP Challenger Tour titles as a 17-year-old, Kuhn made it a hat trick this August by prevailing on home soil in Segovia. The Spaniard also scored a tour-level win this April in Barcelona.

13. Sebastian Korda, No. 249
Korda doesn’t need to look far for advice on pursuing his dream of reaching the top of the sport. His coach is his father, 1998 Australian Open champion Petr Korda.

The 19-year-old American reached his first two ATP Challenger Tour finals this year in Nur-Saltan and Champaign, cutting his ATP Ranking by more than half throughout the year to reach a current career-high of No. 249.

It was a breakout week for @SebiKorda in Nur-Sultan, as the 19-year-old ?? appeared in his first #ATPChallenger final.

Just the sixth teenager to reach a final this year. pic.twitter.com/yf9GNg2wqY

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 21, 2019

14. Hugo Gaston, No. 252
The French teenager competed primarily in ITF Futures events this year, winning four titles and finishing runner-up in four other tournaments. Gaston proved he’s ready to make the jump to bigger events next year after defeating World No. 51 Juan Ignacio Londero in the qualifying draw of the Rolex Paris Masters.

“Hey, I have to choose the captain because it’s up to each team’s No. 1 player. Would you like to do it?”

“Of course! If you want me to do it, I’d be delighted. Go for it.”

The brief conversation between Rafael Nadal and Francisco Roig was all it took for Roig to be chosen as the captain of Team Spain at the ATP Cup, held throughout Australia from 3-12 January. Roig, who has been coaching the World No. 1 in the ATP Rankings since 2005, will look to help lead his team to victory in the inaugural event. Spain is part of Group B in Perth, which also features Japan, Georgia and Uruguay.

“It’s a new competition”, Roig said. “I played in the World Team Cup, which took place in Dusseldorf (in 1975 and 1978-2012) and also had two singles matches and a doubles match for each tie. Nobody has experienced this new event, but I can imagine it a little bit.

“The way they’ve promoted it has been incredible. You only have to look at the way the ATP and Tennis Australia are organising everything. It’s quite a show. I’m sure it will be very good. My job is to make sure that everyone is ready, organise the training sessions and look for a good doubles partnership.”

Roig will have an exceptional team to work with. In addition to Nadal, Spain’s lineup features Roberto Bautista Agut (No. 9), Pablo Carreno Busta (No. 27), Albert Ramos-Vinolas (No. 41) and Feliciano Lopez (No. 55 in the ATP Doubles Rankings).

“There are lot of tough teams and you’re out if you don’t play well, but I’m happy with the group we have,” Roig said. “The team we’re taking is spectacular. It’s a competition in which you’re always wary of a small mistake that could knock you out, but obviously Spain is among the favourites. There are difficult teams and the margin for error is small, but I’m confident we can play well enough to reach [the Final Eight in] Sydney. I’m optimistic that we can have a good tournament”.

Spain starts with a huge advantage by having Nadal in their lineup. The 33-year-old clinched year-end No. 1 for the fifth time after a memorable 2019 season. Nadal prevailed at Roland Garros (d. Thiem) and the US Open (d. Medvedev), in addition to taking ATP Masters 1000 titles at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Djokovic) and the Coupe Rogers (d. Medvedev).

Roig joined Nadal for a few days of his pre-season at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca and was pleased with what he witnessed.

“Rafa is spectacular,” Roig said, “He’s found some very good form. He’s feeling confident in the way he is playing and his serve is really helping him. I think Nadal looks great. Now it’s a question of maintaining his game.”

The players competing in the 2020 Australian Open aren’t just battling for Grand Slam glory. They’re also playing for record prize money that includes sizable boosts for all participants.

The first Grand Slam of the year is offering AUD $71 million (USD $49,564,735) in prize money, a 13.6 per cent increase from last year’s event. The prize money in Melbourne has nearly tripled from AUD $25 million (USD $17,452,371) in 2011.

First-round losers in the singles main draw will receive AUD $90,000 (USD $62,828), up 20 per cent from last year. Doubles teams that exit in the first round will receive a 19 per cent pay increase and split AUD $25,000 (USD $17,451). Players who fall in the first round of qualifying will take home AUD $20,000 (USD $13,960), up 33 per cent from last year.

“We have long been committed to improving the pay and conditions for a deeper pool of international tennis players,” said Craig Tiley, Tournament Director. “This year, as we do every year, we worked with the tours to establish the weighting for prize money increases round by round, and we pushed to reward players competing early in the tournament in both singles and doubles.

“We strongly believe in growing prize money at all levels of the game and we will continue to work with the playing group to create viable career paths in the sport and enable more players to make more money.”

Defending singles champion Novak Djokovic looks to keep his title and earn the winner’s check for AUD $4,120,000 (USD $2,875,952). The winning doubles team splits AUD $760,000 (USD $544,476).

Joe Salisbury consolidated his standing as one of the world’s best doubles players in 2019, breaking into the Top 20 for the first time and finishing the year at No. 22 after making his debut (with American Rajeev Ram) at the Nitto ATP Finals. He won titles in Dubai and Vienna.

After beginning last season by reaching the final at the Brisbane International, he’s hoping to reproduce that good early season form to help Great Britain make a deep run at the inaugural ATP Cup.

Which countrymen did you watch growing up?
I remember watching Tim Henman play at Wimbledon. It’s probably not a great memory for Tim but I remember him playing Ivanisevic when he was up two sets to one and they had the rain delay. Everyone was behind him, hoping he was going to get to the final. And obviously Andy Murray. It seems like I have been watching him for a long time.

If you could take a stroke from anyone on your team, what would that be?
It would have to be Andy’s returns. He is one of the best returners in the world. So if I could add that to my game, that would obviously be a big boost.

Who are the funniest guys on the team?
Andy likes to joke around a lot. He’s got a dry sense of humour. ‘Evo’ [Dan Evans} as well. He likes to have a laugh and a bit of banter. He’s definitely a bit of a louder character.

What are the things you love about Great Britain?
I like the people. We are very down to earth and honest, with a good sense of humour. I love London; it’s a great city although I’d like to give it a bit more sun.

What do you like about Australia?
Definitely the weather. I enjoy being in the sun. 2019 was my first visit. I went to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and they are all great places. I like to surf and did that a couple of times there. I love being by the sea and the beach.

What are the first three Australian animals that come to mind?
Kangaroo, koala and a shark.

Growing up, did you play team sports?
I loved all sports when I was younger and played a lot of them at school. I played football, cricket, rugby, squash, swimming. I always enjoyed being part of a team and that’s why I’m excited to be playing ATP Cup.

Felix Auger-Aliassime wasted no time getting to work when he arrived in Brisbane for the inaugural ATP Cup.

The #NextGenATP Canadian went straight to Queensland Tennis Centre for a Friday practice session on Pat Rafter Arena. Auger-Aliassime said he’s eager to kick off the 2020 season and hopes to help lead Team Canada to victory.

“It’s a beautiful venue.”@felixtennis gets a first taste of Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena.

?? #TeamCanada #ATPCup@Queensland | @visitbrisbane pic.twitter.com/aREvHu7eiv

— ATPCup (@ATPCup) December 27, 2019

“I had my first practice today. It’s a beautiful venue,” Auger-Aliassime said to ATPCup.com. “I can’t wait to play for the first time in front of the Brisbane fans.”

Auger-Aliassime is the second-ranked singles player on Team Canada, behind Denis Shapovalov. They’re in a challenging Group F that includes Germany, Greece and Australia. The top three #NextGenATP players in the ATP Rankings are all in the group, with Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime joined by Aussie Alex de Minaur. Former top-ranked #NextGenATP players Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) and Alexander Zverev (Germany) will also headline action in Brisbane.

The 19-year-old Auger-Aliassime finished this year at No. 21 in the ATP Rankings. He reached his first three ATP Tour finals in Rio de Janeiro (l. to Djere), Lyon (l. to Paire) and Stuttgart (l. to Berrettini), in addition to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Miami.

The Big Four didn’t just dominate this decade individually. Their battles against each other also created some of the most compelling storylines throughout the past 10 years.

ATPTour.com looks at how the FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalries featuring Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray helped shape the 2010s.

Novak Djokovic v. Roger Federer (Djokovic leads 21-14 this decade)
The tussle for dominance in Federer and Djokovic’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry had been brewing for years, but it appeared that the Swiss had gained the upper hand at the start of the decade. He won four of their five clashes in 2010, but Djokovic’s lone victory in that year’s US Open semi-finals created a divide that continues to this day.

The Serbian saved two match points in the fifth set to prevail against Federer, then shockingly replicated the feat the following year as he rallied from two sets down. A dejected Federer reflected afterwards that, “It could be worse. It could be a final.”

Eight years later, Djokovic did the unthinkable once again by saving two match points against Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final. Their historic match was the first championship clash at The All England Club to use a final-set tie-break at 12-12.

Djokovic’s victory embodied his decade-long trend of prevailing in tight matches against the Swiss. After scoring his first New York comeback against Federer, he went on to win nine of their next 11 matches that went to a deciding set.

Federer is capable of winning quickly against his longtime rival, though. He hadn’t beaten Djokovic in four years heading into last month’s Nitto ATP Finals, but produced a masterful performance to prevail in 73 minutes and score his fastest non-retirement victory against the Serbian.

Their 35 matches throughout the decade topped any other rivalry on Tour in the 2010s.

Novak Djokovic v. Rafael Nadal (Djokovic leads 21-12 this decade)

The contrast in Djokovic and Nadal’s playing styles and personalities has always made their clashes must-see viewing and their compelling matches throughout the decade have made their rivalry one of the greatest of all-time.

Their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting of the decade saw Nadal snatch his maiden US Open crown in the 2010 final, but the Serbian quickly shifted the momentum in his favour. They competed in seven tour-level finals from March 2011 to January 2012 and Djokovic won all of them, including three consecutive Grand Slam championship matches.

Djokovic completed the hat trick in a grueling 2012 Australian Open final, which remains the longest Grand Slam final in history at five hours and 53 minutes. Both men were so worn out from the brutal baseline rallies that chairs were brought out for them during the trophy ceremony. Djokovic also defeated Nadal in the title match at the 2013 Nitto ATP Finals.

The Serbian compiled another seven-match winning streak from April 2015-May 2016 and became the second player to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros with his 2015 quarter-final victory. Djokovic is the only player to go toe-to-toe with Nadal on clay throughout the decade, splitting their 14 matches on the surface.

However, there were also plenty of times when Nadal held the momentum. He racked up a pair of three-match winning streaks against Djokovic in 2012 and 2013, including the 2012 Roland Garros and 2013 US Open finals. The Spaniard continues to impose himself against Djokovic and won their most recent meeting this May in the championship match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Neither player has had a clear upper hand in their rivalry during the past three seasons. With both men continuing to elevate their games, fans can expect more enthralling tussles between Djokovic and Nadal. 

Roger Federer v. Rafael Nadal (Nadal leads 11-9 this decade)

The demand for Federer-Nadal matches has continued to intensify. Ticket prices on Stubhub started at nearly US $9,000 for their most recent FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting in this year’s Wimbledon semi-finals.

Both men traded blows early in the decade, with Federer taking the title match at the 2010 Nitto ATP Finals and Nadal gaining revenge in the 2011 Roland Garros final. But beginning in 2013, their rivalry produced drastic shifts in momentum.

Nadal won all five of their clashes in 2013 and 2014, four of which took place in 2013. The Spaniard used his powerful forehand to attack Federer’s backhand and consistently gain the upper hand in their baseline exchanges.

Federer’s switch to a bigger frame in 2014 would pay dividends. He was far better able to counter Nadal’s relentless attacks to his backhand and hit with greater topspin to take charge of more points. He broke the losing streak against Nadal with his own five-match run and swept all four of their clashes in 2017. Federer’s dramatic five-set victory in that year’s Australian Open final that gave him his first Grand Slam title since 2012 Wimbledon.

Although Nadal dominated the Swiss on clay (5-0) and Federer won their lone grass-court meeting (1-0), they remained nearly even on hard courts (Nadal leads 8-6). Another epic hard-court battle between them in Australia would be a fitting way to open the new decade.

Novak Djokovic v. Andy Murray (Djokovic leads 21-8 this decade)

There are times when a single match can alter the course of a rivalry. For Djokovic and Murray, the 2012 Rolex Shanghai Masters final can be seen as the catalyst for the Serbian’s dominance.

Murray was riding high after defeating Djokovic to clinch his first Grand Slam at the 2012 US Open, but the Serbian responded in Shanghai with one of his greatest comebacks. He broke Murray as the Brit served for the title at 5-4 in the second set, then saved five match points in the second-set tie-break before going on to complete his Houdini act.

Djokovic has since posted a 17-4 record against Murray in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including winning 14 of their 15 hard-court matches. He also prevented Murray from making a push to achieve a Career Grand Slam by defeating him in four Australian Open finals (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016) and the 2016 Roland Garros final.

Although Murray’s victories over Djokovic have been less frequent, he’s made them count. The Brit prevailed in the 2013 Wimbledon final and the title match at the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals, which was also a winner-takes-all battle for the coveted year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking.

They haven’t squared off since the 2017 Doha final (won by Djokovic), in part due to injuries that have largely prevented both men from being healthy at the same time. But now that they’re back to full strength, fans are hopeful that the new decade will see them resume their rivalry.

Rafael Nadal v. Andy Murray (Nadal leads 10-5 this decade)

Numbers can be deceiving. Although Nadal won the bulk of his FedEx ATP Head2Head matches with Murray, his lone stretch of dominance against the Brit took place during a 10-month span at the beginning of the decade.

Their epic clash in the semi-finals of the 2010 Nitto ATP Finals saw Nadal prevail in a third-set tie-break. He rode the momentum to his longest winning streak against Murray (5), prevailing four times in 2011 that included semi-final victories at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Murray adjusted his tactics against Nadal, changing the height of the ball more frequently in rallies and primarily hitting second serves to the Spaniard’s forehand. He broke his losing streak in the title match at the 2011 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships and has kept pace with Nadal since then, winning three of their past seven matches.

The Brit’s past two victories over his rival have surprisingly come on the clay courts of the Mutua Madrid Open. Murray stunned Nadal in the 2015 final for his first ATP Masters 1000 title on clay and followed up with another win in the 2016 semi-finals.

Nadal and Murray have only played each other five times since 2012 and haven’t met since their 2016 Madrid clash, but they’ve always brought out the best in each other. Another Nadal-Murray clash would still be just as compelling to watch.

Roger Federer v. Andy Murray (Federer leads 10-5 this decade)

The intensity of Federer and Murray’s matches, combined with the mutual respect and admiration they show for each other, made their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry one of the most intriguing to watch throughout the decade.

Both men traded body blows from 2010-2012. Federer beat Murray in the 2010 Australian Open and 2012 Wimbledon finals, but Murray became a national hero for Great Britain by winning their gold medal match at the 2012 London Olympics. The Swiss handily defeated his rival in round-robin play at the 2010 and 2012 Nitto ATP Finals, while the Brit swept all three of their matches at Masters 1000 events in straight sets.

After losing to Murray in their lone five-set clash in the 2013 Australian Open semi-finals, Federer took firm control and has won their past five matches. The Swiss swept their three battles in 2014, including a 6-0, 6-1 drubbing during round-robin play at the 2014 Nitto ATP Finals. The defeat remains the most one-sided loss of Murray’s career. Murray chalked the losses up to being part of his recovery from back surgery the previous year, but when Federer prevailed two more times in 2015, he simply tipped his hat to the Swiss.

Although they haven’t played in four years, Murray has said that facing Federer again is an opportunity he’d relish. It’s safe to say that their fans would relish it as well.

Roger Federer v. Juan Martin del Potro (Federer leads 12-5 this decade)

The rivalry between Federer and Del Potro opened the decade as brutally one-sided in favour of the Swiss, but closed it with the Tower of Tandil making firm inroads in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

The duo produced the rivalry of 2012 by facing off eight times. Federer won their first six clashes of that year, which included his two biggest comebacks against the Argentine in back-to-back matches. He rallied from two sets down to defeat Del Potro in the Roland Garros semi-finals, then prevailed in a 3-6, 7-6(5), 19-17 tussle two months later in the semi-finals of the London Oympics. The final set alone took two hours and 43 minutes. 

But Del Potro was inching closer to another win against his adversary and broke through in a thrilling title match in that year’s Swiss Indoors Basel, then closed out his 2012 season with another three-set win in the Nitto ATP Finals. The Argentine’s pair of victories marked the first time in 10 years that a player had scored consecutive wins indoors against Federer.

Little has separated Federer and Del Potro throughout much of the decade and the pair have split their past 10 matches. Their battles have also consistently gone down to the wire, with 10 of their past 12 matches reaching a deciding set.

Their most recent clash in the 2018 BNP Paribas Open is a microcosm of the gripping drama they deliver. Del Potro let slip a championship point in the second-set tie-break, but saved three championship points with Federer serving at 5-4 in the third set and ultimately prevailed 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(2).

Even after their most epic battles, the pair regularly embrace each other at net afterwards and have maintained a warm relationship. The camaraderie and intensity of their rivalry is something that fans will hope to see more of in the new decade.

After being successfully implemented at the Next Gen ATP Finals, Video Review will be used by officials at the inaugural ATP Cup, held throughout Australia from 3-12 January.

“The job for officials is to get things right in a match, so here’s another tool for that,” said Gayle David Bradshaw, Executive Vice President, ATP Rules & Competition. “There could be a lot riding on a judgement call. If they make a bad judgement and there’s a clear way to correct it, we’re all for it.”

The Video Review is delivered using Advanced Hawk-Eye technology. Players will be able to challenge judgement calls from the chair umpire such as Not-Ups, Foul Shots, Touches, Invasion, Through and Hindrance.* Each player is limited to three incorrect challenges during a set, but will receive an additional challenge if a set reaches 6-all.

When a reviewable call is challenged, the VR operator uses all available camera angles to find the best view of the incident. They will then send the video to a screen attached to the chair umpire’s chair. If the line review system is unable to make a determination, the chair umpire may review the call for clear evidence that confirms or overturns the call on the court. If there is no clear evidence, then the original decision stands.

Although Bradshaw expects the video review to be used sparingly in matches, he believes it’s a crucial component to ensure that incorrect calls don’t disrupt the flow of a match.

“Last year at Wimbledon, there was a point that a player won twice and ended up losing that point,” Bradshaw explained. “There was a double bounce that wasn’t called and then his opponent actually missed the shot he hit. They’re showing it on the television replays and you can clearly see that it was two bounces. In that case, having Video Review would have solved the whole issue.”

Video Review was in place, but not used by players, at the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals. This past November in Milan, Casper Ruud called for the first-ever Video Review adjudication during his round-robin match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The historic moment took place at 30-all in the opening game, when chair umpire Fergus Murphy stopped the point and declared that Ruud’s lob touched the bottom of the jumbo screen. The Norwegian challenged the call, but the review showed that the call was correct.

Ruud’s challenge was played out in real time to spectators at the Allianz Cloud on a large video board, in addition to fans watching the match on broadcast. Bradshaw believes that using technology to bring fans closer to the action will only help the sport in the future.

“[Umpires are] used to being under pressure, but now the spectators are seeing in real time the same video that the official sees to make the decision. This has huge potential for entertainment value for the fans,” said Bradshaw. “You don’t have that in American football or in soccer stadiums. We’ve taken it to another level in fan engagement.”

In addition to the ATP Cup, Video Review will be used in 2020 at the Next Gen ATP Finals and Nitto ATP Finals.

* Examples of incidents that would be subject to video review at the ATP Cup are:

• Not-Ups – double bounces

• Foul Shots – deliberate double hits or carry; or hitting the ball before it has passed the net; the ball, prior to bouncing, hits a permanent fixture; or the racquet is not in the player’s hand when touched by the ball.

• Touches – ball skimming racquet, clothing or body; or if a player, or anything he is wearing or carrying, touches the net, net posts/singles sticks while the ball is still in play.

• Invasion – when the player, or anything he is wearing or carrying, touches the opponent’s side of the court while the ball is in play.

• Hindrance – decisions on whether a point should be awarded or the point should be replayed. The most common use of this would be a call corrected from out to good and whether the player had a play on the ball.

Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies will be part of the German team at the inaugural ATP Cup, to be held from 3-12 January. They will join Alexander Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff and Mats Moraing in Group F in Brisbane.

ATPTour.com caught up with Krawietz and Mies, who successfully transitioned from the ATP Challenger Tour to Roland Garros success and Nitto ATP Finals qualification in 2019.

What are you most looking forward to about the ATP Cup?
Krawietz: It’s great to be a part of the team and the team feeling, travelling around the world and following results of other German players. It’s great that former German players remain involved in the sport, such as Boris Becker, who will be the captain in Brisbane, plus Tommy Haas, Michael Kohlmann. It’s a big thing for us.

Who were your idols growing up? What shot would you like from a compatriot?
Krawietz: Roger Federer was one of the biggest for us, but also Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt for their style of play and personalities. If I could take one shot of a compatriot, it would be the Becker serve. Such power and placement.

Mies: My idol was Becker growing up, but I liked watching Roger, Haas, and the German guys. I’d certainly take the one-handed backhand of Haas, which was so smooth.

What is your favourite thing about Australia?
Mies: I like how relaxed Australia is. I went to Melbourne this year and I felt that the people were very nice. It’s completely different to Germany, where things are strict and people are stressed. Australia is more relaxed.

Krawietz: For me, Australia has great weather and beautiful cities.

Which German player do you find funny?
Krawietz: Struffi is funny, even when he doesn’t try to be. Kohli can have a dry and ironic sense of humour.

Mies: We’re Germans, we don’t joke! No, no, we like to joke around and have a lot of laughs. I once took a German player’s car key, and he was so stressed, looking around non-stop.

What are the things you love most about Germany?
Krawietz: When I come back, I always realise Germany is so structured and organised, that everything is on time. But I also see that people are stressed. I also like the football.

What sports did you play growing up?
Krawietz: I started playing tennis, football and a little bit of basketball, then I had a decision to continue with two sports.

Mies: Growing up, I played a lot of football, that was probably my main hobby until 10-11, when my parents said they couldn’t drive me four times per week for tennis and football. So I had to decide. I tried athletics and swimming too, but I stuck to tennis.

When did you first meet, and subsequently play together?
Krawietz: We met during Futures tournaments together. I was playing junior tournaments, then in 2017, I was looking for a fixed partner, as we were both changing partners a lot. We said let’s try it out.

Mies: I graduated from Auburn University in 2013, with an international business degree, and returned to Germany that summer. We played against each other a few times in doubles, then in December 2013, we played against each other in singles of the German Championships. Kevin won 7-6 in the third set and it still hurts, he was 5-1 up in the third set and I got to 6-5. He smelled the victory and beat me.

We played our first tournament in Meerbusch, a Challenger, and won. I was injured a bit after that for a few months, then we started playing full-time in 2018 and here were are.

How did your life change after you won your the Roland Garros title?
Krawietz: It was a special moment after Roland Garros. The walk from the Halle practice court to the hotel normally takes just a few minutes, but this time it took 30 minutes because we were signing so many autographs. We were very grateful and humbled. We helped conduct the singles draw and there were 200 people watching us. It was a great feeling.

Mies: Life has changed since then for sure, playing smaller events and the ATP Challenger Tour. It was a big surprise, even for us. There was a lot of attention all of a sudden, as it was 82 years since the last all-German pair (Gottfried Von Cramm and Henner Henkel) won a Grand Slam championship in 1937. There was so much attention in the first few weeks and we didn’t sleep very much the first few days as our phones were going off so much. Going to Halle and having so much attention, we weren’t used to it.