You’re supposed to be calm and confident before the biggest moment of your life, right? I was not. I was a bundle of nerves.

Was I really playing in my first ATP Tour final, only two months after one of the worst days of my life?

I wasn’t nervous because of doubts – I thought I could win my first ATP Tour title. But when I walked onto centre court in Rio, with the sun shining and the fans cheering, my mind was everywhere.

What are my parents thinking? What would they say to me? Is my dad, the man who had been there for every step of my career, pleased? It didn’t matter how many times I tried to refocus on the present, I couldn’t bring myself to completely focus on the match.

All my life, my parents and I had worked for this moment. Since I was , my dad had taught me so much about tennis – always traveling with me, teaching me, helping me. Until a few months ago, nearly every memory I had about the sport starred my father.

But life changes quickly, and I’ve had to learn to appreciate everything, including opportunities as rare as a final at the ATP 500 level.

From the back of the court, I steadied my thoughts and focused on my routines. “Felix Auger-Aliassime to serve,” Mohamed Lahyani, the chair umpire, said.

Even with all my nervous energy, I had a measure of peace about the final. I knew that, even though my parents weren’t in the stadium that night, they were watching.

Djere had never reached an ATP Tour final before Rio in February. (Photo: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)

**

My father, Caba, had no dreams of having a professional tennis player as a son. He loved football and played for the local club in Senta, my hometown in Serbia.

But when I was five, his passion for tennis made him want to learn how to play. My dad had watched the icons of my early childhood – Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Goran Ivanisevic, from neighboring Croatia – and had become a dedicated fan.

The day he started to learn, I did, too. I walked with him to the clay courts, and they gave me a racquet and a ball, and I hit against the wall.

Eventually, I started to practise and, after about two years of working with a coach and my father, they saw that I was quite good. I liked it as well, so my dad and I started traveling to tennis tournaments all across my country.

At least three weekends a month, we’d drive across Serbia, to Belgrade, Novi Sad, Pančevo, Kraljevo, Subotica and Kikinda. My dad would drive and I’d lie in the back, sleeping. We’d stay Saturday, Sunday and, if I made the final, Monday.

When you’re a kid starting in a sport, wins mean more to you than they should, and losses hurt more than you can imagine. But my dad always tried to keep me level. He’d console me when I lost and encourage me when I won.

My childhood, however, wasn’t all about tennis. I can remember when I was really little, visiting my grandmother’s, my mom’s mom.

My grandmother would always knead dough and make pasta, and when we visited, she would give my sister, Judit, and I a piece of dough – but like play-doh – so we could play along. We’d knead, cut and fold the “dough”, but never eat it. I didn’t know it at the time, but, during those trips, my love for baking was born.

My tennis career, by the time I was 15, was also progressing. Then I found out my mom, Hajnalka, had cancer. It had started in her colon, and by the time she was diagnosed, in November 2010, the cancer was already metastatic.

Seventeen months later, she died. She was 44. I was 16 and without a mom.

Djere and his sister, Judit, have always been close. (Photo: Laslo Djere)

**

In Rio, neither Felix nor I had played our best in the first set. But after five breaks, I settled down and added one more to take the first set.

My early play matched my pre-final feelings. I was happy to have a chance to play in my first final because, for sure, it will affect my career. My ranking will go up, and if I win, my goal will be accomplished. But I couldn’t quite feel relaxed.

This is why I work with a sports psychologist. We speak about different situations that can come up during a match, how I’m feeling and how I can work to stay in the moment.

For example, if I feel distracted, I’ll tell myself a keyword or go through a routine that will bring me back to the present. Or if I feel fear, I’ll try to find out why I’m feeling that way.

Usually I feel scared or worried because I’m not in the present moment – I’m thinking about what the consequences might be if I lose.

But, because of my psychologist’s help, I can quickly – in a matter of a seconds – return to the present.

I went through this process multiple times in all my matches in Rio, including when I played Dominic Thiem, a matchup that made my coach cringe.

He felt like I was playing so good in practice and was sad that I’d have to play Thiem, one of the best players in the world. But, as I’ve tried to do all of my life, I looked at it positively. Maybe this was a good moment to play the top seed.

Three matches later, I was in the Rio final, and after 41 minutes, as I sat down for the break, I could breathe a little easier.

**

In 2017, five years after my mom died, I was having the best year of my career. Our new family of three – my dad, sister and I – had managed to recover from losing my mom, and on the court, I had never played better.

I made five ATP Challenger Tour finals, and won one of them, my first Challenger title. My ranking had jumped almost 100 spots. For the first time, I was set to finish the year inside the Top 100.

I felt like all the work my coaches, my dad and I had done was paying off. Although my dad was never officially my “coach”, he was always helping me like a coach would and guiding my career.

He laid out my schedule, and together, we’d sit down and decide which tournaments I’d play and when.

He handled the travel logistics, buying airplane tickets or deciding the best way to get there. He came to most of my matches, too. I can still see him pumping his fist when I played the 2017 Roland Garros qualifying.

I always felt his support when he was there, but even when he couldn’t come, I knew he was watching. After a match, I’d open up my phone and, win or lose, the first thing I’d see would be a text message from him.

“Great work!” “Very good job!” “Congrats!” he’d say if I won.

If I lost, he’d encourage me: “Your game is good, just continue, everything is alright.”

To end my 2017 season, I lost in qualifying at the Rolex Paris Masters. I headed home for the beginning of my off-season, a period of relaxation before heavy training. I was so grateful to be able to spend time with my sister and father.

But after a few days, we learned everything was changing again. My dad had cancer. Colon cancer. The same as my mother. The dreaded thoughts raced into my head once more: Why is this happening to me? Why are things going like this? As if losing one parent wasn’t enough?

The pain stayed with me for weeks, months. It never completely goes away, to be honest.

But, this time, I also felt something different. I felt a big responsibility to my sister and father. My dad was the head of the family, and I was next in line, so I had to be strong. I had to be there for them.

The tennis life – with constant travel and matches – is complicated enough, but the next 13 months were a blur.

I was practising and traveling just as much, and when I got home, I wanted to rest, but I tried to go to the doctor with my dad or research his diagnosis or make phone calls about it.

I wanted to try to help him as much as I could to show him love and support. I wanted to spend time with him and sit next to him. I gave everything I could, at least, I hope so.

The worst part about that terrible time was that it ended. My dad went through radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Nothing worked. He died in December 2018. He was 55.

And here I was, 23, without parents.

**

You never know what you’re going to feel when your dream comes true. You spend hours thinking about the moment, envisioning yourself winning the final point and lifting the trophy. But how will it feel?

The moment Felix hit a forehand into the net on my fifth championship point, I felt relief.

I dropped my racquet, covered my face, puffed out my chest. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I pointed to the sky, where my parents were watching.

Djere wins his first ATP Tour title in Rio. (Photo: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)

Jumping around on court and waving to the crowd, I could feel my eyes well up. The trophy ceremony followed.

“I want to dedicate this trophy to my parents. I lost my mom seven years ago so I want to dedicate this one to her,” I said, as the crowd showed me so much support. “And also to my dad, I lost him two months ago… My parents had the biggest impact on me, and because of them I am who I am today.”

The response since I first shared my story has been overwhelming. People, including my countryman Novak Djokovic, supported me on Twitter – so I heard, I’m not on Twitter yet – and others shared nice words in person, including Nick Kyrgios, who, the first time he saw me in Indian Wells, came up from behind me and gave me a big hug. 

I didn’t plan on mentioning my parents during the ceremony, but I feel a responsibility to share my story. I felt strong enough to push through their deaths, and I hope that I can be an example for others who are going through tough times.

If you believe and you try really hard, better times will come, and you can achieve amazing things if you are strong enough. If I can do it, then I’m sure anybody can do it.

I think of my parents every day. They shaped who I am, inwardly – how I treat people, how I go about my days – and outwardly – what I do with my time.

I play tennis because of my dad, and I relax through baking – cinnamon buns, apple crumble and chocolate brownies with almonds are some of my favourites – because of my mom’s side of the family.

Good has come out of my struggle. I know my purpose in life. I have to play tennis and continue the work my family started with me 20 years ago.

Although, because I’ve been through so much, I sometimes feel as if I’m 50 years old, I know that I’m not the unluckiest person on Earth. Many other people struggle and have problems. It’s not easy for anyone.

I just have to continue my life. I miss my dad’s text messages after matches, and I miss my mom’s love and support. Life would be easier with them.

But I know that my time will also come. We are not here forever, not one of us, and I just want to use the time while I’m here in a positive way and do as much good as I can.

I will see my parents again, whether I want to or not. But while I’m here, I just want to make sure I give all that I can and make them proud.

– as told to Jonathon Braden

Read Other My Point Stories

Divide and conquer. The way to win big battles is to cut them up into smaller, more manageable ones. It’s also an ideal way to understand the constricting pressure Rafael Nadal applies at the beginning of a game against his opponents on clay courts.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Nadal competing in just the first two points of the game when serving and returning at the five biggest European clay-court events uncovers that he is almost unstoppable if he creates early separation.

The five tournaments are the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, the Mutua Madrid Open, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and Roland Garros.

Nadal played all five events from 2015-2018 but withdrew in the Round of 32 of Roland Garros in 2016 with a left wrist injury. Nadal has won 80 titles in his career, with these five tournaments representing 58 per cent (46) of that total.

Rafael Nadal 2015-2018 / Career

1. Nadal Serving: First Two Points Of The Game
In the past four years at these five events, Nadal has astonishingly lost serve only 12 times out of 424 service games when leading 30/0.

It’s the next best thing to automatic, and here’s where the battle gets even harder for his opponents. After playing just two points on serve, Nadal is more likely to be at 30/0 than either of the other two scores.

Nadal: Point Score Probability After Two Points Serving
30/0 = 46% (424/921)
15/15 = 43% (393/921)
0/30 = 11% (105/921)

Nadal is still well in command when serving at 15/15, holding 83 per cent (324/392) of the time. Even from the perilous position of 0/30, Nadal is still effectively in break-even territory, rallying to hold 49 per cent of the time.

Rafael Nadal: Percentage Of Holding Serve

2. Nadal Retuning: First Two Points Of The Game
While Nadal was more favoured to lead 30/0 after two points played when serving, his opponents are far more likely to lose one of the opening two points against the Spaniard when he is returning.

Nadal: Point Score Probability After Two Points Returning
15/15 = 55% (458/831)
0/30 = 25% (211/831)
30/0 = 19% (162/831)

Nadal forces his opponents to 15/15 55 per cent (458/831) of the time, instantly spiking the pressure metre. What’s fascinating is that his opponents slipped to 0/30 25 per cent (211/831) of the time, which was more often than they enjoyed a 30/0 lead, just 19 per cent (162/831) of the time.

The end result is that Nadal navigates himself to 30/0 when serving more than twice as much (46% to 19%) as his opponents.

Rafael Nadal: Percentage Of Breaking Serve

Nadal’s most eye-popping return stat is that he has broken serve at Roland Garros 54 per cent (67/123) of the time when his opponent has served at 15/15 in the past four years. The game is just beginning, but Nadal’s hidden edge to break serve is already in full swing.

Playing Nadal in any of these five events is a monumental challenge. He boasts a career win percentage of 92 per cent (317/343) during the European clay-court swing, and he has suffered just nine losses there in the past four years.

Giving Nadal an early lead in the game makes winning it nearly impossible. Playing boldly against Nadal early in the game to grab the initial score advantage certainly has its merits.

Chile’s Christian Garin saved five match points to make his second ATP Tour quarter-final on Wednesday at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.

The 22-year-old right-hander was down 3-5, ad out, four times in the third set against Jeremy Chardy. Yet every time, Garin forced the game back to deuce.

The second-seeded Chardy had one more match point in the tie-break, at 7/6, but Garin erased that opportunity as well and clinched his second match point to advance 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(6).

The Frenchman was plagued with unforced errors, including 13 double faults, one of which gave Garin the break at 3-5 in the third. Chardy donated two more double faults in the third-set tie-break.

Both players had their chances, though. For the match, 32 break points were faced.

Garin made his first ATP quarter-final, semi-final and final in February at the Brasil Open in Sao Paolo (l. to Pella). He will next meet Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen, who beat American Ryan Harrison 6-4, 7-5.

Spain’s Marcel Granollers, 2008 champion, made his first ATP quarter-final since July in Newport, when he lost to eventual champion Steve Johnson. Granollers converted all five break points and dismissed Aussie Bernard Tomic 6-1, 6-2 in only 47 minutes. Granollers will next face American Reilly Opelka or #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud.

When Rafael Nadal was 15 years old, he made his first splash as a professional. It was 29 April 2002 and the future No. 1 would introduce himself with a straight-set win over World No. 81 Ramon Delgado in Mallorca. His first victory over a Top 200 player proved to be a significant moment.

Flash forward to 2019 and another 15-year-old Spaniard is making a splash in the initial stages of his professional journey. On Wednesday, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia crashed onto the scene with the first Top 200 win of his own, defeating countryman and World No. 140 Pedro Martinez 6-3, 7-6(4) at the Murcia Open.

Demonstrating great poise, agility and court instincts, Alcaraz exhibited his potential at the inaugural ATP Challenger Tour event. The teen’s skills were on full display in front of a packed crowd at the Murcia Club de Tenis, as he rallied from a break down in the second set to eventually prevail after one hour and 47 minutes.

Competing in the first ATP Challenger Tour events of his young career, Alcaraz became the first player born in 2003 to win a match last week in nearby Alicante. And this week, he is already into the third round in Murcia with two more victories.

Alcaraz puts himself in strong company with his win over Martinez on Wednesday. He is not only the first player aged 15 & under to upset a Top 200 opponent since Ryan Harrison in 2008 (ATP Houston), but he is just the fifth 15-year-old to do so in the past 20 years. The others? Nadal, Richard Gasquet and Bernard Tomic. In fact, Nadal was just nine days younger when he achieved the feat in Mallorca.

Youngest To Defeat A Top 200 Player (since 2000)

Alcaraz will look to win his third match in three days when he faces fellow teen Rudolf Molleker on Thursday. A spot in the quarter-finals is at stake. And if you’re looking ahead to the weekend, the only player younger than the Spaniard to win a Challenger title was Michael Chang at 15 years, seven months in Las Vegas in 1987. History awaits.

Watch free live stream of Alcaraz’s match on Thursday:

Wild card Jo-Wilfried Tsonga booked his place in the Grand Prix Hassan II quarter-finals on Wednesday by beating third seed and 2018 runner-up Kyle Edmund 7-6(6), 6-3 in 90 minutes.

Tsonga saved one break point at 2-2 in the 52-minute first set, which saw Edmund win 89 per cent of his first-service points, and in the tie-break at 5/4 Tsonga ripped a forehand winner down the line for two set point opportunities. Edmund recovered to 6/6, but Tsonga then fired down an ace and was then gifted the set when Edmund mis-timed a forehand long.

Tsonga continued to apply the pressure, and Edmund withstood two break points at 1-1 in the second set, before overhitting a forehand to hand Tsonga a 3-2 advantage. Tsonga broke serve for a second time, finishing the pair’s first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting with a backhand volley winner.

“It’s always great to beat a Top 20 player and very motivating. I will have a day off tomorrow and hope to continue playing well,” Tsonga said.

This year’s Open Sud de France champion will now prepare to face Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego, who advanced to his second ATP Tour quarter-final — and first since April 2018 in Budapest (l. to Bedene) — with a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over Robin Haase of the Netherlands in one hour and 40 minutes.

Fourth seed Gilles Simon, who lifted the trophy as a qualifier in 2008 (d. Benneteau), moved into the quarter-finals for the sixth time with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Guido Andreozzi of Argentina in 77 minutes. He will next play Japan’s Taro Daniel, who fought his way past Adrian Menendez-Maceiras, a Spanish qualifier, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 in one hour and 45 minutes.

“I was positively surprised with how well I played today,” said Simon. “Lately, I have played very well in practice, but not during the matches. Today, I was happy with how I played. I’m happy with my level during those first two matches on clay and I’m feeling well here in Marrakech.”

Bopanna/Inglot Advance To Doubles Semi-Finals
Second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Dominic Inglot won just 11 points in the first set, but recovered to beat Roman Jebavy and Andres Molteni 0-6, 6-3, 10-8 in 65 minutes for a place in the doubles semi-finals. Inglot partnered Mate Pavic to the 2017 title (d. Granollers/M. Lopez).

Elsewhere, Leander Paes and Benoit Paire knocked out fourth seeds Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald 7-5, 3-6, 12-10 in one hour and 43 minutes.

Two-time finalist Sam Querrey turned in a dominating serve performance on Tuesday to advance at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.

The 31-year-old American won 90 per cent of his first-serve points and beat compatriot Bjorn Fratangelo 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round of the ATP 250 event.

Querrey, who reached the final in 2010 (l. to Chela) and 2015 (l. to Sock), will next face Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 winner against American wild card Noah Rubin.

Serbian wild card Janko Tipsarevic won his second tour-level match since August 2017, beating 2018 finalist Tennys Sandgren 6-1, 7-6(4). Sandgren, who won his maiden title at the ASB Classic in Auckland in January, led 5-2 in the second set before the former World No. 8 came back.

Tipsarevic, 34, is on the comeback from his latest injury, torn hamstring tendons, which forced him to miss all of the 2018 season. The 27-year-old Sandgren has lost seven consecutive matches since beating Brit Cameron Norrie for the Auckland title.

Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan, 22, picked up his second ATP Tour win to set up a second-round showdown with top seed and two-time defending champion Steve Johnson of the U.S. Galan held off Italian veteran Paolo Lorenzi 7-6(5), 6-4. The Colombian celebrated his maiden ATP win four years ago in Bogota against Spain’s Pere Riba.

Seventh seed Jordan Thompson of Australia dismissed Serbian qualifier Pedja Krstin 7-5, 6-2, and Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen knocked out sixth seed Mackenzie McDonald of the U.S. 6-3, 6-4.

With 37 tournaments in the books, the 2019 ATP Challenger Tour season is already off to a flying start. Storylines abound on the circuit, as fresh faces and established stars jockey for position in the ATP Rankings, while many players target a successful transition to the ATP Tour.

A current Top 50 star made his debut as tournament director in his hometown, and a bevy of new events made impressive debuts. The first quarter also featured a comeback for the ages, multiple teens bursting onto the scene and a staggering 12 first-time titlists. And of course, there were Hot Shots. Your jaws might still be on the floor.

In case you missed a moment or just need a refresher, here are the nine biggest storylines from the first quarter of the 2019 season on the ATP Challenger Tour…

The Youth Movement Continues
In 2018, it was Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ugo Humbert, Hubert Hurkacz, Jaume Munar and Reilly Opelka leading the #NextGenATP Challenger charge. And already in 2019, a handful of players have made their own statements in the ATP Race To Milan.

Humbert picked up where he left off last year, adding a fourth Challenger crown on home soil in Cherbourg. The 20-year-old Frenchman is up to seventh place in his quest to punch his ticket to Milan, having also reached his first ATP Tour semi-final in Marseille. Less than a year after making his big breakthrough on the circuit, it’s safe to say his Challenger days are already behind him.

Download 2019 Challenger ‘By The Numbers’

Humbert is one of five #NextGenATP winners thus far in 2019, and while he has established himself in the Top 100, the remaining quartet are still in search of that big breakthrough. The youth movement in France is well underway, with Humbert’s countryman Corentin Moutet up to No. 129 after claiming the crown in Chennai, India. The 19-year-old became the first teenager to win titles in three straight seasons since Evgeny Korolev in 2005-07.

Other titlists include Mikael Ymer, who notched his maiden crown in the island paradise of Noumea, as well as fellow 20-year-old Jeffrey John Wolf, champion in Columbus. Wolf put together a dream week to prevail at his home campus of Ohio State University.

The youngest winner thus far in 2019 was Italy’s Jannik Sinner. With his maiden triumph in Bergamo, he joined an impressive club of recent 17-year-old champions that includes Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Borna Coric, Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz and Denis Shapovalov. Appearing in just his fourth Challenger main draw, Sinner became the youngest Italian champion in Challenger history.

The Killer ‘B’s Lead The Charge
Barrere and Bublik blast off. Just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Thus far in 2019, no players have had more success on the ATP Challenger Tour than Gregoire Barrere and Alexander Bublik.

Barrere leads the circuit with 18 match wins, posting an 18-5 record. The majority of his success has come on home soil, lifting trophies on the indoor hard courts of Quimper and Lille and reaching the semis in Pau. Having also secured his first match win on the ATP Tour in Marseille, the Frenchman is making great strides in the ATP Rankings as well, soaring to a career-high No. 117.

Bublik, meanwhile, owns a tour-leading three titles. Champion on the hard courts of Budapest, Pau and Monterrey, the 21-year-old improved to 6-0 in finals in his young career with the trio of triumphs. It has been a long road back for the Kazakh, after suffering a fractured ankle at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last year. But the hard work is already paying off, having returned to the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings on Monday.

You Always Remember Your First
A grand total of 12 players have celebrated their maiden titles this year. To put that in perspective, there were only three first-time winners after the first quarter of the 2018 season and the 12th maiden titlist didn’t come until June.

In addition to Sinner, Wolf and Ymer, Korea’s Soon-woo Kwon tasted victory for the first time, as did Maxime Cressy, Kamil Majchrzak, Gianluca Mager, Matias Franco Descotte, Marcos Giron, Mitchell Krueger, Enrique Lopez-Perez and Steven Diez. The validation of years of hard work and perseverence, for 25-year-old Krueger and 27-year-olds Lopez-Perez and Diez, victory never tasted so sweet.

Graduating To The ATP Tour
Few players enjoyed greater success in 2018 than Auger-Aliassime, Humbert, Opelka, Juan Ignacio Londero and Christian Garin. A combined 13 Challenger titles saw them surge into the spotlight and eventually crack the Top 100. And as the calendar flipped to 2019, all five emerging stars have made seamless transitions on the ATP Tour.

Auger-Aliassime blasted to a career-high No. 33 in the ATP Rankings after reaching his first final in Rio de Janeiro and enjoying a ATP Masters 1000 breakthrough in Miami, advancing to the semis. Humbert scored his first Top 20 win over Borna Coric, en route to the Marseille semi-finals, while Garin reached his first final in Sao Paulo. In addition, Londero and Opelka both tasted victory for the first time, earning their maiden ATP Tour trophies in Cordoba and New York, respectively.

Going Back-To-Back
Only two repeat champions featured on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2018, but the 2019 season has already included three back-to-back winners. A jet-lagged Taylor Fritz flew straight from Australia to Southern California and retained his crown in Newport Beach, prevailing in front of friends and family. Two months later, it was Barrere who triumphed for a second straight year at the Play In Challenger in Lille.

But no title defence was as dramatic as Pablo Andujar’s victory in Alicante. One year ago, the Spaniard kicked off his comeback from three elbow surgeries with a title at the Ferrero Challenger Open. And on Sunday, he not only lifted his sixth trophy in 12 months, but solidified himself inside the Top 100 with the repeat crown on home soil.

Comeback of the Year (so far)
The Andujar storylines were not limited to his triumph in Alicante. One week earlier, the 33-year-old registered an early candidate for ‘comeback of the year’ with his title run at the nearby Casino Admiral Trophy in Marbella.

Trailing by a set and a break to Benoit Paire in the final, he would mount a stunning comeback. Andujar rallied from a 4-6, 2-5 deficit, saving one match point to take the title. The match was a microcosm of the guile, grit and determination that Andujar has displayed throughout his year-long comeback.

Upset of the Year (so far)
It’s not often that a Top 30 star descends on the ATP Challenger Tour, but that’s exactly what happened at the inaugural Arizona Tennis Classic in Phoenix. Looking for match play and confidence, World No. 21 David Goffin entered the tournament in search of his first trophy since 2017. Just two weeks prior, 27th-ranked Kyle Edmund claimed the title at the Oracle Challenger Series – Indian Wells, and Goffin was targeting a piece of silverware as well.

But Salvatore Caruso had other ideas. In one of the biggest upsets in Challenger history, the 26-year-old Italian, ranked No. 168, stunned Goffin 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. It was the first Top 50 win in Caruso’s career, as he completed a magical semi-final run at the Challenger 125 event.

Phoenix, Cleveland, Pau, Da Nang debut
While the Challenger in Cherbourg, France celebrated its 26th edition and the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas welcomed players and fans for the 21st time, four new events entered the fray in the first quarter of 2019.

One of the most important tournaments of the year is in Phoenix, which is held during the second week of the BNP Paribas Open in nearby Indian Wells. The affluent Phoenix Country Club staged the inaugural edition of the Arizona Tennis Classic, with world-class facilities greeting a world-class field of Top 100 players.

Professional tennis also returned to Cleveland, Ohio for the first time in 34 years, while ATP veteran Jeremy Chardy served as tournament director at his hometown event in Pau, France, one month later. And in Da Nang, Vietnam, the Asian nation welcomed Challenger tennis back after a one-year hiatus.

Hot Shots Galore
From Maxime Janvier’s over-the-shoulder pass in Pau to Jurgen Zopp’s behind-the-back half-volley in Drummondville and Akira Santillan’s dive in Zhangjiagang, it was a highly entertaining first quarter on the ATP Challenger Tour.