#NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas is trying to raise money to support his friend and fellow tennis player, along with many others who have suffered due to wildfires in the Attica region of Greece. The wildfires have caused more than 80 deaths over the past few days.

“Many people lost their lives. Many families were affected. It was a very rough day for the nation and all the citizens of the country,” Tsitsipas said in a YouTube video. “I happen to have a friend (Alex) with whom I used to play when I was younger in Greece. We used to play in the same tournaments. He’s currently in the hospital in a very bad condition. He lost his home. The fire reached his house, and he’s been through really tough times. It’s a disaster.”

Tsitsipas began a Facebook fundraiser, which has raised more than £1,500 thus far. It is an issue that hits close to home for the 19-year-old, and not just because the tragedy is occurring in his country and has affected people whom he knows.

“I remember 10 years ago it was me and my family, we were coming back home from a trip that we made in France,” Tsitsipas. “I remember looking out of the airplane’s window before we landed, and I remember seeing the whole region of Attica and Athens in flames, and I never felt my scared in my life, looking outside that window. You could see the terror in my eyes. I was terrified.”

While Tsitsipas’ plane landed safely that day, the memories have inspired him to try to help others.

“All I want to do is contribute to my society, to my country, to my people,” Tsitsipas said. “I’m please asking you for some help and some compassion. It is not for me, it is for the people.”

Hyeon Chung is back. The South Korean returned triumphantly on Wednesday, beating #NextGenATP American Taylor Fritz to reach the BB&T Atlanta Open quarter-finals. After reaching his eighth quarter-final of the season, Chung took time to talk with ATPWorldTour.com about his “ATP Firsts”, including the first time he was mobbed in the Seoul airport.

First moment I realised I loved tennis
When I won my first tournament. Like 11, 12. The national tournament in Korea. I don’t know where. Most of the Korean kids were playing.

First coach and most important lesson he/she taught me
Many coaches, but I had one big coach before. I toured with him for four, five years, Mr Yoon. Yong-Il Yoon.

Watch: Chung Thrilled About Triumphant Return In Atlanta

First pinch-me moment on the ATP World Tour
When I saw Roger, Rafa and Novak in the locker room. My first main draw Grand Slam was Wimbledon (2015).

First time I was recognised
At the Seoul airport, after my wins in Melbourne this year. ‘Can I take a picture, have an autograph?’

First time in another country
Eleven years old, for the Orange Bowl in Florida, with the Korean national team, all Korean boys.

First thing I bought with prize money
When I got the first ATP [Rankings] points, my coach bought for me the Beats [headphones]. Silver.

First pet
When I was young, once, I had a turtle for a few years, but I moved… I couldn’t have her so I gave her to my friends… [Now] I want a pet but I live in an apartment in Korea, and I can’t get a pet in an apartment. When I retire from tennis, I will try to get a pet, a little dog or something… I don’t know [which kind]; I’ll have to think about it.

First music album
Psy, went to his concert in Korea, a lot of people were there.

Mardy Fish had a tremendous career, capturing six ATP World Tour titles and winning an impressive 302 tour-level matches before retiring in 2015. He also triumphed at the BB&T Atlanta Open seven years ago this week. Earlier this year, Fish competed on the ATP Champions Tour.

But did you know that Fish excelled at more than tennis? The right-hander played basketball with Andy Roddick when they were in preparatory school in Florida, and he also grew up playing golf. ATPWorldTour.com caught up with Fish to find out more about the 36-year-old on and off the court — you may be surprised to find out what the American wants to do when he turns 50 years old!

What’s your biggest sports passion and why?
I guess I’d have to say golf. But I don’t play nearly as much as I’d like to with two kids at home. I played tennis and golf growing up when I was younger, so I guess I’d have to say golf by default.

What’s the last book you read?
Mara Sharapova’s autobiography. I have a signed copy!

If you could have dinner with three people outside of your family, who would they be?
Let’s go with Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan. Sports are my life, so it’s probably going to be someone in sports. Maybe Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, someone like that, so I’d have a little golf, too.

What was the last concert or show you attended?
A Jake Owen concert.

What’s your favourite sport outside of tennis to watch and why?
I like football, I’m a huge Vikings fan, I’m from Minnesota. I really like the NBA, I like professional sports. I would much prefer to watch the best play instead of college basketball or college football. I like watching the best. I don’t want to watch college baseball. I’d rather watch Major League Baseball. I watch a lot of baseball as well, I’m a huge Twins fan… golf, too. I watch it all. Sports are my life.

What’s your favourite moment from your career?
There are a few that come to mind. Davis Cups were always a blast to play. The Olympics was really fun to be a part of. Those are the ones that stick out.

Your tennis career was a success because…
Your support system. I was good when I was younger and sort of took things for granted. Got married halfway through my career in 2008 and took on a new lease on life. It wasn’t about just me anymore. My parents have been a huge inspiration, part of my career. My father is a teaching pro, teaches tennis. So it’s in our family, it’s in our blood and I had a great support system.

In the future, you want to…
How about play on the Senior PGA Tour at 50?

You are serving at 40/0 to a Top 25-ranked player.

On the one hand, you have built a formidable lead in your service game. On the other hand, you have one of the best players in the world still alive in the game trying to break your serve.

Should you still be worried about getting broken? Not so much.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 25 in the ATP Rankings from the beginning of the 2015 season identifies that they only come back to break serve on average less than two times (1.7%) out of every 100 from this specific point score.

It seems the 40/0 hole when returning is a lot deeper and darker than we realised. The data set includes 14,658 service games since the start of the 2015 season, with the Top 25 only coming back to break a combined 242 times.

Novak Djokovic leads the Top 25 in climbing out of a 40/0 hole to break serve since the start of the 2015 season, achieving it 19 times out of 510 return games for a 3.7 per cent average. The Top five during this period are:

1. Novak Djokovic = 3.7%

2. Damir Dzumhur = 3.1%

3. Rafael Nadal = 2.9%

4. Roberto Bautista Agut = 2.8%

5. David Goffin 2.6%

Juan Martin Del Potro found it the toughest to come back and break when returning against a 40/0 advantage, only doing it twice out of 420 attempts.

As Djokovic wins return points from his 40/0 hole, it’s only after he has won three consecutive points and evened the score back to Deuce that he climbs above a one in three chance of breaking serve.

Djokovic: Percentage Chance of Breaking Serve When Opponent Serving At:

• 40/0 = 3.7% (19/510)

• 40/15 = 9.3% (83/890)

• 40/30 = 17.5% (158/904)

• Deuce = 36.5% (295/809)

Djokovic’s upcoming hard-court campaign includes ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati, followed by the US Open. In the three years between 2015-2017, he has only won a return game from 40/0 two times out of 76 attempts.

2015-2017 Tournaments

• Canada = 0/24

• Cincinnati = 0/15

• US Open = 2/37

The 40/0 point score is almost a lock, but returners still need to look for opportunity to break as the mental and emotional scars that can be inflicted from climbing out this deep hole can go a long way to paving the road to victory.

The heat and humidity at the BB&T Atlanta Open don’t phase Cameron Norrie, who played collegiate tennis at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, just outside Dallas, an area of the country known for its scorching temperatures almost as much as Atlanta. Norrie goes for his third quarter-final of the year on Thursday when he meets France’s Jeremy Chardy.

Earlier, Norrie shared the vital change his first coach made to his game and his first celebrity crush in another installment of “ATP Firsts”.

First moment I realised I loved tennis
I think I was quite young. I just always liked the aspect of competing. I think I like it even more [now] than I did when I was younger. There are just so many benefits to it, and it’s opened so many doors for me. I was able to go to college for free, and get a scholarship. And now it’s my job. I’m pretty grateful to play tennis for a living, and I love it. I keep loving it more and more.

Watch: Five Things To Know About Norrie

First coach and most important lesson he/she taught me
My first coach was Julia Sim. I played at the Bucklands Beach Tennis Club in New Zealand, and I actually started playing right-handed [for three, four months] so she switched me to left-handed. That was probably my most important advice… My forehand was horrendous because I did everything else left-handed. I wrote left-handed, so they just changed me, and from then on [I was 7], I played left-handed, and I was good.

First pinch-me moment on the ATP World Tour
I had just started playing out of college [in 2017] and I was playing Monfils on centre court in Eastbourne, one of my first ATP tournaments. It was incredible. I was warming up, and I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to play him, because I loved watching him. I actually played well. I ended up losing but it was a good match. I was just like, ‘Wow I’m actually here playing against one of the best guys in the world’… I couldn’t wait to get out there, nervous but excited at the same time.

First time I was recognised
In Paris, I was walking down the street. I had just played on centre court, Philippe-Chatrier, against [France’s Lucas] Pouille and two kids, one had a tennis bag, were like, ‘Are you Norrie?’ I was like, ‘Geez, how do you even know who I am?’… I got a photo with them.

First celebrity crush
I always liked Cameron Diaz, just because I have the same name as her… I always watched those action movies she’s in, “Charlie’s Angels”, with my sister.

First pet
I had a dog called Kyla, and he was a Border Collie. I still have two dogs, Tess (Golden Retriever) and Lulu (cross between Border Collie, Golden Retriever). They still live in New Zealand. I’m a real dog person, I love them so much. And I don’t get to see them. That’s one of the toughest things for me. I don’t get to see them at all because they’re in New Zealand, and I’m only going back to New Zealand in the summer time for me, which is December.

Serbia’s Laslo Djere recorded the highest-ranked win of his career on Thursday to reach an ATP World Tour quarter-final for the second successive week.

The 23-year-old knocked out third-seeded Croatian Borna Coric, the recent Gerry Weber Open titlist (d. Federer) and No. 21 in the ATP Rankings, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 in one hour and 54 minutes at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad. Last week, he fell to eventual champion Marco Cecchinato in the last eight of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.

Djere will now face Croatian lucky loser Viktor Galovic, who held his nerve to reach his first ATP World Tour quarter-final with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over wild card Felix Auger-Aliassime, a #NextGenATP Canadian, in two hours and two minutes. Augur-Aliassime struck 11 aces and 10 doubles faults.

The BB&T Atlanta Open continues to bring out the best in top-ranked American John Isner with the four-time champion cruising past Alex de Minaur in the second round on Wednesday. The top seed powered to a 6-3, 6-2 result over the #NextGenATP Australian to set a quarter-final showdown with No. 7 seed Mischa Zverev.

The 19-year-old De Minaur was coming off a tight opening round win over Polish lucky loser Hubert Hurkacz but had no answers to the 6’10” Isner’s huge serving. The American finished with 15 aces and dropped just two points on his first serve. He did not face a break point.

“Yeah it was a pretty comprehensive win. You never know how you’re going to come out. This was my first match on hard court since Miami so it’s been a little bit and hadn’t practised too much because the focus was on resting after that long match (at Wimbledon) so I’m very happy.”

It was the 33-year-old’s first match since that epic six-hour, 36-minute semi-final defeat to South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in the Wimbledon semi-finals, a match in which Isner ultimately fell short 26-24 in the fifth set. It was a match that boosted Isner’s profile back home since.

“I’m very mature now. I know what it takes to bounce back from something like that,” Isner said. “As soon as I got off the plane I worked out actually. I have to keep my body constantly moving. 
“Just sitting on a couch for days on end, I would have felt even worse… so I feel pretty good right now.”

The win sends Isner into his fifth quarter-final of the season, with his biggest result coming in April when he claimed his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open presented by Itau. He has claimed four titles from seven finals in Atlanta and only once has he failed to reach the final, in 2012, when he fell to Andy Roddick in the semi-finals. 

Zverev, though, will favour his chances of ending that streak. The German carries a 3-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record into the quarter-final clash.

“I’ve never played him in Atlanta so that might help,” Isner said. “He’s certainly going to have a lot of belief against me on Friday. 

“He cleaned my clock at the US Open last year, he beat me in five sets in the Australian Open (in 2017) and he beat me somewhere else also. He’s a very good player and gives a lot of players trouble.”