The ATP has released the 2019 ATP World Tour calendar, a tournament schedule that will feature 63 tournaments in 31 countries across six continents, in addition to the four Grand Slams.

The 2019 calendar offers a continuation of the existing tournament structure and schedule that, since 2009, has so successfully served as a global platform for the world’s greatest men’s professional tennis players, leading to record growth for the Tour, tournaments and players over the past decade.

In addition to the four Grand Slams, the 2019 schedule will feature nine leading ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, 13 ATP World Tour 500 events, and 39 ATP World Tour 250 tournaments, with all roads leading to the spectacular season-ending Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 in London, as well as the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

View 2019 ATP World Tour Calendar (PDF)

The announcement of the 2019 calendar comes on the back of a record-breaking year for the ATP World Tour in 2017. More than 4.5 million fans attended ATP World Tour tournaments last season, an all-time record, while 995 million fans tuned into the action on television and online.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “Our calendar has yielded strong results for the Tour over the past 10 years, attracting record audiences and leading to triple digit increases in prize money during that period. We’re pleased to extend the existing calendar through to 2019 as we look to continue the sustainable growth that has underpinned the Tour over the past ten years.”

Total on-site prize money on the ATP World Tour this season is set to reach US$137.5 million (excluding Grand Slams), an increase of more than 110 per cent since 2008, when numerous structural changes were made to the Tour.

He has the same “I-can-win-any-match” attitude. He pounds his chest with similar enthusiasm after big wins, and Alex de Minaur’s tennis still thrives best when saturated with emotion.

But the 18-year-old Aussie, who, for the second year in a row, delighted his home fans during the Australian summer, believes he’s a different player than he was in 2017, when he earned his first tour-level wins in January.

De Minaur is stronger – physically and mentally – than he was 12 months ago, and he carries with him the experiences of his first full season as a professional tennis player, a year that saw him start strong in his home country but not win another tour-level match after January.

“I think it’s more of just believing in myself. I have been bringing out this level but just not sustaining it. Now I have seemed to find my way and am sustaining it and playing a lot of good matches in a row,” said de Minaur, who started 2018 7-3 in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

“It’s all about maintaining that. At the end of the day, I’m just going to get out there and on court, give it my all, and that’s what I want to do every day. That’s what I want to be known for, and that’s what I want other players to know about me, that I’m never going to give up.”

The 18-year-old has convinced a continent of that. He checked off a trifecta of accomplishments last year in Australia that can take years for some players to achieve. De Minaur qualified for his first tour-level tournament (Brisbane International presented by Suncorp); he earned his first tour-level win (Sydney International, d. Paire); and at his home Grand Slam, the Australian Open, he celebrated his maiden Slam victory (d. Gerald Melzer).

This year, while facing the pressure of trying to back up those results, de Minaur improved at almost every tournament. The 5’11” right-hander made the semi-finals in Brisbane, beating two-time ATP World Tour titlist Steve Johnson before sweeping former World No. 3 Milos Raonic, the 2016 Brisbane champion (d. Federer). In Sydney, de Minaur played for his first ATP World Tour title, falling to Russian Daniil Medvedev in three sets.

Read More: With Hewitt By His Side, #NextGenATP de Minaur Is Full Of Confidence

“It’s great to see that I’ve got the level to beat these guys, and make back-to-back great results. That’s something I was really trying to work on from last year, and to be more consistent, and I felt like I proved myself there in that aspect these two weeks,” he said.

A countryman who knows everything about belief and self-confidence has aided de Minaur’s maturation. Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt has been a steady voice for de Minaur, helping the teenager navigate day-to-day life on the ATP World Tour.

“He’s obviously been through everything that tennis has to offer, so he knows how to deal with so many different scenarios… how to deal with expectations and pressures and, just playing big guys. It’s all there. He gives me a lot of advice, and the only thing I do is take it all in,” de Minaur said.

The Aussie also credited his coach, Adolfo Gutierrez. The two train together in Alicante, Spain, where de Minaur views every practice as a chance to improve his evolving game. “Every day is another chance to get better,” he said.

If the Sydney native can keep improving, he will find himself among the ATP World Tour’s elite 21-and-under players at the end of the season. De Minaur, with 240 points, is currently second in the ATP Race To Milan, which will determine seven of the eight players who compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. Last year’s champion, Hyeon Chung of South Korea, just reached the semi-finals at the 2018 Australian Open (ret. v. Federer).

See Who’s Leading The ATP Race To Milan

“It’s still very early but I’m just focusing match by match, point by point. I don’t really want to get too ahead of myself,” de Minaur said.

“It’s all about me believing… I think that’s finally happening and I’m very proud of even all the work I’m doing off court as well. That’s, I think, really helping me on court and you can see the results now.”

This month has been a contrast of sorts for Colombian tennis. 

While Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah reached their first Grand Slam final as a team by defeating Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6(1), 7-5 at the Australian Open, their countryman, Alejandro Falla, announced his retirement after 18 years as a professional.

“So many emotions are going through my head right now,” the 34-year-old said during a press conference in Bogota. “From memories of the sacrifices I made when I was a kid, to the immense happiness I get because I fulfilled dreams that seemed impossible to achieve, I’m proud to have followed this path, one of discipline. But now the time has come to move on to the next stage of my life.”

Falla, who turned professional in 2000, ends his ATP World Tour career with a tour-level record of 114-169. The left-hander reached two ATP World Tour finals — at 2013 Bogota (l. to Karlovic) and 2014 Halle (l. to Federer). He played in 34 Grand Slam championship main draws, advancing to the fourth round at Roland Garros in 2011, the third round at Wimbledon in 2012 and the third round of the Australian Open in both 2010 and 2012. Falla also claimed 11 ATP Challenger Tour titles and reached a career high of No. 48 in the ATP Rankings in July 2012.

Falla also proved his level against some of the best players on the ATP World Tour, earning four Top 10 victories throughout his career. The lefty holds wins over Nikolay Davydenko (No. 6), Mardy Fish (No. 8), Tommy Haas (No. 9) and John Isner (No. 10). Falla gave Roger Federer a serious scare in June 2010 at Wimbledon, when the Colombian came within a game of upsetting the defending champion at 7-5, 6-4, 5-4 before succumbing to the Swiss in five sets.

Falla’s compatriot, Cabal, praised his countryman for his accomplishments and for what he did for tennis in Colombia.

“After Mauricio Hadad (No. 78 in 1995) and Miguel Tobon (No. 205 in 1996) there was a gap [in Colombian tennis],” Cabal said. “Falla emerged first, and set a great example for the rest of us. [Santiago] Giraldo, [Alejandro] Gonzalez, the bunch of us, we all pushed through with hard work and patience.”

The comeback continues! Kei Nishikori looks to build momentum in his return to professional tennis at this week’s RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas, a $125,000 event on the ATP Challenger Tour.

The Japanese star, who just 10 months ago ascended to a career-high World No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, is seeking his first win of the year as he makes his return from injury. It will be deja vu for Nishikori, who drew American Dennis Novikov as his first-round opponent in Dallas. Novikov prevailed in the top seed’s comeback debut last week in Newport Beach, California.

Should Nishikori advance, he will face either Germany’s Matthias Bachinger or a qualifier in the second round. Big-hitting #NextGenATP Reilly Opelka looms large as potential quarter-final opponent, with fourth seed Bjorn Fratangelo and fifth seed Alexander Bublik also in his half of the draw.

Want to catch Nishikori throughout the week in Dallas? We’ve got you covered. There’s no need to hop on a plane for the heart of Texas. You can watch every moment with our free live streaming of the ATP Challenger Tour below and on ATPChallengerTour.com.