“To not dwell on the past, to live in the present and have the memory of a goldfish!”

You will not find Alex de Minaur ruing the day. The 24-year-old revealed the importance of having a positive, forward-thinking mindset in the latest edition of ATP Uncovered’s ‘Note to Self’ series.

“You are going to lose a lot of tennis matches. The most important thing is that the next week there is another chance for you to compete and do well in the next tournament,” De Minaur explained.

The Top 20 star also discussed how he handles distractions, pressure and failure. Although professional athletes face plenty of pressure, De Minaur emphasised the value of enjoying life away from the court.

“Enjoy time with your friends, driving your classic car, playing golf, going to the beach, spending time with your dog,” the Australian said.

De Minaur’s parting shot was writing a short phrase he would share with his younger self. What three words did he write? Watch the full video above to find out.

Top seed at a tour-level event for the first time, Jiri Lehecka coped with the pressure on Thursday when he defeated former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-5 at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. Stan Wawrinka, the 2006 champion, also advanced later in the day.

The Czech Lehecka won 82 per cent (31/38) of his first-serve points in his maiden meeting against Thiem, and rallied from a break down in the second set to advance after one hour and 41 minutes.

The 21-year-old, who is making his debut in Umag, will next play seventh seed Matteo Arnaldi in the quarter-finals. Lehecka and Arnaldi both competed at the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, where the Czech defeated the Italian en route to the final.

Lehecka has used that result as a springboard this season, highlighted by his run to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and fourth round at Wimbledon. The World No. 33’s best result on clay prior to this week was a third-round appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo.

Lehecka is seeking his maiden tour-level title this week at the ATP 250 clay-court event. The 2015 Umag champion Thiem was aiming to reach his third tour-level quarter-final of the season. The Austrian leaves Croatia 9-17 on the season.

Wawrinka, who won his first ATP Tour title in Umag 17 years ago, surged past Argentine Federico Coria 7-5, 6-1 to earn his spot in the last eight. The former World No. 3 will next face Roberto Carballes Baena, who eliminated Taro Daniel 6-3, 6-1.

Wawrinka earned five service breaks against Coria, notably winning 56 per cent of his first-serve return points. The Swiss is competing in Umag for the first time since 2007.

Jaume Munar also advanced, defeating Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-3. The Spaniard will next meet second seed Lorenzo Sonego or Marco Cecchinato.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils reached his fourth tour-level quarter-final of the season on Thursday at the Hamburg European Open, where he overcame Serbian Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 7-5.

The 19-year-old Fils captured his maiden tour-level title in Lyon in May but arrived at the ATP 500 clay-court event in Hamburg off the back of four consecutive defeats. He has looked close to his best in Germany, though, backing up his first-round win against Daniel Elahi Galan with a controlled display against Lajovic.

Fils rallied from a break down in both sets, winning 48 per cent (23/48) of points on Lajovic’s first serve to triumph after one hour and 41 minutes. He will next meet top seed Casper Ruud.

“It is a big tournament, there are a lot of points,” Fils said. “I am happy about reaching the quarter-finals, but I am looking at the semi-finals or final if I can.

“He has an amazing backhand. He was killing me crosscourt and then hitting down the line. I tried to play with my forehand to make him move, because he was making me move, so I wanted to change that.”

Fils is currently fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race as he aims to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals at the end of the season. The Frenchman is on 783 points, 138 points clear of fifth-placed American Ben Shelton (645). Earlier this year, Fils advanced to semi-finals at ATP 250 events in Montpellier and Marseille, alongside his title run at the ATP 250 in Lyon.

Defending champion Lorenzo Musetti also advanced, defeating Slovakian lucky loser Jozef Kovalik in a match that spanned two days due to rain.

After play was suspended midway through the second set on Wednesday night, Italian Musetti returned on Thursday to turn the match around, advancing 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 after two hours and seven minutes.

“I put a lot of physical and fighting spirit on the court today,” Musetti said. “I was not finding my best tennis and I could feel that. There was a lot of frustration inside. I was running a lot to get to a lot of balls and I was a little bit lucky and I took the chances that he gave me. I think the great champions, most of the time, don’t play their best tennis but win. I made it so I am really proud of myself.”

Musetti battled back from a break down in the third set, winning the final three games of the match to clinch victory in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against the 30-year-old Kovalik.

The World No. 18, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the title match in Hamburg 12 months ago, will next meet Laslo Djere in the quarter-finals. The 21-year-old is chasing his first tour-level title of the season, having triumphed in Hamburg and Naples in 2022.

Christopher Eubanks rode his towering serve to a come-from-behind victory over fellow American Brandon Nakashima to charge into the Atlanta Open quarter-finals Wednesday night.

With Nakashima adopting an aggressive service stance, the 21-year-old earned seven break points throughout the match – including three at 0/40 in the final game – but fifth-seeded Eubanks held firm each and every time en route to a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 win.

Eubanks fired 21 aces but had not earned a break point on Nakashima’s serve until the ninth game of the second set when he caught fire, breaking the 21-year-old to love, helped by one explosive 99 mph forehand winner. He closed out the set in the next game and in the decider he fended off two break points in his opening service game before breaking to 15 in the 10th game.

Eubanks, who hit 51 winners, is through to his second quarter-final in Atlanta and will next play World No. 82 Australian Aleksandar Vukic, who upset fourth seed Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) in brutally hot conditions during the day session.

Two-time tournament champion Alex de Minaur improved to 10-1 at Atlantic Station after rallying from an early break down in the second set to defeat fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-4 in a first-time meeting between the Australians.

Kokkinakis paid the price for putting just 55 per cent of first serves into play, a problem compounded by De Minaur dominating on second serve returns, winning 56 per cent of those points.

De Minaur went down an early break in the second set before upping his aggression. “I let him dictate too much so I tried to step in and play on my terms, which is what got me the first set,” De Minaur said of his revival. “I’m happy to live and fight another day.

“Thanasi is a very good friend. We know each other well and just yesterday we were hanging out all day. It’s always tricky to play a mate.”

The 24-year-old, who at No. 17 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is just two places below his career-hgh mark, advanced to the quarter-finals, where he will meet Frenchman Ugo Humbert, who took out South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 7-6(6), 6-4.

Taylor Fritz is used to the spotlight as the United States’ highest-ranked male tennis player. However, the World No. 9 recently traded in his match kit for the glitz and glam of Style Magazine.

Featured on the cover of the July/August issue, the 25-year-old Fritz posed in stylish sweaters and overcoats to add his name of ATP Tour stars who have made their way to magazine stands this year.

Taylor Fritz is featured in Style Magazine.” />
^{Photo Credit: Marco Cella/Style Magazine}

Last month, British No. 1 Cameron Norrie stepped in front Tatler’s cameras for chic photoshoot with the fashion and lifestyle magazine. A semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2022, Norrie posed alongside fellow Britons Jack Draper and Katie Boulter for the publication.

^{From left to right: Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper. Credit: Tatler Magazine}

Billed as “the new British tennis superstars”, the trio was photographed in retro styles fitting the storied tradition of their home major.

The cover story, now live on Tatler’s website, begins with Alex de Minaur’s shoutout to girlfriend Boulter during an on-court interview at last year’s Wimbledon.

 

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Norrie and Draper are far from the only ATP stars to grace the pages of fashion magazines in recent months. In addition to Carlos Alcaraz’s February Vogue feature, both the Spaniard and Norway’s Casper Ruud have appeared on the cover of L’Equipe this year.

Ruud also posed for Vogue Scandinavia, where he was the focus of a February spread.

Casper Ruud” />
Photo from Vogue Scandinavia

The month of May saw Jannik Sinner appear on the cover of Sportweek in Italy, while Holger Rune featured in Icon this June in Spain. Also in June, Lorenzo Musetti was on the cover of Undici in Italy.

 

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Going back to January, a collection of young stars were highlighted in GQ as “the new golden age of tennis”. Among those featured and photographed were Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Matteo Berrettini, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Ruud and Rune.

 

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Watch this space — and your local newsstands — to keep tabs as more ATP stars step into the fashion spotlight.

The celebrity recognition continues to pour in for rapidly rising American Christopher Eubanks.

After the 27-year-old won his first-round match at the Atlanta Open on Tuesday, he met with 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton. The quarterback enjoyed the recent Wimbledon quarter-finalist’s victory.

“That was cool, that was cool. I knew he was coming [but] when I got on court, I didn’t know he was going to be there right at 7, which was really cool,” Eubanks said. “I looked up as soon as we walked on court and I could see, he’s a very distinguishable figure obviously. So when I looked up and I saw him I was like ‘Wow, he actually came.’ So that was really, really cool.”

Earlier this year, actor Jamie Foxx and another NFL star, Chad Johnson, watched Eubanks battle to the quarter-finals in Miami.

Less than a month ago, the American claimed his first ATP Tour title in Mallorca before enjoying a dream run to the last eight at Wimbledon, which captured the attention of new fans throughout the world.

Eubanks is this week competing for the first time since. On Wednesday evening he will play countryman Brandon Nakashima, the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals champion, in the second round.

Stock market investors looking to build long-term wealth are routinely told that smooth, consistent results over time will deliver better returns than making frequent trades chasing a home run. Time in the market is more important than timing the market, they say.

Tennis, however, has a way of rewarding volatility, and players typically have a 52-week time horizon (for rankings purposes) rather than a multi-year focus. Get hot during a few key weeks of the year and you can walk away with big paydays and a bunch of Pepperstone ATP Rankings points critical for tournament entry, seedings and year-end contract bonuses.

In 2022, Taylor Fritz caught fire at key moments and won three titles, including his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells and the ATP 500 in Tokyo (on the back of a week of hotel isolation due to Covid-19 protocols). He also qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

In 2023 the Californian is on pace to top the 46-match wins tally of last season, but he has just one title to show for his year and he has some work to do to hold onto his place in the Top 10 after reaching a career-high No. 5 in March. Boasting 34 wins year to date, Fritz has gone deep in many tournaments, but has reached just one final, at February’s Delray Beach Open, which marked his fifth career crown.

“The Tour doesn’t reward consistency as much as it does kind of going boom or bust, winning titles and losing in the first round,” Fritz said.

“I started this year pretty strong and I’ve had more consistent results than last year. I’ve put myself a lot deeper in a lot of tournaments this year but I’ve just kind of let some matches slip away that I maybe didn’t let happen last year… if I won a couple of matches I would just go on and win the tournament, which is very rewarding rankings-wise.”

As he begins his North American hard-court campaign at the Atlanta Open, the 25-year-old sits ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He is setting himself for a big push to gather points during one of his favourite swings of the year to strengthen his claim for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals  for the second consecutive year.

“I’m nine in the Race, which is pretty encouraging because I feel like I’ve
underperformed a lot and can do way better,” the Netflix Break Point star said. “With the many big matches I’ve lost, I think it’s encouraging for the rest of the year.

“I just need to play stronger in the big moments in the big matches. I’m just kind of just letting those get away from me.

“Success can come at random times. My biggest points tournament so far this year is Monte-Carlo on clay, which I wouldn’t expect. Obviously hard courts are very good for me. It’s going to take a big result, perhaps a final or a win at a Masters 1000 or a title in Washington and Atlanta to push higher. That’s what I’m looking for.”

Fritz’s recent run during the grass season, where he won just two of five matches, has marked the only time during his 2023 campaign that he has suffered a string of early-round defeats. But after a strong training block after Wimbledon, Fritz is well positioned to do some damage during the hard-court swing according to coach Michael Russell.

“We’re looking to have a good hard-court season coming up. He trained really hard after Wimbledon, and I think that’s given him a lot of motivation,” Russell said.

“On the grass the margins are so fine; a few of the matches he lost were so close. It can come down to a couple of tie-breaks and a couple of shots. But in general, I feel that he’s been playing well and his fitness is getting better, which is the main thing. He needs to be stronger, more explosive.”

Top-seeded Fritz plays his opening-round match at the Atlanta Open Thursday against China’s Wu Yibing.

Stan Wawrinka earned victory on his return to the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Wednesday, moving past Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round.

Competing at the ATP 250 clay-court event for the first time since 2007, the 38-year-old won 77 per cent (23/30) of his first-serve points to advance after 63 minutes.

Wawrinka, who lifted the trophy in Umag in 2006, will next play Federico Coria. The Argentine Coria beat Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 57 minutes.

In other action, seventh-seeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the third round, while Alexei Popyrin overcame Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the same stage.

Spaniard Jaume Munar reached the second round, downing Gstaad runner-up Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. He will next meet Hungarian Fabian Marozsan after the World No. 87 beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-2. Marozsan shocked World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Rome earlier this season.

Croatian wild card Dino Prizmic continued to carry home hopes in Umag. The 17-year-old, who is the reigning Roland Garros boys’ singles champion, earned his second tour-level win when he defeated Hungarian Zsombor Piros 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round.

The world’s best will compete at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, which is the fifth largest professional tennis event in the United States and the only combined ATP-WTA 500 level tennis tournament in the world. Co-founded by Arthur Ashe, Donald Dell, and John A. Harris, the tournament is the fourth-longest running pro tennis event in the U.S. and the longest-running tournament in a public park.

Among those in action at this year’s edition are Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andy Murray and wild cards Kei Nishikori, Gael Monfils and Kevin Anderson

Here is everything you need to know about the hard-court tournament:

When is the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The 2023 Mubadala Citi DC Open will be held from 31 July-6 August. The hard-court ATP 500 tournament, established in 1969, will take place at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, located in Washington, D.C. The tournament director is Dani Vallverdu. 

Who is playing at the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The Mubadala Citi DC Open will feature stars including Fritz, Tiafoe, Auger-Aliassime, Murray, Nishikori, Monfils and Anderson.

When is the draw for the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The Washington, D.C. draw will be made Friday, 28 July at 12 p.m. local time.

What is the schedule for the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

*Qualifying: Saturday, 29 July – Sunday, 30 July at 10 a.m.
*Main Draw: Monday, 31 July – Saturday, August 5; TBD and 7 p.m.
*Doubles Final: Sunday, 6 August at 12 p.m.
*Singles Final: Sunday, 6 August at 5 p.m.
*View On Official Website

What is the prize money and points for the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The prize money for the Mubadala Citi DC Open is $2,013,940 and the Total Financial Commitment is $2,178,980.

SINGLES
Winner: $353,445 / 500 points
Finalist: $188,505 / 300 points
Semi-finalist: $97,785 / 180 points
Quarter-finalist: $51,055 / 90 points
Round of 16: $26,905 / 45 points
Round of 32: $14,725 / 20 points
Round of 48: $7,855 / 0 points

DOUBLES ($ per team)
Winner: $123,700 / 500 points
Finalist: $65,980 / 300 points
Semi-finalist: $33,380 / 180 points
Quarter-finalist: $16,690 / 90 points
Round of 16: $8,640 / 0 points

How can I watch the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule

How can I follow the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

Hashtag: #MubadalaCitiDCOpen
Facebook: Mubadala Citi DC Open
Twitter: @mubadalacitidc
Instagram: @mubadalacitidcopen

Who won the last edition of the Mubadala Citi DC Open in 2022?

Nick Kyrgios won the 2022 Mubadala Citi DC Open title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Yoshihito Nishioka in the championship match (Read More). Kyrgios completed the Washington, D.C. sweep by partnering Jack Sock to lift the doubles trophy, defeating Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-4 in the final (Read More).

Who holds the Mubadala Citi DC Open record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Most Titles, Singles: Andre Agassi (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (4)
Oldest Champion: Ken Rosewall, 36, in 1971
Youngest Champion: Andy Roddick, 18, in 2001
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Jimmy Connors in 1976, 1978, Ivan Lendl in 1987 and Andre Agassi in 1995.
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 117 David Nalbandian in 2010
Last Home Champion: Andy Roddick (2007)
Most Match Wins: Andre Agassi (44)

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown