The morning after winning Wimbledon, Carlos Alcaraz’s telephone is still ringing off the hook. Messages continue to flood in on WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter; everyone from Serena Williams to Will Smith, Fernando Alonso, Michael Phelps, Naomi Osaka, Ben Stiller and Sebastián Yatra, have sent their congratulations to the new champ.

However, there is one message that stands out from the rest; that of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, one of the 20-year-old’s heroes.

“Congratulations on the win!”, the Mallorcan wrote to the new Wimbledon champion. “Enjoy it because these moments are magical and unique,” added the Spanish star, who also sent Alcaraz a message before the final to wish him luck for his clash with Djokovic.

Enhorabuena @carlosalcaraz . Nos has dado una alegría inmensa hoy y seguro que nuestro pionero en el tenis español, Manolo Santana, también ha estado animando allá dónde esté como de Wimbledon al que hoy te has unido.
Un abrazo muy fuerte y a disfrutar del momento ¡¡¡Campeón!!!… pic.twitter.com/y0j2GowX3O

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) July 16, 2023

This is the new reality of the World No. 1, and it is one that will continue to grow with every new conquest. On Sunday, during the final against Djokovic, Brad Pitt, Emma Watson, Rachel Weiss, Daniel Craig, James Norton and King Felipe VI of Spain were among the spectators on Centre Court, enjoying the title match.

“I’m not used to it!” explains Alcaraz on Monday morning, his Wimbledon trophy sitting on the windowsill. “When you’re playing in the match you don’t realise so many people have gone to see it. Of course, I saw the King of Spain, but not many others. Once everything was over, I was looking at my phone and I couldn’t believe so many artists were at the final supporting and watching tennis.”

In the house Alcaraz and his loved ones have stayed in during the two weeks of Wimbledon, just a few metres from the All England Club, the Spaniard’s family are packing their bags while most of his team climb in to an official car to the airport. It is the day after the historic final, and many are keen to return home as soon as possible after a long night of celebrations and almost an entire month in London.

“We finished very late, so I haven’t had much time to rest,” explained Alcaraz, who despite everything is showing no visible signs of tiredness. “This morning I’ve had things to do from early, but I’m fine, I’m still on cloud nine. I think I’ll be there for many days. Winning Wimbledon is a dream come true, it’ll be hard to come down from the clouds.”

Alcaraz started his ascent to those clouds in September last year, when he won his first Grand Slam at the US Open, becoming the youngest No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history in the process. It seems impossible, but at just 20 years of age, he has already won 12 titles, including Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid (twice), the US Open and Wimbledon.

“Everything’s going very fast,” agreed the Spaniard. “I’m achieving my dreams at breakneck speed. A lot of things are happening to me in a short space of time, but I’m working very hard for it. I’ve sacrificed certain things to be in my current position. This is how things have turned out and it’s wonderful. Achieving the dreams I’ve had since I was little, at 20 years of age.”

Even though things are going lightning fast, Alcaraz is doing nothing to stop it. Quite the opposite. He is working harder than ever to ensure things do not change, and the results are there for everyone to see. After losing his Roland Garros semi-final to Djokovic, where he was unable to compete as he would like in the third and fourth sets due to the cramps that were caused by his nerves, the Spaniard promised to do just what he always has: to learn for next time. And he proved he had done just that at Wimbledon.

“I’m a guy who learns from his mistakes,” said Alcaraz. “When I do something wrong, I try to learn from it so that next time it doesn’t happen again. Before the match, I handled it differently, I prepared differently,” he added. “I also approached the match from a different angle. I think that was how I was able to hold on and beat Djokovic. It really helped me, that kind of resistance is purely mental.”

That mental strength was never more evident than in the fifth set, when the Spaniard sat on his bench before serving for the championship.

“I was trying to be calm and serene,” admits Alcaraz. “Keeping my mind blank. When I got up, I felt butterflies in my stomach and my legs. It’s difficult to handle. I thought about getting the first serve in and… I was thinking in my head that it was normal to feel nervous closing out the match,” he added, before revealing something else that crossed his mind; the two match points Roger Federer had in 2019 to win Wimbledon, which Djokovic saved heroically before taking down the Swiss.

“I’ve watched a lot of tennis,” explained the Spaniard. “For someone like Federer to lose that final… I think that’s so tough. I told myself: ‘Please, don’t let that happen to you. Do whatever it takes.’ But I did think about it at that moment.”

Then, of course, came the sweet moment of triumph; match point, victory, joy.

“Probably the best moment was after winning,” said Alcaraz. “When it was over, I wasn’t thinking, my mind was blank, I simply went through the motions: I threw myself to the ground and just wanted to hug my team, celebrate it with my people. My mind didn’t say ‘Wow, I’ve won Wimbledon, I’ve achieved my dream.’ It was simply a question of going through the motions.”

Despite having beaten Djokovic in the fifth set of the Wimbledon final, the Murcia native is in no doubt that this does not mark the beginning of a new era.

“No, no,” he replied assuredly. “As long as Rafa and Djokovic are still playing there can’t be a change of era. When they retire, then maybe we can talk about it again, but now is not the time. As I always say, I don’t play for anyone, just for myself, for my family and my team. I don’t do it so that a new era starts. I try to avoid people’s expectations, because that’s more pressure. If I pay attention to all of that… After the match my feeling is that I’m ready to handle these kinds of situations, to play epic matches with great legends on the big stages.”

The fierce lefty serve of Dominic Stricker proved crucial to the outcome of an all-#NextGenATP clash Tuesday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, where the home favourite edged Arthur Fils 7-6(4), 7-6(4).

The 20-year-old Stricker won 82 per cent (36/44) of points behind his first delivery to hold off his French rival in one-hour, 44-minutes. It was a first ATP Tour victory of the season for the Swiss, who arrived at the Alpine clay-court ATP 250 at a career-high No. 106 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

With his victory, Stricker solidified seventh place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race. The 19-year-old Fils remains in fourth, as both chase a spot at the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals. Stricker, who reached the semi-finals at the 21-and-under event last year, next plays second seed Miomir Kecmanovic in his homeland.

Stricker’s countyman Stan Wawrinka also reached the second round in Gstaad. The former World No. 3 led Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1, 3-1 when the Spanish sixth seed was forced to retire.

Wawrinka is competing in Gstaad for the first time since 2013. The 38-year-old, who reached the final in the Swiss Alps in 2005, will play Jaume Munar in the second round.

In other Tuesday action, South American trio Facundo Bagnis, Pedro Cachin and Juan Pablo Varillas all enjoyed first-round victories. Argentine qualifier Bagnis battled past Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 for his first ATP Tour win on clay since July 2022. The 33-year-old next meets Varillas, who eased past Otto Virtanen 6-2, 6-3.

Bagnis’ countryman Cachin beat Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-1 to set a second-round meeting with top seed Roberto Bautista Agut, while Albert Ramos-Vinolas outlasted wild card Fabio Fognini 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 to book a showdown with Lorenzo Sonego.

Just over 24 hours after wowing Wimbledon with his stunning championship match victory against Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz lit up the city of Turin on Monday night.

An image of the 20-year-old Spaniard was projected onto the historic Mole Antonelliana, the landmark building of the Italian city, to announce his qualification for the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals. Alcaraz is the first player to qualify for this year’s edition of the prestigious season-ending event, which will take place at Turin’s Pala Alpitour from 12-19 November.

It is the second consecutive year that Alcaraz has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. He was set to make his debut at the eight-player tournament in 2022 but was forced to withdraw due to injury. Novak Djokovic ultimately triumphed for a record-equalling sixth crown, defeating Casper Ruud in the final to draw level with Roger Federer’s title tally.

Alcaraz’s victory at Wimbledon on Sunday afternoon ensured he stopped Djokovic from usurping him as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Serbian remains in second place, 730 points behind Alcaraz, in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. With both players enjoying stellar 2023 seasons so far, they remain the frontrunners to become the year-end ATP No. 1 presented by Pepperstone. The battle for that coveted prize could be decided by who shines brightest in November in Turin.

Gabriel Diallo remembers when he began to miss more school to practise tennis and compete in tournaments aged 10. His parents sat him down to explain why he was in a different situation than his friends and classmates.

“They asked me how I felt about it. I thought about it, and I didn’t see it as a sacrifice, because I really enjoyed it,” Diallo told ATPTour.com. “I enjoyed practising and I enjoyed playing.”

From a young age, Diallo dreamt of becoming a professional tennis player. “I always wanted to win Slams. Every kid goes through that phase,” he said.

It was around this time when Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in an unforgettable five-hour, 53-minute Australian Open final in 2012.

“I remember I was trying to play like him and imitate his sliding and just moving and just not missing the ball,” Diallo recalled. “Me and my friends at the time, we were trying to recreate that match, actually.”

Although Diallo has not yet reached that level, he has ascended quickly. The Canadian, whose father is from Guinea and mother is from Ukraine, played college tennis at the University of Kentucky before turning professional at the end of 2022. Last August, he won an ATP Challenger Tour title in Granby, Canada, before reaching another final at that level in Fairfield in October.

This week last year, Diallo was World No. 679 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Now he is World No. 141 and continuing to push forward. On Tuesday, the Canadian will try to earn his first ATP Tour main draw win when he plays former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson in the first round of the Infosys Hall of Fame Open.

“It’s a privilege and it’s a reward for the hard work that me and my team have put in,” Diallo said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to see where my level is at. A guy like him has so much experience and is one of the best players in the world.”

It is not often opponents of Anderson’s come close to the South African in the height department, but both men stand 6’8”.

“It’s a guy that obviously I looked up to because I was always told that I was going to have his size, kind of his body type [being] tall, but can still move and can still play,” Diallo said. “I got everyone. I got Kevin Anderson, I got [Marin] Cilic, I got Milos [Raonic]. Even when I was like 5’10” at 15, people knew that I was going to be tall.”

By 17, Diallo grew to 6’3”. Each year from then on he grew gradually before his growth was complete, according to doctors. Now the Canadian is a powerful presence trying to exert his will on opponents at the top of the sport.

“There’s so many ways to play tennis, there’s guys that feel comfortable moving side to side and just trying to counter attack. There are guys that thrive playing like this. And there are guys that are the complete opposite like me,” Diallo said. “I play my best and I have my most chances when I take my game to my opponent, when I try to disturb as much as I can. Obviously, I’m not trying to give him rhythm. And it’s high risk, but it’s also high reward. So it feels good. I think that’s where I feel my best and when I play my best.”

Although Diallo has surged more than 500 places in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in the past 12 months, he understands that continuing at this pace will not be easy.

“The climb is not always linear. It’s not always going upwards, there’s going to be moments where you’re going to be a little bit more steady, there’s going to be moments where it’s going to go down,” Diallo said. “Obviously last summer and last fall, everything happened really fast and things changed for me. But it’s not the reality of our sport. It’s extremely rare. It’s in rare cases that you just shoot [upwards] nonstop.”

One player who climbed rapidly to the very top of the sport is Felix Auger-Aliassime, another Canadian whose ascent was “really inspiring” to Diallo. Auger-Aliassime’s father, Sam Aliassime, is a former coach of Diallo’s. What did the 21-year-old learn from the father of the Top 15 star?

“I’d say the same as my parents, discipline and hard work. Keeping your head down, no matter the situation,” Diallo said. “When the outcome is unsure, just try your hardest. And respect. It doesn’t really differ from what my parents taught me, but I’d say that this is the main thing that was coming up.”

Off the court, Diallo is like many 21-year-olds. He loves movies and TV shows as well as spending time with his friends and girlfriend. The Canadian also enjoys the beach and swimming as well as eating. His favourites include pizza, a good burger and a nice steak. Diallo will also work remotely towards completing a Bachelor’s Degree in finance beginning next semester. He has just three classes left.

On the court, Diallo has many of the goals you would expect: cracking the world’s Top 100 and playing in the main draw at the majors. But his biggest desire is more philosophical.

“I’d say my dream is really to fulfill my full potential, because obviously, people around me believe that I have a big game and that I can climb up the rankings. But it starts with me,” Diallo said. “I also believe that I have the potential. So I just want to maximise my game and wherever that takes me, I’ll be able to sleep at night, and I’ll be extremely happy and proud of myself.”

Kevin Anderson will make his return to singles action on Tuesday at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport. The South African revealed on Monday evening after his doubles loss alongside Ethan Quinn that a factor in his decision to return from retirement was a visit from Roger Federer.

A couple of months ago, Anderson and a friend enjoyed a casual hit at a local club in Delray Beach. They simply wanted to play tennis and it was the former World No. 5’s first day back on court in about nine months, he said. Coincidentally, Federer was in town visiting his agent Tony Godsick, whose son Nicolas Godsick is a top junior player. The Swiss icon stopped by.

“I was hitting, just me and [my friend] just up and down the middle. And I was like, ‘Man, I’m feeling great,’” Anderson told ATPTour.com. “And at the end of practice, Roger Federer was actually in town, visiting. He came out to the courts and it was really a pretty profound experience. For me, I feel like looking back at my career, I was always pretty intimidated by some of the top guys.

“I think coming from South Africa and not really being exposed to some of the best players in the world, I always was a little bit intimidated. And it was really interesting, because, in the first few minutes of our conversation, I felt that same sort of uneasiness, I felt very shifty.”

In that moment, Anderson decided that was not the sensation he was supposed to be having. Always known as one of the most professional, diligent players on the ATP Tour, the South African had often found himself not fully enjoying similar moments.

“I kind of made a concerted effort to change that and things like that. You don’t really know what’s going to come your way, and that has really been a big learning experience for me,” Anderson said. “Had I been able to do [my career] over, I probably would have not spent maybe as many hours on myself in the practice court, but interacting or putting myself in situations. I ended up having a great conversation with Roger and for the first time, I felt just really at ease and [was] having a normal conversation.

“It was fascinating listening to him, arguably the best player of all time in terms of his ball striking, and just hearing the insights he had, it was a really cool experience. I didn’t really put that together [in terms of coming back]. I think before that I was kind of thinking of, ‘Maybe I should come back.’”

The 37-year-old’s most recent tournament was last year’s Miami Open presented by Itau. Anderson then announced his retirement in May 2022. A major reason behind the decision was physical pain.

Now the South African feels well physically and in terms of striking the ball, it took little time for him to recover his rhythm once he decided to ramp up towards a return.

“Up and down the middle, almost immediately, I felt like I hadn’t missed a beat. That’s the thing, I’ve played tennis my whole life, and I was moving well, and for me, the biggest thing in that environment is [there is] very little stress. I’m relaxed, I’m loose, I’m really using all of my capabilities,” Anderson said. “I think that sometimes overlooked in professional sports and just using tennis, [it is about] how much can you extract? And the reality is… let’s take the top of the world, especially Novak, Rafa and Roger, and people always say they raise their levels. I actually disagree with that. I feel that they’re able to use the abilities that they have in crazy moments, and the biggest moments in the finals of Grand Slams, and they’re just so present. I think that’s what’s really separated them.”

Anderson has put a focus on his mental approach and his attitude towards his work. For years, he has always tried to squeeze even the smallest percentage of improvement from his game.

“I never gave myself, I think, enough trust and belief for just how good [of] a tennis player I was. I think you do need to put in the work and the hours, but you also need to know when you’ve done that, and have that belief that you’ve got it and you kind of have to let go and just trust the process a little bit,” Anderson said. “And for me, that was my biggest challenge. And I think I only realised that really once I retired from the sport.”

The seven-time ATP Tour titlist climbed as high as No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and competed in the Nitto ATP Finals. He also earned at least one victory against each of Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Although he has had thoughts about wanting to work harder to further improve his progress during his comeback, Anderson has given himself more of a break than he would have in the past.

“I love working hard, so it’s sometimes tougher for me,” Anderson said. “But that’s just one of many sorts of things I’ve come across and lessons I’m trying to learn still. So I think that’s why it’s just been a really useful experience.”

Throughout Anderson’s career, he explained that emotionally and mentally, the intensity of competition “was a lot”. He hopes to focus on growing from his experiences as a player and a person as he makes his return.

“Coming back now, honestly, there’s a lot of uncertainties. I don’t have a ranking, I’m relying on potentially getting a few wild cards during the summer. So I’m going to come out and compete, for sure,” Anderson said. “But to be honest, the result isn’t my primary goal. The primary goal is really to learn through this process. There’ll be a lot of different challenges to face along the way that I’m really kind of keeping my eyes focussed on and there’s a lot of experiences that you come across and as much as you can keep learning from them, I think that’s one of the keys.

“That’s what I try to do, so that’s what I’ll be doing as much as I can as long as I have some opportunities to keep playing.”

Rinky Hijikata continued his charge towards the world’s Top 100 on Monday with a straight-sets win in Newport.

The Australian defeated Abdullah Shelbayh 6-3, 6-4 without losing serve to reach the second round of the Infosys Hall of Fame Open.

“It’s great. It’s my first time playing here and I was really looking forward to it,” Hijikata said. “I’ve heard great things about the tournament and then to get to play on centre court my first match here was pretty cool. And I was very, very happy to get through the match today.”

The 22-year-old climbed to No. 110 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with his victory. Hijikata, who advanced to his first ATP Tour singles semi-final last month in ’s-Hertogenbosch, saved the only break point he faced on the Rhode Island grass.

“I’ve said it a lot before but I love playing on the grass,” said Hijikata, who will next play second seed Adrian Mandarin. “Any tournament that’s on the grass, I feel at home and I’m pumped to play. I’m stoked that I got through my first round and I have the chance to play hopefully another match and maybe a couple more.”

Hijikata’s countryman, seventh seed Jordan Thompson, ousted American Aleksandar Vukic 6-0, 6-1. Thompson has made both his previous ATP Tour finals (’s-Hertogenbosch in 2019 and 2023) on grass.

In other action, Liam Broady defeated Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1, 7-5 and Corentin Moutet eliminated University of Texas college standout Eliot Spizzirri 7-6(7), 6-0.

Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta has an interesting take on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“It’s like a jungle!” Diaz Acosta told ATPTour.com. “The Challenger Tour is so, so tough. Everyone can beat everyone. Maybe one week you do good, the next week you lose first round. Maybe [a player ranked] 200 can beat a Top 100 player. That makes you stronger, you have to have a very good mindset or else you will stay there and not pass it.”

Though it may be a ‘jungle’, the 22-year-old has excelled at the Challenger level this year. Diaz Acosta is one of four players to earn three Challenger titles this season, joining Andy Murray, Matteo Arnaldi, and Max Purcell. Diaz Acosta’s triumph at this month’s Milan Challenger helped him crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time Monday, when he climbed to World No. 97.

Welcome to the club, @Facudiazacosta 💯#ATPChallenger | @AATenis pic.twitter.com/tH5ww438Db

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 17, 2023

“It’s something that every tennis player wants to achieve, so I’m very happy for that,” Diaz Acosta said of his Top 100 debut. “It’s tough to keep this level all through the years, obviously I have to keep improving. I cannot just be happy and stay sitting down like, ‘I’m Top 100!’ because then everyone will pass me.

“I think it came faster than I thought. I started the year like 200 and three months ago I was 150. I don’t know if I expected it too soon, I was practising good and playing good. In practises, I was playing with Top 100 guys and I was beating them, so I knew I had the level and I just had to compete better.”

Sure, the Buenos Aires native’s hard work has reaped a career-high ranking. But it has not been without difficulty. Diaz Acosta has had to sacrifice precious time at home, often being thousands of miles away from his loved ones while travelling on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“You have to be in Europe for a long time, away from your family and friends, away from sleeping in your bed! It’s kind of tough. In my case, I’ve been here for around three months so I’m starting to get a little tired,” Diaz Acosta said. “Every South American player goes to Europe a lot and if you have good weeks, you cannot go home because it’s like 12 hours and too expensive to go home for one week.

“It’s tough, but I think it makes us stronger mentally because when you’re here in Europe, you don’t want to lose a match and then do nothing. Maybe if you play back home, you play a tournament then you say, ‘Okay, I lost and I’m a little tired, I’ll go back home!’ It’s tough, I’ve been in Europe for three months and I miss my family, friends, all of my life in Buenos Aires.”

If there’s any plus from being away from home, perhaps it is that Diaz Acosta does not have to fight the temptation of the endless chocolate that sits around his house.

“My mother [Cecilia] is in the marketing part of a chocolate company, so we have plenty of chocolate at home,” Diaz Acosta said. “I wake up and I have chocolate right there so I’m like, ‘Okay, I have to be strong!’ There’s always chocolate. It’s tough. Mentally I’m so strong with chocolate.”

Fans can catch the Argentine in action this week at the Van Mossel KIA Dutch Open in Amersfoort, Netherlands, where he is the top seed and will open against Frenchman Ugo Blanchet. All ATP Challenger Tour matches are available to watch live and on demand on Challenger TV at no cost.