^{Alex de Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic visit Sydney Harbour.}

^{Alexander Zverev hits on Tuesday in Sydney.}

^{Nick Kyrgios training on Tuesday in Sydney.}

^{Petra Kvitova trains in Sydney.}

^{Team Italy in Brisbane on Tuesday ahead of the United Cup.}

^{Jessica Pegula of Team United States and Harriet Dart of Team Great Britain hit together in Sydney.}

^{Team Australia visits Sydney Harbour.}

Photo Credit: TENNIS AUSTRALIA

Alex de Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic are among the stars leading Team Australia at the inaugural United Cup this week in Sydney. However, before play begins at the Ken Rosewall Arena on Thursday, the host nation took the opportunity to swap the practice courts for the city when they visited Campbells Cove on Tuesday.

De Minaur, Tomljanovic, Jason Kubler and Zoe Hives shared smiles and jokes before they posed for photos by the Sydney Harbour Bridge ahead of the 11-day event.

“We thrive playing for our country, representing the green and gold,” de Minaur said. “There is always a lot of passion and pride and it is a great time of the year. We are in the Aussie summer, ready to start 2023. There is no better place to be.”

“Aussies thrive in team competitions,” Tomljanovic said. “You see with the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, we made finals and I don’t think many people would have picked us to be in the last two standing.

“When I played for Australia for the first time, the camaraderie and the vibe of the team over that week was great. We see each other a lot during the year but don’t get to talk much. But when we come together it is like we have never left, so it is something in the culture.”

The United Cup, a mixed-teams event consisting of 18 nations, will be contested in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, with four countries advancing to the knockout stage in Sydney. Each United Cup tie will comprise two men’s and two women’s singles matches and one mixed doubles match to be played across two days, with the tournament running from 29 December-8 January.

Team Australia, spearheaded by Nick Kyrgios, will start its title quest against Team Great Britain on Thursday evening. Team Spain, led by Rafael Nadal and Paula Badosa, are also in Group D.

“It is exciting,” de Minaur said. “It is a new event in tennis. Innovating in this great sport and I think it will bring a new audience. We have a tough group, but we are happy being the underdogs. We just have to give it our all, that’s all we can ask for ourselves.”

Photo Credits: TENNIS AUSTRALIA

If you’ve never tuned into the ATP Challenger Tour, make it your new year’s resolution to watch the game’s brightest young stars this upcoming season.

One week from now, the Challenger Tour will begin its 46th year. This season, set to begin 2 January, will introduce innovations and enhancements that will strengthen the experience for players, spectators, and tournament hosts.

Key changes to this upcoming season, which were announced in September, include a projected 195 events, multi-million dollar prize money increases, and an optimised tournament calendar.

Total prize money on the Challenger Tour will rise from $13.2 million in 2022 to a record $21.1 million in 2023, an increase of 60 per cent. Round-by-round prize money distributions will improve earnings in the earlier rounds of tournaments.

Improvements will also see the Challenger Tour closely align with the ATP Tour and deliver a better balance of tournaments in both surface types and regions. The new enhancements will help create a more sustainable player pathway for more players competing on the Challenger Tour.

In addition to the four core tournament categories (50, 75, 100, 125), ATP will introduce three new premium Challenger 175 tournaments, which will be held during the second week of ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Rome, and Madrid.

“The Challenger Tour is the launchpad of men’s professional tennis,” said ATP Tour Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi. “[This] is a critical step forward for the entire ecosystem. The new plan increases earnings potential for players and improves the balance of tournament categories, surfaces and regions. It also puts a renewed focus on raising tournament standards. Our team is committed to delivering further enhancements in the coming months and years.”

The Challenger Tour season will begin with five tournaments during opening week, including events in Australia, New Caledonia, Thailand, Argentina, and Portugal.

When Alex de Minaur found out about the United Cup launching in Australia this summer, he didn’t have to think twice about signing up. “For me, there is no greater honour than to represent your country,” the World No. 24 said.

“It’s another chance, another opportunity to do everything I can to hopefully get a win for Australia. I’ll make sure I’m ready to go and ready to give it my all.”

De Minaur got an early look at conditions on Ken Rosewall Arena during a practice session under the watchful eye of Tony Roche on Friday.

Australia has landed in a strong Group D, alongside Spain and Great Britain, for the round-robin stage of the mixed team event. “It’s going to be great for us to really test ourselves and have great matches before the Australian Open,” said De Minaur, who won a career-high 47 singles matches this season. It’s going to be tough, but we like being the underdogs. Hopefully we can push each other, have each other’s backs, come out with some great tennis and do Australia proud.”

Australia performed strongly in team competitions during 2022, reaching the finals of both the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup for the first time in almost three decades. De Minaur believes these results prove that Australia is a United Cup contender.

“(We have) shown how tough we are, how much it means to play for Australia and how much pride we have in representing the green and gold,” he said. “We might not have people in the top 20, but we are still out there making finals in both Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup.”

De Minaur is also thrilled that the Australian team is competing in his birth city of Sydney. “I’m looking forward to being back in Sydney, back on the courts I grew up on. It will be good to play in front of an Aussie crowd again,” said the 23-year-old.

“To get the chance to represent our country here at home in Australia is going to be great. It would obviously mean a lot if we can do some damage and take home the title, especially in front of our home crowd.”

De Minaur admits there are some nerves about the prospect of playing mixed doubles. “That would definitely be a new thing for me. I’d be potentially making my debut on the mixed doubles court,” he explained. “Who knows if that will happen? We’ve got a lot of great options on the team, so we’ll keep our opponents guessing until the last second.”

Regardless of whether he is selected to play mixed doubles or not, De Minaur is excited to join Australia’s top-ranked women in a team environment for the first time.

“It should be a lot of fun,” he said. “Us Aussies tend to stick together throughout the year anyway. This will be an even bigger chance for us to have each other’s backs and really be a tight-knit group. I think that’s the whole basis for a team to do well, so we’ll definitely be very strong in the team chemistry aspect.”

Denis Shapovalov spent his preseason training with one extra-special team member, fostering a dog named Merlin from the Humane Society of Manatee County.

The Canadian is a strong supporter of the HSMC shelter through his initiative Shapo Shelter, which helps bring awareness to shelter animals in need of good homes. Shapovalov often visits HSMC when he’s in Bradenton to visit with the animals they’ve rescued and show his support to all the staff for the amazing work they do, with many cats and dogs available for adoption.

Merlin, who has been at the shelter for over a year, was able to take a break from stressful shelter life and enjoy some time with Shapovalov, his girlfriend Mirjam Bjorklund and the rest of Team Shapo while the World No. 18 got ready for the 2023 season.

“Merlin is one of the most well-behaved dogs I’ve seen, way better than my dogs in Toronto,” said Shapovalov. “He’s learns really quickly too — like we told him to go up and down the stairs slowly, and so he’s been doing that. We have cameras inside the house and he just stays by the door and waits for us. He’s also just been a shadow for us. He follows us around and seems like he just wants to please us. We really love him and are hoping he finds his forever home soon!” 

Shapovalov also did a fundraiser on Cameo, doing video shoutouts for fans and raising over $2,500 that will go directly to the HSMC to support the great work they do all year.

Renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who has worked with stars including Serena Williams and Simona Halep, recalls meeting Holger Rune when the Dane was 13. His first impression of Rune’s game was that he was an all-court player with no strokes that stood out.

“The fact that he was doing so well in terms of results got my interest because there is always a reason for that,” Mouratoglou, who is Rune’s coach alongside Lars Christensen, told ATPTour.com. “I remember seeing him play points with guys and I thought ‘Oh, okay. I get it now.’

That ‘it’ was not related to technique or his strokes at all. It was an intangible.

“Some guys have this competitiveness that is at another level. They are able to play their best when it’s important,” Mouratoglou said. “They’re able to feel the moment when the guy is more stressed on the other side and keep the ball in the court and let the guy make the mistakes. Feel when is the moment to push and accelerate.”

Mouratoglou remembers discussing that with Rune and his team, including Christensen and mother Aneke Rune. His passion stood out.

“I could feel how much it was burning inside, which is quite rare to have. It’s funny because I’m in touch with a lot of young players as you can imagine at my academy and I always ask them about their hobbies,” Mouratoglou said. “A lot of guys say, ‘Oh, I love to do this and that.’ I say, ‘Do you watch some tennis?’ And they say, ‘Oh no, I play tennis all day, I’m not going to watch tennis.’ I always think it’s sad. I don’t judge, but to go to the top of the game, I think you have to be a bit obsessed with what you’re doing, whether you’re a musician, an actor or a tennis player.”

Rune, the Newcomer of the Year in the 2022 ATP Awards, also has great self-belief. When he walks on court, regardless of who his opponent is, he believes he can win. Mouratoglou said that has been present from the beginning.

“First he had an incredible belief in his ability to reach his dreams, which is not something very common because a lot of players are full of doubt and they don’t dare dreaming really and believing that they can do it. He believed 100 per cent,” Mouratoglou said. “Second, he was all about tennis. He’s coming to the tennis, he’s doing all the things and whenever he has free time he watches tennis. He thinks tennis, he’s really obsessed with the sport and I think that’s what makes the greats great and all the greats we all know, they are the same. They are really, really passionate.”

A prime example of Rune’s self-belief came at the 2021 US Open, where the Dane was making his Grand Slam debut. Novak Djokovic was trying to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam, and Rune was his first opponent.

“My goal is not just to play here,” Rune told ATPTour.com ahead of their first-round clash. “My goal is to win this tournament, even many times.”

“First of all if you don’t believe you are going to win, you can play 10 times better than the other guy, you’re not going to win,” Mouratoglou said. “And it’s easy to say, it’s not easy to really do.”

According to Mouratoglou, it makes him think back to a story about Djokovic he always tells.

“There was a time when there were two guys who were on top of the world, Roger and Rafa. They were winning everything. We all remember this period, everything. All the Top 10s at that time were saying privately, ‘[It is] impossible to win a Grand Slam, we can’t beat those guys. They’re just too good,’” Mouratoglou said. “Novak arrived, he was 19. First time he played Roger in a Grand Slam he was interviewed the day before and he said, ‘I’m going to beat him.’ I remember the press people were tough on him. ‘Oh, who does he think he is?’ This guy, he just believed in himself.

“He didn’t win that match, but he happened to finally win many against them and become No. 1 in the world. So I think this is a really special thing. The immense majority of the players don’t believe and even if they believe at some point, their belief is not very strong. So when they hit the wall one, two, three times, they stop believing.”

Mouratoglou believes that the players who reach the top of the sport have “a really, really strong belief in their ability to beat the best and become the best”. That is why he likes Rune’s mental approach.

“I love this attitude and it’s not disrespect at all because he has the highest respect for those champions,” Mouratoglou said. “But he believes in his abilities and it’s a great thing and he should 100 per cent keep that.”

The ATP Challenger Tour held no shortage of historic moments this season. From crowning champions who went on to showcase their talent at the season’s most prestigious events, to Argentina’s record-setting 23 titles, or Li Tu’s emotional victory in Seoul.

As the 2023 season approaches, ATPTour.com reviews five memorable moments from the ATP Challenger Tour this year.

ATP Tour and Challenger Tour Champions
Six players, including Borna Coric and Holger Rune, claimed titles on the Challenger Tour and at a Tour-level tournament.

Coric, who won the Parma Challenger in June, upset three Top-10 players en route to winning the title in Cincinnati to become the first player since 1993 to win a Challenger and an ATP Masters 1000 title in the same season. And then it was the Danish teen’s turn in Bercy.

Rune, 19, claimed the Sanremo Challenger in April before rising to three Tour-level titles, including the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris.

Four other men were also crowned champions at both levels: Yoshihito Nishioka, Marc-Andrea Huesler, Francisco Cerundolo, and Lorenzo Musetti.

Lorenzo Musetti is crowned champion at the 2022 Forli-6 Challenger. Credit: Riccardo Lolli

Argentina’s Record-Setting 23 Titles
Heading into this season, the previous record for most Challengers by a single country in a season, 20, had been reached four times (France in 2005, Argentina in 2007, 2016, 2021). After tying the record for a third time in 2021, Argentine players set their sights on attempting to stand alone at the top of the Challenger Tour record books. After breaking the record in late October, Argentine players added two more trophies and finished with 23 Challenger titles in 2022.

Pedro Cachin, 27, held a season-leading four Challenger titles (tied w/ Jack Draper) and was the only Argentine who captured more than two titles this season. Cachin, World No. 57, won titles in Madrid, Prague, Todi, and Santo Domingo.

“Most Challenger titles in a year is incredible.” Cachin said. “It’s amazing to have such an opportunity for all the players to be a part of something special like that. It is not easy for our players to travel the world, going very far from home, but to have this achievement makes it all worth it.

Pedro Cachin in action at the Santo Domingo Challenger final. Credit: David A. Martinez

“Especially for the younger guys, to see that Argentina has the ability and potential to win many titles. Hopefully this will increase the enthusiasm of players from Argentina to play this great sport. For us, it is a privilege to be a part of this great moment. The guys have worked hard and their talent is now showing.”

Li Tu Dedicates Challenger Title To His Late Mother
The Australian’s journey to the ATP Challenger Tour has been a unique trek. In 2014, Tu was finding success at the junior level, but the-then 18-year-old decided to put his racquets away to pursue a college degree and a coaching business, resulting in a six-year hiatus from professional tennis.

If it wasn’t for Tu’s close friend having a heart-to-heart conversation with him two years ago, he may have never returned to professional tennis and enjoyed the success he’s found this year.

After suffering the loss of his mother in September, Tu travelled to South Korea the day after her funeral. Little did he know what the Korean Challenger swing had in store for him.

Li Tu wins the 2022 Seoul Challenger. Credit: Do Won Kim

At the Seoul Challenger, which was Tu’s seventh Challenger appearance, the 26-year-old advanced through qualifying en route to his maiden title. Tu dedicated the victory to his mother, who would’ve celebrated her birthday the day after his title.

Shang Juncheng Rescues Ballkid
The Chinese teen and American Stefan Dostanic were locked in a three-set battle in scorching temperatures in the American state of Kentucky when Shang noticed a ballkid, Atharva Dang, in distress.

After asking Atharva if he was okay, Shang exclaimed, “He’s going to faint!” Immediately, Shang set his racquet down and assisted the overheated boy, lifting him into his arms and rushing him behind the umpire’s chair and out of the direct sunlight. After setting him down in the shade, Shang gave a bottle of water to Atharva and placed an ice-pack behind his head.

Shang Juncheng and ballkid Atharva Dang at the Lexington Challenger. Credit: Rena Behr

The day after that moment of sportsmanship, Shang and the ballkid reunited for a picture. While Dang competed in a local tournament that weekend, the Beijing native was crowned champion at the Lexington Challenger. Shang became the youngest player to win a Challenger title since Carlos Alcaraz at Alicante in 2020 and the youngest Chinese champion in Challenger Tour history.

Shelbayh Secures History
At the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s, 18-year-old Abdullah Shelbayh became the first player from Jordan to win a match in ATP Challenger Tour history.

“It’s surreal,” Shelbayh said following his victory over top-seeded Dominic Stricker. “To do something for your country is a big achievement. I come from a small country where tennis is not a big sport and to do that, it means a lot to me to be in the history of my country. I actually never thought about that entering the match, but it feels amazing. I hope many players from Jordan show their talent in the near future and I can inspire them as much as possible.”

Abdullah Shelbayh celebrates his first Challenger Tour win. Credit: Alvaro Diaz/Rafa Nadal Academy

Although his first Challenger win came far from his Jordan home, it was only fitting it came at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where Shelbayh has trained since he was 14-years-old.

The Academy graduate was a semi-finalist at the Mallorca Challenger, where he lost to Zizou Bergs.

Sven Swinnen still remembers the first time he watched Dominic Stricker play. The lefty, who was 14 at the time, visited the Swiss Tennis Academy in Biel, Switzerland. Not to put any pressure on the juniors training there with big dreams, the facility is located on Roger-Federer-Allee.

“He was hitting the ball already pretty clean. He had the ball nicely on his racquet already at a young age,” Swinnen told ATPTour.com. “Obviously maybe his footwork wasn’t the best yet. He still can improve on that today. But slowly it’s getting better and better.”

Stricker was just visiting for a couple days of practice at the country’s national training centre. Six years later he is 20 years old, and Swinnen is his full-time coach. The lefty is on the rise.

Stricker finished his 2022 season playing some of the best tennis of his career, winning a main-draw match at the ATP 250 in Antwerp and another at the ATP 500 in Basel, his home event. Then he shone at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, defeating Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti and Chun-Hsin Tseng in round-robin play before falling in the semi-finals.

“We try to take one step at a time. Now obviously he’s close to the Top 100, so the next goal if you talk rankings-wise will be to get a spot in the Top 100 and try to keep it for some time,” Swinnen said of his charge, who is No. 118 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. “Don’t get too caught up in trying to get points or think too much about points, try to keep working on the things you have to improve on court and then all the stuff will come automatically.”

^{Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}
Swinnen is plenty familiar with young Swiss players with big prospects. The former University of Oregon student-athlete grew up with Roger Federer.

“We’ll always say a little bit the same to the young kids,” Swinnen said. “Everybody goes his own path, focus on that, focus on improving and it’s just great to have somebody like Roger that we have in Switzerland. That will also motivate them maybe to play.

“They get to know him, also. Dominic played a couple of times with him, so that was also good.”

In 2021, Stricker relayed to the media a story about how during their training together, Federer discussed the importance of the serve with his younger countryman. That shot has become one of Stricker’s biggest weapons.

According to Swinnen, it has been important to continue developing that strength.

“Sometimes you want to keep trying to improve the weaknesses, but I also like to put focus on his strengths. Keep improving his serve,” Swinnen said. “He’s serving already pretty good, that’s a big weapon of his, his serve, for his height. Keep improving on those and then there are plenty of things he can improve on.”

Judging by the end of 2022, fans will increasingly become familiar with that shot, too. In Milan, Stricker showed no fear of a big stage at the Allianz Cloud. Swinner added that opportunities like that will only help his player grow.

“Everybody’s dreaming about those stages, those big tournaments. That’s why you practise. That’s what all the young kids dream about, to play those big events,” Swinnen said. “Suddenly if you get closer, you really want to try to get there. I hope he keeps his focus, keeps practising hard and hopefully he can play more and more of those events.”