It’s been a dream year for Italian Matteo Arnaldi.

In May, the 21-year-old practised with his longtime idol Novak Djokovic at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome. It must’ve prepared them both well. Djokovic went on to capture a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome while Arnaldi collected his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title the following week in Francavilla al Mare.

“It was incredible,” Arnaldi said. “I played the week before in Rome, my first Masters 1000 event (l. Cilic). My coach and I didn’t know whether to go to Francavilla or not, I was also in qualies at the Geneva ATP event. We decided to go to the Challenger and I played very well the whole week, I didn’t drop a set until the final.”

The Sanremo native took down countryman Francesco Maestrelli 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-4 to triumph on home soil, claiming the title at the C.T. Francavilla Sporting Club. That was just the start of Arnaldi’s breakthrough on the ATP Challenger Tour. Now, after reaching four Challenger semi-finals this season, including San Marino, where he was a finalist (l. Kotov), the World No. 157 is nearing his 2022 goal.

“I started the year so-so,” Arnaldi said. “It’s my first year playing just Challengers. Last year, I played Futures and I tried to improve my ranking. Until April, I was losing a lot of first rounds, so I didn’t start how I wanted. When the clay season began, where there’s a lot of Challengers at home in Italy, I started to play very well. When you play a lot of matches, you feel better and feel more comfortable.

“My goal for this season was to be Top 150. I’m very close to my goal and I have two or three months to go up more. Everything that comes now is something more than we expected.”

Matteo Arnaldi celebrates his first Challenger Tour trophy with coach Alessandro Petrone (left). Credit: Challenger Francavilla al Mare

Arnaldi is one of six Italian #NextGenATP youngsters who have claimed a Challenger title in 2022. Luca Nardi, Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo Musetti, Francesco Maestrelli, and Francesco Passaro have also triumphed this season.

Arnaldi, who is 13th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan, now sets his sights on being at the eight-player Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, which hosts the world’s Top 8 21-and-under players (8-12 November).

“The Next Gen Finals is my goal for the rest of the year. But I don’t like to check the points every week. I just like to play and do my best.”

Arnaldi hopes to be in Milan with Passaro, who is ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan. Arnaldi and Passaro teamed up to reach the semi-finals at the ATP Challenger 80 events in Sanremo and San Benedetto Del Tronto earlier this season.

“I’ve known Francesco since I was 11 or 12,” Arnaldi said. “We played all the juniors and played doubles together. We are very close, his team and my team are like a big family.”

In June, Arnaldi made his Grand Slam qualifying debut at Wimbledon, falling short to Portugal’s Nuno Borges. This past month, the Italian made the final round of qualifying at the US Open, losing to Daniel Elahi Galan, who upset fourth seed Stefanos Tstisipas in the opening round.

Boasting a 28-20 Challenger match record in 2022, Arnaldi will next play the Alicante Challenger, 3-9 October.

When the time came for his ATP Tour main draw debut, things couldn’t have gone much better for Aleksandar Kovacevic.

The 24-year-old American stunned seventh seed Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4 at the Eugene Korea Open Tennis Championships on Monday. Kovacevic had fallen in the final round of qualifying at the ATP 250 hard-court event in Seoul, but he took advantage of a lucky loser spot in style as he broke the World No. 32 three times en route to an impressive 93-minute first-round victory.

“[It is] a little bit surreal,” said Kovacevic, who will meet Christopher O’Connell or Chun-Hsin Tseng in the second round. “I watch these matches on TV every day. I consider a lot of these guys my peers and I feel like I’m playing at a pretty good level, but just being out there in an ATP event in the main draw… I thought that I needed a little more experience to be honest before I did well.

“I played really well out there. There’s something about big matches for me. For Miomir this is obviously not a huge moment because he’s been here for a while, but for me it is a big deal, so it brings out some of my best tennis. [I’m] really glad for this one, but hoping to continue it during the week. Definitely happy to get this first one, but not fully satisfied yet.”

Welcome to the ATP Tour 👏

Lucky Loser @kova_aleks storms past Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4 6-4 on his ATP debut. #KoreaOpen pic.twitter.com/6uhtHNJuix

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 26, 2022

Born to a Serbian father and Bosnian mother and raised in New York City, Kovacevic has just completed his first year as a pro after playing college tennis at Florida Atlantic University. After reaching his maiden ATP Challenger Tour final in Indianapolis in August, Monday’s win represents an instant reward for the World No. 222’s decision to take the trip to Seoul.

“I don’t really travel the world much,” said Kovacevic. “I graduated from college about a year ago, so this is my first kind of year on Tour, and I’ve been mainly playing tournaments in the US so it is definitely a change. I kind of came here to get myself a little bit out of my comfort zone, and that’s exactly what these past few days has been.

“[It has been] kind of rough, I came down with a cold the first day I was here and been trying to accustom myself to the conditions and sleep and all that. But South Korea is amazing, I’ve been loving it. I’m here for four weeks, I’ve committed to doing that, and I couldn’t be happier right now.”

Also on Monday, Radu Albot marked his Seoul debut with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win against Japanese lucky loser Hiroki Moriya. Albot will meet American Steve Johnson or home wild card JiSung Nam in the second round as he seeks to reach his second tour-level quarter-final of 2022.

With just seven weeks to go until the Nitto ATP Finals, the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin is heating up.

Following their standout seasons, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal have already booked their spots at the end-of-year finale, leaving six remaining places. ATPTour.com looks at those in contention to join the Spaniards as we enter the last week of September.

View Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Rankings

No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime
The Canadian is currently seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and will be aiming to build on his strong recent form over the next month as he looks to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. Auger-Aliassime defeated World No. 1 Alcaraz at the Davis Cup Finals earlier in September, before he downed Novak Djokovic to help guide Team World to Laver Cup glory at the O2 in London.

No. 3 Casper Ruud
The 23-year-old can strengthen his position in the Race To Turin with a deep run this week at the Eugene Korea Open Tennis Championships in Seoul, where he is the top seed. The Norwegian, who reached his second Grand Slam final at the US Open in September, advanced to the semi-finals on debut at the Nitto ATP Finals last year and is on the brink of qualifying again this season.

No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas will be aiming to make his fourth appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals in November, having won the title on debut in 2019. The Greek, who holds a 49-18 record on the season, can boost his qualification hopes with strong results at his next tour-level event in Nur-Sultan at the start of October.

No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz
The Pole enjoyed a run to the semi-finals in Metz last week as he continued his quest to qualify for the year-end event for the second consecutive year. Hurkacz defeated Dominic Thiem and Arthur Rinderknech before falling to eventual champion Lorenzo Sonego.

No. 10 Taylor Fritz
The 24-year-old arrives in Seoul high in confidence, after helping Team World win its first Laver Cup at The O2 in London. The American, who is aiming to make his debut in Turin, will face Mackenzie McDonald or Pedro Martinez in his opening match.

Brandon Nakashima dropped just one set last week at the San Diego Open, where he claimed his first ATP Tour title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against fellow American Marcos Giron in Sunday’s final. The trophy, which came following his third tour-level final, was made even sweeter by the setting in Nakashima’s home city.

After notching five wins on the week, the 21-year-old returned to the Top 50 and reached a new career-high of No. 48 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.

ATPTour.com caught up with the American as he reflected on the milestone win.

What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
It’s a super special feeling for me. Playing in two finals last year and losing at both of them, I never thought this moment was going to happen again, to be in a final… let alone in my hometown of San Diego. To be able to win my first title is super special. This whole week I played at a high level. I’m super proud of myself for all the hard work. 

How does it feel to win it in San Diego?
It feels amazing. It’s an unbelievable feeling just to come out here and have an ATP tournament here where I grew up, where I learned the game of tennis.

I have all my family to thank. They’ve done an amazing job raising me. All my coaches, I’m so thankful for all their hard work, in the juniors and up until now. There are just so many people here in San Diego that have helped me along the way and I just can’t be more grateful.

How would you describe yourself as a player, and how would you describe yourself off the court?
On the court as a player, I would describe myself as calm, composed, always trying to stay focussed out there, super solid from the baseline; I try not to give too many free points out there. Obviously I think my serve and return has been getting better throughout the year. I’m super happy with how my game’s been improving.

Off the court as well, I would probably describe myself as also pretty laid back, calm. I also like to have fun with family and friends during my free time.

This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
I don’t know yet. Of course being in my hometown, I get to go home tonight, celebrate with the team. I don’t have to fly back, if we were somewhere else. I’m sure we’re going to celebrate with all my family down here, all my coaches. Probably go out to a nice dinner and just enjoy this moment as much as possible.

What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I love watching and playing other sports. Golf on my days off, watching football. Baseball, I always love to support my home team here in San Diego [the Padres]. So that’s always super fun and exciting just to follow other sports as well and get a little break for the mind, away from tennis. I think it’s very important.

If you had not become a professional tennis player, which job do you think you would have done instead?
Growing up, in school and in college I’ve always loved the math/science subjects. So if I wasn’t a professional tennis player, I probably would be something like an engineer or in computer science. I think those were my best subjects in high school and college, so something along those lines.

Are there any specific ways you think your decision to go to college before turning pro helped you to reach this moment?
I definitely think so. The college life and the college atmosphere definitely helped me, prepared me for those moments on the professional tour. All those guys on the team and those coaches back there, I’m always grateful for them. I keep in touch with them, have good relationships with all of them. I think the college life definitely helped me prepare for all the travel as well.

Away from the tennis side of things, what is your favourite aspect of travelling the world on Tour?
I think it would be just meeting new people all around the world, from different countries, different cultures. Growing up, I never really experienced that too much, so to be able to do it now and do something that I love — playing tennis, travelling around the world — it’s a special feeling. Any time I’m able to travel to new countries, new places, I’m always super excited and I’m sure I’m going to have a lot more to experience in the future as well.

We’ve read your favourite movie is ‘Creed’. Do you think you share any qualities with Rocky or ‘Donnie’ Creed when it comes to your tennis?
I don’t think so, not too much. (Laughs.) Maybe just the competitiveness out there. Growing up I always loved the sports movies and that was definitely one that I enjoyed a lot.

Third time’s the charm for Brandon Nakashima. The 21-year-old completed a dream week in his home city by winning his first ATP Tour title on Sunday at the San Diego Open.

Playing in his third ATP Tour final, and his first of 2022, the San Diego native defeated third seed Marcos Giron 6-4, 6-4 in an all-American final. It was a fitting finale at the ATP 250 event, with Giron also hailing from Southern California and living in San Diego in recent years.

“It feels like a dream out here,” Nakashima said post-match after hugging family and friends courtside. “My first ATP title in my hometown. To be able to capture my first title here, it’s unbelievable. Amazing atmosphere out here tonight, and I just really want to say thank you for coming out and showing your support.”

Nakashima has moved up 21 places this week to No. 48 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, setting himself up for a new career-high. The American also solidifed his poisition in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan, moving up one place to sixth as he seeks to return to the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. Nakashima reached the semi-finals at the year-end showcase last season.

After claiming the lone break point of a quick opening set, Nakashima was pegged back after building a 2-0 lead in the second. But after dropping serve for the first time on the night, he won eight straight points from 2-2 to regain control at the Barnes Tennis Center. Stellar serving helped Nakashima avoid a nervy finish, as he won 12 of the last 13 points on his own delivery, including a love hold to close out the victory.

After the opening set passed without a single deuce game, four games went to deuce in the second set as the finalists were deadlocked in a baseline battle. The two longest games of the match went Giron’s way, as he broke for 2-2 and later held to stay within touching distance at 3-4.

While there was little to separate both players in the rallies, Nakashima’s serve made the difference. He saved three of four break points behind a 79 per cent win rate on first serve, firing eight aces in the victory.

“No matter the score out here today, I always knew there were going to be some tough moments,” added Nakashima, who recalled practising with his “great friend” Giron in his junior days. “I knew it wasn’t going to come easy. I had to battle for every game. At the beginning of the second set, a couple of tight games. I lost my serve, but I think I regrouped pretty well in the next game. Happy to close it out on my serve.”

Second seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow made the most of their home advantage this week at the San Diego Open to claim their first ATP Tour title as a team.

The Americans — Lammons from Texas and Withrow from Nebraska — earned a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory against Australians Jason Kubler and Luke Saville in Sunday’s final at the ATP 250. The pair made a slow start in its first title match as a team, dropping serve in the opening game. But the champions did not face another break point as they improved throughout the contest.

“Nate and I have teamed up a little bit last year and rolled into this year,” Withrow said post-match.

“[We’re] looking for this to kind of be a steady partnership that we can continue to grow and continue to get better. We feel like, after we’ve had some hard talks over the summer, we’re on the right path and ready to continue the rest of the year and hopefully end on a high note.”

Putting the pressure on late in the first set, the Americans levelled at 4-4, then saw two set points go begging on return at 6-5. The second seeds never trailed in the tie-break after opening up a 4/1 lead and continued their momentum with an instant break in the second set.

Lammons/Withrow dropped just four points on serve in the second set, and won more than 75 per cent of points on both first and second serve overall.

“We had some good results last year and some good ones this year,” added Lammons. “We’re kind of headed in the right direction. The focus changes where it needs to and I think we’re working on the right stuff and we’re really happy with what we’re doing.”

The pair improved to 13-19 at tour-level, with its best previous results coming in semi-final runs in Montpellier and Marseille in 2021. The duo stretched its winning streak to eight matches, dating back to its ATP Challenger Tour title in Cary last week — the team’s fifth Challenger title together.

The San Diego title is Lammons’ first at tour-level and Withrow’s second after a 2018 triumph with Jack Sock in Delray Beach. They dropped just one set in four matches on the week, winning a Match Tie-break against Bradley Klahn and Fernando Verdasco in the semi-finals.

The pair moved up 25 places this week to 35th in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Teams Rankings.

Team World arrived in London this week having lost the previous four editions of the Laver Cup. However, John McEnroe’s side showed quality and grit to turn the tables and triumph 13-8 against Team Europe on Sunday in a victory that left the American captain delighted.

“The difference [this year] was that we kept battling,” McEnroe said in Sunday’s press conference. “The format is a format that things can change in a hurry. Jack [Sock] has been awesome for us. You could see how close it was, the doubles.

“Felix, I’ve got to say, stepped up big time. Thank you so much for that. That was awesome. But there was a great team spirit. So we were battling from the beginning. I think we felt that it is the ‘Big Four’, but obviously the circumstances are a little different than they could have been 10 years ago, five years ago. So we knew we had a shot at it, but it was an uphill battle. Thank god World won.”

Team World entered the final day of the three-day event trailing 4-8. However, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime did double duty to move his side ahead, before Frances Tiafoe defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to seal victory.

Auger-Aliassime joined forces with Jack Sock to defeat Matteo Berrettini and Andy Murray, before he overcame Novak Djokovic in singles. The 22-year-old was proud of his performance and how the team stepped up.

“Of course I’m happy with the way I played,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Happy with my performance. Right now I’m just happy for the team, really happy to celebrate with these guys.

“It’s been an amazing weekend. We were down yesterday night, but we came today with a big belief, and Jack and I got the job done in doubles. It was an important one. I was just trying to step up to the challenge. I will try to use that as confidence for the future.”

The event was Roger Federer’s final on Tour. The 103-time tour-level titlist competed for the last time on Friday night when he joined forces with Rafael Nadal against Frances Tiafoe and Sock.

The World No. 19 Tiafoe, who reached the semi-finals at the US Open earlier this month, was grateful to have played against Federer in the Swiss star’s final match and admitted he will be missed on Tour.

“I will say thank you [to Federer] for having me in this amazing event,” Tiafoe said. “What he’s done for the game, also say thank you for what he did for the game. He’s a class act. Happy to know him, happy to call him friend, happy to call him a colleague, and best wishes in his second act.”

Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg revealed that he was proud of his squad’s efforts this week at the Laver Cup despite losing against Team World in London. John McEnroe’s side battled back on Sunday to defeat Team Europe 13-8 in Roger Federer’s final tour-level event at The O2.

“For me, it was very special to have this team, this great team,” Borg said during Sunday’s press conference. “Of course right now we are a little disappointed because we lost, but the tennis has been great, good matches, close matches. But to have the ‘Big Four’, and they are different from the younger generation, the players here, it’s been fantastic. Roger here, one of the greats, retiring from tennis, stepped away, and we are all a little bit sad about that.

“But we had a good time. Of course we wanted to win. I mean, that’s why we are here. It’s a great event. Players like it. We were here to try to defend our title but we didn’t. They had a good three days. This time they were better than us. But we will definitely be back.”

The curtain came down on Federer’s career on Friday night, when he teamed with Rafael Nadal to play his last tour-level match on a historic occasion. Despite the send-off, the Swiss star, who won 103 tour-level titles, was disappointed Team Europe was unable to capture its fifth Laver Cup title.

“Of course I am disappointed,” Federer said. “I was on the team and my hands hurt from clapping. I wish the result was different. I told Andy [Murray] in the locker room that I don’t like losing, it’s not fun.”

Team Europe showed great camaraderie throughout the weekend, from their bench celebrations to coaching each other and getting the fans into the matches. Federer was grateful to have ended his 24-year career this way alongside fellow ‘Big Four’ members Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.

“Being on court on Friday, having such a good moment,” Federer said. “Being surrounded by my biggest rivals. Novak, Andy and Rafa was truly unique. I can’t thank them enough for being there and staying there with me.”

A host of top names head to Seoul, Sofia and Tel Aviv this week on the ATP Tour as a trio of ATP 250 hard-court events host the action from 26 September to 2 October.

World No. 2 Casper Ruud competes at the Eugene Korea Open Tennis Championships in Seoul, where he is looking to back up his run to the US Open final with a strong showing on the outdoor courts in the South Korean capital.

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic head indoors as the top seeds at the Sofia Open and Tel Aviv Watergen Open, respectively. Grigor Dimitrov will also seek to impress his home fans in Sofia, while Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem join Djokovic in the Tel Aviv draw.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.

View Draws: Seoul | Sofia | Tel Aviv

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN SEOUL
1) Ruud Top Seed: Casper Ruud has achieved many things in 2022, but lifting a tour-level trophy on hard courts is not one of them. The Norwegian’s three titles this season have all come on clay, but the World No. 2 will be feeling confident as he arrives in Seoul. He reached the final of the US Open in New York in his most recent individual tour-level event.

2) Can Norrie, Fritz Boost Turin Hopes?: Second seed Cameron Norrie and third seed Taylor Fritz look to back up their impressive 2022 hard-court form this week in Seoul during an important week for their Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes.

Norrie won the title in Delray Beach and has also reached finals on hard courts in Acapulco and Los Cabos this year, but he remains outside the qualification spots for the season-ending showpiece. The Briton is 11th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, while Indian Wells champion Fritz is in 10th. Can either player make their move this week in South Korea?

3) ATP Tour Returns To Seoul: The ATP Tour returns to the South Korean capital for the first time since 1996 with this week’s outdoor hard-court tournament at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Centre. World No. 74 Soonwoo Kwon leads the home charge, with the 24-year-old taking on fellow South Korean Yunseong Chung in his opening match.

4) Tseng Chases Milan Spot: One of the brightest prospects in Asian tennis, #NextGenATP 21-year-old Chun-Hsin Tseng from Chinese Taipei, sits in eighth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan as he bids to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time. Tseng will hope to bolster his chances with a strong start in Seoul against San Diego semi-finalist Christopher O’Connell.

5) Chung Partners Kwon On Return: This week’s event in Seoul will see the return of a former Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals winner after an extended injury layoff.

Hyeon Chung, champion in Milan in 2017 and a semi-finalist at the 2018 Australian Open, will team with fellow South Korean Kwon on the doubles court in front of their home fans. The former World No. 19 Chung has not played a competitive match since October 2020 due to injury.

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FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN SOFIA
1) Sinner Seeks Sofia Hat-trick: Top seed Sinner arrives in Bulgaria seeking his third straight crown at the ATP 250 indoor hard-court event. Sinner did not drop a set en route to the title last year, and the Italian will hope for a similarly strong set of performances as he looks to make a charge towards the qualification spots for the Nitto ATP Finals. The 21-year-old Sinner, who is 43-13 for the 2022 season, is currently 14th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

2) Dimitrov To Delight Home Fans? Like Sinner, home favourite Dimitrov is yet to experience defeat in Sofia, where he captured the title on his sole appearance in 2017.

The former World No. 3 has struggled for consistency this season since reaching the semi-finals at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April, but he has won three of his eight tour-level titles on indoor hard courts, including the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals. Can his passionate home support carry him to further success this week?

3) #NextGenATP Rising: A trio of impressive #NextGenATP stars — Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune and Jack Draper — are seeded in Bulgaria. All three can consolidate their respective positions of third, fourth and fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan with a strong showing in Sofia, where Rune and Draper are making their tournament debuts.

4) Carreno Busta Eyes More Hard-Court Success:  Second seed Pablo Carreno Busta returns to competitive action for the first time since reaching the fourth round of the US Open. The Spaniard lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy on the hard-courts of Montreal in August, and Carreno Busta will hope some big performances in Sofia can keep him in touching distance of Nitto ATP Finals qualification. The 31-year-old is currently 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

5) Bolelli/Fognini Top Seeds: Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini headline the doubles draw in the Bulgarian capital, where the 10th-placed pair in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings is chasing its third tour-level title of the season. Second seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez have gone one better than that so far in 2022, lifting three ATP Tour trophies since first teaming in April.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN TEL AVIV
1) Djokovic Returns To Action: Novak Djokovic will compete in Israel, where the 88-time tour-level titlist is the top seed. Djokovic is chasing his third tour-level crown of the year following triumphs in Rome and at Wimbledon. His run to his 21st Grand Slam crown in London means the Serbian only needs to finish in the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin in order to qualify for November’s Nitto ATP Finals. Djokovic currently is in 15th.

2) Schwartzman & Cilic Seek First Title Of Year: Diego Schwartzman and Marin Cilic are both bidding for their first tour-level trophies of 2022 in Tel Aviv. Both stars have delivered high-class performances this season. Schwartzman reached finals on clay in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro in February while Cilic was a semi-finalist at Roland Garros. Can either player transport that clay-court form to the similarly slow indoor hard courts?

3) Thiem To Take Next Step?: Dominic Thiem has shown flashes of his best form in recent weeks. The Austrian reached the final of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Rennes and notched his 10th tour-level victory of the season against Richard Gasquet in Metz before falling to Hubert Hurkacz.

The 17-time tour-level titlist has struggled to return to winning ways since missing nine months with a wrist injury, but wild card Thiem will hope to add to his recent spate of wins with a fast start in his Tel Aviv campaign.

4) Trip To Tel Aviv: As with Seoul, Tel Aviv hosts an ATP Tour event for the first time since 1996 this week, when the Tel Aviv International Convention Center will host the ATP 250 indoor hard-court event. The Israeli city was the venue of Jimmy Connors’ final career singles title in 1989, while Aaron Krickstein still holds the ATP record for the youngest winner of a Tour event with his 1983 Tel Aviv triumph.

5) Krawietz/Mies Chase Turin Spot: Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies head to Tel Aviv in pursuit of their third ATP Tour crown of the 2022 season. The second seeds can boost their Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes with a good result in Israel. Krawietz and Mies are 11th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, but they will face stiff competition from a field that includes top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop, while Djokovic teams with home favourite Jonathan Erlich.