Fans will get to know Lorenzo Sonego’s game on Saturday when he plays Rafael Nadal in the third round at Wimbledon, but there is far more to the Italian than forehands and backhands.

You can add Sonego to the list of musically inclined players on the ATP Tour, which also includes Denis Shapovalov and Corentin Moutet. Just one week ago, the 27-year-old and his longtime friend, “AlterEdo”, released their newest song: “Sing”.

“We did some songs together when we were young for a hobby,” Sonego told ATPTour.com earlier this year. “And then, we tried to do something together for enjoyment in the summer and only to enjoy the moment and do something different, not always [focus on] tennis.”

 

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This is not the first song they have released together. Last European summer, they released “Un Solo Secondo”, which has received more than 14,000 views on YouTube. Sonego’s friend writes the songs, but the former World No. 21 contributes vocals.

Would Sonego consider a collaboration with any other players on Tour?

“One day, if Matteo Berrettini wants we could do something together,” Sonego said cracking a laugh. “Only with Matteo, because he’s my best friend on the Tour for sure.”

Not only does Sonego enjoy singing, but he likes listening to reggaeton and South American music as well as dancing. Beyond just finding pleasure in these things, he feels it is important to not be solely focussed on tennis.

“I think to not have a monotonous life, you have to enjoy some different hobbies. I like playing basketball with some friends. I know it’s hard because it’s dangerous for me [to play other sports],” Sonego said. “I play on Tour, but I like to play basketball with some friends and sing some songs with some friends.”

 

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Sonego believes that he will try to release one song every European summer, which will give fans something to look forward to. You can also find him working on his game on the basketball court.

In March, Sonego attended an NBA game between his favourite team, the Golden State Warriors, and the Miami Heat. The Italian began following the sport more closely when the Warriors’ dynasty began, and he has become a big fan of Steph Curry.

“He’s the best shooter in the world, I think,” Sonego said. “When I saw Curry play, it was impossible to not like [him].”

It is no surprise that if Sonego could go to dinner with three people, it would be Berrettini, Berrettini’s longtime coach, Vincenzo Santopadre, and Curry.

On the court, Sonego has established himself as a dangerous grass-court foe. Three years ago, he claimed his first tour-level title on the surface in Antalya. Last year, he advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon, where he fell short against Roger Federer.

Now the No. 54 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings will have another chance to reach the last 16 at The Championships. Sonego has never previously faced 22-time major winner Nadal, but he will give the Spaniard his best on Centre Court.

The Wimbledon third round concludes on Day 6 at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, with the wide-open bottom half of the men’s singles draw back in action. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios headline No. 1 Court, where Alex de Minaur opens play against home favourite Liam Broady, while Rafael Nadal and Lorenzo Sonego close the day’s play on Centre Court.

Other seeded players in action include Taylor Fritz, Botic van de Zandschulp and Jenson Brooksby.

In doubles action, top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury continue their bid for a maiden Wimbledon title while second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic continue their title defence.

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

[4] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Nick Kyrgios (AUS)

Two of the biggest personalities on the ATP Tour are set to square off for the fifth time in a rematch of their Halle meeting two weeks ago, won by Kyrgios in three sets. While neither man will be particularly pleased to see such a dangerous opponent in the third round, both are relishing the opportunity.

“I am definitely thrilled to be facing him,” Tsitsipas said of the marquee matchup. “I respect him a lot, on the court, what he’s trying to do… I think he’s playing good tennis.”

Kyrgios, who dismantled 26th seed Filip Krajinovic with the loss of just six games to reach the third round, enters the match full of confidence.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I feel like we both earned the right [to compete on a show court]. We’re two of the biggest stars in the sport. Hopefully if we both bring our best tennis, it’s going to be amazing to watch.”

Through to R3! 💪@NickKyrgios takes out Krajinovic 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 to advance.

🎥: @Wimbledon | #Wimbledonpic.twitter.com/Fbm9jG08xL

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 30, 2022

The Aussie has more grass-court experience between the two, entering Saturday’s match with a 33-17 record on the surface, including a 9-2 mark this season behind semi-final runs in Stuttgart and Halle. But Tsitsipas is the only one with a grass-court title to his name, a distinction he earned last week in Mallorca. The Greek owns a 16-10 career mark on the grass, including 8-2 this year.

The fourth seed has struggled against the big game of Kyrgios in the past, trailing their ATP Head2Head series 1-3. He frustrated the Aussie in their lone match on grass in Halle, but had no answer when Kyrgios found the range on his powerful ground strokes in sets two and three.

Tsitsipas hopes to put the lessons from that matchup into practice as he bids to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time since 2018.

“You just go out on the court hoping to have a good match, hoping to be able to get balls back, be precise with your shot selection,” he said. “That comes with good preparation. The rest will hopefully follow if you’re able to approach that with the right mindset.

“Let’s just say it’s a different day, it’s a different match.”

Kyrgios, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in his 2014 debut, is seeking to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2020 Australian Open.

[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. [27] Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)

Nadal is still searching for top form this fortnight, but remains on course for the third leg of the Grand Slam following historic title triumphs at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. It’s the first time the Spaniard has held both of those titles entering Wimbledon, but this is certainly not the first time he’s had to grind his way through some early trouble at a Slam.

“Not the best start honestly,” he said of his four-set second-round win over Ricardas Berankis, a sentiment that could apply to his performance across both of his opening matches.

“Probably the best finish. I finished playing well. The fourth set has been the [desired] level of tennis for me, important improvement. The rest of the things I have room to improve.”

The moment @RafaelNadal advanced to R3! 🔥

🎥: @Wimbledon | #Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100

pic.twitter.com/y8lhWPVdxf

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 30, 2022

That’s a scary proposition for Sonego, who will meet Nadal for the first time on Saturday.

In each of the year’s first two majors, Nadal passed a five-set test before hitting top form down the stretch; he went the distance against Denis Shapovalov in the Melbourne quarter-finals and against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Roland Garros fourth round. 

Sonego survived a five-setter in the Wimbledon opening round against Denis Kudla, but was sharp in a straight-sets win over 21-year-old Frenchman Hugo Gaston in the second round. He played three grass events in June and reached the Stuttgart quarter-finals, giving him far more recent experience on the surface than his veteran opponent, who did not compete between Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

“He’s a player with a very positive attitude, good serve, great forehand,” Nadal previewed. “Third-round match against a difficult player. The only thing that I can expect is a difficult match. I need to play well. That’s the only way to have chances to keep going. I know him. I like the way that he plays. I think he’s a very dangerous opponent.”

[11] Taylor Fritz (USA) vs. Alex Molcan (SVK)

Taylor Fritz is leading a strong American charge at Wimbledon, with eight men from the United States reaching the third round. It’s the most Americans in that stage of a major since the 1996 US Open, with Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul already through to the fourth round in the draw’s top half.

Fritz is one of four American men competing on Saturday. After reaching a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time at the Australian Open, he is seeking to repeat that feat on the London lawns. The Indian Wells champion is yet to drop a set this fortnight, easing past #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti and British wild card Alastair Gray in the opening rounds. 

The American hit one of the shots of the tournament to secure a second set tie-break against Gray, putting his body on the line to float a passing shot beyond the Briton, who was already celebrating what he thought was a drop-volley winner.

Everyone thought the point was finished… apart from @Taylor_Fritz97!

Absolutely OUTSTANDING 😮 pic.twitter.com/2cxvbx53uW

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2022

“I heard the crowd cheering like the point was over,” said Fritz, who admitted to watching the replay immediately after the match. “But I was like, ‘I think if I fully lay out for this one, I’m pretty long… I feel if I just dive at this one and fully lay out, maybe I can get a racquet on it.'”

Should he get past Slovakia’s Alex Molcan in their first ATP Head2Head meeting, he will face either countryman Jack Sock or Jason Kubler for a chance at his best major result. He is seeded to meet Nadal in the quarter-finals.

Molcan, who recently added former longtime Novak Djokovic coach Marian Vajda to his team, is making his Wimbledon debut after reaching two ATP Tour finals this season (Marrakech, Lyon). He defeated Pedro Martinez and Marcos Giron to match his best major result from the 2021 US Open, winning six straight sets after dropping his opener to the Spaniard.

Brooksby and Brandon Nakashima are the other Americans on the Day 6 slate, with the 29th-seeded Brooksby facing Cristian Garin and Nakashima taking on Colombia’s Daniel Elahi Galan.

Also In Action

Prior to the clash between Tsitsipas and Kyrgios on No. 1 Court, De Minaur will look to extinguish British hopes for the second straight match when he takes on Broady.

De Minaur took out #NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper on the same court in the second round and will need a similarly resolute performance to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time. Broady, who is hoping to join countryman and ninth seed Cameron Norrie among the last 16, is seeking to extend his best Grand Slam run.

Twenty-ninth seed van de Zandschulp faces the resurgent Richard Gasquet, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2007 and 2015.

In doubles action, Ram and Salisbury face Hugo Nys and Fabrice Martin, while Mektic and Pavic continue their title defence against Americans Paul and Nicholas Monroe.

A true legend of the game, Brad Gilbert knows a thing or two about adapting to new trends.

The American has been at the forefront of tennis for decades, picking up 20 ATP Tour titles as a player before coaching stars such as Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray. With a long and diverse tennis journey, Gilbert has become a master at acknowledging the constant changes happening within the game.

Now having joined TopCourt, Gilbert shows fans his latest tips and drills, suitable for club players as well as aspiring pros, with the help of WTA star and fellow TopCourt coach Eugenie Bouchard. He also reveals how a split-second decision from his father shaped his tennis career, shares unheard stories from his time guiding ATP legend Agassi, and reveals how he boosted Roddick’s confidence playing on grass.

Technique: Gilbert encourages you to stay aggressive when moving forward to play the so-called ‘dunk volley.’ A short but intense move forward ending with a hard and short swing, it enables you to finish points with authority after executing a big play.

Drills: “Most pros hit anything between 60-70 per cent forehands,” says Gilbert. This is reflected in the American’s TopCourt class, in which he places an emphasis on efficiency of movement. With his six-ball “Find the Forehand” drill, Gilbert shows you how to raise your intensity as you run around your backhand to take control of the point with your forehand.

Follow Gilbert’s Tutorials at TopCourt.com.

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ passion and drive have made him one of the most feared competitors on the ATP Tour, yet the World No. 5 is also renowned for his relaxed off-court demeanour. This is clearly reflected in the 23-year-old’s Twitter feed, where he regularly shares a mixture of humorous, philosophical, and heart-warming messages.

“They are mostly meant to be fun,” Tsitsipas recently told ATPTour.com. “It’s like I have a wall and I write different things, and people can say their stuff. It’s just such a fun thing to do. I like the fact that I can look back to them in one or two years and I have a feed where I can preview all my past quotes and opinions I might have had. It kind of acts as a memoir.”

Tsitsipas has moved confidently to the third round this week at Wimbledon, where he faces Nick Kyrgios in a blockbuster third-round clash on Saturday. The Greek has won a Tour-leading 42 matches in 2022, and admitted his ability to keep calm under pressure has been a key factor in his success on Tour in general. This is a sentiment that was reflected when he tweeted out the message, “The quieter you become, the more you can actually hear.”

The quieter you become, the more you can actually hear.

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) December 13, 2021

“I think sometimes you just need to… listen, absorb as much information as you can, and you can always just pick whatever you want,” Tsitsipas said. “You’re always allowed to pick your information that you want to keep for yourself.

“It kind of came to my mind during practice. There are times when you really feel like talking and analysing everything, and once you start becoming a little bit quieter, you can process information much more fluidly and much faster, and just everything works better.”

An elbow injury during the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals in November cast doubt on Tsitsipas’ participation in this year’s season-opening Australian swing. Yet the Greek showed no signs of rustiness on his return, representing Team Greece at the ATP Cup before storming to a fifth Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open. While Down Under, Tsitsipas familiarised himself with some the country’s renowned wildlife, and one creature in particular caught his eye.

“There was a conversation going on about the beautiful animals in Australia,” Tsitispas said. “Kangaroos are a very stereotypical thing that will always come to your mind when you think of Australia, but I did some research, I wanted to see what kind of animals Australia has that I’d never heard of. There were also dingoes, which I saw in one of the videos.”

Yet on 8 January, Tsitsipas announced “Platypus is my spirit animal” via his Twitter feed. With so many weird and wonderful options to choose from, what characteristics of the platypus appealed to the Greek?

“It’s a very humble sort of animal, not very noisy,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s cute. Also, as a kid I was a big fan of Phineas and Ferb, the TV show for kids, and Perry the Platypus was the hero there. I always loved him, he was one of my favourite characters, so that’s why.”

Platypus is my spirit animal

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) January 8, 2022

Just a few weeks ago, Tsitsipas shared the message: “The future generations studying history will likely have to study tweets.” What would future historians studying his feed conclude about the nine-time tour-level titlist?

“[They would probably see] a fun side of me that sometimes requires less thinking than when I’m with other people and I have to instantly answer or say something that doesn’t leave me with much gap of thought,” Tsitsipas said. “I sometimes get creativity and those put those extra thoughts out there that I feel like I might have neglected or didn’t share enough of.

“It is kind of my own media place, where I can just express anything I want. If I might have any concerns about our world, and how this world operates and how this world functions, I might address it there.”

The future generations studying history will likely have to study tweets.

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) June 4, 2022

Tsitsipas enjoys expressing himself via social media, but the 23-year-old is also aware of its downsides.

“I think as long as you use it once or twice a day, it is healthy,” he said. “The excess is the problem. Once you start picking up your phone and going straight to a social media platform to feel less bored, that’s not a good indication or sign.

“We need to use social media to express ourselves, we need to use social media to put out good content that will inspire others and make them want to pursue something in life. Social media is all about bringing people together, connecting people, and it kind of feels sometimes like it does the opposite to that to everyone around us.”

When it comes to his own social media use, Tsitsipas is careful to maintain a healthy balance, an approach he also encourages in those close to him.

“Just less social media,” he said. “Use it only when you have to use it, to do something really important. By decreasing, you can actually add more value to your life, I think. You can be more present in your everyday life and the important tasks that you have to fulfil, the things that you want to pursue. It can keep you behind if you spend too much time on your phone. It can be a really serious addiction.

“I have never really been on that side of social media addiction, but you are always one step away from it. My screen time is not that much, and I always try to push my siblings not to spend too much time on their phones. As an older brother it’s my responsibility to give a different perspective on how these things work.”

There was no slowing down for Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon on Friday afternoon.

The Serbian cruised to a high-class 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 third-round win against countryman Miomir Kecmanovic at the grass-court major. Having dropped just seven games in defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round, Djokovic matched that number with another sublime all-around display to overwhelm his opponent on Centre Court, breaking the Kecmanovic serve six times on the way to a one-hour, 52-minute victory.

It was Djokovic’s 24th consecutive win on grass, drawing him level with Australian great Rod Laver in third place on the Open Era list for longest tour-level winning streaks on the surface.

The six-time champion next faces another man in red-hot form on the grass in Tim Van Rijthoven. The Dutch wild card dispatched Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 earlier on Friday to ease into the fourth round on his Grand Slam main draw debut.

More to follow…