Tennis News

Showtime! Stars Ready To Shine In Milan

The stars of the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals are ready for the big show at the Allianz Cloud.

Following the arrival of Denmark’s Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune, who won an ATP Challenger Tour event in Bergamo on Sunday, all eight players are now in Milan for the 21-and-under season finale. They took the official photo for the 2021 edition on centre court Monday afternoon.

Carlos Alcaraz, Brandon Nakashima, Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Rune are in Group A, while Sebastian Korda, Lorenzo Musetti, Sebastian Baez and Hugo Gaston are in Group B.

The action begins Tuesday, with the standout talents trying to join Hyeon Chung, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner as tournament champions. Play starts at 2 p.m. when Nakashima faces Cerundolo.

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Hurkacz Surges For Nitto ATP Finals Spot, Mover Of Week

7th Hubert Hurkacz, +3
The Pole started the Rolex Paris Masters 60 points outside of the final automatic qualification spot for the Nitto ATP Finals. But with a run to the semi-finals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic, Hurkacz rose three spots to seventh position in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin and secured his place at the 14-21 November season finale.

View Latest FedEx ATP Race To Turin Standings

3rd Alexander Zverev, +1
The German moved up one place to third after he advanced to the Paris semi-finals (l. to Medvedev). Since the start of the Tokyo Olympics, where he clinched the gold medal, Zverev has won 28 of 31 matches and lifted trophies at the Western & Southern in Cincinnati (d. Rublev) and the Erste Bank Open (d. Tiafoe).

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
19th Taylor Fritz, +4
24th Grigor Dimitrov, +3
49th James Duckworth, +9
55thT Marcos Giron, +11
61st Hugo Gaston, +21
67th Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune, +8

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Rune: 'You Have To Be Brave With No-Ad Scoring'

Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune begun the year No. 473 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Now the Dane is placed at a career-high No. 109, after triumphing at five ATP Challenger Tour events in 2021.

In a standout season, the 18-year-old also reached tour-level quarter-finals in Santiago and Metz and won a set against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the first round at the US Open.

Rune, who captured his latest Challenger title Sunday, will compete at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan this week and he spoke to ATPTour.com ahead of the 21-and-under event.

A lot of the #NextGenATP players have been doing amazing things this year. How much does it motivate you, seeing the other young players doing well? Is there anyone in particular who has really impressed you?
[Carlos] Alcaraz has been doing extremely well this year. All of the guys have been doing well this year, but especially him. He did well at the US Open reaching the quarter-finals and played a good level of tennis. We are all here because we have had brilliant years and it will be interesting to see who takes the title because it is different playing players who are all similar ages.

When you were growing up there were Roger, Rafa and Novak, who created great rivalries. As you’re competing with other #NextGenATP players, have you thought about your budding rivalries and playing against them for many years?
I think rivalries are one of the most important things. When [Stefanos] Tsitsipas and [Daniil] Medvedev play, the guys who are almost the same, it is interesting to watch because it is another aspect in the match. Also when you watch Novak vs Rafa or Roger vs Rafa it is fun and I think I would like to make rivalries with some of the players here.

Have you watched the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals before and if so, what were your thoughts?
I watched it when I was very young with my mum. She bought tickets for Christmas, an early Christmas gift in 2017. I went to Milan to watch the first edition when Hyeon Chung won and [Andrey] Rublev played and Medvedev and it was fun because back then when I was watching Medvedev, I didn’t think he would get to World No. 2 and now he is almost No. 1.

I think it was really fun because there is an extra passion in it. It inspires you and makes you believe even more that you can make it. If you make the top eight at the under-21 event, you have a good chance to make it at the Nitto ATP Finals in the future.

The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals always has many innovations. Were there any that you particularly enjoyed and look forward to using and if so, why?
I like the rule system. Especially the no-Ad scoring because you have to be brave and take your chances. Also for the crowd, when I watched it I thought it was super interesting and the adrenaline raises.

When you think of Italy, what do you think of?
The food! The pasta. I would have pasta bolognese, that is my favourite. I could eat it at lunch and dinner every single time. I had some last night.

Have you ever done some sight-seeing in Italy and if so what was your favourite place to visit?
I have been to Italy a lot of times. When I was younger, we used to go during the Christmas holidays to Milan. I know the place almost like home. I have been here tons of times, exploring different places. I have played a lot of Challengers this year in Italy. I played in Perugia, in the middle of nowhere and it was beautiful. There are so many great places here.

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Challenger Chat: Inside Kozlov's Journey Back To Titletown

For most players competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, the road to the top is not a straight line. There are many bumps and obstacles along the way. While the journey may become longer and more complex, it is that exact process that hardens even the toughest of competitors and shapes who they become both on and off the court.

Stefan Kozlov knows this firsthand. After many years fighting for belief and purpose on the court, the 23-year-old American is steadily carving his own path up the FedEx ATP Rankings once again. Kozlov, who achieved a career-high No. 115 in 2017, is back inside the Top 200 for the first time in three years after lifting the trophy at the Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger.

Having fallen as low as No. 550 exactly two years ago, this moment takes on added significance for the Florida resident. He dropped just one set en route to securing his second Challenger title of the year, defeating Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday.

Kozlov, a former junior No. 3, had a world of expectations heaped on him from a young age. And when he became one of the youngest players to advance to a Challenger final, as a 16-year-old in Sacramento in 2014, it cemented that projection of becoming the next big star of American tennis.

But Kozlov experienced his share of bumps in the road, which forced him to dig deep and fight through the tough times, both between the lines and away from the court. Now, he says he’s better for it. A more mature and complete player, both mentally and physically, he is riding a wave of momentum that has seen him win 14 of 15 matches at this level and rise to No. 188 in the world.

The American spoke about his journey with broadcaster Mike Cation following the Charlottesville final…

Congrats Koz. You’ve been through quite the long journey. This three-month stretch has been remarkable. How have you done it seemingly so quickly?
It’s been a long, long process. Like I said a couple days ago in an interview, it’s a lot of losses and hard times. I know there are many people out there with bigger problems than I have, but for me I went through many issues – life issues – and I just came out stronger. I take the lessons with every defeat and the last couple months I’ve put myself around some very knowledgable people, who have helped me to figure out my strengths and weaknesses.

What has it been specifically for you? Has it been some fitness or all mental?
Mental is a big part of it. Fitness is at a high level for me, but I have a long way to go with it. Just playing in the high heat moments in Florida or Australia. It’s going to be the next step for sure. Mentally, it’s just being more angry. I’m coming out here now and trying to rip your head off. I’m establishing myself and in the past I would let off the gas too early. These guys are all good and it’s more or less a UFC fight in a way. That’s helped me be at my best.

How do you sustain that?
From Alexander Zverev to Reilly Opelka, I grew up with those guys, but I completely fell off the mountain while they kept rising. I’m still very far off from them, but that’s my goal, to compete with those guys again. That’s what drives me. It would be a pretty cool story.

Koz is king in Charlottesville ?@stefankozlov takes the title in C’ville, breezing to his second crown of 2021.

Now 14-1 on the ATP Challenger Tour since mid-September ? pic.twitter.com/TF07vFf4la

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 7, 2021

What was your gameplan coming into this final again Vukic?
It’s very simple. What does Vukic want to come out and do today? He wants to rip inside-in and inside-out forehands and have long points. I have a general idea of how he wants to play. It’s a combination of playing my game and making them uncomfortable. I’m not going to just play my game first point to last point. Everyone has these things you have to be aware of.

There aren’t many players that have the skillset to do that. You have variety. A lot of it. When you approach a match, how do you say that this gameplan is going to work today and I’m going to use this strategy one day and a different one the next day?
For me, it’s a big deal playing in these tournaments and playing in the later rounds. It’s nerve-wracking. You start to forget about simple things. Like on Saturday, I didn’t make adjustments in the second set. I kept hitting the ball too short. It’s one thing talking about it and another being out there and trying to make those adjustments. I try to fall back to hitting big balls and sneaking in, because that gives me the best chance. But it’s a huge difference being out there and having the awareness.

When people say that I have so much variety, I don’t really know what that means. It’s foreign to me, because it’s just the way I was taught the game. That’s who I am. I know I can hit big and then use my slice, but my weapons are a huge thing. Serve needs to get better, fitness needs to get better. Everything can improve.

You are now in the mix for the USTA’s Australian Open wild card, along with J.J. Wolf and Maxime Cressy. Are you thinking about that at all?
Not really, to be honest. Sure, it would be such a cool experience to play in the main draw of a slam. I never have. But like I said, there’s so much to go and I just focus on the next match. That’s how I approach it.

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ATP Targets Net Zero Emissions By 2040

The ATP has this month become a signatory of UN Sports for Climate Action (UNSCA), setting ambitious sustainability targets for men’s professional tennis. The announcement comes in parallel with the COP 26 summit in Glasgow, and the rollout of a comprehensive new strategy developed under ATP Serves to accelerate and align sustainability efforts across the Tour.

The UNSCA, a major international framework that counts over 250 rights holders and governing bodies as signatories, aligns the sports industry in working towards the <2°C warming target set in the Paris Agreement. As a signatory, the ATP has adopted the framework’s two global targets: achieving a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, by 2030, and Net Zero emissions, by 2040. ATP will be responsible for tracking and reporting key sustainability data over the period and will take part in regular working group sessions with other members.

To achieve the targets set out by UNSCA, the ATP has been developing a comprehensive sustainability strategy over the past 18 months. Created in collaboration with UK-based sustainability experts Jonathan Smith, Amanda Curtis and Kate Chapman, it sets a long-term agenda for the sport to become a showcase for environmental responsibility and positive impact. It aims to reduce the impact of ATP’s operations and build on sustainability initiatives at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The strategy positions environmental sustainability as a key pillar of ATP Serves, an umbrella of new purpose-led initiatives, alongside mental health and organisational culture. Sustainability strategy rollout has cut across various initiatives to date, including agenda setting, staff travel and offices, ATP season-ending events and development of player and tournament toolkits. ATP has also established a new strategic partnership with Gold Standard, an award-winning certification standard for climate change mitigation projects based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO said: “As a Tour we exist to inspire the world on the tennis court and serve beyond it. We are committed to delivering positive impact on the global stage and have been moved by the growing concern around the wellbeing of our planet. We know we cannot be distanced from helping to find solutions. This is why we are proud to roll out our new sustainability strategy and to become part of UNSCA, setting a clear agenda and ambitious goals for our sport for the coming years. This will be a long-term journey and, with everyone pulling together, we hope to make a positive impact and inspire our community.”

Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, Sector Engagement Lead at UN Climate Change added: “We welcome the ATP into the UN Climate Change Sports for Climate Action and commend them for signing up to such ambitious climate action targets. We are also delighted to see how they are using their reach and influence to support and engage others on wider social and environmental issues.”

For a full overview of the ATP Serves Sustainability strategy, click here.

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The Challenger Connection: Cerundolo, Baez Credit South American Success For Milan Debuts

It has been a banner year for tennis in South America on the ATP Challenger Tour. With fresh faces announcing their arrival and a slew of new tournaments making their debuts, the region is making a serious statement on the global stage.

Their reward? Look no further than the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, as Sebastian Baez and Juan Manuel Cerundolo descend on Milan. The pride of Argentina, Baez and Cerundolo are the first players from South America to compete in the showpiece 21 & under event, since its inception in 2017.

“Being able to compete so close to home was really important for me this year,” said Baez. “It is not easy for players in South America, to always travel to Europe, the United States and other places. It’s more than an economic difficulty, but also a mental and personal one. To have the opportunity to play many events so close to my country, while earning [FedEx ATP Rankings] points, is incredible.”

The opportunity that Baez refers to is not only a matter of convenience and comfort, but also one of livelihood for South American players. Spending many months away from home, while traveling the world fighting for their tennis dreams, is draining for even the most promising talents on the ATP Challenger Tour.

To those ends, South American tennis has taken a giant step forward in 2021, with the addition of 13 new Challenger events. Founded by former World No. 31 Horacio de la Pena, the Circuito Dove Men+Care Legion Sudamericana has contributed five of those events this year, with two more planned in Brazil next month and many more for the 2022 season. With the goal of changing the landscape of professional tennis across the continent, as more players have opportunities to develop and grow, De la Pena saw his efforts come to fruition just last month in Buenos Aires.

Photo: Challenger de Buenos Aires

It was in his hometown that Baez took a significant step forward with a victory at the Challenger de Buenos Aires. In front of friends and family, the 20-year-old became the youngest player to win five Challenger titles in a single season. And two days prior, it was his fellow #NextGenATP countryman Cerundolo who cemented himself inside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Baez has won four of his five titles this year in South America, prevailing three times on Chilean soil (Concepcion, Santiago I and Santiago III), before celebrating at home in Buenos Aires. He also reached the Santiago II final, falling to Juan Pablo Varillas. Those victories vaulted him into contention in the ATP Race To Milan.

“What Juan Manuel and Sebastián did is really incredible and proves that South American tennis is always strong, when it has the opportunities to grow,” said De la Pena. “The meteoric rises in the rankings of these two young guys are added to many others, like Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Juan Pablo Varillas, Hugo Dellien, Facundo Mena, Gonzalo Lama and Francisco Cerundolo. Thanks to the number of Challenger tournaments in the region, they all managed to improve their ranking and are in position to have a much more prosperous 2022. We, as the Circuito Dove Men+Care Legion Sudamericana, are very grateful for the support of the ATP, which greatly helped us with this incredible project.”

As a whole, the continent has welcomed players and fans to a combined 19 tournaments across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay. Bolivia was also scheduled to host its first ATP Challenger event in 17 years, before it was postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic.

New tournaments included those in Concepcion, Chile (also organised by De la Pena), as well as Ambato, Ecuador, run by former World No. 6 Nicolas Lapentti, and Salinas, Ecuador, which was established by former World No. 4 Andres Gomez.

To say that South American players took advantage of these newfound opportunities is an understatement. Players from eight different countries reached a combined 59 Challenger singles finals, lifting 27 trophies in total. In fact, Baez and Cerundolo are two of 10 different Argentines to triumph on the circuit this year.

“To be able to play close to home was an important part of my season,” said Cerundolo, who reached his sixth final of the year last week in Lima. “It’s been good for all players from South America, like myself. I started the year outside the Top 300 playing ITFs across the world in Antalya. To get here is a dream.”

The slew of new tournaments in South America join the long-standing events in Lima, Peru, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last week, as well as this week’s 17-year-old tournament in Guayaquil, Ecuador and the 14-year-old event in Santiago, Chile. On Monday, the 20th edition of the Uruguay Open kicks off in the capital city of Montevideo. In addition, a five-week swing through Brazil will conclude the 2021 ATP Challenger Tour season, including events in Campinas, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

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Venus & Serena Williams speak to BBC Radio 5 Live on breaking boundaries for future generations

Venus Williams tells 5 Live’s Rick Edwards she hopes future generations of tennis players do not have to focus “on the colour of their skin”.

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Marcus Smith: Eddie Jones warns of 'distractions' and claims Emma Raducanu 'hasn't done so well'

England head coach Eddie Jones warns fly-half Marcus Smith of the “flood of distractions” that may come his way – comparing them to those faced by US Open winner Emma Raducanu.

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Britain's Alfie Hewett completes double at season-ending Wheelchair Masters

Alfie Hewett beats Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez to claim the men’s singles title at the season-ending Wheelchair Masters in Orlando.

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Scouting Report: Alcaraz Leads Charge In Milan, Murray Makes Stockholm Debut

Following a thrilling week at the Rolex Paris Masters, the ATP Tour’s stars are in action at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals and the Stockholm Open. Carlos Alcaraz leads the way in Milan at the prestigious 21-and-under event, while former World No. 1 Andy Murray pursues his first tour-level crown since Antwerp two years ago in Stockholm. 

ATPTour.com looks at what you should watch for this week.

DRAWS: MILAN | STOCKHOLM

SIX THINGS TO WATCH IN MILAN
1) Alcaraz Leads The Way: The top seed in Milan is Alcaraz, who has climbed from No. 141 in the FedEx ATP Rankings into the Top 50 in 2021. The Spaniard, who is coached by former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, leads Group A, which also consists of American Brandon Nakashima, Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Denmark’s Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune. Alcaraz has earned 27 of his 28 tour-level victories this year, and he will try to add to that total in Milan.

2) Home Favourite Musetti: The Italian crowd will fully back Lorenzo Musetti, the third seed at the 21-and-under event. Musetti has enjoyed success in Italy before, having broken onto the ATP Tour last year by qualifying for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and beating Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori in back-to-back matches. He also won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title last year in Forli. The 19-year-old will try to follow in the footsteps of Jannik Sinner, who became the first Italian to win the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals two years ago.

^{Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}
3) In-Form Gaston: Hugo Gaston arrives in Milan with plenty of momentum. The Frenchman is fresh off a run to his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he thrilled his home fans with play that included wins against Musetti in qualifying and Alcaraz in the main draw.

4) Americans On The Rise: There are two Americans in action, with Nakashima in Group A and Sebastian Korda in Group B. Nakashima this year advanced to the Los Cabos and Atlanta championship matches to become the youngest player from his country to reach multiple tour-level finals since Andy Roddick accomplished the feat in 2002. Korda had his biggest breakthrough in Italy when he lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy in Parma. The Floridian also made the quarter-finals in Miami and the fourth round at Wimbledon.

5) Argentines Make History: In the first three editions of the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals (2017-19), no South Americans competed. This year there are two, and both are from Argentina: fifth seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo and sixth seed Sebastian Baez. Cerundolo in Cordoba became the youngest player in 17 years to earn the title on his ATP Tour debut. Baez claimed five ATP Challenger Tour titles in 2021, making him the youngest in history to do so.

^{Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}
6) Rolling Rune: Denmark’s Rune on Sunday triumphed in Bergamo to become the second-youngest player to win four ATP Challenger Tour titles in a season. He also did well on the ATP Tour, battling to the quarter-finals in Santiago and Metz. The 18-year-old Dane, who took a set from Novak Djokovic at the US Open, is the second-youngest competitor in Milan, just one week older than Alcaraz.

FOUR THINGS TO WATCH IN STOCKHOLM
1) Murray Marching Back: Former World No. 1 Murray continues to work towards his top level following his most recent hip surgery in 2019. The Scot accepted a wild card into the ATP 250 in Stockholm this week, and will have to be sharp immediately. Murray, who is making his tournament debut, will open against Norwegian Viktor Durasovic. If he advances, top seed Jannik Sinner, a five-time ATP Tour titlist, will be waiting.

2) Shapo Back For More: The third seed is Denis Shapovalov, who lifted his lone tour-level trophy in Stockholm two years ago, when the tournament was last held. The Canadian did not lose a set during that run, and he will try to start off well against Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori or Russian qualifier Pavel Kotov. Shapovalov’s countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime is the second seed.

^{Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images}
3) Botic Chasing A Title: It has been a year of firsts for Botic van de Zandschulp, including his maiden major main draw (Australian Open), first major quarter-final (US Open) and first ATP Tour semi-final (St. Petersburg). The Dutchman will hope to add a maiden tour-level crown to his resume this week in Stockholm, where he will open against Aussie Jordan Thompson.

4) Doubles At Large: Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo are the top seeds in the doubles draw, but will there be a surprise team that goes all the way? Two-time Roland Garros champion Andreas Mies (w/Krawietz) is partnering Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop, and British brothers Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski, who triumphed together in Acapulco this year, are a dangerous duo as the third seeds.

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