After more than five months away from the ATP Tour, many leading players will make their return to action at the Western & Southern Open in New York this week. But after an extended break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may prove difficult for fans to predict which players will quickly hit top form.

The first place they could look is to those who got off to hot starts in 2020. Four players — Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Andrey Rublev and Roberto Bautista Agut — came out firing this year. ATPTour.com looks at how each of them performed before the suspension of play.

Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Andrey Rublev and Roberto Bautista Agut made strong starts to the 2020 ATP Tour season.” />

Novak Djokovic (2020 Record: 18-0)
After finishing the 2019 season at No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Novak Djokovic opened his 2020 campaign with 18 consecutive victories. That helped the Serbian overtake Rafael Nadal as World No. 1.

Djokovic started the year in style, winning each of his eight matches across singles and doubles at the ATP Cup to capture the team title for his nation. The Belgrade native continued his fine opening to the season at the Australian Open, beating Roger Federer in the semi-finals and Dominic Thiem in the championship match to lift a record-extending eighth trophy in Melbourne. Despite facing three consecutive match points against Gael Monfils in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semi-finals, Djokovic added a fifth crown to his collection at the ATP 500. He earned a straight-sets victory against reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

Dominic Thiem (2020 Record: 9-4)
Following a runner-up finish at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals (l. to Tsitsipas), Thiem made another hard-court breakthrough this January. The Austrian advanced to his maiden Australian Open final, powering past Nadal in the quarter-finals before earning a four-set victory against Alexander Zverev.

Thiem became the first player to lead Novak Djokovic after three sets of an Australian Open final, before falling to the 17-time Grand Slam champion in five sets. Four weeks later, the Austrian rose to a career-high No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Thiem is the first man outside the Big Three of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer to occupy a Top 3 position since Zverev in May 2019.

Andrey Rublev (2020 Record: 15-3)
Andrey Rublev opened the 2020 season with two of the most successful weeks of his career. The Russian began the year with two ATP Tour titles but, by 18 January, he doubled that figure to four trophies.

Rublev did not drop a set at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open and then added a second trophy the following week at the inaugural Adelaide International. In South Australia, Rublev battled through three-set clashes against Daniel Evans and Felix Auger-Aliassime before dominating Lloyd Harris in the championship match. Rublev is the first player since Dominik Hrbaty in 2004 to win back-to-back titles in the opening two weeks of the season.

The Moscow-born star extended his winning run to 10 matches by reaching the Round of 16 at the Australian Open (l. to Zverev) and also reached quarter-finals at ATP 500 events in Rotterdam and Dubai.

Andrey Rublev owns an 8-0 record this season.” />

Roberto Bautista Agut (2020 Record: 9-3)
Roberto Bautista Agut is known for speedy starts to ATP Tour seasons. From 2016 to 2019, the Spaniard began each year with an ATP Tour title in January. The 32-year-old was unable to keep that streak going this year, but he still dropped only one set in his opening eight matches.

Competing as Spain’s No. 2 singles player at the ATP Cup, Bautista Agut delivered six straight-sets victories for his nation. The 6’0” right-hander put his country one win away from the ATP Cup title, before Djokovic led an inspired comeback from Team Serbia in the championship match. Bautista Agut’s unbeaten start to the year ended in the Australian Open third round, when 2018 runner-up Marin Cilic recorded a five-set triumph after four hours and 10 minutes.

Roberto Bautista Agut” />

Reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Jannik Sinner leads a strong contingent of young players into qualifying at the Western & Southern Open, which begins Thursday. This is the first ATP Tour event since the suspension of play in March due to COVID-19. The main draw starts Saturday.

This will be Sinner’s first appearance in a hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event. This week last year, the Italian star was No. 131 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The 19-year-old, who is seeded 14th, will play countryman Salvatore Caruso in the first round of qualifying, fourth on Court 11 after 11 a.m. Sinner defeated Caruso in three sets in last year’s Bergamo ATP Challenger Tour event.

View Qualifying Draw | View Thursday Order Of Play

In addition to Sinner, other #NextGenATP stars who will play in qualifying are 2019 Milan competitor Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori, American Brandon Nakashima and fellow home favourite Sebastian Korda, the son of former World No. 2 Petr Korda.

Sebastian Korda” />
^{Sebastian Korda is among the wild cards competing in qualifying.}
Ruusuvuori, the World No. 101, is on the verge of cracking the Top 100 for the first time. He will face second seed Jeremy Chardy. Nakashima is World No. 220, but he has shown in 2020 an ability to compete on the ATP Tour. He made his tour-level debut at this year’s Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, advancing to the quarter-finals. In his next event, he made the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Challenger.

Former Next Gen ATP Finals competitors Mikael Ymer (2019) and Jaume Munar (2018) will also try to battle their way into the main draw. Ymer, the 10th seed, will open against 2018 Milan alternate Lloyd Harris. Munar will face 17th seed Federico Delbonis.

The top seed in qualifying is former World No. 6 Gilles Simon. The Frenchman is trying to reach the Western & Southern Open main draw for the 12th time. Simon, who will play Japan’s Taro Daniel, advanced to the quarter-finals of this Masters 1000 event in 2009 and 2011.

Other players to watch include trick-shot sensation Pablo Cuevas and No. 6 seed Steve Johnson, who is the only seeded American in the qualifying draw.

Did You Know?
The Western & Southern Open is being held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open. Sinner has good memories of the venue, where he made it through qualifying at the 2019 US Open and pushed former champion Stan Wawrinka to four sets. 

The title sponsor of the Nitto ATP Finals has stepped up to support coronavirus relief efforts, donating $100,000 to UNICEF’s COVID-19 response.

Nitto’s donation to UNICEF’s campaign will help developing and emerging nations, where the future spread of the virus may result in the deprivation of children’s health and safety. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, UNICEF has been working alongside the World Health Organisation to protect the world’s most vulnerable families by limiting the spread of the virus and protecting key workers.

Nitto has also donated vital medical equipment to various organisations. The Japanese group recently supplied medical institutions and associations with surgical masks and face shields. Nitto also delivered another supply of surgical masks to local governments.

“Amid an increase in COVID-19 cases, Nitto has thoroughly implemented prevention measures against infection to prioritise people’s health and safety before everything as well as to operate our business safely,” said Hideo Takasaki, President, CEO and COO of Nitto.

“As a global company, we decided to fundraise for UNICEF’s COVID-19 response to deliver worldwide support to children and their future. We believe that’s the time for us to take on challenges to accelerate our innovation in order to provide new values for our customers and the society and to contribute to realise a better life for all. We sincerely hope that the spread of COVID-19 infection will be settled as soon as possible.”

Nitto has also supported UNICEF at the Nitto ATP Finals. During the 2017 and 2018 editions of the elite eight-man event, Nitto donated mascot places to UNICEF, providing children with the opportunity to walk on court with the leading stars of the ATP Tour. Nitto also helped to raise funds for the charity, with UNICEF donation boxes located in Nitto booths around The O2, every year.

Learn more about Nitto’s support for the fight against COVID-19.

It was home cooking for Gian Marco Moroni on Wednesday, as the Italian battled into the quarter-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Todi.

They don’t call him ‘El Bufalo’ (the buffalo) for nothing, as the Rome native dug in his heels and refused to back down to Daniel Altmaier on a sunny afternoon at the Internazionali di Tennis Citta di Todi. A dogged Moroni eventually prevailed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 32 minutes.

The 22-year-old reached his second quarter-final of the season after advancing to the last four in Bangkok in January. He will face Cedrik-Marcel Stebe on Friday, following the German’s impressive 6-4, 6-0 win over Elliot Benchetrit.

Stebe has dropped a combined eight games in reaching the quarters in Todi, as the World No. 133 continues to plot his ascent in his bid for a Top 100 return.

“I’m feeling good,” said Stebe. “I really like the weather here, it’s very warm and these are usually my conditions. I’m playing good and I tried to stay focused today. I was the better player. I’m hoping I can get really far in this tournament.”

The 29-year-old, who has battled through a litany of injuries during his career, understands the importance of maintaining a safe and healthy playing environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Stebe lauded the tournament’s efforts and commitment to these safety measures.

Photo: Florian Heer/Tennis TourTalk

“They are doing a really good job [with the safety measures]. Everyone is wearing a mask and it’s not just inside the club, which is good to see. I’m happy that we can play again and I hope that we can keep at it under these circumstances. I always like coming back to Italy and I feel very comfortable here.”

In other action, third seed Federico Gaio – the highest-ranked Italian in the draw – set a quarter-final clash against France’s Antoine Hoang. Gaio capped a busy Day 3 with a 6-4, 6-2 win over countryman Alessandro Giannessi, while Hoang overcame Mario Vilella Martinez 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Returning to competitive tennis after a five-month break is never easy. With all players hungry to restart their 2020 campaigns, the competition is as fierce as ever at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour stop in Prague. Stan Wawrinka is discovering that rather quickly.

Wawrinka secured his place in the quarter-finals at the I.CLTK Prague Open by Moneta on Wednesday, overcoming a stern test from Oscar Otte 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. The Swiss was just three points from exiting the tournament as the match entered the business end of the second set. But Wawrinka found another gear to pull away from the 27-year-old German, reeling off eight of the last nine games.

Whether you’re the World No. 17 or a player battling to crack the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, winning at the Challenger level is no simple feat. Otte was up to the task on Wednesday afternoon, claiming 70 per cent of his first serve points and firing nine aces in defeat. Wawrinka’s mettle was tested early and often, but he eventually found his way to the finish line after one hour and 54 minutes.

“It was a tough match from the beginning,” said Wawrinka. “I wasn’t feeling the ball well, but the most important thing was to try to stay calm and keep fighting. I’m happy to get the victory again. It’s good to have the chance to play again and I need these matches to find the rhythm that I want. I’m happy to finally get the break in the second and get through the match.

“This is what I’ve missed in tennis: the competition, the pressure and the atmosphere. I feel good so far. We’ve been out of competition for many months, so we’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”

It marked the second straight deciding-set victory for Wawrinka, who outlasted Roman Safiullin to open the week in Prague. He will next face India’s No. 1 Sumit Nagal on Thursday. Nagal survived a fight of his own to reach the quarter-finals, rallying from a set and a break down to defeat 18-year-old Czech Jiri Lehecka 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3.

Photo: Martin Sidorjak/Prague Open 2020

While it will be the first encounter between Wawrinka and Nagal, the 23-year-old Indian is so stranger to big matches. Exactly one year ago, he faced Roger Federer on opening night at the US Open, eventually falling in four sets in front of thousands on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Former World No. 36 Pierre-Hugues Herbert is also finding success in Prague, in his return to the professional circuit following the COVID-19 hiatus. The third-seeded Frenchman was pushed to a deciding set for a second consecutive match, needing two hours and 20 minutes to edge Zdenek Kolar 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3.

Herbert will be on upset alert in the quarter-finals as well, when he faces Tallon Griekspoor. The Dutchman is off to a flying start in his return to the tour, defeating fifth seed Jozef Kovalik 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 in a rollercoaster affair on Wednesday. Griekspoor, who made his first Grand Slam appearance at this year’s Australian Open, has won three matches in five days in Prague.

In other action, Aslan Karatsev has won a trio of matches without dropping a set, following his upset of second seed Jiri Vesely with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over former World No. 10 Ernests Gulbis. He will face Henri Laaksonen in the quarter-finals.

The youngest player remaining in the draw is 20-year-old Czech Michael Vrbensky. The unseeded wild card advanced to the quarter-finals when Philipp Kohlschreiber withdrew due to a stomach ailment. Vrbensky will seek a statement victory over an in-form Elias Ymer on Thursday. Ymer stormed back to defeat another Czech, Tomas Machac, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in two hours and 17 minutes.

It’s been more than five months since the ATP Tour was suspended due to COVID-19. With tennis set to resume this week at the Western & Southern Open, ATPTour.com looks back to test your knowledge of the beginning of the season.

Frantic February featured 12 ATP Tour events across four continents, with four Top 10 stars collecting ATP Tour titles. How well do you remember the Golden Swing? Can you recall which players Gael Monfils beat to lift trophies in Montpellier and Rotterdam? Find out by taking our quiz below! 

Click here to stay informed all year with tennis news from the ATP Tour.

Done with the quiz? Scroll back up to the top to see how you did!

Gil Reyes is a strength and conditioning coach who is well-known for his work with former World No. 1 Andre Agassi. How does he believe the American legend would have handled the five-month suspension of play due to COVID-19?

“Unconditionally Andre would have handled this and solved this as well as anyone,” Reyes told ATPTour.com. “[He would have done it] just by thinking it out, talking it out and counting backwards. ‘Right now it looks like the next tournament is going to be this, that leaves us this amount of time, here’s what we’re going to do during that time.’

“It was a thing of beauty listening to him say, ‘When I play this guy I find myself needing more of this, I need to work on that for that guy. I need to prepare my craft and my game now that we have time off.’”

According to Reyes, Agassi mastered the ability to understand his body and his game. The 60-time tour-level titlist instinctively knew, through experience, when to dial back his practice, his conditioning, and in some cases, both.

“He was so amazing about his body, what he needed, what he didn’t need. We would have had a talk about it [in this situation], but Andre would have known to say, ‘You know what, I need some rest,’” Reyes said. “There would have been no questions, no debates, because he spoke with wisdom and clarity. Andre would have known when it was time to shut it down a little bit, or he would look at me sometimes and say, ‘I’m not feeling my legs the way I need to out there on the courts.’

“Andre would have made that call and I would have gone with it 100 per cent because you know what’s going on when you’re out there, what you feel and you don’t feel.”

Agassi leaned on Reyes and his tennis coaches, including the likes of Brad Gilbert and Darren Cahill, to structure his daily training on and off the court. But as far as what they generally focussed on, he always had a say.

“He’s a thinker and a really cerebral guy. He would have sorted this out. He would have said, ‘Okay, what am I going to do with this time and why?’” Reyes said. “He would have figured this out early… there was a lot of grey area [during the pandemic], but Andre would have been one of those to say, ‘Okay, I don’t need to hit right now, I need to get faster, I need to get stronger, I need to work on my cardio’, and that’s what he would do.”

For some players, working on the physical side is not just key to their overall fitness, but their game due to their style of play.

“The players were getting younger and as Andre would say to me, ‘I don’t need to get younger, I need to get stronger, because these guys are coming,’” Reyes recalled. “Of course Andre did. He maintained a certain level of physicality that served him well.”

Agassi was never consistently out due to injury, but he missed the end of the 1993 season due to a wrist injury, which required surgery. The American fell outside the Top 30 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and did not return until the end of February the following year. When he returned, however, Agassi was refreshed, finishing that season as World No. 2.

“He came back really, really good because he was forced to shut down. It just came at a time when the body and mind could have used a little break,” Reyes said. “Most of these athletes, tennis players, they’ve been playing tennis since they were five or six, probably competitively since nine or 10. By now they’re 10, 15-year veterans, so this break was not such a bad thing. This break was not completely horrible physically.”

Now, the break is over. Players are ready to restart their ATP Tour seasons at the Western & Southern Open. There is a lot on the line, as they must find their form right out of the gate at an ATP Masters 1000 event. Reyes knows the athletes have been working hard ahead of the return to tennis, but competition itself is irreplaceable.

“There’s nothing like a real match. I learned that from Andre,” Reyes said. “He was always sharp and ready. He would always say, ‘I have to go into the first round knowing that there are going to be some twists and turns here that I’m going to have to navigate no matter who the person is because this is a whole different scenario.’”

Does Stefanos Tsitsipas wear the same shirt for an entire tournament?

The Greek star revealed that and plenty more in an Instagram Q&A session before the Western & Southern Open begins at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Will you ever go back to short hair?
I have been thinking about it for a long time now. I would love to have short hair, it’s not very easy to maintain that long hair. But at the same time it’s my style and it’s who I am.

For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
Some of the things that I am really grateful for are my family, my friends, being from Greece, from such a rich country, and being healthy of course and being able to travel at the same time and play tennis at such a high level.

Do you have any superstitions?
Wearing the same t-shirt throughout the whole tournament. I’m just kidding! That’s not a thing. 

What do you think about on big points?
Are my shoelaces broken?

Is your life better than you imagined?
It honestly couldn’t be better. I have people who love me next to me supporting me throughout this journey, this very difficult journey. I’m living my life to the fullest and honestly couldn’t ask for anything more. 

Are you going to play doubles with me? (from Dominic Thiem)
Dominic don’t worry about it, we’re going to play doubles. But unfortunately the coronavirus struck just before Miami so it never happened. But I’m sure we can arrange something for the future.  

What will you miss not being able to explore NYC this year?
I guess hanging out with my friends and taking pictures like last year, going to the movies as well.

Skill you wish you’d acquire/perfect?
How to make my bed.

Who is the funniest player on Tour?
Andy Murray.

Have you ever tried martial arts?
Yes I have actually. I did kickboxing lessons when I was 12 for two years and I had a great time.

What language do you want to master in the future?
I always have a thing for Japanese, so I’ll go for Japanese. It’s just such a mysterious language.

Do you consider being in the film industry?
It’s one of my dreams too. I would love to be in that business.