Roger Federer has announced his withdrawal from the Rogers Cup. The Swiss is a two-time champion at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, which alternates between Toronto and Montreal. He reached the final on his last visit to Toronto in 2014 (l. to Tsonga), and was also a runner-up last year in Montreal (l. to Zverev).

“I’m so disappointed not to play at the Rogers Cup this summer,” said Federer. “I had a fantastic time in Montreal last year and always enjoy playing in front of the Canadian fans, but unfortunately with scheduling being the key to my longevity moving forward, I have regrettably decided to withdraw from Toronto this year. I wish the tournament every success and am sorry to miss it.”

Federer, whose 37th birthday falls during the Rogers Cup, has won three titles from seven tournament appearances this season. Two weeks ago at Wimbledon, he bowed out in the quarter-finals, falling to Kevin Anderson in a 13-11 fifth set.

The World No. 2 is next scheduled to play at the Western & Southern Open, a Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, where he has won a tournament-record seven titles. Federer missed the tournament last year due to a back injury.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – winners of a combined 10 titles in Canada – will feature in a Rogers Cup field that includes 19 of the Top 20 players in the ATP Rankings. German Alexander Zverev, 21, will attempt to successfully defend his title, while Milos Raonic and #NextGenATP star Denis Shapovalov lead the Canadian charge.

“We are excited to have nine of the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour at the Rogers Cup, but it’s unfortunate that we won’t have Roger in Toronto this summer,” said Tournament Director Karl Hale. “With current World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic plus Toronto’s hometown heroes in Milos and Denis legitimate title threats, this year’s entry list is one of the most exciting in recent memory. With the improvements we have made around the site and the festival of events we have planned, fans are in for a real treat.”

David Ferrer entered his match at the German Tennis Championships 2018 presented by Kampmann with 726 tour-level wins. His opponent, 17-year-old Rudolf Molleker, had played just four tour-level matches.

But the #NextGenATP German battled past the Spanish veteran on Monday, defeating the former World No. 3 7-5, 5-7, 6-3. One year ago, Molleker qualified in Hamburg, defeating Leonardo Mayer in the final round of qualifying. The Argentine would go on to capture the title as a lucky loser.

“This feels even more incredible, playing in front of the home crowd, on home soil. I did a good job last year, so it’s kind of hard, people have expectations because I qualified last year,” Molleker said. “Beating him [Ferrer] out here feels really incredible for me, so I’m looking forward to the next round. I’m just feeling good, now.”

It is the German’s second tour-level win, after earning his first in June at Stuttgart against compatriot Jan-Lennard Struff. Molleker had never won an ATP Challenger Tour match when he arrived in Heilbronn, Germany this May for the Neckarcup. But the teenager became the third player born in 2000 to triumph at the Challenger-level, joining Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nicola Kuhn.

Molleker will next play qualifier Jozef Kovalik, who upset fourth seed Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-2, 6-4 in 89 minutes. It is the Slovakian’s highest-ranked victory since he beat then No. 6-ranked Marin Cilic in January 2017 at the Tata Open Maharashtra, when the tournament was played in Chennai.

“It’s definitely a tough match,” Molleker said. “He passed qualifying here and beat Damir Dzumhur, which is a big win, too. It’s going to be so hard for me, as hard as today, and I have to fight again and show my best out there.”

Did You Know?
When Molleker played in Hamburg last year, he was No. 923 in the ATP Rankings. Now, he is at a career-best No. 271, and thanks to his victory against Ferrer, will continue to rise next Monday.

The #NextGenATP is coming, and two impressive performances on Monday at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad proved it.

Seventeen-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime earned the third tour-level match win of his career, defeating Argentine Guido Andreozzi 6-3, 7-6(3) in one hour, 31 minutes. The World No. 139, who hit eight aces and won 80 per cent of first-serve points in the match, will next face fifth seed Robin Haase or lucky loser Viktor Galovic.

Auger-Aliassime was the first player born in the 2000s to compete in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event at the BNP Paribas Open earlier this year, when he captured his first tour-level victory against compatriot Vasek Pospisil. The teenager earned his second win in Umag last week before falling in three sets against defending champion and fellow #NextGenATP star Andrey Rublev.

But the Canadian was not the only #NextGenATP player to impress on day one in Gstaad. Jaume Munar stormed into the second round, dropping just one game to beat countryman Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-1, 6-0. Munar won 70 per cent of second-serve return points and converted five of 15 break point chances en route to a 67-minute win. Munar will meet second seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.

Roberto Carballes Baena made a strong debut in Switzerland, beating seventh seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6(3), 6-2.

The 25-year-old Spaniard, who lifted his maiden ATP World Tour title at the Ecuador Open in February, needed just 89 minutes to move past the 2008 semi-finalist. Carballes Baena won 75 per cent of service points and converted three of eight break-point opportunities to secure his 11th tour-level victory of the season.

Carballes Baena will face Taro Daniel of Japan for a spot in the quarter-finals. The TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open titlist edged Elias Ymer 7-6(9), 7-5.

In an all-qualifier clash, Jurgen Zopp squeezed past German Yannick Hanfmann 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Zopp will face defending champion and newly crowned SkiStar Swedish Open winner Fabio Fognini for a place in the last eight.

Did You Know?
Fabio Fognini is bidding to become the first man to win back-to-back titles at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad since Sergi Bruguera. The Spaniard won three consecutive titles at the event between 1992 and 1994.

The ATP Challenger Tour will undergo wholesale changes from 2019 that will further professionalise the sport, unlock significant investment and growth in prize money at the lower levels of men’s professional tennis, and lead to a greatly enhanced player pathway, the ATP announced on Monday.

The changes announced for 2019 are the result of an extensive strategic review the ATP has undertaken as it strives to enhance the player pathway and improve the viability of professional tennis at the lower levels of the sport. The changes will take place across the following key areas of the ATP Challenger Tour:

Draw Size
The Singles Main Draw size at ATP Challenger Tour events will increase from 32 to 48, leading to an annual increase of approximately 2,400 available professional job opportunities with prize money and hotel accommodation included. Tournaments will also feature a 4‐player qualifying event, with two qualifiers advancing into the Main Draw. In Doubles, a 16-team draw will continue to feature.

Tournament Schedule
Tournaments will take place across 7 days from Monday to Sunday including qualifying, leading to optimized player flow with facilitated player scheduling due to no overlap from week to week between respective tournaments.

Hospitality
Starting in 2019, all ATP Challenger tournaments will provide hotel accommodation for all Main Draw players. In total, this will constitute an approximate 20,000 additional room nights provided for players throughout the season.

Prize Money
All Main Draw players will earn prize money. The increased Singles Main Draw size (from 32 to 48) will lead to 16 more players per tournament earning prize money from 2019. Based on the same number of events taking place as today, it is estimated that an additional US$ 1 million will be generated through prize money. The highest-level Challengers will offer US$ 162,480 in 2019.

Branding
ATP Challenger Tour tournament categories will be re-branded in accordance with the number of ATP Rankings points on offer to the respective tournament champion, as is currently the case on the ATP World Tour (ATP World Tour 250, 500, and Masters 1000). There will be five ATP Challenger Tour categories – ATP Challenger 70, 80, 95, 110 and 125 – providing the Tour with a clear structure and easily defined brand to facilitate communication and marketing opportunities.

On-Site Facilities, Conditions & Streaming
Increased services will be offered across ATP Officiating as well as ATP Medical Services, with better access on offer to qualified Physiotherapists. Several enhancements will also be made to on-site conditions with more practice courts available, as well as improved player treatment facilities. In addition, from 2019 all Main Draw Singles matches are intended to be streamed online, meaning the number of matches available to viewers worldwide will more than double.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “These are significant changes that will lead to a real enhancement of the ATP Challenger Tour, particularly as we seek to provide more earning opportunities for players at the entry level into men’s professional tennis. A big priority for us is to ensure we have a healthy player pathway and that we improve the viability of a career in men’s professional tennis. These changes represent an important step in the right direction for our sport.”

The changes announced for 2019 reflect the latest in a series of initiatives by ATP in recent years to bolster the ATP Challenger Tour which has seen overall prize money levels increase by approximately 28% since 2014. The Challenger Tour in 2018 will feature more than 160 tournaments worldwide.

From 2020, ATP Ranking points will begin at the ATP Challenger Tour only, a change that will significantly reduce the number of ATP-ranked players. The move is aimed at improving the player pathway up and down the tennis ecosystem, while positioning the ATP Challenger Tour as the first stage of professional tennis. The change will also serve to more accurately define the breadth of men’s professional tennis, leading to better services and conditions provided for true professional players, while providing a clear delineation between the professional ranks and the transitional ranks beneath.

No. 22 (Career High) Marco Cecchinato, +5
The Italian, who was at No. 107 in the ATP Rankings on 5 March this year, continues his dramatic rise to a career-high No. 22, after a five-spot rise with his second ATP World Tour title at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag (d. Pella). Read More & Watch Highlights

The 25-year-old captured his first ATP World Tour title as a lucky loser at the Gazprom Hungarian Open (d. Millman) on 29 April, which resulted in a 33-place rise from No. 92 to No. 59, and went on to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals (l. to Thiem).

View Latest ATP Rankings

No. 34 Steve Johnson, +14
The American clinched his fourth ATP World Tour crown (4-1) — his second on grass courts (also 2016 Nottingham) — with victory over first-time tour-level finalist Ramkumar Ramanathan at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open. The 28-year-old moves up 14 positions to No. 34, which remains 13 places off his career-high of No. 21 (25 July 2016). Read More & Watch Highlights

No. 57 Guido Pella, +15
The 28-year-old from Argentina has returned to the Top 60 for the first time since 30 April (No. 60) after reaching the Umag final. Pella, who has jumped 15 places to No. 57, came through a trio of three-setters — against Taro Daniel in the first round, Aljaz Bedene in the second round and Robin Haase in the semi-finals — en route to his third ATP World Tour final (0-3). His career-high is No. 39 on 21 March 2016.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 73 (Career High) Cameron Norrie, +4
No. 76 Evgeny Donskoy, +7
No. 82 Federico Delbonis, +5
No. 91 Vasek Pospisil, +7

A LOOK BACK
The Hague Open (Scheveningen, Netherlands): Thiemo de Bakker has waited years for this moment. In 2010, the Dutchman rose to a career-high No. 40 in the ATP Rankings, but a series of setbacks including chronic back and shoulder issues would derail De Bakker’s ascent.

That is, until now. The 29-year-old claimed his 11th ATP Challenger Tour title and first since 2015, lifting the trophy on home soil in Scheveningen. After starting the year outside the Top 400, the 29-year-old has climbed to No. 238 in the ATP Rankings.

It was a well deserved victory for De Bakker, as he continues to plot his comeback on the Challenger circuit. He dominated the latter stages of the tournament, dropping a combined eight games in the semi-finals and final, capped by a 6-2, 6-1 rout of top seed Yannick Maden. Earlier in the week, he rallied from a set down on two occasions, upsetting second seed Adam Pavlasek and denying Italy’s Alessandro Giannessi.

The local hero, who was born in The Hague, is the 10th Dutchman to triumph on home soil.

It’s Thiemo’s time!@Thiemodebakker is the champion in Scheveningen, taking the title 62 61 over top seed Yannick Maden

10th ?? winner in @TheHagueOpen history. pic.twitter.com/uqPZd1JuxL

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 22, 2018

President’s Cup (Astana, Kazakhstan): Competing in his 30th ATP Challenger Tour main draw, Austria’s Sebastian Ofner finally made his big breakthrough. The 22-year-old lifted his first trophy at the $125,000 event in Astana, ousting Daniel Brands 7-6(5), 6-3 in Sunday’s final. Ofner, who dropped just one set all week, rises to No. 151 in the ATP Rankings. 

World No. 8 Dominic Thiem has carried the flag for Austria in recent years, and the European nation has much to look forward to with Ofner and #NextGenATP star Jurij Rodionov. Both Ofner and Rodionov have lifted their first Challenger crowns this year, with both coming in Kazakhstan.

Challenger Banque Nationale de Gatineau (Gatineau, Canada): The $75,000 event in Gatineau crowned its third champion on Sunday, with American Bradley Klahn celebrating a return to the winners’ circle. The former World No. 63 is on a tear in recent months as he looks to return to the Top 100 following years of injury problems.

Klahn lifted his first trophy in four years with a 6-3, 7-6(5) win over 20-year-old Frenchman Ugo Humbert. It was his seventh Challenger title in total.

The California native, who sat on the sidelines for 21 months in 2015-16 after undergoing back surgery, is returning to his top form this year. Also a finalist in Newport Beach, he most recently reached the second round at Wimbledon as a qualifier. Klahn is now up to No. 122 in the ATP Rankings.

American Winners In 2018

San Benedetto Tennis Cup (San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy): Ofner wasn’t the only first-time winner of the week. Colombia’s Daniel Elahi Galan also notched his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title on Sunday, triumphing on the clay of San Benedetto, Italy. He defeated Sergio Gutierrez-Ferrol 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 on Sunday. Galan, age 22, is the first titlist from the South American nation since 2016. The highest-ranked Colombian is up to a career-high No. 166 in the ATP Rankings.

A LOOK AHEAD
There are five tournaments this week in Europe and North America. At the $100,000 event in Granby, Canada, Pierre-Hugues Herbert is the top seed, while Jordan Thompson leads the pack in Binghamton, USA. 

Meanwhile, on the clay of Europe, the longest-running Challenger celebrates its 37th edition in Tampere, Finland. Hugo Dellien is the top seed, with Scheveningen champion Thiemo de Bakker opening against #NextGenATP star Nicola Kuhn. In Prague, Yannick Maden leads the pack, while Gerald Melzer is the top seed at the inaugural tournament in Padua, Italy.

It was like déjà vu.

Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis was finally feeling healthy during the Miami Open presented by Itau in March. The 22-year-old, who’s already battled more than a career’s worth of injuries, qualified for the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event and then earned one of his biggest wins, handing then-No. 1 Roger Federer only his second loss of 2018.

Kokkinakis was back. Or so it seemed.

Three weeks later, though, his mystifying bad luck returned. At the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Kokkinakis chased a deep, looping mishit from Russian Karen Khachanov and stumbled on a sponsor sign. He finished the match – a straight-sets loss – but had to sit out more than a month because of a small fracture in his left kneecap and a deep bone bruise.

Just like that, Kokkinakis had returned to the frustrating cycle of “rehab, play, success”. “It’s been very stop-start for me,” he told ATPWorldTour.com.

The Aussie, however, is back at the third stage of that process. On Sunday, he beat Poland’s #NextGenATP right-hander Hubert Hurkacz, who made his Wimbledon debut earlier this month, 6-2, 7-6(6) to reach the main draw of the BB&T Atlanta Open.

Kokkinakis will make his first appearance at the ATP World Tour 250-level tournament this week and will play doubles with countryman Nick Kyrgios, the tournament’s 2016 singles champion.

Read More: 30 Things To Watch In Atlanta, Gstaad & Hamburg

“I’ve been playing all right in my matches but I’ve just been getting a bit nervous at the end, in trying to finish, and I think you saw that again today,” said Kokkinakis, who led 5/2 in the second-set tie-break.

It’s the first time he has come through qualifying in his past four attempts. He fell in the second round of qualifying at Roland Garros and the final round at the Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen’s Club in London and at Wimbledon.

“Felt like I should have qualified for Wimbledon… Should have qualified for Queen’s… So I didn’t want to let it happen again,” Kokkinakis said. “I got a bit tense towards the end. My feet stopped moving. It’s because I haven’t played many matches. I think the more matches I play the more comfortable I’ll get, and hopefully these matches become easier to close out.”

The 6’5” right-hander has played only seven tour-level matches this season (3-4) and only the one since Miami. But the free-spirited Aussie, although frustrated, isn’t dwelling on what could have been the past few months.

“It’s tough right now. My ranking is not where I want it to be. I don’t feel like I should be in this position. Some things have happened and I just gotta get back and keep working my way through qualies, if need be, and go from there,” he said.

At No. 172 in the ATP Rankings, Kokkinakis is 103 spots down from his career-high of No. 69, which he last reached in July 2015. That same year he finished No. 80 in the year-end ATP Rankings and became one of four teenagers, along with Borna Coric, Hyeon Chung and Alexander Zverev, to finish in the Top 100.

A lot has happened to Kokkinakis since then, especially injuries: shoulder, groin, pectoralis, ankle and ab problems have derailed him. But he’s also had some of his best moments since July 2015 – beating No. 6 Milos Raonic at the 2017 Fever-Tree Championships for his first Top 10 win; reaching his first ATP World Tour quarter-final, semi-final and final last year at Los Cabos (d. Fritz, Berdych and l. to Querrey); and his career-best victory over Federer in March.

The highlights of the past few years, the big wins against some of the biggest names; those are what Kokkinakis chooses to focus on as he tries to work his way back into the Top 100 once more.

“You gotta take good matches… take those things and use them. Just know that, ‘OK if my body’s right, if I’m healthy, this is what I can do’. So I think people around the Tour know what I’m capable of, but I’ve just got to be a bit more professional, a bit more disciplined, and start playing more tournaments, it’s pretty simple. I just got to play more matches,” said Kokkinakis. “I’m just hoping the whole body stays in one piece.”