Just days after Italy won its first Davis Cup since 1976 — led by former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM champion Jannik Sinner — two more Italians are set to compete at this year’s 21-and-under showcase in Jeddah.

Flavio Cobolli leads the charge, looking to cap a breakout season in which he debuted in the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and won his second ATP Challenger Tour title. The 21-year-old, joined in Jeddah by countryman Luca Nardi, will hope to continue the success for Italian tennis this week.

Long before he watched Sinner’s 2019 title run at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, Cobolli grew up idolising another Italian: Fabio Fognini, whom he now calls a good friend.

“My biggest idol is Fabio, and Nole [Novak Djokovic],” Cobolli told ATPTour.com. “I grew up with Fabio’s matches and I tried to improve my game watching him, so I remember a lot of his matches. I usually don’t like to watch matches, but I love to watch his matches.

“When Fabio is playing, I’m on the TV. When he’s not playing, I’m not.”

Cobolli fondly recalled a 2014 Davis Cup match between Fognini and Andy Murray, when a Fognini win sparked a final-day comeback to send Italy to the semi-finals. After growing up as a fan of the stylish shotmaker, Cobolli now has a strong relationship with Fognini both on and off the court.

“We are good friends. If I have some problem I speak with him always,” he said. “I also work with him because he has a management company, so he is like my manager also. I’m not working with him because he’s still playing, but I work with his agency. So I spend a lot of time with him, and if we are in the same tournament we are always together, at dinner or for some practice. I cheer for him in his matches and he’s the same for me.”

Even with great examples like Fognini and Sinner to follow, Cobolli is eager to fashion his own path on the ATP Tour: “I want to create my own game, my own road,” he said.

Aided by strong support from the Italian Tennis Federation, he picked up four tour-level wins this season, including two in a Munich quarter-final run. On the ATP Challenger Tour, he won a title in Lisbon and reached a final in Olbia, Italy — both in October, leading to a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of World No. 95.

“It was of course special, because this year I worked a lot,” Cobolli said of his Lisbon trophy run. “I played 36 weeks, a lot. I was tired but I think that title means a lot for me and for the season. But I don’t want to stop now. I want to push more for the goals of 2024.”

Sustained success across that busy schedule has earned Cobolli the fifth seed in Jeddah. But this is not his first experience at the Next Gen ATP Finals. At the 2021 event in Milan, won by Carlos Alcaraz, the Italian was on site as an alternate.

“It was a big experience for me because it was one of the first times that I hit with the biggest young players in the world, like Alcaraz, [Juan Manuel] Cerundolo and [Hugo] Gaston,” he reflected. “I learned a lot from those practices. I think that week did a lot for my tennis.”

Now it’s time for Cobolli to compete amidst the pageantry in Jeddah. Looking at the big picture, it seems the Italian won’t be satisfied until he’s added his own new chapters to his nation’s rich tennis history.

“I don’t want to stop,” he said, discussing his breakthrough into the Top 100. “I want to be in the future of tennis.”

Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

Abdullah Shelbayh will enjoy a very special few days this week when he plays in the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah. It will be the icing on the cake of a season in which the Jordanian has knocked down countless barriers. He now has an opportunity to introduce himself to the world.

“It will be a great experience for me and a great opportunity to demonstrate my level and enjoy the big matches I’ll play against the best players in the world,” Shelbayh told ATPTour.com. “It’s a great opportunity, and it’ll be really fun knowing that I’m in an Arab country. Particularly for my country, for Jordan, it will be very special. Also for the tournament, having a player from the Arab region will be very exciting and fun. I think I’m really going to enjoy this opportunity.”

Shelbayh will be the first player from Jordan to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals after receiving a wild card. At 20 years of age, he has claimed wins on the ATP Tour this season in Banja Luka and Metz, and also became the first player from his country to win an ATP Challenger Tour title when he took the crown in Charleston in October.

“This year has been my first season on Tour, but so far it’s been the best of my career in general,” said Shelbayh. “I managed to win my first Challenger title. It was very special, knowing that I had some very tough months this summer, and a lot of changes around me. It hasn’t been the best time off court, so it was fantastic to win that title at such an important time of year. Honestly, I’m very happy with the way I played that week.”

That victory in Charleston, which came in October with a win over Oliver Crawford in the final, provided a boost with 75 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points (he is currently World No. 187) and allowed him to have an important conversation with Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

“He told me it was a big step in my career, and that I had to enjoy myself and not be content,” explained the Jordanian. “He told me that I couldn’t be content with just one result because everyone is trying to improve at the same time, so you have to keep going with what you’ve been building. That doesn’t mean that you’re going to win all the big tournaments, but you have to keep up the good work and not let the important moments that will help you achieve your goal pass you by. It was very special to hear those words from someone like him, who has been my idol since I started to play tennis.”

“To describe Abdullah, you have to analyse his talent,” Nadal said. “I think he’s a player with a very special innate talent, capable of doing things that most can’t. With his style of play, it makes opponents feel very uncomfortable. I know because I’ve trained with him a number of times. And he’s added something very important to that: In the last year and a half he has taken a step forward in the way he experiences tennis.

“Really, he has realised that what he wants is to be a professional tennis player and he is working very hard toward that. I can only congratulate him for his dedication and for his hard work and encourage him to continue on that road. He’s had a very positive season, picking up good results, and has climbed up the rankings. Now an amazing moment is coming up for him, playing in the Next Gen ATP Finals. I’d like to wish him all the luck in the world. I’m sure it’ll be a very special tournament for him.”

_{^{Abdullah Shelbayh enjoys a laugh with fellow Jeddah competitors Alex Michelsen and Arthur Fils during a visit to Al-Balad.}}

Shelbayh joined the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in 2018, when he was 14, and has not stopped growing since. How did the Jordanian end up at the Spaniard’s academy in Manacor? Through a connection between Toni Nadal and Shelbayh’s agent, Princess Lara Faisal, a member of the Jordanian royal family. Over those five years, Shelbayh has evolved as a player and a person.

“When he arrived, he was a boy that did things well. We could see he had a certain ability, but nothing more than that,” explained Toni Nadal, who has watched the player’s progress throughout that time. “As the years have passed, I think he has improved in almost every aspect of his game. In the last year, his improvement has been palpable and definitive. I think he has gained maturity and commitment. He has a good chance of getting on the ATP Tour soon and he’s shown that in various tournaments playing against players who are among the best in the world. He has given them a good fight, and has even beaten some renowned players.

“If he maintains the same desire he has had recently, with the same willingness and the same commitment, I’m sure we’ll see him in the big tournaments soon, being one of the players that could challenge the best in the world. For us, for the academy, it has been a great source of satisfaction because he’s a player that was completely trained on our courts.”

Shelbayh’s time at the Rafa Nadal Academy has helped him work his way up to the achievements he has produced in 2023. A large part of the Jordanian’s success is due to the working structure he has in Mallorca, at the academy of the 14-time French Open champion.

“I’ve been at the academy for many years and it’s like my home,” said the 20-year-old. “I represent the academy in every match I play. It’s a big name to carry on your shoulders. I’m grateful for everything the academy has done for me, everything Rafa has done, and all the players at the academy. I remember arriving many years ago and I wasn’t expecting it to be so special, I wasn’t expecting to spend so many years here. Once you have a good environment around you, everything is much easier.”

Carlos Moya, Nadal’s coach and a former No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, also shared insight into the Jordanian’s game.

“I think Abdullah is a different player, intelligent, unpredictable, and that’s what makes him fun to watch and a difficult opponent to read,” offered the Spaniard. “The chaos he has is very good, but if he can iron it out a little… he could be a player nobody wants to play. He hits incredible shots, and when you least expect it. The fact that he is unpredictable creates tremendous discomfort for his opponents. He mustn’t lose that and needs to improve his consistency a little more.”

What is the dream for any young player trying to become a professional? Practising with Nadal and his team, and being able to listen to his advice, must be high on the list.

“For me, personally, being able to train with Rafa, having Carlos Moya and Toni Nadal there… that’s something I could never have imagined,” said Shelbayh. “I always dreamed of it, honestly, but now it’s a reality. I hope things continue in that way. I’m very grateful for everything they’ve done for me.”

Shelbayh will play his opener at the Next Gen ATP Finals on Tuesday against Luca Van Assche. The Jordanian and Frenchman are in the Red Group alongside Alex Michelsen and Hamad Medjedovic.

Fabio Fognini won his first title at any level since 2019 on Sunday when he triumphed at the ATP Challenger Tour 100 event in Valencia, Spain.

The Italian saved two championship points to down home favourite Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(3) after three hours, 11 minutes in Sunday’s Copa Faulcombridge final. Fognini, who fended off a match point at 4-5 in the second set and another at 7/8 in the second-set tie-break, is the ninth ATP Challenger Tour champion to save at least one match point in a final this year.

Fognini and Bautista Agut, who were competing against each other for the 12th time, combined for the oldest Challenger final in 2023. At 36 years, six months, Fognini is the oldest Challenger champion this season.

A seven-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, Fognini’s victory in Spain marks his first title since his lone ATP Masters 1000 crown at the 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

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In other Challenger action, Chilean Alejandro Tabilo collected his fourth trophy at that level this season by winning the Aberto Da Republica in Brasilia, Brazil. The 26-year-old downed Argentine Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-3, 7-6(6) in the final after winning 81 per cent of his first-serve points.

“I am so happy and speechless with how this weekend has been,” Tabilo wrote in Spanish on Instagram following his triumph. “So thankful for my team for all the work and support they have given me. This is just the beginning and 1701103828 we go stronger.”

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Tabilo is one of four South American players to win at least four Challenger titles in 2023, joining Mariano Navone (5), Facundo Diaz Acosta (4) and Thiago Seyboth Wild (4). Tabilo is the only player of that group with titles on both clay and hard.

Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki won his first Challenger title of the season on home soil at the Yokohama Keio Challenger, where he defeated countryman Yuta Shimizu 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final. The top seed Watanuki was a finalist in Yokohama last year, but he went one step further this week to become the fourth Japanese player to win the Challenger 75 event.

Watanuki and Shimizu are set to face off again on Tuesday in a first-round match at the Yokkaichi Challenger, where the 25-year-old is the defending champion. Watanuki aims at building upon his momentum to finish the season, much like he did last year by earning back-to-back titles and winning 14 of his final 15 matches.

Watanuki, who is coached by his older brother Keisuke, made his Top 100 debut in July shortly after reaching the second round of Wimbledon.

All eight of the competitors at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM were champions on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2023, with Hamad Medjedovic’s trio of titles leading the 21-and-under players. ATPTour.com reviews some of the key moments from each qualifier’s rise through the ATP Challenger Tour this year.

Arthur Fils

The Frenchman kicked off his season in the best way possible, winning nine of his first 10 matches, including an opening week title run at the Oeiras Challenger. Fils, 19, quickly ascended up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and is currently at a career-high World No. 36. The teenager, who won his maiden tour-level title in Lyon, collected an 11-4 Challenger-match record this year.

Fils joined an exclusive list of French Challenger champions aged 18 and under: Richard Gasquet, Sebastien Grosjean, Gael Monfils, Fabrice Santoro, Corentin Moutet, and Luca Van Assche.

Luca Van Assche
A memorable moment for Van Assche came at the Pau Challenger in March, when he saved two championship points against countryman Ugo Humbert to win the longest Challenger final in history (three hours, 56 minutes). In his next event just a few weeks later, Van Assche returned to the winners’ circle, claiming his third career ATP Challenger crown in Sanremo, where he secured his Top 100 breakthrough.

Dominic Stricker

The Swiss lefty won the Rovereto and Prague Challengers in the first half of the year and now enters the season finale in Jeddah with a 19-12 Challenger-match season record. In September, the 21-year-old made his Top 100 debut following a fourth-round appearance at the US Open, where he stunned seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a five-set, second-round thriller. Stricker is the only Swiss player to win five Challenger titles before his 21st birthday.

Alex Michelsen

The 19-year-old American started the year at World No. 600 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but has since risen to become the youngest player in the Top 100. Michelsen earned his maiden ATP Challenger Tour triumph in Chicago in July, a week before he was a finalist at the ATP 250 event in Newport. Michelsen enters the Next Gen ATP Finals having won nine of his past 10 matches, including a title run in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Flavio Cobolli

The Italian is one of seven players to win at least 40 Challenger-level matches in 2023. Cobolli, who cracked the Top 100 in October, earned his second career ATP Challenger Tour title in Lisbon and reached the final in Olbia two weeks later. The 21-year-old is one of four #NextGenATP Italians to win a Challenger title this year, alongside Luca Nardi, Matteo Gigante and Luciano Darderi.

Hamad Medjedovic

The 20-year-old is the youngest player to win three ATP Challenger Tour titles this season, with triumphs in Szekesfehervar, Mauthausen and Mallorca. The Serbian, who advanced through qualifying at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, was a semi-finalist at the ATP 250 events in Gstaad and Astana. Coached by former World No. 12 Viktor Troicki, Medjedovic has tallied a 23-12 Challenger-match record this year.

Luca Nardi

At a career-high World No. 115, Nardi has added two Challenger titles to his collection this season. The Italian won the Porto Challenger in August on the same day he was celebrating his 20th birthday. Nardi captured his fourth career Challenger title earlier this month, when he triumphed in Matsuyama, Japan.

Abdullah Shelbayh

The Jordanian made ATP Challenger Tour history in October when he triumphed in Charleston, South Carolina to become the youngest player from an Arab country to win a title at that level. The 20-year-old, who graduated from the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2021, also was a finalist at the Manama Challenger in February. Shelbayh enters the Next Gen ATP Finals at a career-high World No. 185.

The first ATP-sanctioned event ever to be held in Saudi Arabia commences on Tuesday, when all eight players will be in action at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM.

Top seed Arthur Fils will face Italian Luca Nardi in the first Green Group match at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. Frenchman Fils is No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, having won his first tour-level title in Lyon earlier this year. Nardi, who was an alternate at the 21-and-under event in 2022, won an ATP Challenger Tour trophy in Japan earlier this month.

Dominic Stricker and Flavio Cobolli will follow Fils and Nardi onto court in the afternoon session. The 21-year-old Swiss Stricker reached the semi-finals on debut at the tournament last year, while 21-year-old Italian Cobolli is one of seven debutants.

In the evening session, Luca Van Assche plays Jordanian star Abdullah Shelbayh, with American Alex Michelsen facing Hamad Medjedoivc in Red Group. Earlier this year, second-seeded Frenchman Van Assche reached the quarter-finals in Hamburg, while Shelbayh became the first Arab man to win an ATP Challenger Tour title.

Newport finalist Michelsen arrives in Jeddah having won nine of his past 10 matches. Serbian Medjedovic won three Challenger Tour crowns this year and is coached by former World No. 12 Viktor Troicki.

ORDER OF PLAY – TUESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER
CENTRE COURT start 3:00 pm
[1] A. Fils (FRA) vs [7] L. Nardi (ITA)

Not Before 4:00 pm
[3] D. Stricker (SUI) vs [5] F. Cobolli (ITA)

Not Before 8:00 pm
[2] L. Van Assche (FRA) vs [8] [WC] A. Shelbayh (JOR)
[4] A. Michelsen (USA) vs [6] H. Medjedovic (SRB)

Matteo Arnaldi has given Italy a 1-0 lead in the Davis Cup final against Australia after staring down eight break points in the deciding set against Alexei Popyrin.

In contrast to the opportunities missed by Popyrin, the 22-year-old seized the moment when presented with his first match point in the 10th game of the decider to emphatically close out a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory in two hours and 27 minutes.

It was vindication for the former Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier, who squandered three match points against Botic van de Zandschulp in Italy’s 2-1 win over The Netherlands.

“I didn’t play much in the last few weeks, so I was happy after the first match even if I lost,” Arnaldi said. “Now I have won one of the most important matches in my life.”

World No. 4 Jannik Sinner will now attempt to clinch the final for Italy when he takes on World No. 12 Alex de Minaur.

Dominic Stricker, Alex Michelsen and Abdullah Shelbayh were among the world’s leading 21-and-under players getting a different view of the press conference room at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM Sunday. Instead of sitting behind the microphone answering questions, players perched in media seats while taking a briefing on the signature rules and innovations in play at the tournament, which will run 28 November-2 December at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City.

Stricker is the only member of the field who has played the event before, but even he will need to adapt to new conditions as the evolving event continues to serve as a testing ground for rule changes and innovation.

“No warm up will be interesting. Usually you have a few minutes to find your game, so this will be something different,” Stricker said.

“I like the new time rules with eight seconds between first and second serves and also 15 seconds between points when rallies are short. That’s a good one because you can save a lot of time after those short points. Some players may think they need more time, but I feel it’s a really good idea.”

World No. 94 Alex Michelsen, who this time last year was around 600 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and celebrating Thanksgiving in California, said that he also was comfortable with the abbreviated time between first and second serves.

“I just have three bounces, so eight seconds between first and second serves shouldn’t be an issue for me,” he said.

Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh, who received a wild card into the tournament, said he was looking forward to playing under a different set of rules.

“I think it’s going to be more exciting and more challenging as everyone gets used to the quicker speed of play,” Shelbayh said. “And with the short sets to four games, matches can be decided by just a few points, so I think that will being out the best in us.

“The rule I may find challenging is the free fan movement, because I’ve not had that before. We’re used to people walking around the court at practice, but to do it in a match will be a new experience.”

Arthur Fils” />

Changes for 2023 are set to accelerate the event’s fast-paced format, enhance the fan experience, and enrich data and analytics for players, coaches and fans:

• No on-court warm-up: Matches will start immediately after the coin toss, with a separate practice court available for warm-ups.
• Shot-Clock Reductions: A new maximum of eight seconds will be introduced between first and second serves. This also applies after a let on first or second serve. As in previous editions, time between points will be reduced from 25 to 15 seconds if the previous point includes fewer than three shots.
• Wearables: Players will be able to track and visualise biometric data during matches via wearable devices – providing a comprehensive overview of their physical performance and stress responses.
• Insights: A new Physicality Index, developed by Tennis Data Innovations and Kinexon, will capture physical exertion through player and ball-tracking technology. Existing TDI insights such as Shot Quality will be leveraged in stadium for the first time.
• In-match analytics: The newly launched Tennis IQ platform will be available to coaches sitting courtside along with data-tagged video footage, with match data updated in real time and visualised in stadium.
• Basecamp: A new pre-event, off-court competition, Basecamp, will measure the skills and physicality of players through a series of tests, creating new ways for fans to analyse the game’s rising stars.
• Lower umpire chair to reduce the visual obstruction for fans in the arena. Live Electronic Line Calling remains in place on all line calls.
• Simplified scoreboard for improved fan engagement and understanding.

Continued from previous editions:

• Scoring format will be best of five tie-break sets. Each set will be first to four games with a tie-break played at 3-3. Games will be played using the No-Ad scoring format with the server choosing the service box.
• Free fan movement allowed in stadium, except behind the baselines.
• Reduced changeovers: No change of ends after the first game of a set. At the end of the set, players will sit down for 90 seconds (down from 120 seconds).

The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM will take place at the King Abdullah Sports City from 28 November-2 December 2023, with a record US $2 million prize money on offer.

The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM begins on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, but first, the 21-and-under stars visited Al-Balad, the historic old town of Jeddah, for this year’s official group photo.

Ahead of the first ATP-sanctioned event to be held in Saudi Arabia, players took time to visit the historical sites in Al-Balad, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

“We’ve had a really fun time,” said 19-year-old American Alex Michelsen. “Everyone’s been having a lot of laughs. People were great and to see the old city was really, really cool.”

Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh received a wild card for the event. The Arab star enjoyed spending time with his competitors in Jeddah, where the players spent time exploring the local markets.

“It was exciting to do this with the players, they are pretty funny guys,” Shelbayh said. “It was good to spend some time together outside of competition.”

Frenchman Arthur Fils, who won his maiden tour-level title in Lyon earlier this season, showed off his driving skills in Al-Balad. The 19-year-old drove his fellow stars around in a buggy, receiving cheers of support.

“It was good,” Fils said. “I was driving the boys, it was easy. Everyone was smiling and laughing. It is nice to be with the boys as it is not often. It is a great city. It is nice and the people here are very welcoming. I am liking it.”

Fils’ countryman Luca Van Assche practised for the first time in Jeddah on Saturday before visiting the city.

“It is an incredible experience for us,” Van Assche said. “I have never been here so it is a new country for me and civilisation and I am happy to be here to see some of the city. It is very beautiful.”

Two Italians, Luca Nardi and Flavio Cobolli, will make their debuts at the 21-and-under event. Both had fun sightseeing and playing rooftop tennis at the visitor centre.

“It is very nice here,” Nardi said. “We are having a very good day visiting the city. I like it and the people are very nice. My first time playing tennis on a roof. It was very nice and seeing kids come. It was a nice atmosphere.”

“It was a great day and I’m very happy to be here with the Next Gen class,” Cobolli said.

Green Group consists of Fils, Stricker, Cobolli and Nardi. Red Group consists of Van Assche, Michelsen, Medjedovic and Shelbayh.

Seven of the eight competitors are tournament debutants, with the exception of 2022 semi-finalist Stricker.

“It was a great tour,” Stricker said. “We saw a few things of Jeddah. Seeing the old buildings and taking pictures. It is a good event and I am looking forward to playing.”

Hamad Medjedovic was absent as he was a member of the Serbia team at the Davis Cup Finals.