Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com pays tribute to six players who retired in 2017. In part two of our two-part series, we will look back at the careers of five other players, including Radek Stepanek.

Juan Monaco (Retired: 15 May), career-high No. 10
Juan Monaco exhibited both great sportsmanship and charm, performing at his best on clay courts – where he captured eight of his nine titles – during a 14-season pro career. He rose to a career-high No. 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 23 July 2012 and recorded 20 victories over Top 10 opponents, including over his good friend Rafael Nadal at the 2007 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Together, they won the 2015 Qatar ExxonMobil Open doubles title – one of three team crowns for the Argentinean, affectionately known as ‘Pico’. “[There is] pride to have faced so many challenges over many years,” said Monaco. “Thanks for what tennis gave me: education, discipline, friendship and unforgettable moments. [There is] sadness, because I will really miss the tennis courts [and] happiness to have had the chance to work in what I really loved since I was a kid. Knowing that dedication, sacrifice, tenacity and compromise have always been my engine, I leave with the satisfaction that I gave all I had and I want to let you know that I enjoyed until my last match.”

Albert Montanes (Retired: 27 April), career-high No. 22
Albert Montanes, the archetypical Spanish clay-courter who often completed lengthy tournament schedules each season, brought the curtain down at home at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where he’d made his debut in 2001. At 36 years of age, he accumulated 212 victories on red dirt – including six ATP World Tour crowns – and a career-high of No. 22 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “It’s a very special moment,” said Montanes. “I wanted to finish my career in a special way. It couldn’t have been anywhere else. You, the public, have been essential in my career. I feel really proud to have had a very long career.” A career-best week for Montanes came at Estoril in 2010, when he beat then World No. 1 Roger Federer in the semi-finals – at a time when Rafael Nadal was the only Spanish to haven beaten the Swiss on clay – prior to an emotional victory over Portuguese hope Fred Gil in the final. “I will always remember that win over Federer,” he said. “And then I was able to win the tournament, which made it even more special.”

Grega Zemlja (Retired: 12 August), career-high No. 43
Grega Zemlja fulfilled his dream to play tennis professionally, recording a number of firsts for Slovenia – the first in the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, and the first to play in the main draw of a Grand Slam championship – before calling it a career at the age of 30. In October 2012, he advanced to his lone ATP World Tour final, beating Tommy Haas and Janko Tipsarevic at the Erste Bank Open 500 prior to losing to Juan Martin del Potro. He won six ATP Challenger Tour titles and rose to a career-high No. 43 on 15 July 2013.

Somdev Devvarman (Retired: 2 January), career-high No. 62
Two days into the new year, the fighting spirit and passion for the sport flickered out for Somdev Devvarman, the smiling Indian, who at 31 years of age looked beyond the tramlines for a new career. The decision came 12 months on from his last ATP World Tour appearance in Chennai, where he reached the 2009 final (l. to Cilic). The sociology graduate from the University of Virginia, for whom he won back-to-back NCAA singles title in 2007 and 2008, rose to a career-high No. 62 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 25 July 2011. That year he reached the Johannesburg final (l. to Anderson) but in 2012 he began to struggle to overcome a shoulder complaint, part of an injury-plagued career, which included five ATP Challenger Tour titles.

Giovanni Lapentti (Retired: 10 February), career-high No. 110
Giovanni Lapentti played close to 400 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour, winning 10 titles, but perhaps his finest achievement came just two weeks after 2000 Wimbledon. As a 17-year-old he fought back from a 0-2 sets deficit in the fifth and deciding rubber to beat Great Britain’s Arvind Parmar on No. 1 Court at the All England Club to record Ecuador’s first – and, to date, only – singles victory in the Davis Cup World Group. He’d also partnered his brother, Nicolas Lapentti, a day earlier to a straight-sets win in the doubles rubber. A year later, and yet to turn professional, the 6’4” Giovanni partnered Frank Dancevic to the 2001 Wimbledon junior doubles title.

Colin Fleming (Retired: 16 January), doubles career-high No. 17
Colin Fleming moved seamlessly from professional tennis to the position of National Coach for Tennis Scotland in January, after calling time on a 10-year professional career that included eight ATP World Tour titles from 19 finals. He reached a career-high No. 17 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings on 9 September 2013. Ross Hutchins, the Chief Player Officer for the ATP, who won three ATP World Tour doubles titles with Fleming, said, “I wish Colin all the success in his move away from playing professional tennis. He had many fantastic tennis achievements and performed extremely well on the biggest stages in our sport. I have no doubt at all that he is an outstanding fit in his new role and will help build something very strong in Scottish tennis.”

Return on Wednesday for Part Two: Stepanek, Mathieu, Becker, Chiudinelli and Fyrstenberg

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com pays tribute to the first-time winners of the 2017 season. In part two of our two-part series, we look at the year’s final three first-time winners.

Andrey Rublev – Umag [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

Andrey Rublev wasn’t supposed to even be playing in the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag main draw, let alone lifting his maiden ATP World Tour trophy. The #NextGenATP Russian had fallen in the final round of qualifying, but after home favourite Borna Coric withdrew, Rublev became a lucky loser and then a first-time titlist, beating Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-2 in the final.

“Of course, it’s amazing. I have no words to explain it. Especially after this tough week and all the feelings that I have been going through. Now, I’m here and it’s amazing,” Rublev said.

He became the seventh lucky loser to win an ATP World Tour title and the first to do so since Rajeev Ram triumphed in Newport in 2009. The title in July was the beginning of an exceptional run for Rublev, who reached the US Open quarter-finals (l. to Nadal) and made the final of the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan (l. to Chung).

Peter Gojowczyk – Metz [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

It was a title 11 years in the making. Continuing the trend of ’30 is the new 20′ on the ATP World Tour, German Peter Gojowczyk broke through at the age of 28 in 2017, beating Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-5, 6-2 in the Moselle Open final. Gojowczyk qualified for the ATP World Tour 250 and won seven matches in eight days to earn his maiden crown.

“I’m speechless because I won my first title on the ATP Tour. It feels great,” Gojowczyk said.

The breakthrough came after a series of changes for the German. “I’ve changed where I train, I’m traveling with my own trainer and I’m trying to stay in shape. In 2014 I was a career-high No. 79, then I injured my left foot. This year, I had an operation on my right foot. Now I travel with my physiotherapist to keep my fitness level up,” he said.

The 6’2” Munich native will finish 2017 at No. 60 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He started the season at No. 189.

Damir Dzumhur – St. Petersburg [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina learned a crucial lesson from his first ATP World Tour final, when he fell to Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut at the Winston-Salem Open in August: You’re going to be nervous; it’s an ATP World Tour final. But you have to battle through the nerves.

Dzumhur did that well at the St. Petersburg Open to claim his maiden title, beating Italian Fabio Fognini 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Dzumhur also became the first Bosnian to win an ATP World Tour crown.

“In Winston-Salem I was a little bit more nervous. I was a little bit more tight than for the match against Fabio Fognini in St. Petersburg,” Dzumhur said. “I just knew that any of the finals are not easy to play. You are going to be nervous in the start. But as the match will go on, you’ll get more relaxed and you’ll have chances. So I used my chances in the second set and turned that match, and definitely the first final helped me a lot to win this final.”

The 25-year-old Dzumhur later won his second ATP World Tour title, also indoors and in Russia, beating Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to win the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Dzumhur will finish 2017 at a career-high year-end Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 30.

The 2018 season is still two weeks away, yet a pair of #NextGenATP stars are already carrying significant momentum into their new campaigns. Alex de Minaur and Soon-woo Kwon continue to make great strides in their push towards the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, with both securing main draw wild cards at the Australian Open. 

On Sunday, 18-year-old De Minaur, the highest-ranked Aussie teen, won the Australian Open Wild Card Play-off with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-1 victory over Alex Bolt. The World No. 208 will make his second straight appearance at his home Grand Slam, after reaching the second round on debut in 2017.

“I feel like I thoroughly deserve this one – that’s what happens when you are actually playing for one,” De Minaur said following the match. “I couldn’t be happier with my level and I can’t wait for the Australian summer to come.

“I think I’ve still got a lot to get better at. But this week my level was great throughout. I didn’t think I dropped my concentration at all.”

Past and future Australian tennis. @lleytonhewitt presents @alexdeminaur with his @AustralianOpen accreditation. #ALPlayoff pic.twitter.com/MKSPZQ25Jt

— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) December 17, 2017

In January, De Minaur crashed onto the scene with a thrilling five-set upset of Gerald Melzer in his debut Down Under. And the former junior No. 2 would later crack the Top 200 for the first time after finishing runner-up at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Segovia, Spain, in August.

Kwon, meanwhile, will make his tour-level debut after winning the Asia-Pacific Wild Card Play-off. The 20-year-old Korean did not drop a set throughout the competition, sealing his place in the first Grand Slam of the year with a 6-1, 6-1 win over China’s Zhe Li. The play-off exclusively features players from the Asia-Pacific region.

It has been an impressive conclusion to 2017 for #NextGenATP Koreans, following Hyeon Chung’s victory at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan last month. Kwon will look to build on a career-high of No. 168 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after posting a 27-17 record on the ATP Challenger Tour this year. He reached his first finals in Yokohama (l. to Sugita) and Seoul (l. to Fabbiano).

The 2018 Australian Open begins on 15 January.

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com pays tribute to the first-time winners of the 2017 season. In part one of our two-part series, we look at the year’s first four first-time winners. 

Gilles Muller – Sydney [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

It was one of the warmest moments of the 2017 ATP World Tour season. A hard-working and well-liked veteran, with his wife and two young sons in the stands, crying after a career triumph he thought might never come.

Gilles Muller had lost his first five ATP World Tour finals. In 2016, the left-hander held three championship points against Ivo Karlovic at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open in Newport, but lost them all. The 33-year-old from Luxembourg wondered if he would ever win a title.

Then he did. After beating defending champion Viktor Troicki of Serbia in the semi-finals, Muller dismissed Brit Daniel Evans 7-6(5), 6-2 to win the Sydney International in January. All-time great Rod Laver presented him with the trophy on court.

“Everything that happened tonight was like in a movie. Rod Laver there, standing on centre court with the trophy, my kids in the stands, can’t ask for more,” Muller said. “I’ve been waiting for this a long time. I’ve lost five finals before, so my biggest dream and goal was to win a title. Finally it’s here, so it’s great. It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders now.”

The 2017 season would only get better for the left-hander. Muller reached his career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 21 in July after he made his first Grand Slam quarter-final by beating Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon fourth round. Muller also reached two more finals, falling in the Millenium Estoril Open (l. to Carreno Busta) before winning the Ricoh Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (d. Mahut).

Ryan Harrison – Memphis [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

Ryan Harrison’s first ATP World Tour title came during a homecoming of sorts. The American grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, and the closest ATP tournament when he was a kid was the Memphis Open. Harrison envisioned himself hoisting the trophy at The Racquet Club of Memphis one day.

During his first ATP World Tour final, Harrison became the second first-time winner of 2017, saving 12 break points to beat Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-4 in just 76 minutes.

“This is like a hometown event for me,” Harrison said. “I looked at the board and the last American that won it was Andy Roddick. Then I saw all the other guys that won here and it’s just an incredible moment.”

The title pushed Harrison back into the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, and the right-hander would have even more success in singles and doubles in 2017. He reached the BB&T Atlanta Open final (l. to Isner). In doubles, Harrison and New Zealand’s Michael Venus won the Roland Garros title and reached the semi-finals of the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals. 

Borna Coric – Marrakech [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

Talk about coming through in the big moments. #NextGenATP Croatian Borna Coric was down five championship points against German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Grand Prix Hassan II final but saved them all to earn his maiden title. Coric had fallen in his first two finals, the 2016 Grand Prix Hassan II (l. to Delbonis) and the 2016 Aircel Chennai Open (l. to Wawrinka).

“I would say that’s my biggest comeback, I’ve never saved five match points,” Coric said. “Especially in such an important match, I served very well in the big points. It’s an awesome feeling. I didn’t know what to expect when I came here and I wasn’t in the best shape. But I’ve been working very hard the past three or four months and now it’s paying off.”

Coric earned big wins later in the season as well, including an upset of World No. 1 Andy Murray at the Mutua Madrid Open. The Croatian finished his year by making the semi-finals of the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Yuichi Sugita – Antalya [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

In February, Japan’s Yuichi Sugita was No. 134 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. On 1 July, he was the champion of the inaugural Antalya Open in Turkey. Sugita climbed into the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings with his first title, beating Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 7-6(4).

“I’m really happy to be the first champion in Antalya,” Sugita said. “This is the most emotional moment of my career. I’ve won many Futures and Challenger titles, but never at a big tournament like this. It’s just amazing. I can’t believe it.” 

The next week, Sugita checked off another career first, earning his maiden Grand Slam match victory at Wimbledon. Sugita would also reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. He will finish 2017 at No. 40, a career-high year-end Emirates ATP Ranking for the 29-year-old.

“Many players are having their good results after 28 or even 30,” Sugita said. “Actually I’m not so surprised about this, because tennis takes more time to reach your top level. I kept trying and I’m going to keep going.”

Read More: Sugita Storming Into The Spotlight In Cincy

Coming Monday, part two of our two-part series, highlighting the final three first-time winners of 2017.