When you listen to a former World No. 1, someone who made it to the pinnacle of the ATP World Tour, experience resides in each phrase. The advice of Juan Carlos Ferrero clearly carries weight with fast-rising #NextGenATP leader Alexander Zverev, who on Sunday won his second consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Montreal.

The chemistry between the two couldn’t have sparked success any faster. Since they began working together in mid-July, victory has been their only destiny: 10 wins in a row (the longest winning-streak in Alexander’s career) and titles in Washington and Montreal (with a tour-leading five crowns in 2017). 

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Zverev has risen to a career-high ranking of No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, having upped his way to No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, just below Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

“I didn’t expect to begin with two titles,” admits Ferrero after seeing his pupil dominate in Montreal. “But I have to say that watching how he trained during the 10 days we spent together in Tampa right before playing Washington, I was shocked by his discipline and commitment towards the game. He wants to improve badly and is working to be one of the greatest.”

With his low-profile, analytical method, Ferrero observes a player growing in front of his eyes; a player who already shines despite having large room for improvement. “I think he’s very mature for his age. Maybe that’s the main difference compared to the players of his generation,” Ferrero says. 

“He can still improve his mentality and, for sure, some technical aspects such as volleys or his net game… But he’s 20 years old and has plenty of time to do so.”

Success at the top requires character and determination, and Alexander doesn’t fall short in that department. “He’s a winner,” Ferrero says. “He believes deeply in his chances, no matter who’s at the other side. Federer, Djokovic or any other.”

Zverev has compiled 10 straight wins at Masters 1000 level, something nobody has done at his age since Nadal in 2005. “That’s very important,” Ferrero says.

“With his technical acumen, if he trusts in his game he can be very dangerous. And he enjoys joking with his team. He’s very extroverted even with people he doesn’t know well. Moreover, he’s a hard worker and enjoys the competition.

“Our plans are set: we’ll be together again at the US Open. I’ll be back home during Cincinnati, but we want to keep working until the end of the season.”

Richard Gasquet will take on incoming World No.1 Rafael Nadal in the Western & Southern Open second round after a routine opening to his Cincinnati campaign on Monday. The Frenchman took down Australian qualifier John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 6-4.

Gasquet is coming off a narrow three-set loss to eventual Coupe Rogers champion Alexander Zverev last week, a match in which he held three match points. He will be looking for his first win in 15 FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes when he meets fellow 31-year-old Nadal.

Against Smith, Gasquet broke four times to complete the one-hour, 25-minute result. The Australian had earlier beaten Vasek Pospisil and Christian Harrison to make the main draw.

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Gasquet’s countryman, eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, will take on big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic for a place in the third round. Karlovic eked out a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Czech lefty Jiri Vesely. 
The No. 44 in the Emirates ATP Rankings sent down 29 aces to Vesely’s nine. He broke in the final game of the match to seal the result. 

Portuguese qualifier Joao Sousa brought an end to Brit Kyle Edmund’s Cincinnati campaign. Sousa prevailed 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to book a second-round clash with either 11th seed Jack Sock or Japan’s Yuichi Sugita.

In the battle of the lefties it was German Mischa Zverev who got the better of Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on Monday night. The pair had not faced off in nine years and it was Zverev who proved stronger on serve in the 6-4, 6-4 result. 

He did not face a break point and dropped just four points on his first serve. It books a second-round meeting with either 11th seed Pablo Carreno Busta or Paolo Lorenzi.

Dozens of fans and a plethora of ATP World Tour doubles players enjoyed the fourth annual ATP Doubles Showdown at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Monday afternoon.

Wayne Bryan kicked off the afternoon of fun with a question-and-answer session with players, including Lukasz Kubot, Bruno Soares and Marcelo Melo. Bryan also tested the crowd on their tennis knowledge. He even had Kubot, Soares and Melo dancing at one point. Jamie Murray, Rajeev Ram, Raven Klaasen, Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic also participated.

The players and fans then hit on Court 4, as the players worked on doubles drills with fans. Other doubles players, including Leander Paes, John Peers, Nikola Mektic, Jackson Withrow, Juan Sebastian Cabal, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi joined for the latter end of the Doubles Showdown.

The second group spent a full hour on court with fans and Bryan. They ended the session with a battle of football tennis with FC Cincinnati.

Put a group of @fccincinnati players on the court with some of the @ATPWorldTour’s doubles stars and what do you get?…

⚽️? #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/sW4Mf0ewPd

— W&S Open (@CincyTennis) August 14, 2017

In ATP World Tour doubles action, Roberto Bautista Agut and David Ferrer will take on the No. 1 seeds, Henri Kontinen and Peers, for a place in the Cincinnati quarter-finals. The Spaniards narrowly snuck past the Italian-Spanish duo of Paolo Lorenzi and Albert Ramos-Vinolas 1-6, 7-6(2), 10-6.

Roland Garros champions Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus also advanced to the second round. The American and New Zealander posted a 6-2, 6-3 win over Steve Johnson and Daniel Nestor to set a clash with eighth seeds Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic.

French pair Fabrice Martin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin took down Americans John Isner and Donald Young 6-7(4), 6-3, 10-5. The experienced pairing of Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau joined the Frenchmen in the second round with a 6-3, 6-4 result over #NextGenATP wild cards Jared Donaldson and Stefan Kozlov.

Injuries, heart-breaking losses and doubts about if he’d ever return to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Rafael Nadal has experienced it all since he last reigned at World No. 1, on 6 June 2014.

But during that time, he has courageously placed distractions to the side and forged ahead with the work of improving his career. On Monday 21 August, he’ll received another reward when he returns to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Nadal and Federer were set to battle for the top Emirates ATP Ranking this week at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. But with Federer’s withdrawal because of a back injury on Monday, Nadal is guaranteed to take the top spot in one week.

“Obviously it’s bad news for the event that Roger is not playing. For me personally obviously to be back to that position is something special,” Nadal said on Monday during his pre-tournament press conference.

“A lot of things have happened since the last time I was in this spot. Injuries and some tough moments, of course, but I have held the passion and the love for the game, and that’s why I have the chance to be back in that position again. So I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and just trying to be ready to compete well here. That’s the most important thing for me now.”

Considering the past 12 months for Nadal, his climb to No. 1 must be especially sweet. He ended last season early because of an injury to his left wrist. The final time his fans watched him play in 2016 was a straight-set loss to Serbian Viktor Troicki at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

How would Nadal return in 2017? Would he be able to re-gain his top form? Questions of all kinds were posed at the Spaniard in January. But he has more than answered every question – in the press room and on the court – this season.

Nadal has four titles this year, including his historic “La Décima” at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and Roland Garros. He has reached three other finals, including the Australian Open and the Miami Open presented by Itau, falling to Federer, and the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, when he lost to Sam Querrey of the U.S. Nadal leads the ATP World Tour with seven final appearances.

“I am having a great season,” Nadal said.

But plenty of tournaments remain for the Spaniard, and for Federer, who could re-take No. 1 later this year. “Roger and I are both having a great season. I think both of us are going to have the chance to be in that position until the end of the season. It depends on the results… So let’s see. I have an opportunity here to compete well this week and I’m going to try to do it,” Nadal said.

He is the top seed at this week’s ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. Nadal has spent 141 weeks at No. 1, and first ascended there nearly nine years ago to the date, on 18 August 2008, at the age of 22.

He will meet Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the second round. The left-hander leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 14-0 and has not lost a set against Gasquet since 2008. “I have been playing great. I think I am practising well, too. I think I am ready to compete,” Nadal said.

Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The seven-time champion said on Monday that a back injury will force him to miss the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament this week.

“I am very sorry to pull out of the Western & Southern Open as I always enjoy playing here,” Federer said. “Cincinnati has some of the best fans in the world and I am sorry I will miss them. Unfortunately, I tweaked my back in Montreal and I need to rest this week.”

Federer fell in the Coupe Rogers final to Alexander Zverev, the first title match the Swiss has lost this season (5-1 record). His withdrawal guarantees Rafael Nadal will return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings when the new rankings are released on Monday 21 August. Nadal has spent 141 weeks at the top spot but hasn’t been No. 1 since 6 July 2014.

No. 67 Denis Shapovalov, +76
Shapovalov began the year at No. 250 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Today, after reaching the Coupe Roger semi-finals, he broke into the Top 100 at No. 67. The 18-year-old lefty knocked out established players all week, including Juan Martin del Potro, Rafael Nadal and Adrian Mannarino. The #NextGenATP Canadian is in good position to make the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, to be held 7-11 November. By becoming the youngest ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-finalist (since 1990), Shapovalov rose to fourth place in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan, which will determine seven of the eight 21-and-under players who compete at the inaugural tournament.

No. 7 Alexander Zverev, +1
Zverev may be #NextGenATP, but he’s very much the present. In lifting his fifth trophy of the year – and sixth title overall – at the Coupe Rogers, the 20-year-old German rose one spot to a career-high No. 7. He claimed a second consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title (also Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome), becoming the first player outside the ‘Big Four’ to win multiple Masters 1000 crowns in the same season since David Nalbandian 10 years ago. Zverev, the leader of the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, became the first player to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals as a result of reaching the Montreal title match. Buy Tickets

View Latest Emirates ATP Rankings

No. 27 Kevin Anderson, +5
The amiable South African is getting back to where he wants to be, determined and focused after a long road back from injury. Having reached the Citi Open final in Washington, D.C. (l. to Zverev) last week, Anderson made a run to the Montreal quarter-finals, where he lost to the same player. In moving up five positions to No. 27, Anderson returns to the Top 30 for the first time since 22 August 2016. He spent one week as a member of the Top 10, at No. 10, on 12 October 2015.

No. 35 Robin Haase, +17
The star of many a players’ party at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, where he reached the 2012 quarter-finals during a career-best year, is now two spots off his career-high (No. 33 on 30 July 2012). Haase advanced to his first semi-final at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level in Montreal, where he lost to Roger Federer. At the age of 30, the Dutchman’s belief is growing and his hard work is paying off.

No. 49 Hyeon Chung, +7
The South Korean began 2017 at No. 104 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and this week makes his Top 50 debut at No. 49 having beaten Feliciano Lopez and David Goffin en route to the Montreal third round (l. to Mannarino). The #NextGenATP is also No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan.

Other Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 50 Borna Coric, +5
No. 60 Jared Donaldson, +6
No. 61 Yen-Hsun Lu, +9
No. 63 Pierre-Hugues Herbert, +6
No. 70 Dudi Sela, +7
No. 76 Ernesto Escobedo, +9
No. 81 Norbert Gombos, +7
No. 85 Thomas Fabbiano, +6
No. 93 Mikhail Youzhny, +5
No. 99 Sergiy Stakhovsky, +16