Gabriel Diallo remembers when he began to miss more school to practise tennis and compete in tournaments aged 10. His parents sat him down to explain why he was in a different situation than his friends and classmates.

“They asked me how I felt about it. I thought about it, and I didn’t see it as a sacrifice, because I really enjoyed it,” Diallo told ATPTour.com. “I enjoyed practising and I enjoyed playing.”

From a young age, Diallo dreamt of becoming a professional tennis player. “I always wanted to win Slams. Every kid goes through that phase,” he said.

It was around this time when Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in an unforgettable five-hour, 53-minute Australian Open final in 2012.

“I remember I was trying to play like him and imitate his sliding and just moving and just not missing the ball,” Diallo recalled. “Me and my friends at the time, we were trying to recreate that match, actually.”

Although Diallo has not yet reached that level, he has ascended quickly. The Canadian, whose father is from Guinea and mother is from Ukraine, played college tennis at the University of Kentucky before turning professional at the end of 2022. Last August, he won an ATP Challenger Tour title in Granby, Canada, before reaching another final at that level in Fairfield in October.

This week last year, Diallo was World No. 679 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Now he is World No. 141 and continuing to push forward. On Tuesday, the Canadian will try to earn his first ATP Tour main draw win when he plays former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson in the first round of the Infosys Hall of Fame Open.

“It’s a privilege and it’s a reward for the hard work that me and my team have put in,” Diallo said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to see where my level is at. A guy like him has so much experience and is one of the best players in the world.”

It is not often opponents of Anderson’s come close to the South African in the height department, but both men stand 6’8”.

“It’s a guy that obviously I looked up to because I was always told that I was going to have his size, kind of his body type [being] tall, but can still move and can still play,” Diallo said. “I got everyone. I got Kevin Anderson, I got [Marin] Cilic, I got Milos [Raonic]. Even when I was like 5’10” at 15, people knew that I was going to be tall.”

By 17, Diallo grew to 6’3”. Each year from then on he grew gradually before his growth was complete, according to doctors. Now the Canadian is a powerful presence trying to exert his will on opponents at the top of the sport.

“There’s so many ways to play tennis, there’s guys that feel comfortable moving side to side and just trying to counter attack. There are guys that thrive playing like this. And there are guys that are the complete opposite like me,” Diallo said. “I play my best and I have my most chances when I take my game to my opponent, when I try to disturb as much as I can. Obviously, I’m not trying to give him rhythm. And it’s high risk, but it’s also high reward. So it feels good. I think that’s where I feel my best and when I play my best.”

Although Diallo has surged more than 500 places in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in the past 12 months, he understands that continuing at this pace will not be easy.

“The climb is not always linear. It’s not always going upwards, there’s going to be moments where you’re going to be a little bit more steady, there’s going to be moments where it’s going to go down,” Diallo said. “Obviously last summer and last fall, everything happened really fast and things changed for me. But it’s not the reality of our sport. It’s extremely rare. It’s in rare cases that you just shoot [upwards] nonstop.”

One player who climbed rapidly to the very top of the sport is Felix Auger-Aliassime, another Canadian whose ascent was “really inspiring” to Diallo. Auger-Aliassime’s father, Sam Aliassime, is a former coach of Diallo’s. What did the 21-year-old learn from the father of the Top 15 star?

“I’d say the same as my parents, discipline and hard work. Keeping your head down, no matter the situation,” Diallo said. “When the outcome is unsure, just try your hardest. And respect. It doesn’t really differ from what my parents taught me, but I’d say that this is the main thing that was coming up.”

Off the court, Diallo is like many 21-year-olds. He loves movies and TV shows as well as spending time with his friends and girlfriend. The Canadian also enjoys the beach and swimming as well as eating. His favourites include pizza, a good burger and a nice steak. Diallo will also work remotely towards completing a Bachelor’s Degree in finance beginning next semester. He has just three classes left.

On the court, Diallo has many of the goals you would expect: cracking the world’s Top 100 and playing in the main draw at the majors. But his biggest desire is more philosophical.

“I’d say my dream is really to fulfill my full potential, because obviously, people around me believe that I have a big game and that I can climb up the rankings. But it starts with me,” Diallo said. “I also believe that I have the potential. So I just want to maximise my game and wherever that takes me, I’ll be able to sleep at night, and I’ll be extremely happy and proud of myself.”

Kevin Anderson will make his return to singles action on Tuesday at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport. The South African revealed on Monday evening after his doubles loss alongside Ethan Quinn that a factor in his decision to return from retirement was a visit from Roger Federer.

A couple of months ago, Anderson and a friend enjoyed a casual hit at a local club in Delray Beach. They simply wanted to play tennis and it was the former World No. 5’s first day back on court in about nine months, he said. Coincidentally, Federer was in town visiting his agent Tony Godsick, whose son Nicolas Godsick is a top junior player. The Swiss icon stopped by.

“I was hitting, just me and [my friend] just up and down the middle. And I was like, ‘Man, I’m feeling great,’” Anderson told ATPTour.com. “And at the end of practice, Roger Federer was actually in town, visiting. He came out to the courts and it was really a pretty profound experience. For me, I feel like looking back at my career, I was always pretty intimidated by some of the top guys.

“I think coming from South Africa and not really being exposed to some of the best players in the world, I always was a little bit intimidated. And it was really interesting, because, in the first few minutes of our conversation, I felt that same sort of uneasiness, I felt very shifty.”

In that moment, Anderson decided that was not the sensation he was supposed to be having. Always known as one of the most professional, diligent players on the ATP Tour, the South African had often found himself not fully enjoying similar moments.

“I kind of made a concerted effort to change that and things like that. You don’t really know what’s going to come your way, and that has really been a big learning experience for me,” Anderson said. “Had I been able to do [my career] over, I probably would have not spent maybe as many hours on myself in the practice court, but interacting or putting myself in situations. I ended up having a great conversation with Roger and for the first time, I felt just really at ease and [was] having a normal conversation.

“It was fascinating listening to him, arguably the best player of all time in terms of his ball striking, and just hearing the insights he had, it was a really cool experience. I didn’t really put that together [in terms of coming back]. I think before that I was kind of thinking of, ‘Maybe I should come back.’”

The 37-year-old’s most recent tournament was last year’s Miami Open presented by Itau. Anderson then announced his retirement in May 2022. A major reason behind the decision was physical pain.

Now the South African feels well physically and in terms of striking the ball, it took little time for him to recover his rhythm once he decided to ramp up towards a return.

“Up and down the middle, almost immediately, I felt like I hadn’t missed a beat. That’s the thing, I’ve played tennis my whole life, and I was moving well, and for me, the biggest thing in that environment is [there is] very little stress. I’m relaxed, I’m loose, I’m really using all of my capabilities,” Anderson said. “I think that sometimes overlooked in professional sports and just using tennis, [it is about] how much can you extract? And the reality is… let’s take the top of the world, especially Novak, Rafa and Roger, and people always say they raise their levels. I actually disagree with that. I feel that they’re able to use the abilities that they have in crazy moments, and the biggest moments in the finals of Grand Slams, and they’re just so present. I think that’s what’s really separated them.”

Anderson has put a focus on his mental approach and his attitude towards his work. For years, he has always tried to squeeze even the smallest percentage of improvement from his game.

“I never gave myself, I think, enough trust and belief for just how good [of] a tennis player I was. I think you do need to put in the work and the hours, but you also need to know when you’ve done that, and have that belief that you’ve got it and you kind of have to let go and just trust the process a little bit,” Anderson said. “And for me, that was my biggest challenge. And I think I only realised that really once I retired from the sport.”

The seven-time ATP Tour titlist climbed as high as No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and competed in the Nitto ATP Finals. He also earned at least one victory against each of Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Although he has had thoughts about wanting to work harder to further improve his progress during his comeback, Anderson has given himself more of a break than he would have in the past.

“I love working hard, so it’s sometimes tougher for me,” Anderson said. “But that’s just one of many sorts of things I’ve come across and lessons I’m trying to learn still. So I think that’s why it’s just been a really useful experience.”

Throughout Anderson’s career, he explained that emotionally and mentally, the intensity of competition “was a lot”. He hopes to focus on growing from his experiences as a player and a person as he makes his return.

“Coming back now, honestly, there’s a lot of uncertainties. I don’t have a ranking, I’m relying on potentially getting a few wild cards during the summer. So I’m going to come out and compete, for sure,” Anderson said. “But to be honest, the result isn’t my primary goal. The primary goal is really to learn through this process. There’ll be a lot of different challenges to face along the way that I’m really kind of keeping my eyes focussed on and there’s a lot of experiences that you come across and as much as you can keep learning from them, I think that’s one of the keys.

“That’s what I try to do, so that’s what I’ll be doing as much as I can as long as I have some opportunities to keep playing.”

Rinky Hijikata continued his charge towards the world’s Top 100 on Monday with a straight-sets win in Newport.

The Australian defeated Abdullah Shelbayh 6-3, 6-4 without losing serve to reach the second round of the Infosys Hall of Fame Open.

“It’s great. It’s my first time playing here and I was really looking forward to it,” Hijikata said. “I’ve heard great things about the tournament and then to get to play on centre court my first match here was pretty cool. And I was very, very happy to get through the match today.”

The 22-year-old climbed to No. 110 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with his victory. Hijikata, who advanced to his first ATP Tour singles semi-final last month in ’s-Hertogenbosch, saved the only break point he faced on the Rhode Island grass.

“I’ve said it a lot before but I love playing on the grass,” said Hijikata, who will next play second seed Adrian Mandarin. “Any tournament that’s on the grass, I feel at home and I’m pumped to play. I’m stoked that I got through my first round and I have the chance to play hopefully another match and maybe a couple more.”

Hijikata’s countryman, seventh seed Jordan Thompson, ousted American Aleksandar Vukic 6-0, 6-1. Thompson has made both his previous ATP Tour finals (’s-Hertogenbosch in 2019 and 2023) on grass.

In other action, Liam Broady defeated Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1, 7-5 and Corentin Moutet eliminated University of Texas college standout Eliot Spizzirri 7-6(7), 6-0.

Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta has an interesting take on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“It’s like a jungle!” Diaz Acosta told ATPTour.com. “The Challenger Tour is so, so tough. Everyone can beat everyone. Maybe one week you do good, the next week you lose first round. Maybe [a player ranked] 200 can beat a Top 100 player. That makes you stronger, you have to have a very good mindset or else you will stay there and not pass it.”

Though it may be a ‘jungle’, the 22-year-old has excelled at the Challenger level this year. Diaz Acosta is one of four players to earn three Challenger titles this season, joining Andy Murray, Matteo Arnaldi, and Max Purcell. Diaz Acosta’s triumph at this month’s Milan Challenger helped him crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time Monday, when he climbed to World No. 97.

Welcome to the club, @Facudiazacosta 💯#ATPChallenger | @AATenis pic.twitter.com/tH5ww438Db

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 17, 2023

“It’s something that every tennis player wants to achieve, so I’m very happy for that,” Diaz Acosta said of his Top 100 debut. “It’s tough to keep this level all through the years, obviously I have to keep improving. I cannot just be happy and stay sitting down like, ‘I’m Top 100!’ because then everyone will pass me.

“I think it came faster than I thought. I started the year like 200 and three months ago I was 150. I don’t know if I expected it too soon, I was practising good and playing good. In practises, I was playing with Top 100 guys and I was beating them, so I knew I had the level and I just had to compete better.”

Sure, the Buenos Aires native’s hard work has reaped a career-high ranking. But it has not been without difficulty. Diaz Acosta has had to sacrifice precious time at home, often being thousands of miles away from his loved ones while travelling on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“You have to be in Europe for a long time, away from your family and friends, away from sleeping in your bed! It’s kind of tough. In my case, I’ve been here for around three months so I’m starting to get a little tired,” Diaz Acosta said. “Every South American player goes to Europe a lot and if you have good weeks, you cannot go home because it’s like 12 hours and too expensive to go home for one week.

“It’s tough, but I think it makes us stronger mentally because when you’re here in Europe, you don’t want to lose a match and then do nothing. Maybe if you play back home, you play a tournament then you say, ‘Okay, I lost and I’m a little tired, I’ll go back home!’ It’s tough, I’ve been in Europe for three months and I miss my family, friends, all of my life in Buenos Aires.”

If there’s any plus from being away from home, perhaps it is that Diaz Acosta does not have to fight the temptation of the endless chocolate that sits around his house.

“My mother [Cecilia] is in the marketing part of a chocolate company, so we have plenty of chocolate at home,” Diaz Acosta said. “I wake up and I have chocolate right there so I’m like, ‘Okay, I have to be strong!’ There’s always chocolate. It’s tough. Mentally I’m so strong with chocolate.”

Fans can catch the Argentine in action this week at the Van Mossel KIA Dutch Open in Amersfoort, Netherlands, where he is the top seed and will open against Frenchman Ugo Blanchet. All ATP Challenger Tour matches are available to watch live and on demand on Challenger TV at no cost.

Carlos Alcaraz passed one of the toughest tests in tennis by downing seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic on Sunday to claim his maiden title at the grass-court major.

From his own relative inexperience on grass to Djokovic’s unrivalled knack of getting over the line at the majors, the context of Alcaraz’s victory only enhanced the 20-year-old Spaniard’s achievement. To reflect further on an all-time classic, ATPTour.com breaks down five stunning aspects to Alcaraz’s 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 final win.

1. Green On Grass
A 34-match winning streak dating back to 2017, a 92-10 tournament record, undefeated on Centre Court in over 10 years: Djokovic’s Wimbledon stats leading into the final painted a clear picture of the challenge facing Alcaraz. The Serbian’s experience at the All England Club stood in particularly stark contrast to his opponent, who was competing for only the third time at Wimbledon and in just his fourth tournament on grass at any level.

The Spaniard’s development on the surface had been evident as he triumphed at The Queen’s Club prior to reaching the final at SW19, but ending Djokovic’s reign on Centre Court in such dramatic fashion counts as another level of achievement altogether.

10 YEARS and 9 DAYS 😲@carlosalcaraz is the only man to defeat Novak Djokovic on Centre Court at Wimbledon since Andy Murray in 2013.Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon | Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/cDBqfovOdu

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 16, 2023

2. Making It At The Majors
It wasn’t just a deficit of Wimbledon experience that Alcaraz had to overcome on Centre Court. Alcaraz was competing in just his second championship match at a Grand Slam event, after his 2022 US Open win. Djokovic, by comparison, was playing in his 35th major final, a tally which moved him clear of former WTA star Chris Evert on the all-time list.

With Alcaraz struggling to settle, the Serbian raced to a 6-1 lead to ramp up the pressure on his 20-year-old opponent. Coming into the match Djokovic held a 15-3 record in major finals after winning the first set, making the way Alcaraz roared back to claim victory even more impressive.

3. A Rapid Reversal From Roland Garros
Just five weeks prior to their Wimbledon clash, Alcaraz had become riddled with nerves-induced cramp during his Roland Garros semi-final against Djokovic. With the Spaniard later admitting the occasion had got to him in Paris, that recent history raised pre-match question marks around Alcaraz’s ability to compete against Djokovic on Centre Court.

In the final, it was the 20-year-old World No. 1 who outlasted Djokovic, one of the toughest and durable competitors the ATP Tour has seen, on the London grass. He crucially broke the Serbian in a lung-busting 27-minute game at 3-1 in the third set, and still appeared in peak physical shape as he hit 18 winners to Djokovic’s three in the deciding set.

4. Snapping Novak’s Tie-Break Tear-Up
Djokovic’s psychological hold over opponents during tie-breaks has been a key feature of his success at the majors in 2023. Entering the second set against Alcaraz, the 36-year-old had won 15 straight tie-breaks at Grand Slam events dating back to his second-round Australian Open match against Enzo Couacaud in January.

The final six of those 15 breakers came during Djokovic’s Wimbledon run, but it was Alcaraz who snapped the streak when he needed it most. On the brink of falling two sets behind at 5/6 in the second-set tie-break, the Spaniard fended off set point before reeling off three points in a row to level the match and kick-start his charge towards victory.

Fighting back 🫡

An entertaining second set goes the way of @carlosalcaraz 7-6(6)! Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon | Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/8IJFWwgB8p

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 16, 2023

5. Staying Alive Over Five
Djokovic’s ability to pull out clutch deciding-set performances on the biggest stage is renowned. Prior to Sunday, the Serbian had won his past four five-set Grand Slam finals, outlasting Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2014 and 2019, Dominic Thiem at the 2020 Australian Open and Stefanos Tsitsipas at Roland Garros in 2021.

Whether Alcaraz was aware of Djokovic’s crunch-time record at the majors is unclear, but the Spaniard fearlessly took it to the 23-time major champion in style in the final set. As Djokovic netted a forehand on championship point, the 20-year-old World No. 1 became the first player to beat the Serbian in a five-set major final since Andy Murray at the 2012 US Open.

Luca Van Assche continues to find his feet on the ATP Tour.

The #NextGenATP Frenchman claimed the fifth tour-level victory of both his career and the 2023 season Monday by downing home wild card Dragos Nicolae Madaras 7-6(2), 6-4 at the Nordea Open in Bastad. Van Assche prevailed in a topsy-turvy first-round battle featuring seven breaks of serve to book a second-round clash against defending champion Francisco Cerundolo.

“I felt good. It was a very close match against a good player,” said Van Assche. “He beat me two years ago, so I knew he was a tough player. It was a tough match, and at the end I was a little bit tight, so it was not my perfect game, but I managed to win this match and I am very happy.”

Each of Van Assche’s ATP Tour wins have come at different events, with four triumphs on clay being complemented by a maiden grass-court win against George Loffhagen in Eastbourne. He defeated Stan Wawrinka in Banja Luka in April before pushing Novak Djokovic to three sets in the second round, while his 16-5 record this year on the ATP Challenger Tour also suggests the 19-year-old is growing increasingly accustomed to grinding out wins.

Currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race, Van Assche will hope to reach his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final by upsetting Cerundolo in Bastad, a result which would also boost his chances of qualifying for the season-ending 21-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals.

“I’m very happy to be here, my first time in Sweden,” said Van Assche. “I’m looking forward to the second round against the defending champion. It will be a tough match, so I will just prepare and be ready for it.”

Thiago Monteiro also made a winning start in Bastad on Monday. The No. 122-ranked Brazilian defeated Daniel Elahi Galan 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in Sweden for his eighth tour-level win of the year. The 29-year-old Monteiro, who reached his sole ATP Tour quarter-final of 2023 so far on the clay of Santiago in February, will meet fifth seed Alexander Zverev or Alex Molcan in the second round.

Dominic Thiem did not take long to get back to winning ways Monday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The Austrian rode a fast start to a 6-1, 7-6(4) first-round victory against Alexandre Muller at the ATP 250, his first tour-level win since April. The former World No. 3, who lifted the trophy in Gstaad in 2015, saved all four break points he faced in his 95-minute triumph.

“It’s always great to be here. Already on Wednesday, when I arrived, it felt like home here,” said Thiem. “With the surroundings, with the mountains, the fresh air.

“Everything is really great here, and also when I step on the court I feel great memories from 2015 and last year, when I made a nice run to the semis. The conditions here suit my game very well, so I’m super happy that I got the win today as well.”

Thiem will take on #NextGenATP Hamad Medjedovic in the second round in the Swiss Alps as he chases his first ATP Tour crown since returning to action in March last year after a long-term wrist injury. He now holds an 8-2 record in Gstaad, having also reached the semi-finals on his second appearance there in 2022.

The 19-year-old Medjedovic upset fifth seed Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 for the first ATP Tour victory of his career. The Serbian, who is currently ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race, converted five of his eight break points to book a second-round test against 17-time tour-level titlist Thiem.

Daniel Altmaier and Jaume Munar also enjoyed straight-sets wins to kick-start their campaigns at the clay-court event. Germany’s Altmaier downed Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4 for his personal-best eighth tour-level win of the year to set a second-round meeting with his countryman, the fourth-seeded Yannick Hanfmann.

Munar saw off home wild card Alexander Ritschard 6-3, 6-3 to improve to 4-0 in opening-round matches in Gstaad. He could face another home favourite, Stan Wawrinka, in the second round, if the Swiss can beat sixth seed Roberto Carballes Baena.

The 24-year-old Zizou Bergs notched his second tour-level win of the season with a hard-fought 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 triumph against eighth seed Laslo Djere. It was the Belgian’s first victory in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with Djere, having fallen to the Serbian in Gstaad in 2021 and again at this year’s Australian Open.