Hyeon Chung was once one of the most promising young talents on the ATP Tour. The inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals champion in 2017, the South Korean has struggled for several years with injuries.

But the 26-year-old is on the road back. Chung played his first singles match in two and a half years two weeks ago at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Seoul and was back in action on Tuesday in Busan at the Head Busan Open.

The former World No. 19 lost his return match to Jordan Thompson in straight sets, but showed signs of improvement in a three-set loss Tuesday to Yasutaka Uchiyama.

“It is still a shame that I did not win. I played my best [on] every point… I played for more than two hours, so I am satisfied with the way that I played today,” Chung said in answers provided by tournament staff. “For my part, I would like to give myself credit for finishing the match without any injuries or soreness, and last but not least, I have given all I had for each point.”

Chung found tennis takeaways from the match, but was most pleased with battling on court for two hours and 35 minutes.

“It would have been better if I had used [the] court widely, but I was too rigid, and my opponent strongly dragged me around,” Chung said. “The most notable thing about today’s game is that I finished with playing more than two hours of [an] actual match. Despite training for more than two hours, [I] never played more than two hours of [an] actual match.”

Fans might notice a change in Chung’s service motion. He brings his serving arm into a “trophy position” before tossing the ball and serving.

“This is the least injury-prone, least uncomfortable serve movement,” Chung said. “At the moment, avoiding injuries is more important than being able to make a powerful serve.”

Chung was hoping he could play multiple matches in Busan to gain rhythm and get used to competing in a match setting again. After playing two tournaments in South Korea, he will start to look overseas.

“At the moment, there are no games that can be played in the country. My team and I will review the overseas competition schedule and protected rankings so that I can play as many ATP events as possible,” Chung said. “There is no doubt in my mind that I will try overseas tours again.”

Chung’s focus has been on rehabilitation, and he believes that he will be able to shift that focus to more on-court training. The South Korean hopes that will help him return to his top level. For now, he is happy to have made his return to singles competition on home soil.

“I am so grateful to have a comeback match in Seoul and Busan,” Chung said. “Thanks a lot to my fans and to the tournament organisation for coming to see me and giving me this incredible opportunity. I will do my best to ensure my fans see the best performances I can provide.”

Jannik Sinner enters the Internazionali BNL d’Italia at fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, having reached the quarter-finals or better at seven of his eight events this season. He won his seventh tour-level title in Montpellier and also reached the finals in Miami and Rotterdam, in addition to a semi-final run in Indian Wells.

Despite pulling out of Barcelona ahead of the quarter-finals due to illness and missing Madrid the following week, Sinner enters Rome at full health and in full confidence. He is at a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 8, first achieved on 10 April.

“I’m very good, to be honest,” he said of his physical conditioning, speaking with ATP Media. “I took a little bit of time off after some very long tournaments, which is a good sign, I made a lot of good [results]. The start of the season was good and I’m happy to be back here, especially in Rome. It’s a special tournament for all Italians and also obviously for me. Physically, we worked very hard for one week now and I’m happy to be here.”

The 21-year-old reached the Rome quarter-finals for the first time last season but enters this year’s event with even loftier goals, having already compiled a 12-3 record across the first three ATP Masters 1000 of the season.

“I have a different mindset now,” he explained. “I’m not scared to say that I can win big, big matches. I’m here, I can do it… But in another way, you have to have the right respect for every single player. Every player is so tough. Also emotion-wise, it’s sometimes not easy. But if I go in my way, I want to push myself to the limits because I know that, especially there, I can show some very good tennis.”

Adding to Sinner’s confidence is the boost he knows he can count on from the Italian crowd. He says he has learned to use their support to fuel him after perhaps feeling the pressure of home expectation in his younger years.

“In the beginning it was not easy to connect with the people, with the crowd, but now I feel that it’s natural,” the San Candido native said. “You play in front of the crowd and they only want to push you, they want to help you to win. I’m happy that I have a chance again this year to play in front of my home crowd. Hopefully I can make good things happen, which I believe I can do.”

With Sinner in his home nation, he was also asked to recommend some Italian cuisine. He delivered with a menu of options: “Here it’s tough to find not good places to eat. I think it’s impossible,” he said with a smile. “But for sure carbonara, cacio e pepe—this is very good pasta if you like pasta. Obviously pizza in Italy is very good. You will not [go wrong] with the food here.”

If you were stuck on an island with an ATP Tour player, who would you pick and why?

Three-time major champion Andy Murray has a couple requirements, he revealed to ATP Uncovered in the newest edition of our Fan Questions series.

“I would need someone resourceful to get me off the island,” Murray said. “But also, I’d want someone to keep me entertained.”

What music has the 35-year-old been listening to lately? You may be surprised to learn he’s been enjoying a song from Disney’s movie Zootopia.

The former World No. 1 also revealed his favourite Beatles song and answered the great debate: Messi or Ronaldo?

“That’s a good question,” Murray stated. Which superstar did he choose?

Watch the full video to learn the answer as well as the title Murray wants to win before he retires and more. Just keep the fried Mars candy bars away from the Scot.

Daniil Medvedev has labeled himself a ‘hard-court specialist’, but that doesn’t mean the World No. 3 isn’t looking for answers to develop his game on clay.

Known for his flat groundstrokes and all-court coverage, the 6’6” Medvedev moves exceptionally well. But a few challenges arise when it comes to the red dirt, specifically the unique movement. Heading into the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome, Medvedev has been critiquing his game to better suit the clay.

The 27-year-old also revealed a strategy he implements when competing on the surface.

“[Playing with] some more spin,” Medvedev said in his pre-tournament press conference. “Especially the sliding, I think the sliding was always a problem [for me]. After Madrid, after I lost, a couple days I practised there, I tried to focus on the sliding, on the movement. I felt like I improved in these couple of days.”

A four-time titlist this year, Medvedev arrives at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia boasting a 33-5 season record. Medvedev has been pleased with his form while practising in Rome and hopes to carry a high-level into the tournament.

“I feel great physically. Every day I’m trying to put [together a] strong session and try to work on small things with my coach,” Medvedev said. “It has been working great, so I’m looking forward to try and play the same in the matches because it’s never the same.

“These two days [practising], I was playing really good clay tennis. I was not missing many balls here these last two days. It was tough for my opponents. Again, you never know. I say all this, but maybe first match it’s not the case. But it’s good to have some good practice. I was really happy about it.”

Searching for a first win in Rome in his fourth appearance, Medvedev will open against Frenchman Ugo Humbert or World No. 43 Emil Ruusuvuori. The 19-time tour-level titlist is seeded to meet Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals. But you won’t catch Medvedev looking ahead in the draw.

“[I’m] looking forward to the tournament because [I’ve] never won a match [here],” Medvedev said. “So, that’s the first goal.”

Novak Djokovic has arrived at the Foro Italico, where he is ready to pursue a seventh Internazionali BNL d’Italia title.

The Serbian star is making his 17th appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event and has never fallen short of the quarter-finals. The 35-year-old has earned a 64-10 record in the Italian capital, where he has lifted the trophy or finished runner-up 12 times.

Djokovic practised with leading Italian favourite Jannik Sinner on Monday.

^{Photo Credit: FOTO ARCHIVIO FITP}
Fans came out in force to watch their session. Djokovic and Sinner will meet in the semi-finals if they both advance that far in the tournament.

Hometown Hero x Defending Champ 👀

Sinner and Djokovic bring the heat in practice🔥@InteBNLdItalia | #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/J8Q8za8GaX

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 9, 2023

Djokovic will begin his run against #NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche or Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Before the action gets underway, the top seed took time for his fans, signing autographs and taking selfies.

👋🏼❤️❤️ https://t.co/8XHu0mb57S

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 9, 2023

It has been a memorable couple of days for Carlos Alcaraz. After winning his fourth ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open, the Spaniard met a sports icon on Monday: Lionel Messi.

Both stars were in Paris for the Laureus World Sports Awards, where Alcaraz won the Breakthrough of the Year Award and Messi was named World Sportsman of the Year.

While on the red carpet for the awards ceremony, Alcaraz was asked about being around Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup glory last year.

“It’s crazy. I’ve never met him before,” Alcaraz said. “It’s crazy to see him here metres from me. It’s crazy, it’s crazy, honestly.”

When Carlos met Leo 🤩 Can’t get enough of this moment!@LaureusSport | #Laureus23 | #OnlyAtLaureus | @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/XLyutV0gmw

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 9, 2023

The red carpet reporter told the 20-year-old that Messi was walking by and he would be able to meet him if he waited a moment.

“I wish to do that, I wish to do that,” an excited Alcaraz said.

Moments later, Alcaraz and Messi shared a warm greeting. That was not the only star-studded meeting he enjoyed that evening. After the ceremony, Alcaraz took a selfie with many of the stars present, from Messi and Robert Lewandowski to World Sportswoman of the Year Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Action Sportsperson of the Year Eileen Gu and Sportsperson of the Year With A Disability Catherine Debrunner.

 

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A post shared by Laureus (@laureussport)

After the quick trip, Alcaraz will now turn his focus back to the tennis court. The Spaniard will this week make his Internazionali BNL d’Italia debut. He will play countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Italian Francesco Passaro in the second round.

Andy Murray won the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole on Sunday, marking his first ATP Challenger Tour title since 2005 in Binghamton. It was a special moment for the Scot, who with the victory climbed to No. 42 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, his best mark since undergoing hip resurfacing in 2019.

After clinching his triumph, the former World No. 1 enjoyed a special moment with his team including his mother, Judy Murray, who flew to France Sunday morning on a £14.99 ticket.

🤗🤗🤗#ATPChallenger | @JudyMurray pic.twitter.com/gbcg0KXWIp

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 7, 2023

Murray knew she could not just turn up without telling Andy without throwing off his preparation, so she gave him a call after he won his semi-final on Saturday.

“I said, ‘Look, I can get a flight and I’m going to come across’. The thing for him and Jamie for that matter is that I’m so used to traveling around the world and having to adapt travel arrangements at the last minute because of all my years on the junior and the women’s tour and the men’s tour,” Murray said. “So nothing fazes me really with travel. They know that I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. I can contact the tournament and say, ‘Could you pick me up and whatever, whatever.’ So they don’t need to bother about me. They know I’ll find a way.”

Murray had been in Portugal on a golfing holiday and returned home Friday morning. When her son won his quarter-final that day, she looked to see if she could find a direct flight, but there were none Saturday. On Sunday morning there was a one-way ticket to Marseille, which is less than 20 miles from Aix-en-Provence. It was an easy decision to book the trip and figure out a flight home later.

The former British Billie Jean King Cup team captain arrived two and a half hours before the final and enjoyed having a look around the grounds. “It was amazing,” she said. “It was a lovely, sunny day and the club is a country club just on the edge of the town… the atmosphere was incredible.”

^{There were record crowds in Aix-en-Provence. Photo: Jared Wickerham/ATP Tour}
Top seed Tommy Paul, the World No. 17, sprinted to a 4-0 lead with the loss of just three points. But Murray showed his trademark resilience.

“Tommy came [with a] real blistering start, firing everything and then Andy started to get into it towards the end of the first set. And then when he broke the first game of the second set, [he] really never looked back from there. But he played really, really well.

“I would have said that clay is probably his least favourite surface. And of course, he hasn’t played much on it since he had the hip surgery. So it was great to see him moving so well. And he always competes well, but it was great to see him playing well.”

It was Murray’s first trophy of any kind since he defeated Stan Wawrinka in the 2019 Antwerp final. They never take such moments for granted, especially after all his physical struggles leading up to and following his hip resurfacing in January 2019.

“Through all of that, nobody knew to what level he would get back to playing again. But what never wavered was his determination to try to get back and give himself a chance to get back and play great tennis again,” Murray said. “He’s incredibly disciplined, and he worked so hard on and off the court to get the best that he can get out of his body, given the fact that he has a metal hip. It was so amazing.”

Fabulous ⁦@ATPChallenger⁩ event at gorgeous Aix en Provence Country Club. According to TD Arnaud Clement, a record number of spectators across the week – 20k. Previous best attendance was 11k. Incredible support from the local tennis community. ⁦@ATPAixenProvenc⁩ 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/p7vafYsSEK

— judy murray (@JudyMurray) May 7, 2023

After the match, the team returned to the hotel. Murray was treated by his physio and debriefed with his coach about the match before everyone enjoyed dinner. Judy then played a best-of-five Monopoly Deal Match with her son.

“I managed to beat him 3-1,” Judy said. “He quite fancies himself as a bit of a shark at Monopoly deal. But anyway, there you go.”

At 5 a.m. she left the hotel to return home. It was an enjoyable trip after also traveling to Australia and Doha this year.

“He’s been on the Tour since 2005, so it’s been a long time and I always say to people, ‘I’m surprised I’m still alive’, all that stress that I’ve had because I’ve had Jamie and Andy. I say it’s like a series of mini heart attacks and severe nausea all going on at the same time,” Murray said. “But that’s just the way it is. You wouldn’t have it any other way because they both love the game. They both love competing and that’s why they’re still doing it after all these years. I think lifting a trophy is always a special occasion.

“It’s amazing to think that 18 years later, he’s still going, still fighting. Delighted to [watch him] win yesterday.”

Did You Know?
The Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole was one of two ATP Challenger Tour 175 events held last week. Judy was highly complimentary of the tournament. She spoke to tournament director Arnaud Clement, who first played Murray at the 2005 US Open. The Frenchman told Judy they had a record crowd of 20,000 fans across the week, peaking when Murray played Gael Monfils. Judy was pleased that Andy recognised all that went into the tournament during his champion’s speech.

“He talked about the fans, and all the people from the local community, the local tennis community who had volunteered during the tournament to make it really special,” Judy said. “I think he’s a sort of elder statesman now and I think he can see very clearly how important all the stepping stones are, and having inspirational competition in great, welcoming venues. Whether that’s Futures [ITF World Tennis Tour] level, whether it’s Challenger level, or actually on the Tour. It’s really, really important, because it makes players feel really, really, really special. I liked hearing him saying that.”

The world’s biggest stars travel to Rome this week for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the season’s third and final clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event. The tournament was expanded to a 12-day event this year.

Carlos Alcaraz brings plenty of momentum to the Foro Italico after emerging victorious in Barcelona and Madrid, but World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and other stars in the draw will try to halt the Spaniard’s hot streak.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch in Rome.

1) Alcaraz Making Debut: The hottest player on the circuit will make his Rome debut. Alcaraz has competed in Italy before, having won the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in 2021, but this will be his first ATP Tour action in the country outside of the event. The Spaniard is fresh off successful title defences in Barcelona and Madrid and will try to secure his fifth Masters 1000 title.

2) Djokovic Back In Action: Six-time Internazionali BNL d’Italia champion Djokovic returns to action for the first time since Banja Luka. The Serbian has suffered early losses in each of his two clay-court tournaments this year (2-2 record), but will be confident in Rome, where he is set for his 17th consecutive appearance and where he has never lost before the quarter-finals. Last year, he captured his 1,000th tour-level victory at the event in the semi-finals against Casper Ruud.

3) No. 1 Update: Djokovic will compete at the Foro Italico as the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but he will not leave the tournament in top spot. Alcaraz will return to World No. 1 by playing his first match in Rome. As defending champion, Djokovic can at best remain on 6,775 points, so Alcaraz has an opportunity to gain a healthy advantage with another big week in Italy.

4) Sinner Top Italian Hope: Will this be the year for an Italian Renaissance at the Foro Italico? Jannik Sinner leads home hopes. The last Italian to win the title in Rome was Adriano Panatta in 1976. Sinner has been in top form in 2023, reaching the semi-finals at Indian Wells, the final in Miami and the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo. Another home favourite, Lorenzo Musetti, defeated Djokovic in Monte-Carlo and pushed Stefanos Tsitsipas to a third set in the Barcelona semi-finals.

5) Tsitsipas Defending Finalist: Last year in Rome, Tsitsipas won three three-setters en route to the final at the Foro Italico. The Greek defeated a slew of tough competitors — Grigor Dimitrov, Karen Khachanov, Sinner and Alexander Zverev — to reach the final and will try to go one step further this year to secure his third Masters 1000 crown. He has won two titles at this level, triumphing in Monte-Carlo in 2021 and 2022.

6) Former Champ Murray: Former World No. 1 Andy Murray won the Rome title in 2016 and will be high on confidence after securing an ATP Challenger Tour 175 trophy in Aix-en-Provence last week. The Scot claimed his first Challenger trophy since 2005 in Binghamton and defeated World No. 17 Tommy Paul in the final. Murray is making his first appearance in Rome since 2017 and will play Italian Fabio Fognini in the first round.

7) Zverev’s Happy Rome Memories: Zverev claimed his first Masters 1000 title in Rome in 2017. Will this be the year he adds another? The former World No. 2 has long enjoyed success in the Italian capital, where he is 16-5. The German also reached the Rome final in 2018 and will try to earn his 20th ATP Tour title this week.

8) More Stars To Watch: There are plenty of stars who can make a deep run in Rome, including Monte-Carlo champion Andrey Rublev and World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev. World No. 4 Ruud has won nine of his 10 titles on clay and is pursuing his first ATP Masters 1000 title. The Norwegian, who reached last year’s Roland Garros final, has made the semi-finals in his past two Rome appearances (2020 and 2022).

9) Gasquet’s Upcoming Milestone: Former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet will try to join elite company in Rome. The Frenchman is two wins from 600 tour-level victories in his career. Gasquet can become the fourth active player to achieve the feat, joining Rafael Nadal (1,068), Djokovic (1,048) and Murray (725). He is already the all-time wins leader for Frenchmen. Gasquet will play Wu Yibing in the first round and if he advances, would face 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo.

10) Mektic/Pavic Lead Doubles Draw: The two-time defending Rome doubles champions are Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, who are pursuing their second title of the season (Auckland). The top seeds in the field are Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski, who have advanced to at least the quarter-finals of their past six tournaments.

Singles stars Khachanov and Rublev, who are 13th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, will try to enter the conversation for a place in the doubles field at the Nitto ATP Finals with another big week at a Masters 1000 event after capturing the title last week in Madrid.

Carlos Alcaraz won the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award, it was announced Monday evening at a ceremony in Paris.

Alcaraz is the fourth ATP Tour player to earn the honour after Marat Safin (2001), Rafael Nadal (2006) and Andy Murray (2013). It is the second consecutive year a tennis player has won the award after Emma Raducanu did so in 2022.

“A very special night in Paris! 🏆😍 Thank you for this Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award! 😊” Alcaraz wrote on Twitter. “Thank you to the academy and everyone who made this possible. And of course congratulations to all the winners and nominees! 😘”

A very special night in Paris! 🏆😍 Thank you for this Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award! 😊Thank you to the academy and everyone who made this possible. And of course congratulations to all the winners and nominees! 😘 #Laureus23 pic.twitter.com/BOt0CNL8bp

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) May 8, 2023

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) May 8, 2023

Last year was a historic one for Alcaraz, who captured his first two ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid, lifted his maiden major trophy at the US Open and became the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973). The Spaniard capped it off by becoming the youngest year-end ATP No. 1 presented by Pepperstone.

Other nominees for the award were fellow tennis player Elena Rybakina, the Morocco men’s football team, figure skater Nathan Chen and track and field star Tobi Amusan.

Other tennis players who were nominated for an award were Rafael Nadal (World Sportsman of the Year), Iga Swiatek (World Sportswoman of the Year) and Diede de Groot (World Sportsperson of the Year).