Playing in his fifth ATP Tour final is a many tournaments, Daniil Medvedev continued his blistering form to claim his first title at the Miami Open presented by Itau. With a 7-5, 6-3 victory against Jannik Sinner, Medvedev improved to 24-1 in his past five events, including four titles.

After falling to Carlos Alcaraz two weeks ago in the Indian Wells final, the fourth seed was rock-solid against Sinner as he frustrated the Italian with his calculated baseline game. Medvedev is now 6-0 in his ATP Head2Head against Sinner, also having beaten the Italian in the Rotterdam final in February.

Sinner made a bright start and scored the first break by ending a marathon game with a difficult drop volley, but Medvedev snapped back by showing his range from the baseline and baiting the Italian into errors. While Sinner had success attacking early, Medvedev showed his range to keep his opponent behind the baseline, ultimately wearing the 10th seed down with his consistency and well-timed aggression.

Medvedev took control of the match with a four-game burst from 5-5 in the opening set, taking full advantage of some sloppy groundstrokes from Sinner. Though he appeared to be fading physically after his epic win against Alcaraz in the semis, Sinner summoned the energy to break back for 1-2, only to see Medvedev re-establish his advantage at 3-1.

The fourth seed did not face a break point in the match after Sinner created five in the fifth game of set one, and Medvedev served his way to victory with little resistance as he wrapped up his 19th career title after one hour, 34 minutes.

More to follow…

Daniil Medvedev will return to World No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday following his title at the Miami Open presented by Itau. It continues a big surge for the 27-year-old, who was outside the Top 10 as recently as the week of 13 February.

But after winning titles in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami in addition to reaching the final in Indian Wells, the former World No. 1 is in position to make a charge for the top of the sport during the clay-court season.

In 2022, Medvedev underwent a procedure to fix a small hernia following Miami. That kept him out for most of the clay season, during which he only earned 180 points (all at Roland Garros). That means Medvedev, despite his past comments about the surface, has a lot to gain on clay.

Medvedev trails World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas by just 620 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. However, the Greek is defending 2,230 points during the clay-court season, 2,050 more than Medvedev.

Heading into the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, which begins on 9 April, Medvedev will have a chance to challenge for World No. 3. Tsitsipas will be defending 1,000 points while Medvedev has no points to defend because he did not compete in the tournament last year because of his injury.

As the world’s best transition to clay, Carlos Alcaraz will only be 1,630 points ahead of Medvedev in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, and he is defending 1,870 points during the swing. Novak Djokovic returns to World No. 1 on Monday and will start the clay swing 2,010 points ahead of Medvedev.

Jannik Sinner, who reached his second Miami final, will also be in good position to make a move in the coming weeks. The Italian will return to the Top 10 at World No. 9 (tied for his career-high) on Monday and he is only defending 630 points on clay. As recently as February, he was ranked as low as World No. 17.

Sinner reached two ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals on clay last year (in Monte Carlo and Rome), but never advanced further. One big run can send him to a new career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

Feliciano López announced early this season that it will be his last on the ATP Tour. David Ferrer was keen to do something special as a parting gift. He surprised Lopez at his home in Madrid with an invitation to the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. 

The director of the ATP 500 event, which takes place on clay from 17-23 April, made the trip to the player’s house to tell him the news in person. “He was the last person I was expecting to see,” admitted López when he opened the door. “I wasn’t expecting this visit.

Ferrer explained: “This is a wild card for you to come and play on centre court.”

The news means that the event has now publicly announced its first invitation, which has gone to a player who played his first professional match in Barcelona at the age of 16. Now 41, López will say his goodbyes having competed there 22 times with a 21-21 record, and reached the quarter-finals in 2011 and 2012. 

“I’m very grateful to everyone that forms part of the tournament organisation and, of course, to David Ferrer for giving me this opportunity once again,” Lopez said. “David is a very special person in the world of tennis, there are few players who are more loved and respected than he is.

“In Barcelona they can be very happy that they made the right choice, there could not be a better ambassador for the tournament. I’m especially excited that he is running Barcelona and I’m doing Madrid at this point in our lives. We are on parallel paths.”

Lopez, who is also the Mutua Madrid Open Tournament Director acknowledged that, “Barcelona is where I started my career and this city will always have a special place in my heart. Being able to have a send-off at this tournament is the end to my career that I always dreamed of. I left home very young, at 13, and I have many great memories from the city.”          

Lopez, No. 551 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 1998, received an invitation to play in Barcelona qualifying, and he certainly made the most of his opportunity. In his first professional match on the courts of the RCTB-1899, he beat Jan Weinzierl 6-3, 6-3. In his next encounter he made history, qualifying for the main draw by defeating Marcos Górriz 6-2, 6-4.

In his first match in the main draw, he clashed with Jiri Novak, his first Top 100 opponent (No. 90), but it was the end of the road for him, he lost the encounter 6-0, 6-2. 

However, in the doubles competition his name appears on the roll of honour after his 2018 victory alongside Marc López. “It was one of those great moments in my career. Before then I’d come so close to the title with Rafa [they lost in the final] and it was a tournament that I felt like I should win. I played with Marc, who was also very excited to win it because it was his club and it’s a week I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Did You Know?
López holds the record for appearances at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell with the 22 he will reach this season. He played every year from 2001 to 2012, was absent in 2013, but returned in 2014 and has since played there every season. Rafael Nadal, who will reach 17 this year, is second on the list.

After the hard-court action of the ‘Sunshine Double’, the ATP Tour returns to clay this week as Estoril, Houston and Marrakech host a trio of ATP 250 events from 3-9 April.

Casper Ruud is the top seed at the Millennium Estoril Open, where the Norwegian is looking to kick-start his season with a deep run in Portugal. Home favourites Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul lead the field at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, while Lorenzo Musetti headlines the draw at the only ATP Tour event on the African continent, the Grand Prix Hassan II.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch at each event.

View Draws: Estoril | Houston | Marrakech

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ESTORIL

1) Ruud To Find Form?: Ruud’s hunt for consecutive tour-level wins in 2023 goes on after he won just a match apiece in Indian Wells and Miami. The World No. 4 will hope that the switch to clay, the surface on which he has won eight of his nine ATP Tour titles, can be the catalyst for improved results.

Ruud is the top seed on event debut at the Millennium Estoril Open, where he opens against Giulio Zeppieri or 2018 champion and home favourite Joao Sousa, as he looks to improve his 5-6 record for the season.

2) Hubi Targets Clay Success: In stark contrast to Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz has won none of his six tour-level titles on clay. The Pole will nonetheless be confident of making his mark as the second seed on his first Estoril appearance. He reached the quarter-finals on the surface at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid last year and is chasing his second ATP Tour trophy of the year after his Marseille triumph in February.

3) Baez Defends Crown: Sebastian Baez launched himself into the ATP Tour winners’ circle for the first time a year ago in Estoril, where he defeated Marin Cilic, Richard Gasquet and Tiafoe en route to the title. The Argentine is seeded fourth for his title defence and is the only player in the draw to have already lifted a tour-level clay-court trophy in 2023, after his triumph at home in Cordoba in February.

4) Shelton Makes Red Clay Debut: Ben Shelton is a rare anomaly on the ATP Tour. The #NextGenATP American has broken the Top 40 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings but is still yet to compete professionally on red clay.

That will all change this week in Estoril, where the eighth-seeded American takes on Constant Lestienne in the first round. The 20-year-old will hope he can adjust quickly to make a winning start on the surface and set a potential second-round clash against former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem.

5) Borges/Cabral Seek Title Repeat: Home pairing Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral surged to the doubles title in Estoril as wild cards last year, and the Portuguese are back to defend their crown at the clay-court ATP 250. Andreas Mies and Hugo Nys are the top-seeded team, with Marcelo Melo and John Peers seeded second.

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FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HOUSTON

1) Tiafoe, Paul Lead Field: Six of the eight seeds at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship are Americans, and they are led by Top 20 stars Tiafoe and Paul. Both are chasing their maiden tour-level title on clay in Houston, where Tiafoe reached the quarter-finals in 2022.

2) Isner Brings Big-Serving Threat: The man that ended Tiafoe’s 2022 run in Texas was John Isner. The 6’10” American went on to reach the championship match, where he was edged by the 6’11” Reilly Opelka in the tallest ATP Tour final in the Open Era.

Despite that defeat, the fourth-seeded Isner knows what it takes to triumph in Houston. He lifted the trophy there in 2013 and holds an 18-11 overall record at the only ATP Tour event in the United States contested on clay.

3) Former Champs From U.S. Eye Repeat Glory: Wild cards Jack Sock and Steve Johnson inject some serious Houston pedigree into the draw. The former World No. 8 Sock reached back-to-back finals in 2015 (when he defeated Sam Querrey to claim the title) and 2016, while Johnson lifted the trophy in 2017 and 2018.

Third seed Brandon Nakashima, fifth seed J.J. Wolf and seventh seed Marcos Giron are among the other Americans hoping to ride home support to victory in Houston.

4) In-Form Garin To Shine?: The fourth and final former champion in the draw is Cristian Garin. The Chilean, who lifted the Houston trophy in 2019, arrives at this year’s event off the back of a strong ‘Sunshine Double’. As a qualifier, the former World No. 17 reached the fourth round in Indian Wells and the third round in Miami, and he will hope to maintain that form in pursuit of his first ATP Tour title since 2021.

5) Hijikata/Kubler Top Seeds: Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler charged to the Australian Open title in thrilling fashion in January, but the duo arrives in Houston having since suffered two consecutive defeats. The Australians are the top seeds in a field that also includes home favourites Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, while 2022 doubles winner Max Purcell partners Jordan Thompson.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MARRAKECH

1) Musetti Seeks First Title Of Year: The 21-year-old Musetti is the top seed at the Grand Prix Hassan II, where the Italian is looking to reverse a downturn in his form that has seen him earn just one win in his past six tournaments. Musetti reached the quarter-finals on debut in Marrakech a year ago and will start his 2023 campaign against Hugo Gaston or Jan-Lennard Struff.

2) Evans Eyes Deep Run: The second-seeded Daniel Evans has also struggled for wins in recent weeks, but the Briton is one of the toughest competitors on Tour and will be confident of turning things around on his second Marrakech appearance. While clay is not his preferred surface, the 32-year-old’s previous achievements include a semi-final run at the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

3) Dutch Duo Among Seeded Stars: Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor are the third and fourth seeds, respectively, in Marrakech. Both have already broken new ground in 2023: Griekspoor lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in January in Pune, while Van de Zandschulp last week defeated Ruud in Miami for the first Top 5 win of his career.

4) Gasquet, Jarry Compete: Like Griekspoor, Richard Gasquet and Nicolas Jarry are chasing their second tour-level title of the season in Morocco. Auckland champion Gasquet has reached at least the quarter-finals on all three of his previous Marrakech appearances, while Santiago winner Jarry is making his tournament debut.

5) Granollers/Middelkoop Lead Doubles Field: The vastly experienced Marcel Granollers and Matwe Middelkoop, who own 38 ATP Tour titles between them, are the top seeds in Marrakech. Alexander Erler/Lucas Miedler and Jeremy Chardy/Fabrice Martin are among their rivals on the North African clay.

Sometimes it seems like Jannik Sinner is playing a video game when he steps on the tennis court. The 21-year-old defies convention with his levels of power and precision.

Most players cannot hit the ball as hard as the San Candido native, nor can they come close. But when they do, they might land one shot and hit the next ball 10 feet past the baseline or into the bottom of the net. Sinner, an easygoing former junior skier from northern Italy, whips the ball with such calm that it is as if he is playing ping-pong on a tennis court.

Some people call playing so aggressively ‘redlining’. For Sinner, it is just another day at the office. He is a ball-striking machine.

There are players with more finesse who make better use of spins and angles. As far as pure gripping and ripping goes, few, if any, do it better than Sinner.

The 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion has plenty of flair, too. Take the magical point he played when serving at 4-2, 0/15 in the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals against World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard has quickly become a human highlight reel, with fans sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for him to produce a magical moment. It appeared he would do it again Friday evening inside Hard Rock Stadium.

After escaping several tough moments in the rally, Alcaraz ended up at net to position himself to come out on top. Sinner responded with a perfect curling backhand pass that the diving top seed was unable to reach.

Sinner raised his right arm in the air and waved the crowd to get loud. Alcaraz is a show-stopper, and the Italian is proving he is, too.

“That’s why Jannik is such a great player, as well. Not only with [his] great serve, great movements, it is because he pushes the opponent to the limit,” Alcaraz said in a press conference at Indian Wells. “[He is] trying to play aggressive with great shots. And to the opponent it’s really tough to be focused, mentally and physically, during the whole match.

“That’s [why] I love playing against him, as well, that it pushes me to the limit. I have to be really, really focused. I love to feel that.”

Sinner explained in Miami — and has also done so previously — that Alcaraz brings the best out of him and forces him to find even better tennis within himself. “Today, you have to go for shots where usually you don’t go for it,” he said in Florida. “I think he has a little bit the same feeling, I guess.”

After Alcaraz lost their semi-final in a memorable three sets, the Spaniard said: “I feel something different about the crowd when I play against Jannik.

“I think around the world it’s probably all the people watching this match because I think it’s really beautiful to watch.”

The analytics verify Sinner’s level. According to Tennis Insights, Sinner’s Shot Quality on forehand, backhand and return across ATP Tour events in 2023 has been among the top three for each stroke. Shot Quality is calculated in real time by analysing each shot’s speed, spin, depth, width, and the impact it has on the opponent.

But despite those stats, there have been near misses in match results within the past year. Sinner earned match point against Alcaraz in the fourth set of last year’s US Open quarter-finals before succumbing in a gripping five-setter that ended at 2:50 a.m. Alcaraz went on to claim his maiden major and become the youngest World No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history.

Sinner was left to wonder what could have been. After that match he said, “I think this one will hurt for quite a while.”

The Italian then dropped another heartbreaking five-setter in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Stefanos Tsitsipas. In February, he let slip a one-set advantage against Daniil Medvedev in the Rotterdam final.

The Italian has channelled the pain from those losses into progress. Sinner is playing the best tennis of his career. If he defeats Medvedev on Sunday to lift the trophy, he will climb to a career-high World No. 6 on Monday. And if you ask Sinner, the tennis machine still has plenty of upgrades to make.

“For sure I feel like I can serve much better. Physically I can get stronger,” Sinner said after defeating Emil Ruusuvuori earlier in the tournament. “Also my forehand and backhand. I mean, trying to go more to the net, and I [need to] just to try it also out in matches.”

Given the current state of his game, that is a daunting prospect for his rivals on the ATP Tour. It is also a confidence-boosting one for the man himself.

“For sure, knowing that already I am where I am right now, knowing that I can play good tennis, and if I play good tennis I can play even with every player [is good],” Sinner said. “So let’s see.”

Sinner has been knocking on the door of a huge result. Will Sunday be the day he barges through for his first Masters 1000 title?

Both Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin have enjoyed long and distinguished careers on the ATP Tour, but that didn’t make their triumph on Saturday at the Miami Open presented by Itau any less special.

The Mexican-French duo defeated Austin Krajicek and Nicolas Mahut 7-6(4), 7-5 to claim the trophy at the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event in Florida. It was a second title at that level for 39-year-old Roger-Vasselin and a first for 40-year-old Gonzalez, who was the first Mexican finalist in tournament history.

“It was my dream, of course,” said Gonzalez. “Lifting this kind of title, a Masters 1000. I’m 40 years old, I didn’t have one, this is my first. I’m glad [it’s] today. Today is my son’s birthday, so I’m going to remember this day for the rest of my life and I’m very happy.”

One of the most prestigious titles in tennis 🥇🌴@gonzalezsanty 🤝 @ERogerVasselin clinch doubles glory 7-6(4), 7-5 over Mahut/Krajicek@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/mn9EuRDTDq

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 1, 2023

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin produced a clinical performance inside Hard Rock Stadium to seal a one-hour, 44-minute victory. They converted both break point chances they earned, including their only one of the second set which doubled up as a championship point.

“It’s thanks to the golf. We are playing golf together… That’s the highlight of the week,” joked Roger-Vasselin. “But on the court, we fight from the first to the last ball, and we did pretty well for the last month. I’m really happy to lift another trophy. It’s my second Masters 1000, but for sure it’s always good to have a trophy like that.”

After teaming sporadically in 2022, Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin joined forces on a permanent basis at the start of 2023. Despite being one of the older partnerships on Tour, their ongoing desire to win powered them to a first title as a team in February in Marseille. Now, they are a Masters 1000-winning duo.

“This is what we love,” said Gonzalez. “We’ve been doing this for our whole lives, so of course we want to step on the court and win titles. We are old, yes, but we now [have children], who are starting to play tennis. It’s good for them also to see Dad play on the main arena, so hopefully I can play a few more years.”

Despite their final defeat, Krajicek and 2016 Miami champion Mahut enjoyed a stirring run in their first tournament together. The pair teamed after Krajicek’s regular partner, Ivan Dodig, withdrew from the event due to injury.

After Jannik Sinner came from behind to stun Carlos Alcaraz in the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals, ending the Spaniard’s 10-match winning run and his reign as World No. 1, the Italian will now bid to end a more personal streak against Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s title match.

Watch from 1 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CET.

Medvedev, who saw his own 19-match winning streak snapped by Alcaraz two weeks ago in the Indian Wells final, enters the Miami showpiece with a 5-0 ATP Head2Head record against Sinner. Their most recent meeting came in February in the Rotterdam final, when Medvedev dominated the final two sets of a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory to claim the first of what would be three consecutive titles. 

Now into his fifth consecutive ATP Tour final, Medvedev will aim to stay perfect against Sinner with his sixth straight win against the Italian. His red-hot run across the past two months has lifted him to the top of the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, inserting him into the conversation for year-end No. 1.

After he progressed to his first Miami final, now having reached at least the title round at all six hard-court ATP Masters 1000s and both hard-court Grand Slams, Medvedev proved prescient in his analysis of the second semi-final between Sinner and Alcaraz.

“Carlos is on fire right now but you can’t win 100 matches in a row,” he said, speaking from the experience of his own recent streak. “At one moment someone is going to put the water on the fire. It might be Sinner today, it might be me on Sunday, it might be someone else next tournament.”

In his post-match press conference, Medvedev further explained why he was bullish on the 10th-seeded Italian. 

“I cannot hit a 110 mph forehand. That’s an advantage, and Sinner is capable of doing this,” he said. “Jannik is progressing really, really fast, especially this year. In terms of baseline game, Jannik can hit the ball very strong. I think that’s where [he and Alcaraz] have this kind of ping-pong tennis. That’s where he can bring him trouble.”

After Sinner succeeded in outhitting Alcaraz, he will face a very different challenge against the metronomic game of Medvedev. The fourth seed felt he made too many errors in his Indian Wells final defeat to the Spaniard, but he has rediscovered his rock-steady baseline tennis in Miami and felt he played a “top-level match” to beat good friend Karen Khachanov in three sets on Friday.

While Sinner has posted a higher Shot Quality rating on return, forehand and backhand in Miami, Medvedev has excelled at converting points from attacking positions and stealing points from defence.

The final is set @janniksin vs @DaniilMedwed 🏆

🔢👇based on this week’s @MiamiOpen

– Sinner leading return, FH & BH #ShotQuality
– Meddy clinical in attack & defence
– Both are VERY high in #BaselineBattles (winning points in different ways)

Tweet 2 for #InAttack analysis pic.twitter.com/WF6Pyeqviu

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) April 1, 2023

Those statistics provide an intriguing backdrop for Sunday. While most tennis fans might expect Medvedev to be more content in baseline rallies, the Tennis Insights data suggests that it’s Sinner who holds the advantage from the backcourt, at least based on their play so far in Miami.

The Italian has also shown a desire to attack the net, particularly against Alcaraz, when he won 16 of his 25 ventures forward. Frequent net approaches have often been a go-to tactic for Medvedev’s opponents in an attempt to punish the former World No. 1 for his preferred positioning deep in the court. How Sinner blends his attacks using his all-court game will be a key factor in deciding Sunday’s winner.

After scoring what he called one of the best wins of his career in the semis, the 21-year-old is ready for a new challenge against Medvedev.

“For sure it’s completely different than this match today,” he said, looking ahead to the final. “I never beat Daniil. We had already one final in Rotterdam. I was able to win one set there. We had a couple of matches where we went [to a] third set. Also there I need to make some changes, trying to mix up the game a little bit also. Then we’ll see.

“I feel ready to compete, happy to be in the final, and let’s see how it goes.”

Three of their five matches have required a deciding set, including Medvedev’s victory at the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, when he won a 10-8 final-set tie-break in their round-robin meeting. But as Medvedev said, the fast-rising Italian has made great gains since then, and particularly this season.

A fixture near the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for years, Sinner has not left the Top 20 since August 2021. He reached a career high of World No. 9 in November of that year, and has assured himself of at least matching that mark with his run to the final. If Sinner can earn his first ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday — two years after he fell in the Miami final to Hubert Hurkacz — he will rise three further places to No. 6.

Medvedev can move up one place to No. 4 with his fourth title of the season, which would also extend his lead in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin from 200 to 600 points ahead of Novak Djokovic.

Expect a high-quality affair between two men with some of the best records on the 2023 ATP Tour season. Medvedev enters at 28-3 while Sinner stands at 21-4.

Watch Sunday’s final from 1 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CET, live from Hard Rock Stadium.

Click the graphic below for the full Medvedev vs. Sinner ATP Head2Head breakdown.

Tennis strings striking a fuzzy yellow ball is not the only impact that Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela is making.

The World No. 65 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings played a key role in charity activities held at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Mexico City, where players in the Challenger 125 field visited terminally-ill children and spent time with paralympic athletes.

Reyes-Varela’s girlfriend, Maricela Paulin, works as director of the non-profit organisation Fundacion Concamin. Paulin and ‘Micky’ teamed with businesses and the Mexico City Open to bring their idea to fruition.

“Through Maricela, I was invited to a paralympic race in November,” Reyes-Varela said. “Some of the athletes were blind, in wheelchairs, or had other disabilities. It really moved me. From there, I was like, ‘Let’s connect this to tennis.’ Maricela was the main person to get it done, I was just trying to connect the tournament and players.”

After talks with the Mexico City Open, the tournament staff quickly gave the green light. Reyes-Varela, 35, put the puzzle pieces together to help pull off Monday’s heartwarming activities, including a visit to Antes de Partir A.C., an organisation that works with kids battling cancer. Reyes-Varela’s doubles partner Robert Galloway and countryman Hans Hach Verdugo enjoyed the impactful and eye-opening experience.

“The first thing we did was with kids with cancer, terminal stage. So it was not easy,” Reyes-Varela said. “Rob and Hans came with us. It’s a home where they house not only the kids but also they hold their families, and have mental and emotional support for them.

“We were given a tour of the home first and they told us everything about it. We didn’t know what to expect when we saw the kids. It was tough. We got to the area they were playing, drawing, and they were told, ‘Here’s the surprise we told you about!’ The kids came running to us, hugged us, so much love. Heart sobbing. We were playing with them, we brought some little racquets, a net, and also balloons. We ended up playing more with balloons.”

Hans Hach Verdugo and a kid enjoying balloon fun at Antes de Partir A.C. Credit: Fundacion Concamin

Reyes-Varela explained that he is a big advocate of giving back and making an impact off court. The Mexican doesn’t want to get trapped in the professional tennis life and lose sight of things that have a deeper meaning in life than winning or losing, something he was reminded of as he watched the children enjoy day-to-day activities that are often taken for granted.

“The owners explained they don’t know how long the kids are going to live,” Reyes-Varela said. “Whatever it is, they want to provide the quality of life they deserve and not to be seen as a burden or just as sick people. Even for a moment to have those experiences to have friends, hang out, play activities, play Xbox.

“We brought a piñata, they were having so much fun getting the candy out of it. Before they broke the piñata, they were writing their wishes. They have all kinds of wishes, best of intentions, they are so kind to each other. There’s so much love.”

In the afternoon, more activities were held on site at the Centro Deportivo Chapultepec, where Daniel Elahi Galan, Cristian Rodriguez, Diego Hidalgo, and Alan Fernando Rubio Fierros, were among those to join in. Players spent time with paralympic athletes, including Mexico’s No. 1 wheelchair tennis player Carlos Muro.

Wheelchair tennis player Carlos Muro speaks with ATP Challenger Tour players. Credit: Fundacion Concamin

“Some of the paralympic athletes were born with disabilities, had an accident, or one had a cancerous tumor and lost his eyesight,” Reyes-Varela said. “They told us their stories and what they do. Some run marathons, some play goalball, which is the only sport that has been created specifically for visually impaired people. It was invented after World War II. I watched videos of goalball and I was like, ‘How can we do this at the tournament?’”

Reyes-Varela is hoping that Monday’s events can have a larger impact than just one day at the Challenger 125 event. The Mexican wants to see more tournaments organise impactful off-court events to promote giving back and charity work.

Daniel Elahi Galan learns to play goalball. Credit: Mexico City Open

Through the players’ giving back and tear-filled eyes, Reyes-Varela found that they too were experiencing something they will never forget.
“For us it was extremely touching,” Reyes-Varela said. “Later on, Maricela gave me some drawings that the kids made with messages. When we gave it to Rob, tears came to his eyes. When she gave it to me, of course the same thing. I put it in Hans’ bag in the players lounge and he didn’t know. He got to his bag to go practise, he picked it up, and I could see he got choked up. It’s so special.

“I’m 100 per cent sure the ones that received the biggest gift was us,” Reyes-Varela said. “We all had tears in our eyes at different moments. It’s great to see we’re more than just tennis players chasing the trophy at the end of the week.”

The response has been nothing but positive remarks to all who were involved. Throughout the process, Paulin and Reyes-Varela gained support from several organisations: Garra Azteca, Inclusion con Equidad A.C., Hero Group, and Silvestre Alfaro, who donated athletic equipment to the paralympic athletes on behalf of Innovasport.