Novak Djokovic proved once again that he is the master of Melbourne when he won his ninth Australian Open title last month. While the Serbian said he was far from confident in his title chances at times due to his hamstring tear, several of his ATP Tour colleagues had no problem correctly picking him to reclaim the crown at the year’s first Grand Slam.

Denis Shapovalov, Jack Draper, John Isner and Thanasi Kokkinakis were among those to correctly predict Djokovic’s triumph when we sat down with some of the game’s biggest stars to get their thoughts on how the 2023 season will unfold. The expert panel also included Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov.

Djokovic was also the popular pick for the player to win the most ATP Masters 1000 titles. The Serbian is a natural choice with his record 38 trophies at that prestigious level, including two Career Golden Masters.

“Just because he’s so strong,” said Medvedev, who joined Isner, Kokkinakis and Draper in selecting the Serbian. “When he plays, he wins a lot of tournaments.”

There was also a lot of love for Jannik Sinner with three players—Nadal, Draper and Kokkinakis—tipping the Italian to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title this season. Sinner has reached one ATP Masters 1000 final, in 2021 in Miami, where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz.

“He was close, he’s young, he’s growing,” said Nadal. “He has the right potential. Why not?”

J.J. Wolf entered the Dallas Open at a career high of World No. 43. Now into his second-career ATP Tour semi-final, the American is up even higher at No. 37 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

The 24-year-old upset second seed Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Friday’s quarter-finals, earning the best win of his career by measure of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

After dropping serve twice on nine break chances for Tiafoe in the opening set, the sixth-seeded Wolf did not face another break point until he served out the match. Down 15/40, he used an ace and a line-clipping inside-out forehand to force deuce, then finished the job with his 11th ace on his second match point.

“I usually don’t think about the outcome, so I was just feeding off the energy of the fans and playing every point as hard as I could,” Wolf said of his methodical comeback, donning a Southern Methodist University cap for his post-match interview in honour of the tournament’s host site.

The American finished the match with 26 winners and 10 unforced errors, tightening up his game in the second and third sets.

While Wolf was out-aced by Tiafoe, 14 to 11, the former Ohio State star won 82 per cent of his first-serve points, seven percentage points higher than his opponent’s mark. Wolf made 60 per cent of his first serves in the contest, at times trading power for placement.

“I’ve just tried to create a little more consistency,” he said of his serve. “The fans might not like it when I’m not putting up 140 [mph] serves, but my coaches like it.”

Wolf will meet another countryman in the semi-finals, with fifth seed John Isner awaiting after his 7-6(8), 7-5 win against Ecuador’s Emilio Gomez.

Isner saved a set point at 6/7 in the first-set tie-break with a second-serve ace down the T, then clinched victory with the first break for either man in the match’s final game. The American saved four break points, escaping a 15/40 hole once in each set.

In returning to the Dallas semi-finals for the second straight year, Isner also made some personal history: He won the 500th tie-break of his career, improving his tie-break record to 500-319. Those 500 wins are the most in the Open Era, with Roger Federer’s 466 second on the list.

Gomez, the son of former World No. 4 Andres Gomez, was playing in his first tour-level quarter-final.

Jannik Sinner moved to within two wins of capturing his sixth tour-level title on Friday when he moved past Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-2 at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier.

The 21-year-old Italian, who had never been beyond the first round in his two previous appearances at the ATP 250, overpowered his countryman throughout their one-hour, 34-minute encounter. Sinner stepped inside the baseline to push Sonego back, hitting an array of winners off both wings to improve his tour-level record against Italians to 6-0.

“I know him very well,” Sinner said about Sonego. “Playing Davis Cup together. He is a very nice person, very humble. We practised together at the beginning of the tournament, so it was bad luck to play already in the quarter-finals but I am very happy to be here.”

The second seed is now 7-2 on the season, having reached the quarter-finals in Adelaide and the fourth round at the Australian Open. Sinner will face #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils in the semi-finals on Saturday.

“I have seen him [Fils] play here at this tournament,” Sinner said. “He is very strong physically already. He understands the game very well. He started off the year very well, so it is going to be an interesting match for sure.”

Earlier, Fils continued his dream run when he defeated countryman Quentin Halys 7-6(3), 6-3. The 18-year-old is the youngest Frenchman to reach a tour-level semi-final since Richard Gasquet in Metz in 2004.

Fils, who has yet to drop a set at the ATP 250, won 82 per cent (37/45) of his first-serve points and saved the one break point he faced to advance after 83 minutes. With his victory, the 18-year-old has rose to No. 117 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Halys was aiming to reach his first tour-level semi-final, having also advanced to the quarter-finals in Auckland last month.

Top seed Holger Rune also progressed to the semi-finals with a 7-6(2), 7-6(5) victory against Frenchman Gregoire Barrere. The Dane has now won all three tie-breaks he has played in Montpellier to advance to the last four without losing a set.

Rune is competing in France for the first time since the biggest victory of his career at last year’s Rolex Paris Masters, where he upset Novak Djokovic to claim his first ATP Masters 1000 crown. The 19-year-old is trying to secure his first title of the season this week.

Next up for the teen star will be third seed Borna Coric or serve-and-volleying American Maxime Cressy.

The Cordoba Open continues to be a happy hunting ground for Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who advanced to his third straight semi-final at the ATP 250 on Friday. The third-seeded Spaniard — champion in 2022 and finalist in 2021 — defeated Joao Sousa 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 in the quarters, his second three-set win of the week in Argentina.

Ramos-Vinolas also won the first and third sets against Dusan Lajovic on Thursday before repeating the feat against Sousa.

“I think I just played a little bit better in the third set,” he said after improving to 6-2 in his ATP Head2Head against the Portuguese. “I missed a little bit less and I was a little bit more controlling the ball, and because I controlled more the ball I was able to be a little bit more offensive with my forehand.”

In a match full of break chances, Ramos-Vinolas was an efficient five-of-nine on his opportunities, while Sousa could only convert on four of 10 break points. Ramos-Vinolas faced just one break point in the deciding set, which he saved at 4-1.

The 35-year-old will next face sixth seed Federico Coria in Saturday’s semis after the Argentine moved past countryman and second seed Francisco Cerundolo, who retired with a leg injury while trailing 3-6, 0-3.

In the draw’s top half, fourth seed Sebastian Baez defeated Chilean wild card Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the Cordoba semi-finals for the first time in two appearances. It is the 22-year-old Argentine’s first ATP Tour semi-final since he reached the title match in Bastad last July.

He will next face Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien, who advanced to the semis with a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-0 win against Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils is making waves on the ATP Tour this week. The 18-year-old moved past Quentin Halys to reach the semi-finals at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier.

Ahead of his clash against Jannik Sinner on Saturday, ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about Fils.

We said it 😎 Remember his name: @ArthurFils1 🇫🇷

Get to know the 18-year-old who is making moves at the @OpenSuddeFrance ⬇️#ATPChallenger | @atptour pic.twitter.com/JwNai7g00v

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 10, 2023

His Idol Is Roger Federer
Fils’ tennis idol when growing up was Swiss legend Roger Federer. The 18-year-old is a fan of the former World No. 1’s style, saying: “He was looking really easy on the court and it was nice to watch him play.”

The Frenchman Has Enjoyed ATP Challenger Tour Success
The Frenchman has enjoyed an impressive start to the season, highlighted by capturing his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Portugal earlier this year. The 18-year-old also reached the final at a Challenger event in France in January.

“I played unreal during this week,” Fils said. “I just lost one set, so I’m happy about it and I want to win more Challengers.”

One year ago, Fils was outside the Top 600 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Now he is at a career-high World No. 163 and on the rise.

Lewis Hamilton Is His Fashion Icon
Fils admits that he likes to model his style after Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton. The British driver is known for his flamboyant clothing, which inspires the Frenchman.

“I like the fashion of Lewis Hamilton and I am trying to [dress] like him,” Fils said. “I take inspiration from him.”

 

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He Is A Sports Fan
The 18-year-old enjoys watching sport when he is not competing on court, with football and basketball his major passions.

Arthur Loves Paris
Fils enjoys spending time in Paris, where he likes to soak up the atmosphere of the capital. According to the teen, there are three things visitors must do when in the city: travel to the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysees and the Louvre.

Gabriel Diallo is a natural athlete and a lover of all things sports. If he was not a tennis player, chances are that he would be competing professionally in another sport.

But the 21-year-old has already found early success on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Standing tall at 6’7” and boasting a large wingspan, the Canadian is constantly looking to use his heavy delivery and firepower from the baseline to impose his will on opponents. If a ball is left in the middle of the court, look for Diallo to crush a forehand winner.

Diallo said he gets his athletic abilities from his mother, who played on the Ukrainian national handball team and mentioned that his dad, who hails from Guinea, is “more into academics” and works in computer programming. Off the court, Diallo enjoys watching college football, basketball, and baseball. He grew up a multi-sport athlete, but there was one that he enjoyed more than others.

“I was six years old so I don’t quite remember, but from what they tell me tennis was the sport where I had the most fun,’ Diallo told ATPTour.com. “I ran track, did gymnastics. People always tell me I should play basketball. But the two I mainly played were tennis and handball, which is also a fun sport to play.”

Following a breakthrough season on the ATP Challenger Tour, Diallo announced his decision to forego his senior year at the University of Kentucky and turn professional. The two-time ITA All-American was a quarter-finalist at the 2022 NCAA Singles Championships and helped the Wildcats reach the programme’s first NCAA team championship appearance. With just four online college classes remaining, Diallo will soon graduate with a finance degree.

The Montreal-native is also soaking in lessons learned on the court. Despite having won just one Challenger-level match before the 2022 Granby Challenger, Diallo triumphed on home soil, where he defeated China’s Shang Juncheng in the final to collect his maiden Challenger title.

“I was a wild card in Granby and I just took it match by match,” Diallo said. “It was so fun to play there because it’s an hour from where I live. My buddies were there, the crowd really embraced me. I was playing free and motivated. It was the best experience of my pro career so far.”

Gabriel Diallo celebrates his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Granby, Canada. Credit: Sarah-Jade Champagne

He did not stop there. Diallo was also a finalist at the Fairfield Challenger and reached the semi-finals at the Calgary Challenger in November. After tallying a 17-7 Challenger match record in 2022, Diallo announced his decision to turn pro.

The World No. 211 worked with Felix Auger-Aliassime’s father, Sam Aliassime, until Diallo moved away to college. Now Diallo is coached by Canada’s former Davis Cup captain Martin Laurendeau, who helped him put together an offseason training block to prepare his body for full-time work on the Tour.

“Since now that tennis is my job, my body is going to be my engine so I need to take care of it,” Diallo said. “The biggest thing I worked on in the offseason was my fitness. When it comes to tennis, I worked on my serve, my transition, trying to play aggressive, taking the ball early and coming to net.”

Gabriel Diallo collects the trophy at the 2022 Granby Challenger. Credit: Tennis Canada Media Centre

A pivotal moment for Diallo was the 2012 Australian Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, which the Serbian won after five hours and 53 minutes. That Melbourne thriller inspired the Canadian to chase his dreams of competing at the sport’s most prestigious events.

“I remember watching Novak vs. Rafa at the 2012 Australian Open over and over again,” Diallo said. “I don’t know if I watched it live, but I kept watching the highlights. I was like, ‘That looks so fun’. They were going at each other, a huge crowd, night session, almost six hours. I bought Novak’s outfit and I was playing with his racquet, trying to play like him.”

Now is the time to catch the rising star Diallo in action on the Challenger circuit before he too rises to the biggest stages of the ATP Tour.

Gabriel Diallo 🤝 @felixtennis

The 20-year-old becomes the youngest 🇨🇦 Canadian champion on Challenger Tour since Felix Auger-Aliassime in Tashkent 2018!#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/Nrz5amiqR5

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 28, 2022

American tennis has been surging this season, with a title run at the inaugural United Cup followed by a strong showing at the Australian Open from the nation’s men. Taylor Fritz was part of that victorious United Cup team, but he was up against a countryman in Jack Sock to begin his Dallas Open campaign on Thursday evening.

The top seed lived up to his status as the ATP Tour’s No. 1 American with a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory, winning a rematch of his most recent meeting with Sock one year ago at the same event. With that result, Fritz moved up one place to No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, setting himself up for a new career high on Monday.

“I thought I played pretty well,” Fritz said of his first match since a second-round Australian Open exit. “He served well and when I got chances on his serve he played the points well, so it was pretty tight. I wasn’t really able to find that break, but I played well, I protected my serve well, and I’m pretty happy with the match.”

The World No. 8 converted only one of his seven break chances, but he did not face a break point on his own delivery behind 10 aces and a 91 per cent win rate on first serve.

Both players were aggressive on the indoor hard court, with a combined 60 winners and 34 net approaches between the two. In the rallies, Fritz found the Sock backhand as often as he could, with Sock content to slice his replies off that wing while he patiently waited for an opportunity to unleash his big forehand.

Over the course of one hour, 36 minutes, Fritz did just enough to advance in straight sets and set up an all-American quarter-final against seventh seed Marcos Giron, who closed the evening’s play with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Germany’s Oscar Otte.

Fifth seed John Isner also advanced on Thursday with a 6-3, 7-6(1) win against Daniel Altmaier. He will meet Emilio Gomez in Friday’s quarters after the Ecuadorian’s 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 upset of fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic. Gomez, whose father is former World No. 4 Andres Gomez, is through to his first ATP Tour quarter-final.

In other action, eighth seed Adrian Mannarino was a 6-2, 7-6(3) winner against Jordan Thompson. The Frenchman will meet China’s Wu Yibing for a place in the last four. The other Dallas quarter-final will see Wednesday winners Frances Tiafoe and J.J. Wolf square off in an all-American matchup.

Only three doubles matches were played on Thursday at the Cordoba Open, but there was no shortage of drama, with two thrillers decided in Match Tie-breaks.

Nicolas Barrientos and Ariel Behar earned a 6-7(5), 6-4, 11-9 win against Hugo Dellien and Guido Pella, clawing back from 2/7 in the deciding tie-break and saving a match point at 8/9. The Colombian-Uruguayan pair won the final three points to advance to the quarter-finals, where they will meet top seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez.

Barrientos/Behar dropped serve just once in the one-hour, 47-minute contest, when they failed to serve out the opening set at 5-4. They saved five of six break points, including two in the second set.

In quarter-final action, third seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul also staved off a match point in a 6-2, 4-6, 12-10 victory against Spaniards Roberto Carballes Baena and Pedro Martinez. After leading 9/6 in the Match Tie-break, the Frenchmen faced that match point at 9/10 before claiming the win on their fourth opportunity.

Semis Set In Montpellier
Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop also saved a match point in their quarter-final win at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier on Thursday. The fourth-seeded Dutchmen defeated the French team of Theo Arribage and Luca Sanchez 3-6, 6-2, 13-11, erasing the match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break.

They will face top seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in Friday’s semi-finals after the Germans downed Frenchmen Manuel Guinard and Fabrice Martin 6-4, 6-4.

Dallas QF Action
Three of the four quarter-finals at the Dallas Open were settled in Match Tie-breaks, with all four of the top seeds in action.

Top seeds Michael Venus and Jamie Murray defeated Miomir Kecmanovic and William Blumberg 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-5 to set up a semi-final meeting with fourth seeds Andre Goransson and Ben McLachlan, who also came from behind to beat Serbian brothers Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov 3-6, 6-3, 10-4.

Indians Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni scored the lone upset of the day with a 2-6, 6-3, 10-8 win against third-seeded Britons Julian Cash and Henry Patten. Their semi-final opponents, second-seeded Americans Jackson Withrow and Nathaniel Lammons, were 6-3, 6-2 winners against Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela and Treat Huey.

Rafael Nadal welcomed a special guest to his academy this week. Felix Auger-Aliassime is preparing for his upcoming events on the hard courts of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Mallorca under the supervision of Frederic Fontang and Toni Nadal.

Before setting off for Rotterdam, where he will form part of the field for the first ATP 500 of the season at the ABN AMRO Open, the Canadian was keen to get a look at the museum where the 22-time Grand Slam champion keeps his trophies.

During his visit to the Rafa Nadal Museum, they had time to enjoy the interactive experiences and take in all the trophies and objects donated by great athletes on the lower floor. In addition, they commemorated their visit with two photos in front of the Grand Slam and ATP Masters 1000 trophy cabinets.

As on his previous visits, Auger-Aliassime stayed in the residence for adults at the academy and had the chance to train for the first time both on the indoor courts and in the new players’ gym. In addition, he sampled the Roland Garros restaurant, where he ate every day.

Auger-Aliassime enjoyed the best season of his career 2022, picking up his first four ATP Tour titles in Rotterdam, Florence, Antwerp and Basel, helping him reach his career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 6. The icing on the cake was his Davis Cup victory with Canada in the finals played in Malaga.

His mind will now be on his next event, where he will be the defending champion in Rotterdam next week.

Andrey Rublev is one of the most powerful players on the ATP Tour, always locked in and focussed on the court. It’s a combination that has led the 25-year-old to 12 tour-level titles and a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 5.

But off the court, Rublev’s endearing nature and light-hearted disposition make for plenty of funny moments in front of our cameras.

“They call me Picasso!” he joked while presenting his holiday wrapping job on his tennis racquet, complete with bows and all.

Whether its wrapping gifts or completing tennis-themed challenges, Rublev is all smiles in this compilation of off-court moments captured by the ATP Tour. His charming personality has earned him many fans around the globe… even if he’s too humble to accept their praise.

“I am shy,” he said after reading some flattering YouTube comments. “I start to feel red!”