Roger Federer retired last year and former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka turns 38 later this month. But the future of Swiss men’s tennis appears in good hands.

Dominic Stricker made a splash last year by competing in the Next Gen ATP Finals. On Thursday, 21-year-old Leandro Riedi will make his ATP Masters 1000 debut at the BNP Paribas Open against Jack Draper after qualifying for the prestigious tournament on his first attempt at this level. He is up to No. 120 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a bit of a struggle in the beginning, the first six, seven months were not easy. From juniors to the pros, it’s a step,” Riedi told ATPTour.com. “But it was all worth it and now I’m feeling pretty well, especially the past couple months I’ve been pretty good and I really enjoy it.”

The 20-year-old Stricker and 21-year-old Riedi are new on the scene as #NextGenATP players, but they have known each other since early in their junior days. Riedi recalls that they first met in 2011. In January 2014, before they were teens, when they represented their country together in a team event. From that year on, they began training together every Wednesday at the Swiss Federation and became close friends.

While Stricker sprinted to success, Riedi watched from afar and used the lefty’s triumphs as fuel to continue his own climb.

“I’m definitely not the guy who’s a jealous guy or feel I’m under pressure now. Maybe a bit you have this feeling that if he does it, you have to do it as well,” Riedi said. “But for me it was all motivation and I was just happy for him that he played well. Of course at the same time you’re pretty motivated if he can do it, then I can do it as well. That was my mindset a bit.”

^{Riedi plays football after qualifying for Indian Wells. Photo credit: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour.}
Mindset has proved key for Riedi. The Swiss admits that it is not his physical game that has held him back in the past. This year’s Canberra ATP Challenger Tour finalist, who nearly upset Hubert Hurkacz in Marseille, has battled against himself.

“Definitely mentally I’ve improved a lot in the past three months, four months, especially on court. I’ve improved a lot supporting myself, not destroying myself, because it’s already hard enough against those guys to play,” Riedi said. “And if you’re not helping yourself, it’s just so tough to win.”

Instead of moving on from a bad spot of form in a match, Riedi would dwell on it, exacerbating the issue. It would carry off the court, too.

“You’re alone on the court and if you [are very hard on] yourself there, it’s just really, really hard,” Riedi said. “And I felt when I started playing the Challengers and then I remember playing the qualies of the Swiss Indoors, I had some smell of what it’s like to be there and if you’re not on your ‘A’ game there mentally, you’re just not going to win. You can maybe win luckily. But to maintain it, it’s just not possible.”

Riedi’s former coach left him last year because he felt the Swiss needed to mature in his mental game. That proved a turning point for the rising star, who won back-to-back Challenger crowns in November.

“I don’t want to be that guy,” Riedi said. “I want to be the friendly guy and I guess the change happened. It’s working, it’s a lot of fun.”

The fun of the sport is what helped draw Riedi to tennis years ago. At a young age, the Zurich-born player preferred football to tennis. But by nine years old, he began competing in more tennis tournaments and enjoyed it. The travel became a perk as he has always liked visiting new places. In the past few years he even spent three months training in Delray Beach, Florida with Jose Antonio Fernandez, which he pointed to as another pivotal moment in his development

Now Riedi is competing on one of the biggest stages in the sport. He hopes to continue on his positive trajectory, with the goals of soon cracking the world’s Top 100 and qualifying for this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals. If the 21-year-old continues mastering his mind, those accomplishments could be well within reach.

“I still have stuff to improve on the tennis side as well, but everyone can play pretty good tennis here,” Riedi said. “Every match is so close and in the end I think it depends on the mental side, if you’re there or not. I just knew I could improve so much mentally if I’m really here. I can push more and see what I can do. If I still lose, I’m still happy with it.”

Fans of Frances Tiafoe might have noticed an Instagram Story he posted in which he wrote “Happy International Women’s Day”. It was just the latest example of the American uplifting women.

The 25-year-old spends a lot of time at WNBA games, wears WNBA jerseys and praises female athletes. Tiafoe has also enjoyed plenty of training sessions this year with WTA stars, including United Cup teammate Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff.

“I think women should be appreciated for everything. They bring amazing kids into the world, they make the world a better place. They’re super hard-working and deserve to get the same notoriety, it’s just that simple,” Tiafoe said. “It’s a collective… Happy International Women’s Day. I’m happy for all the amazing women out there doing great things and I want to uplift all the women.”

On Monday evening, Tiafoe took to Stadium 1 at the BNP Paribas Open for a training session with Gauff.

“They give you a better rhythm, honestly,” Tiafoe said, cracking a laugh. “I hit with Coco that first day and I’ve been locked in ever since.”

The WTA stars have liked hitting with Tiafoe, too. Pegula and Tiafoe carried their routine sessions from the United Cup to the Australian Open.

“My nerves usually come out in practice where I’m not hitting well and I’m freaking out. And Frances is just so happy-go-lucky, the biggest hype person ever,” Pegula told the media during the Australian Open. “I’m a little bit more focused, which he needs, so I think it helps him in that way. And I think he likes hitting with me, he says, for the rhythm. He says he feels like the best player in the world when he hits with me.”

Tiafoe will begin his tournament in the California desert on Friday against countryman Marcos Giron.

Jiri Lehecka earned his first ATP Masters 1000 win on Wednesday at the BNP Paribas Open with a battling performance against Arthur Rinderknech. The 21-year-old Czech scored a 7-6(4), 7-5 victory in his second appearance at the prestigious level, having qualified for Monte Carlo last season.

Sixth seed Andrey Rublev awaits in the second round for what will be the pair’s third ATP Head2Head matchup. Both of their past meetings went three sets, with Rublev winning last April in Belgrade and Lehecka returning the favour last month in Doha.

Against Rinderknech, Lehecka twice came back from a break down in the opening set before saving two set points on serve at 5-6. He never trailed in the tie-break and raced out to a 3-0 lead in set two, though his French opponent levelled the second at 4-4. Lehecka’s fourth break of the match, on his seventh break point, sealed the win.

The World No. 47 Lehecka has backed up his runner-up finish to the Next Gen ATP Finals last November with a strong start to 2023, highlighted by a breakout run to the Australian Open quarter-finals. He also reached the semi-finals in Doha, losing a three-set thriller to Andy Murray after defeating Rublev one round earlier.

If he can get past Rublev again in Indian Wells, Lehecka would meet 25th seed Denis Shapovalov or Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the third round.

Watch Wednesday Highlights:

China’s Wu Yibing also advanced on Day 1 of main-draw play in Indian Wells, with the 23-year-old claiming a 6-7(6), 6-0, 7-6(3) win against Spain’s Jaume Munar. His reward is another Spanish opponent: 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Wu was competing at an ATP Masters 1000 for the first time since Shanghai 2018, where he picked up a win as a wild card. He faced just two break points in the match, with Munar converting one in the opening set and the second in the final set.

After employing a backhand drop shot on match point, Wu sealed the deal in dramatic fashion with a diving volley.

The victory extends his tour-level win streak to seven matches after he claimed his maiden ATP Tour title in Dallas last month, beating Taylor Fritz and John Isner in the final two rounds. Each of his past three wins have come in three sets.

Wu, who already holds the honour of being China’s highest-ranked man in history, moved another four places to No. 63 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with today’s win.

With the first answer at his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday, BNP Paribas Open top seed Carlos Alcaraz immediately quelled any doubts of lingering fitness concerns.

The 19-year-old took some time off after injuring his right hamstring during his run to the Rio de Janeiro final, a problem that forced him to withdraw from Acapulco. But after a quick recovery, with less than a week spent off the court, Alcaraz is raring to go at the year’s first ATP Masters 1000.

“I’m [feeling] really good right now,” the returning semi-finalist said on the tournament’s media day. “Today was the first practice that I practised with some players, [played] some points. I feel great. I took some days off and it was really good for me. Right now I’m ready.”

Alcaraz has a lot to play for this week: By winning his third Masters 1000 crown, he would return to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. While he does not consider himself a favourite in the desert, the Spaniard is motivated to chase glory on both fronts.

“It’s a really good goal for me,” he said of the potential double. “Of course playing a Masters 1000 is always tough and I really want to have a good result here. I love this tournament as well.

“For me, winning the tournament and being No. 1 again is a really good goal and I really want to go for it.”

Carlitos has landed in Tennis Paradise @carlosalcaraz & @FTiafoe hit the practice courts in Indian Wells#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/IUGQUCS2Uk

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 8, 2023

The Spaniard has recent experience in this situation, with his 2022 US Open title run lifting him to World No. 1 for the first time last September. While he has already claimed one title in 2023, winning his season-debut tournament in Buenos Aires, Alcaraz is seeking his first hard-court title since his New York breakthrough.

“On hard court I think I’m a really good tennis player, so I’m going to go for it,” said Alcaraz, who has not competed on the surface since last November’s Rolex Paris Masters. “I don’t consider myself a favourite to win the tournament because [it has been] a long time since I played on hard court. Of course there are a lot of great players in this draw that have chances to win the tournament.

“I would say that I have my chances to win the tournament and I’m going to [try to] take it.”

After a first-round bye, Alcaraz will open his third Indian Wells campaign against qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis or wild card Brandon Holt.

Brandon Nakashima maintained his perfect first-round record at the BNP Paribas Open Wednesday when he defeated John Isner 7-6(7), 6-3 to set a meeting against fifth seed Daniil Medvedev.

The 21-year-old American, who earned opening-round wins in Indian Wells in 2021 and 2022, saved one set point in the first-set tie-break before he produced a strong defensive display in the second set to blunt the attack of his big-serving countryman.

Nakashima stood deep behind the baseline when returning the first serve, but looked to attack off Isner’s second delivery, timing the ball well to win 56 per cent (15/27) of points on the 37-year-old’s second serve.

“You know you are going to get some opportunities out there,” Nakashima said. “You know he is going to hit some big bombs once in a while. But you always go into it knowning you will have some opportunities. You just got to see them when they come and capitalise on them.”

Nakashima, who hit 26 winners and committed 15 unforced errors against Isner, is up three spots to No. 45 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

“This tournament is one of the tournaments I used to always to come to as a kid,” said Nakashima, who lives in San Diego. “It is super nice to feel at home here and have all my family and friends come out in support.”

Nakashima ended 2022 in perfect style, capturing the Next Gen ATP Finals crown. He has struggled to find his best form this year, though, earning just two tour-level wins.

The 21-year-old will be hoping his one-hour, 38-minute win against Isner can provide a springboard for his season. Medvedev will be a tough second-round test, with the former World No. 1 entering the clash on a 14 match winning streak.

Isner was making his 15th appearance in the Californian desert, with his best result a run to the final in 2012.

In other action, Ugo Humbert overcame Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-2, 7-6(6), while Ilya Ivashka defeated Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-2. There were also straight-set wins for Marcos Giron and Oscar Otte, with the American Giron triumphing 6-3, 7-5 against countryman Aleksandar Kovacevic and German Otte defeating Laslo Djere 6-3, 7-5.

Do players change first serve strategy when serving at 15/0 versus 0/15?

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from the 2022 season uncovers a wide variety of first serve strategies when ahead or behind on the scoreboard after only one point is played in the game. Players clearly factor in where they prefer to serve and where the opponent may be anticipating. Having a clever mix out wide, at the body, and down the T is all about staying a step ahead in the guessing game of first serve location.

But nobody flipped the switch more than Daniil Medvedev.

The 27-year-old former No. 1 is the hottest player on tour after winning Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai leading into Indian Wells this week. He is on a 14-match win streak and has won 19 of 21 matches to start the season. His different first serve strategy at 15/0 versus 0/15 provides an insight into how he goes about his business of holding serve.

Serving 15/0

According to the Infosys ATP Stats Serve Tracker, Medvedev led the current Top 10 going down the T with his first serve at 15/0. He hit 56 per cent there, which was just slightly higher than Holger Rune at 55 per cent. The players who went the least down the T at 15/0 were Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, who only went there 36 per cent of the time.

Andrey Rublev was the most prolific going out wide at 15/0, with 54 per cent of first serves hitting that location. The other two players at or above 50 per cent out wide were Taylor Fritz (52%) and Novak Djokovic (50%).

What’s fascinating is that five of the Top 10 hit their first serve down the T more, while the other five targeted out wide more.

Current Top 10: First Serve Location at 15/0 (2022 Season)

Serving 0/15

Medvedev switched lanes at 0/15 and became the player that served wide the most – the exact opposite of what he did at 15/0, being the most prolific with T serves. Medvedev hit 64 per cent of first serves out wide at 0/15 while only hitting 41 per cent at 15/0. When Medvedev needed the point at 0/15, initially pulling the returner wide off the court with his first serve was his primary strategy.

Nadal was the only other player to serve more than 50 per cent out wide at 0/15, at 54 per cent. You can certainly understand that logic with Nadal being left-handed. While the split was even at 15/0 with five players going more wide and five players going T, eight of the 10 players preferred to go down the T at 0/15. The most prolific down the T was Stefanos Tsitsipas at 64 per cent. Players at 50 percent or above down the T were Felix Auger-Aliassime (55%), Andrey Rublev (55%), Djokovic (53%) and Fritz (50%).

Current Top 10: First Serve Location at 0/15 (2022 Season)

Summary

Overall, five players (Medvedev, Djokovic, Fritz, Rublev and Alcaraz) changed their primary first serve location between wide and T when serving at 15/0 versus 0/15. The five players that kept the same primary location were Rune (T), Ruud (T), Tsitsipas (T), Felix Auger-Aliassime (T), and Nadal (wide).

It’s fascinating to see the variety of serve locations at the two point scores based on preferred locations and the desire to hit it where the opponent does not think it is going to go. Medvedev will look to add to his 14-match win streak at Indian Wells starting this week. Winning the guessing game of serve location will once again be a part of his winning formula.