Following a six-year hiatus from professional tennis, Australian Li Tu decided to make a comeback to the sport. Just over two years after making his return, the 26-year-old won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title and dedicated the victory to his mother, who recently passed away.

This past week, Tu advanced through qualifying en route to triumphing at the Seoul Challenger, where he defeated China’s Wu Yibing 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final. Following the match, the Adelaide native was overcome with emotion.

Tu’s mother, who passed away in September, would’ve celebrated her birthday the day after his title. Tu, who travelled to the Gwangju Challenger the day following his mother’s funeral, dedicated the Seoul title to her. 

“It’s been a tough couple months,” Tu told ATPTour.com. “My mom was very ill, she passed away on the 24th of September. On that weekend was the Seoul 250 event and I was in the qualifying list. I booked the flights and I was ready to go, but then I cancelled that so I could be with my mom, because I knew I’d regret it so much if I left and she passed away. So I cancelled that trip, she passed away that Saturday.

Li Tu celebrates winning the 2022 Seoul Challenger. Credit: Do Won Kim

“I remember one evening we were talking and she said, ‘I’ll see you in Korea’. She got me good there,” Tu said. “On that Friday, we had her funeral and the next day I was on the flight over to Korea.

“Before I won the title, the people that knew that I left straight after mom’s funeral were like, ‘Wow, I respect you so much Li for making a hard call to go over [to Korea], best of luck!’ Tu said. “When they found out I had won the title, they were so happy for me. I wanted to honour my mom after I won the title, I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Tu’s journey to the ATP Challenger Tour has been a unique trek. In 2014, the Australian was finding success at the junior level, but the-then 18-year-old decided to put his racquets away to pursue a college degree and a coaching business, resulting in a six-year hiatus from professional tennis.

When Tu reflected on his young career, he admitted that he struggled with the mindset it took to put in the daily work. After stopping initially in 2012 but returning the following year because of ‘boredom after high school’, Tu hung up the racquets for good in 2014, or so he thought.

“I quit in 2014 and at that point I was like, ‘No, I’m done, tennis is not for me,” Tu said. “I loved winning but I didn’t actually love the grind, training, setting a schedule, and falling in love with the process. When it was raining, I was very quick to say, ‘Oh let’s do nothing today, don’t worry about it’. I needed someone to push me to go to the gym and do a bit extra. I wasn’t that motivated to train and to be the best I could be.”

During his time away, Tu earned a bachelor’s degree in Commerce in Marketing at the University of Adelaide. While coaching at his L2 Academy, founded in 2017, he discovered a newfound love for the sport.

“When I finished university, I started a tennis coaching business and it wasn’t until I started that, working with some really great kids, where I started to fall in love with the sport and appreciate everything. The mentality is different this time around.”

If it wasn’t for Tu’s close friend having a heart-to-heart conversation with him two years ago, he may have never returned to professional tennis. He seemed content with his life and coaching juniors in Adelaide. After playing local UTR tournaments in July 2020, things started to change for Tu.

“After one of my matches, a very good friend of mine, Daniel [Buberis] , was like, ‘Li, what are you doing with yourself?’ Tu said. “I told him I’m coaching and he said, ‘Do you want to play?’ I was like, ‘I’ve been getting a bit of an itch’. After that, we sat down for coffee and we talked about it, we both were like, ‘Yeah, let’s do this!’

“He put a six-week training block together. He was a really big influence on why I came back. Also, being involved in the sport and refinding a love for the game, the process and the training, that helped me get back into the sport. If it wasn’t for coaching, I don’t think I would’ve found that.”

Nearly two years after starting ‘proper training’, Tu made his Challenger Tour main-draw debut at the Rome (Georgia) Challenger in July. His title run in Seoul was just his seventh Challenger appearance. The Aussie is now at a career-high 190 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, a vast improvement from his ranking of 681 a year ago.

Tu will return home to compete the next two weeks at the Playford and Sydney Challengers. He is also set to get married to his fiancée Kimberley in November.

It’s safe to say that 2022 holds memories that Tu won’t soon forget.

The resurgent Dominic Thiem maintained his good form on the European indoor hard courts Thursday at the European Open in Antwerp, where the Austrian rallied to a tense 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 win against Francisco Cerundolo.

After Thiem made a blistering start to the pair’s second-round clash in Belgium, sixth-seeded Cerundolo appeared to have taken control when he broke Thiem’s serve for 4-3 in the deciding set. The former World No. 3 roared back in style, however, holding his nerve to clinch four of the next five games and seal a hard-fought two-hour, seven-minute victory.

“That’s why I work hard every day, to be able after two hours with a very close score, to play good shots, to play good tennis, because that is when it matters most,” said Thiem after the match. “At 6-5 in the third, you have to come up with good tennis to be able to bring the match over the finish line, and luckily today it was my turn.”

More of this, please…@domithiem 🔥 @EuroTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/WDb7AB65uP

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 20, 2022

It was a second win against Cerundolo in the space of seven days for Thiem, who defeated the Argentine in straight sets in the quarter-finals in Gijon last week. Unlike on that occasion, Cerundolo found a way to halt Thiem’s early momentum and force a deciding set in Antwerp, but the Austrian finished strong to claim victory having converted four of his eight break point opportunities.

“It’s always difficult and interesting to play somebody two weeks in a row,” said Thiem. “It’s a little bit strange, but I came out playing really good, 6-1 in the first set, but I know that he is a great player so it was obvious in mind also that It was not going to continue that way.

“Then I had a bad start to the second set, he took advantage, he came into the net… and the third set was an open game, 50/50. When I was a break down, luckily straightaway [I broke back]. It was a very intense and close match.”

Thiem’s run in Antwerp so far has lifted the 17-time tour-level titlist seven spots to No. 125 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He next faces top seed Hubert Hurkacz as he attempts to reach his third tour-level semi-final of 2022.

“[I’m] 0-3 against him,” said Thiem. “For two years he has been [one of] the world’s best, especially indoors. Unbelievable serve, we just played three or four weeks ago in Metz, where he had a pretty easy win against me, and I hope I can make it more difficult for him tomorrow and be able to make another step ahead.”

A new week. A new level from Matteo Berrettini.

The Italian kick-started his Tennis Napoli Cup campaign Thursday with a confident second-round performance to down Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-2. The pair’s meeting at the ATP 250 event in Naples came just eight days after Carballes Baena had upset Berrettini on the indoor courts in Florence, but the second seed put that previous disappointment to bed in style as he charged to a 91-minute second-round victory.

“The atmosphere, The conditions [were different to Florence] for sure,” said Berrettini after the match. “This is outdoor, way warmer, and I wanted to get revenge. I felt like I had a lot of chances last week and it was tough to digest, especially because I played in Florence, in Italy, so it was really tough. But today I stepped on the court, I think with even more will to win this match, and I think I played better.”

Berrettini struck his forehand cleanly throughout, crashing 36 winners to his opponent’s seven en route to his 30th tour-level win of the season. Carballes Baena showed early intent and carved out the first break point of the match in the second game, but once the Italian escaped via a big serve he assumed control. Berrettini converted three from five break points and sealed the win with a huge inside-out forehand to the delight of the home crowd.

Berrettini, who currently sits in 15th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, seeks a strong run this week in Naples to keep alive his outside chance of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals. His next opponent at the hard-court event will be Taro Daniel, after the Japanese overcame Pedro Cachin 6-4, 7-6(2).

“Hopefully [the crowd will be] even louder,” said Berrettini later when asked about his quarter-final against Daniel. “That’s what we like to hear when we play, especially here in Naples, one of the warmest cities in the whole world. I love to play here, hopefully it’s going to be a great match.”

Earlier on Thursday, qualifier Zhang Zhizhen notched two wins in a day to etch his name into Chinese tennis history. The 26-year-old defeated Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 7-6(8) in the first round before returning for a 7-6(5), 7-6(11) second-round upset of 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitior Sebastian Baez. Zhang has moved up 13 spots to No. 96 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, putting himself in position to become the first Chinese man to break the Top 100 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history on Monday, pending results the rest of the week.

Zhang’s next opponent will be Mackenzie McDonald, who also pulled double duty to surge into the quarter-finals. The American backed up his 6-3, 7-5 morning win against #NextGenATP Italian Francesco Passaro with an 6-4, 6-4 second-round upset of Roberto Bautista Agut in the afternoon. The 27-year-old McDonald also reached the last eight in Florence last week.

Fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti enjoyed a comfortable start to his campaign, easing past Laslo Djere 7-5, 6-4 to reach his seventh tour-level quarter-final of 2022. Musetti saved both break points he faced to down Djere, who was playing his second match of the day. The Serbian had earlier dispatched qualifier Borna Gojo 6-4, 7-6(6) in his first-round match.

Musetti is enjoying a strong finish to his year in his homeland, where he also reached the semi-finals in Florence last week. He will take on Daniel Elahi Galan in the quarter-finals, after the Colombian prevailed 7-6(5), 6-4 against Nuno Borges.

Fabio Fognini also delighted the home fans on Thursday with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 against Hugo Grenier in his first-round match. Fognini held firm to clinch a two-hour, 42-minute triumph and he next faces second seed Pablo Carreno Busta.

Matteo Berrettini kicked a goal in Naples before taking the court at the Tennis Napoli Cup.

The Italian on Wednesday met countryman Fabio Cannavaro, a football legend who won the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2006. Cannavaro was the captain of the Italian team that won the World Cup that year.

”Onorato di avert incontrato Capitano,” Berrettini wrote on Instagram, which means, “Honoured to have met you Captain!”

 

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A post shared by Matteo Berrettini (@matberrettini)

It was not the first time Berrettini has met with football royalty. After competing in the Wimbledon final in 2021, he joined his country’s football team to celebrate their victory at the European Championships.

Berrettini’s meeting was not the only fun off-court experience of the week on the ATP Tour. Several players competing in the European Open visited Chocolate Nation in Belgium.

^{Photo Credit: @europeantennisopen}
David Goffin, Hubert Hurkacz and Karen Khachanov went on a trip to the chocolate museum, where they signed autographs on chocolate tennis balls.

Dominic Thiem also visited the museum. Afterwards, the former World No. 3 revealed his favourite chocolate on Instagram: “Today at the chocolate museum 🤎,” Thiem wrote. “To be honest, 100% dark chocolate is my absolute favourite! 👀”

 

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A post shared by Dominic Thiem (@domithiem)

When Stefanos Tsitsipas last competed on centre court in Stockholm four years ago, he lifted his first ATP Tour title. A lot has changed for the World No. 5 since then, but one thing remained the same on Wednesday — his perfect record at the Swedish ATP 250.

The top seed battled past serve-and-volleying American Maxime Cressy 7-6(5), 7-6(12) to reach the quarter-finals of the Stockholm Open. The 24-year-old will next face defending champion Tommy Paul or home favourite Mikael Ymer.

“I really had to hang tight in there and I delivered the shots that I had to in that second tie-break, which was very crucial,” Tsitsipas said. “He was serving extremely well, catching the lines, being very precise and I really went for it in that one.”

Cressy played aggressive, net-rushing tennis to apply plenty of pressure on his Top 5 opponent. But Tsitsipas remained calm in the critical moments to triumph after two hours and four minutes.

The American earned three set points in the second-set tie-break to force a decider, but Tsitsipas maintained pressure in tense baseline rallies and kept his opponent from approaching the net. The Greek also used his own serve as a weapon, winning 91 per cent of his first-serve points (52/57) in the match.

Tsitsipas has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from 13-20 November in Turin. This week, he is trying to claim his first trophy since emerging victorious in Mallorca during the grass-court season. The Greek also successfully defended his Rolex Monte Carlo Masters title during the clay-court season.

Did You Know?
Tsitsipas has won four of his five career matches in Stockholm in straight sets. The only set he lost at the tournament came in the second set of his opening-round match against John Millman in 2018.

Sebastian Baez made a winning start to his Tennis Napoli Cup campaign on Wednesday when he moved past Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 7-6(3) to reach the second round.

In a tight match, the Argentine broke twice and struck 23 winners to advance after two hours and 15 minutes at the ATP 250 event, improving to 1-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Sonego.

The sixth seed, who snapped an 11-match losing streak, will next face Chinese qualifier Zhizhen Zhang or Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

In other action, Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 6-4, while Corentin Moutet edged #NextGenATP Italian Luca Nardi 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 6-2 in three hours and 32 minutes.

The 19-year-old Nardi is currently 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan on 385 points. He is 37 points behind 10th-placed Dominic Stricker. The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals will be held from 13-20 November.

Play is currently suspended in Naples due to humidity on the courts in Italy.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the ultimate “closer” when serving this season.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from the 2022 season identifies the Greek as the leading player who holds serve the most after building at least a two-point lead in his service games. Tsitsipas has surged to a 30/0, 40/0, and 40/15 lead 946 times this season and has only dropped serve seven times from these three specific point scores. It’s a jaw-dropping stat, especially considering it does not add up to getting broken even one percent (.007%) of the time.

A “closer” is a specialized baseball pitcher brought in toward the end of the game when his team is leading. His job is to convert the lead into a victory. Tsitsipas perfectly fits the bill from a tennis serving perspective.

Stefanos Tsitsipas: 2022 Season

• Holding from 30/0 – 4 service games lost from 366.
• Holding from 40/0 – 0 service games lost from 269.
• Holding from 40/15 – 3 service games lost from 311.
• Combined – 7 service games lost from 946.
• Combined Hold Percentage – 99.3%

The following breakdown identifies the leading players in the Top 10 rankings holding serve from 30/0, 40/0, and 40/15.

Holding From 30/0 (Top 10 Average = 97.2%)

1. Stefanos Tsitsipas = 98.9% (362/366)
2. Taylor Fritz = 98.6% (285/289) )
3. Felix Auger-Aliassime = 97.5% (314/322) )

A 30/0 lead is a solid way to start a service game, but the server has still only won two of the required four points to hold serve. It seems like there is still ample opportunity for things to get sideways for the server. Not so for Tsitsipas, Fritz, and Auger-Aliassime, who close the door on their service games better than anyone else in the Top 10. They were also the only three players in the data set to hold from greater than 97 per cent of the time.

Holding From 40/0 (Top 10 Average = 99.5%)

T1. Stefanos Tsitsipas = 100% (269/269) )
T1. Felix Auger-Aliassime = 100% (213/213) )
T1. Alexander Zverev = 100% (112/112) )
T1. Novak Djokovic = 100% (93/93) )

Overall, the current Top 10 have only dropped serve 10 times (1844/1854) this season when leading 40/0. No current Top 10 player has dropped more than two service games from 40/0. Stepping outside the data set, Maxime Cressy is the only player since 2015 to have led 40/0 more than 200 times and not dropped serve, holding 275 consecutive times from 40/0.

Holding From 40-15 (Top 10 Average = 98.1%)

1. Stefanos Tsitsipas = 99.0% (308/311) )
2. Felix Auger-Aliassime = 99.0% (287/290) )
3. Alexander Zverev = 98.5% (133/135)

The point score of 40/15 is once again a dominant scoreline for the Greek, only dropping serve three times in 311 service games. Interestingly, current world No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, has dropped serve from 40-15 eight times (247/255) this season, which is more than any other Top 10 player.

Tsitsipas is currently ranked No. 5 in the ATP rankings and is competing in the Stockholm Open this week. He is less than 900 points behind the players ranked two to four, and only 1800 points separates Tsitsipas and world No. 1, Alcaraz. Tsitsipas is in contention to equal or surpass his career-high ranking of No. 3, and the top rung is certainly in play if he can once again capture the Nitto ATP Finals, which he did in 2019.

Jack Draper will be the first Briton to compete in the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. The lefty on Wednesday qualified for the 21-and-under season finale, which will be played in Milan from 8-12 November.

The 20-year-old entered the season with two tour-level wins, but has tallied a 16-9 tour-level record in 2022 to establish himself as a star on the ATP Tour. Draper joins Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune in the Milan field. BUY TICKETS NOW

The Briton was the No. 265 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the start of the year. He has climbed as high as World No. 46, a bigger jump than anyone else in the Top 50.

Draper won four ATP Challenger Tour titles early in the year and never relinquished his momentum. The lefty served his way to his first ATP Tour semi-final in front of his home fans in Eastbourne before bursting through at the ATP Masters 1000-level in August in Montreal, where he made the quarter-finals as a qualifier.

During his run in Canada, Draper stunned World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 20-year-old continued his ascent at the US Open, where he made the third round with an upset of Felix Auger-Aliassime.