Match-fixing: Life bans for French tennis players Mick Lescure & Jules Okala
French tennis players Mick Lescure and Jules Okala are given life bans following a match-fixing investigation.
French tennis players Mick Lescure and Jules Okala are given life bans following a match-fixing investigation.
This week, ATPTour.com continues its annual season-in-review series, looking back at 2022’s best matches, biggest upsets, most dramatic comebacks and more. In this installment, we look back at Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry this year. On Monday we will focus on Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas’ rivalry.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are poised to compete against each other for the game’s biggest prizes for the next decade, with the 19-year-old Spaniard and 21-year-old Italian two of the most exciting and talented young players on the ATP Tour.
The pair opened its ATP Head2Head series at the end 2021, when Alcaraz scored a 7-6(1), 7-5 win at the Rolex Paris Masters. After three meetings in 2022, the matchup is now a bona fide rivalry built on mutual respect — particularly after the five-set US Open quarter-final epic which set a record for latest finish in New York.
ATPTour.com looks back on their three matches this season, which also included meetings in the Wimbledon fourth round and the Umag final.
Wimbledon, R16, Sinner d. Alcaraz 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3
Just hours after Wimbledon looked back to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Centre Court, Sinner and Alcaraz provided a glimpse of the future with their first Grand Slam meeting. It was the youngest match by combined age at SW19 since 1985.
In the first Centre Court match for both men, Sinner took control with his pure ballstriking and had two match points to wrap up the win in straight sets before Alcaraz found his rhythm to take the third-set tie-break. After converting on his fourth set point, the Spaniard raised his racquet as he soaked in the crowd’s roar.
As the match grew more physical, Sinner stemmed the tide with two battling holds to open the fourth set, then scored the decisive break to edge ever closer to his third major quarter-final. After missing out on three further match points on return at 5-3, Sinner saved a break point as he served out one of the most entertaining matches of the fortnight. A forehand winner — Sinner’s 35th of the match — completed the victory after three hours, 35 minutes.
“Carlos is a very tough opponent and a very nice person, so it is always a huge pleasure for me to play against him,” the Italian said in his on-court interview. The respect between the pair was on full display as Alcaraz checked on his opponent at net after Sinner fell while chasing a drop shot, the encounter sealed with a good-natured fist bump.
”It’s tough when you have match point, and you still have to play [on],” Sinner continued. “I tried my best. It is just part of the game, part of tennis.”
Photo Credit: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, Final, Sinner d. Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1
Sinner claimed his lone title of 2022 with a win against Alcaraz in Croatia, showing his resilience to dominate the final two sets of the match after dropping an opening set of razor-thin margins. With the rivals squaring off for the second time in four weeks, Sinner backed up his Wimbledon victory with a stylish win at the clay-court ATP 250.
Despite the scoreline, Sinner had to work hard for his comeback win as he saved all nine break points against him in the match. Six of those break chances came in the second game of set two, as Alcaraz looked to take command of the match.
But a few untimely unforced errors helped Sinner to hold, and the Italian was able to lift his game as he “found a solution” against the Spaniard — particularly on return, where he relentlessly attacked — to run away with the match.
“I am obviously very happy,” Sinner said after clinching his sixth tour-level title in his first clay final. “I have [had] a tough year until now, I had some unfortunate moments, but we worked every time to play better, to be a better player, to be a better person. I’m very happy to be finally lifting a trophy this year, but I know that I still have a lot of things to improve… It’s all about the process.”
Sinner’s win made it two final losses in as many weeks for Alcaraz, who fell to Lorenzo Musetti in the Hamburg title match the previous Sunday.
US Open, QF, Alcaraz d. Sinner 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3
In a match that topped our list of best Grand Slam matches of 2022, Alcaraz and Sinner battled later into the New York night than any before them. Across five hours, 15 minutes of twists and turns, the only constant was elite tennis and tireless effort from both men.
With Alcaraz and Sinner flashing their tremendous athleticism and power in equal measures, sensational rallies were the norm. From baseline blasts to surreal angles and deft drop shots, they took turns lighting up Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After he dominated the third-set tie-break to take a two-sets-to-one lead, Sinner carried his momentum into the fourth as he scored an instant break. But the fearless Alcaraz erased a match point with Sinner serving at 5-4 and went on a run of four straight games to force a fifth set. Again trailing by a break in the fifth, the Spaniard repeated that feat by winning four games in a row to claim a victory that will live long in the memory of both men and every fan who had the privilege to watch.
“Honestly, I still don’t know how I did it,” Alcaraz said of his great escape. “You have to believe in yourself. I believed in my game. It was really difficult to close out the match. I tried to stay calm, but it is difficult in the moment.”
He later added: “The energy I received in this court at 3 a.m., it was unbelievable. Probably in other tournaments, everybody [would go] to their house to rest. But they [stayed] in the court, supporting me. It was unbelievable.”
Just as unbelievable was the energy poured into every pulsating point by Alcaraz and Sinner in the standout match of what promises to be a long-running rivalry. Their ATP Head2Head is finely poised at 2-2 heading into 2023.
Photo Credit: Corey Sipkin/AFP via Getty Images
Read more from our Best Of 2022 Series
From scrambling to gain entry into tournaments to finishing the season with a record-setting 10 titles, British doubles team Julian Cash and Henry Patten made a stunning impact on the ATP Challenger Tour this year.
“It’s been a bit of a blur but we’ve had a couple days at home and I think it’s set in a little bit,” Patten told ATPTour.com. “A pretty crazy accomplishment, surpassing all of our expectations for sure. It feels like not that long ago we were trying to hustle our way into some Challengers over the summer.”
In May, Cash and Patten were ranked outside the Top 300 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings. After receiving a wild card into the Surbiton Challenger, their season started to change course. Despite never teaming at the Challenger level before, Cash and Patten collected their maiden Challenger title on the grass courts of Surbiton. They didn’t stop there.
The duo won titles on all three surfaces this season, including a surge on the North American hard courts, where they collected six titles: Granby, Columbus, Fairfield, Las Vegas, Charlottesville, and Drummondville.
With time running out on the season, Cash and Patten were inching closer to surpassing the Challenger doubles titles record, which was set in 2012 by twin brothers from Thailand, Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana. At the Andria Challenger in November, the Britons claimed their record-breaking crown and then finished the season on a strong note at the Maia Challenger, where they captured their 10th title and extended their match-winning streak to 12.
“I believed that we could go a long way, but maybe not so quickly,” Cash said.
“We both had success on the doubles court apart from each other, we were fortunate to pair when we did. I couldn’t have imagined the six months we’ve had. Six months ago, breaking records and playing the Australian Open was definitely not on the table.”
The British duo went from playing mostly ITF Futures events to breaking Challenger Tour-records in the span of six months. A few of their 10 titles hold a special place in their hearts, including their first crown, which came on home soil.
“Our first title in Surbiton sticks out because that was really out of blue,” Patten said. “We accepted a last-minute wild card and it was our first Challenger. To win that one, it kind of started this whole crazy journey. Granby was special too, our first tournament after grass, it gave us a lot of belief for the rest of the trip. And then in Maia, on clay, a surface that neither of us are that familiar or comfortable on. We just worked really hard throughout the week and it was a great way to finish the year. Those three stand out for me.”
Julian Cash (left) and Henry Patten are crowned champions at the Maia Challenger. Credit: FPT/Sara Falcao
Now inside the Top 70, the Britons cite their college careers as a big part of their development. Cash competed at Mississippi State University his freshman year before transferring to Oklahoma State University, where he earned All-American honours. Patten, who is a Colchester native, had a standout career at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, where he was the Big South Conference player of the year for three consecutive years.
“I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be here without college tennis,” Patten said. “Professional tennis wasn’t really on my radar until my last couple years at college. It’s the ideal training ground as you are competing and training almost every day.”
Cash, who hails from Brighton, believes their styles of play feed off each other well and attributes their off-court friendship as part of what’s led to their rapid rise.
“We get along well off-court, that helps massively,” Cash said. “It would’ve been tough to do with just anybody. I think our games complement each other well. Our strengths and weaknesses combine to be a well-rounded team. Also, the lefty-righty combo [Patten is left-handed] has a lot of benefit on the doubles court and we’re able to utilise that.”
Cash and Patten hope to have a little downtime this month to unwind from a whirlwind season. Both of them enjoy golf and padel, while Patten enjoys playing chess, Cash claims he would rather stick to his hobby of throwing darts as he ‘doesn’t have the intellect’ for chess, he claimed while cracking a laugh.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]A full complement of the ATP Tour’s best players are set to compete at the first Grand Slam of 2023, as confirmed by the Australian Open entry list released Thursday by Tennis Australia.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal will bid for his third Australian Open crown after his historic 2022 triumph, when he battled from two sets down in the final to defeat Daniil Medvedev and win a record-breaking 21st major singles title. The Spaniard enters the 2023 season with a record 22 Slam trophies, with Novak Djokovic right behind him on 21.
Djokovic will seek to extend his record of nine AO titles and draw level with Nadal in the overall major count as he returns to the competition for the first time since he beat Medvedev in the 2021 final.
Carlos Alcaraz will play a Grand Slam as the World No. 1 for the first time as he seeks to win back-to-back majors following his US Open triumph in September. By winning his first Slam trophy in New York, Alcaraz secured his debut atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, becoming the youngest man to achieve that feat since the first edition of the rankings in 1973. The Spaniard maintained that position to earn year-end No. 1 honours and has an opportunity to extend his lead atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by improving on his third-round result one year ago in Melbourne.
Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas round out the Top 5 on the entry list, with the Greek Tsitsipas eager to improve on his three semi-finals showings at the event, including in each of the past two years.
2022 Nitto ATP Finals competitors Felix Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz are also among the direct entrants, with Hubert Hurkacz rounding out the Top 10. Other notable names include Holger Rune, who briefly entered the Top 10 in November, and Alexander Zverev, who has not played a tour-level match since his ankle injury during the Roland Garros semi-finals.
The 2023 Australian Open will take place at Melbourne Park from 16-29 January.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev returns to action after six months out with an ankle injury at the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
Roger Federer is not just one of the most recognisable tennis players in the world, but a global icon who has resonated far beyond the sport. Getting into Wimbledon should not be a problem for the eight-time champion, right?
Wrong.
Two weeks ago, Federer was in London. The Swiss star had two hours to kill before his flight, so he decided to pay the All England Club a visit.
Little did the 20-time Grand Slam champion know he would struggle to get into the facility. Federer recounted the hilarious story Wednesday evening on The Daily Show with friend and comedian Trevor Noah.
That time Wimbledon security wouldn’t let @rogerfederer in 😂 pic.twitter.com/mcREy62E13
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) December 8, 2022
“I have not really been at Wimbledon when the tournament is not on, so I drive up to the gate, where usually guests come in, where you would arrive and then you go up,” Federer recalled. “I get out and tell my coach who was with me at the time, Severin, I tell him I’ll quickly go out and speak to the security lady, I got this. I did not.
“So then I get out and I’m like, ‘Yes, hello, I was just wondering how I can get in to Wimbledon? Where is the door? Where is the gate?’` She [says], ‘Do you have a membership card?’ I’m like, ‘Uh, we have one?'”
Federer long ago earned his Wimbledon membership by winning the tournament, but he did not have his card with him and did not notify SW19 in advance in case he would be unable to make it. The 41-year-old told the security agent he did not have it, but that he is a member and was just looking for where he could enter.
“I tell her normally when I’m here i’m playing and there’s loads of people and I come in in a different way and it’s the first time I’m here while the tournament’s not on and I don’t know where to get in so, ‘I’m just asking you again, where can I get in?’” Federer said. “She’s like, ‘Well at the side, but you have to be a member.’ So I look at her one last time and I’m in a panic now. I’m so sorry, I still can’t believe I said that, I still feel bad about it, and I look at her and I was like, ‘I have won this tournament eight times. Please believe me, I am a member and where do I get in?’”
Even that did not work, so Federer returned to the car and they pulled around the side. Luckily, a fan in a walkway spotted Federer.
“I get out of the car and a random person walks in the walkway and said, ‘Oh Mr. Federer I can’t believe you’re here at Wimbledon! Can we take a selfie?’ I’m like, ‘Yes! Let’s take a picture!’ And the security guards that are there are like, ‘Oh my God Mr. Federer, what are you doing here? Do you have your membership card?’” Federer recalled. “I’m like, ‘No I don’t, but is it possible to get in?’ ‘Of course we’ll open the door, let me organise it.’
As soon as Federer entered he spoke to the chairman and enjoyed himself at the All England Club. He even paid a visit to an old friend: the Wimbledon trophy he lifted eight times. “Nice to see you again 🫠,” Federer posted on Instagram.
All is well that ends well.
Agnieszka Radwanska, Tim Henman and Gisela Dulko are among the high-profile names to join an all-star line-up of past and current tennis champions to captain teams at the inaugural United Cup.
The United Cup is a new annual mixed team event, played across three Australian cities – Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, set to launch the global tennis season from Thursday 29 December.
In Brisbane, former World No. 2 Radwanska will captain Team Poland in Group B, led by World No.1 Iga Swiatek and World No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz.
In Perth, former World No. 1 doubles player and Australian Open 2011 doubles champion Dulko will lead Team Argentina, who are drawn against Croatia and France in Group F.
Former World No. 4 and Roland Garros champion Iva Majoli will captain Croatia, with players Borna Coric and Donna Vekic to fly the flag for their country.
In Sydney, Tim Henman, who inspired a British tennis revival in the 1990s by becoming the first Briton to reach the men’s semi-finals at Wimbledon in 25 years, will captain Team Great Britain, which includes World No. 14 Cameron Norrie, Daniel Evans and Harriet Dart.
Former World No. 3 doubles player Marc Lopez will oversee Spain, a team featuring Rafael Nadal and Paula Badosa.
Home favourites Australia will also be in Sydney, and will be captained by former World No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt and former World No. 4 and multiple Grand Slam champion Sam Stosur in Group D.
Stosur is one of several high-profile “playing captains” to feature at the United Cup.
Others include Stan Wawrinka as captain of Team Switzerland, and Alexander Bublik overseeing Kazakhstan in the same group in Brisbane.
World No. 28 Grigor Dimitrov will captain Bulgaria while Kirsten Flipkens will captain Belgium and Grand Slam doubles champion Edouard Roger-Vasselin will captain France.
United Cup 2023 Team Captains
| Host City | Group | Country | Captain |
| Perth | A | Greece | To be confirmed |
| Belgium | Kirsten Flipkens | ||
| Bulgaria | Grigor Dimitrov | ||
| F | France | Edouard Roger-Vasselin | |
| Croatia | Iva Majoli | ||
| Argentina | Gisela Dulko | ||
| Brisbane | B | Poland | Agnieszka Radwanska & Dawid Celt |
| Switzerland | Stan Wawrinka | ||
| Kazakhstan | Alexander Bublik | ||
| E | Italy | Vincenzo Santopadre | |
| Brazil | Rafael Pacharoni | ||
| Norway | Christian Ruud | ||
| Sydney | C | United States | David Witt |
| Germany | Mischa Zverev | ||
| Czech Republic | Jiri Vanek | ||
| D | Spain | Marc Lopez | |
| Australia | Lleyton Hewitt & Sam Stosur | ||
| Great Britain | Tim Henman | ||
View Draw & Schedule
Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, RAC Arena in Perth and Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney will host the United Cup group stage from Thursday 29 December to Wednesday 4 January 2023.
Each host city will feature two groups of three countries, competing in a round-robin format.
Each tie will comprise two men’s and two women’s singles matches and one mixed doubles match to be played across two days.
Group winners in each city will play off for one of three semi-final spots.
Three City Champions will advance to the United Cup Final Four in Sydney to be played at Ken Rosewall Arena from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 January. The next best performing team from the group stage will complete the quartet.
Group stage tickets for adults start from $40 and from $20 for children 14 years and under. Family passes (two adults and two children) start from $100.
The United Cup, an ATP-WTA event presented in partnership with Tennis Australia, offers USD $15 million in prize money as well as up to 500 Pepperstone ATP and 500 WTA rankings points.
Visit UnitedCup.com/tickets to purchase tickets and follow @UnitedCupTennis on social media for all the latest tournament news.
Progress is rarely linear, in life or in sport. With the right mindset, a setback can provide an opportunity to come back stronger.
That is exactly what the four nominees for Comeback Player Of The Year in the 2022 ATP Awards have worked so hard to do this season. Borna Coric, Stan Wawrinka, Wu Yibing and Dominic Thiem are all on the shortlist for the award, which goes to a player who has overcome injury to re-establish himself as one of the top players on Tour.
The winner, as selected by the players, will be announced during Awards week, starting 12 December.
| Player |
Career-High Before Comeback |
Lowest Ranking In 2022 |
2022 End-Of-Year Ranking (Difference) |
| Borna Coric | No. 12 | No. 278 | No. 26 (+252) |
| Stan Wawrinka | No. 3 | No. 361 | No. 149 (+212) |
| Wu Yibing | No. 298 | No. 1869 | No. 117 (+1,752) |
| Dominic Thiem | No. 3 | No. 352 | No. 105 (+247) |
Borna Coric
SInce undergoing surgery in May 2021, Coric has had to spend between 30 and 90 minutes a day working on his right shoulder to maintain it. Considerable off-court commitment is necessary for the Croatian to even make it onto court, let alone to start winning matches on the ATP Tour.
That hasn’t stopped the 26-year-old from surging back up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this year. Having dropped as low as No. 278 in May, Coric ended the season at No. 26, an inspirational return following 12 months out due to his injury.
After making his comeback at Indian Wells in March, Coric was understandably rusty. Yet an ATP Challenger Tour title won in Italy in June was a sign that he was starting to find his feet again, and the former World No. 12 then charged back into the ATP Tour winners’ circle in style at the Western & Southern Open in August.
“I have no words, to be honest,” said Coric after taking out five Top 20 players in a row, including Rafael Nadal, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas, to claim a stunning maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. “It’s just an unbelievable feeling… I thought I could play well. I was training hard, and I knew I could play good tennis, but that I could play this level tennis, I was just not aware. I’m just super happy.”
Stan Wawrinka
“[It is] not a miracle, I wouldn’t say that, but it was very long and difficult… I thought I would be [out] only a few weeks. It lasted a whole year, with many moments of doubts.”
Wawrinka had good reason to be cautious prior to his tour-level singles return at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April. The former World No. 3 had been kept out of action for more than a year by a foot injury.
The 16-time tour-level titlist did not take long to dispel any doubts about his ability to compete against the best in the world, however. Wawrinka sealed wins against Reilly Opelka and Laslo Djere in just his second tour-level tournament back, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Later in the year, the 37-year-old also claimed a pair of notable Top 5 wins on European indoor hard courts, against Daniil Medvedev in Metz and Casper Ruud in Basel.
“This is one of the main reasons why I keep on playing,” said Wawrinka after taking out World No. 3 Casper Ruud in straight sets. “I’m getting old, that’s for sure. I had to fight the last two years with the injury, surgery. Coming back was not easy… So to be able to produce that tonight here in Switzerland is of course something really special.”
Wu Yibing
After two seasons away from the ATP Tour, Wu returned to play his part in history in 2022.
In August, he and his countryman Zhang Zhizhen both came through qualifying to become the first Chinese men to compete in the US Open main draw in the Open Era. It represented a milestone moment on a long road for Wu, who did not compete on the ATP Tour from March 2019 until January 2022 due to several injuries, including issues with his elbow, lower back, shoulder and wrist.
“I’m happy I’m still playing tennis and enjoying tennis,” said the 2017 US Open boys’ singles champion Wu after going on to reach the third round in New York, where he was beaten by defending champion Daniil Medvedev. “I think this is really good I can keep my passion for tennis even though I was hurting bad. I think this [is] not easy to do, but I’m glad I made it.”
That run at Flushing Meadows came off the back of a red-hot streak on the ATP Challenger Tour for Wu, who won three consecutive titles at that level in June and July. After playing exclusively on a domestic circuit in China in 2020-21 following elbow surgery, the 23-year-old’s exploits this season helped him rise to a career-high No. 113 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in early November, having started the year at No. 1122.
Wu celebrates at the US Open. Photo Credit: Dustin Satloff/USTA.
Dominic Thiem
Returning to competitive action in March after missing nine months due to a wrist injury was always going to be a challenge for Thiem. The former World No. 3 lost his first six tour-level matches upon returning to the ATP Tour in April as he sought to regain confidence in his body and his game.
“The key is just to be patient, continue being patient, work on the stuff which is not working and then it will come back, but it will take time,” said Thiem after the sixth of those losses, a first-round defeat to Hugo Dellien at Roland Garros. At his very next tour-level event, Thiem’s no-panic approach began to pay off. Hard-fought wins against Emil Ruusuvuori and Roberto Bautista Agut in Bastad began a sequence of nine ATP Tour events in which he won at least one match.
After dropping as low as No. 352 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in June, Thiem ended 2022 at No. 105, having reached three ATP Tour semi-finals, with the Austrian showing plenty of signs that he is on the way back to finding his best level. Tommy Paul, Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz were among the players beaten by the rejuvenated 17-time tour-level titlist.
“This victory especially is unbelievable because it’s my first victory over an almost-Top 10 guy in my comeback process,” said Thiem after saving three match points to down World No. 11 Hurkacz in Antwerp in October. “The match could easily have been gone, but it’s like that at the highest level and I’m very happy in general to even get to those close situations again.”
The Lawn Tennis Association is fined £820,000 by the ATP for banning Russian and Belarusian players from this summer’s grass-court events.
Novak Djokovic will return to Australia at January’s Adelaide International, almost a year after being deported from the country because of his Covid-19 vaccination status.
