Tennis News

My Influences: Gaubas opens up on 'amazing' Alcaraz experience

A smile appeared across the face of #NextGenATP Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas in New York, where the 19-year-old recalled the memorable time he has spent with World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz.

The Lithuanian has practised with the Spaniard on various occasions in the past year and after time, mustered up the confidence to ask the four-time major winner for advice.

Speaking to ATPTour.com as part of our Next Gen Influences Series, Gaubas discusses his conversations with the former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Alcaraz and opens up on his biggest idols in tennis, including countryman Ricardas Berankis, who reached a career-high No. 50 in 2016.

Which former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion do you identify with?
I like Carlos Alcaraz. I practised this year with him a few times, and seeing him doing so well and getting a chance to practice with him was cool. He is so humble. So that’s the way it will be for me

Did you get to have any conversations with him? Where were you when you practised with him?
We practised in Spain at the start of the season. I think it was January and we had a few practice sessions and it was really high intensity, and was really, really fun.

Did you ask him any questions?
I was a little bit too shy, but he was really humble. He asked me a few questions, so we had a few conversations that was really fun. He asked me, ‘What’s my next tournament?, How am I doing’, and all those kinds of things. He was, at that time, World No. 1. It was amazing and to be able to speak with him like a normal conversation meant a lot.

Who were your first tennis idols when growing up?
My idols since I was young were Dominic Thiem and Casper Ruud. It was their style, how they play, especially the intensity on the forehand. They have really big shots and that’s what amazed me. When I saw Dominic, when he entered the Top 10, he was doing really well. I saw his matches and every practise, I tried to copy what he did. I remember the US Open final where there were no people watching as it was during Covid and the match was incredible, five sets, and the intensity of the match was incredible.

How much influence did Ricardas Berankis have on you?
He has a really big influence on all the younger kids in Lithuania who play tennis. I think he really motivated us. We had a photo when I was seven years old. I was a ball boy for him in a Davis Cup match. And it was one year ago that I showed him a photo and it was really funny, because now we’re on the same team, playing, so that’s really, really nice.

What was it about him that inspired you when you were a kid?
How serious he is on court and off court as well. He is still really focused on the things that he’s doing. So that’s an inspiration.

Who are your other biggest influences?
I would say my mother. She’s a really strong person. She fights for everything and she really works hard. That is a big inspiration too. Our family was always involved in sport. Especially my father, he was really sporty and I think that is where I got it from.

Ahead of this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, ATPTour.com is running an Influences series with the #NextGenATP stars in contention to qualify for the 20-and-under event in Jeddah. Look out for next week’s feature with Chengdu champion Shang Juncheng…

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Fearnley not obsessed about breaking into top 100

Jake Fearnley will not obsess about cracking the world tennis top 100 but is happy to linger on the fright he gave Novak Djokovic.

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Why Hurkacz's aces will mean more than ever the rest of 2024

Hubert Hurkacz’s efforts on court will mean more than ever for the rest of the season.

The No. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is giving back to his home country, Poland, which has recently dealt with devastating flooding.

“Starting today and until the end of the season, I will be donating €100 for every ace I hit to support those affected by the devastating floods in Poland,” Hurkacz wrote on social media. “For me, sport is not just a competition, but also a platform to drive impact.”

pic.twitter.com/ZMN13e6nC4

— Hubert Hurkacz (@HubertHurkacz) September 24, 2024

Hurkacz enters the week leading the ATP Tour in aces with 702 in 55 matches according to Infosys ATP Stats. That is nearly 13 aces per match.

The 27-year-old is the second seed at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo. He will begin his run at the ATP 500 event on Wednesday against Marcos Giron.

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Backhand abundance: Medvedev's knuckleball in an era of fastballs

Nobody loves their backhand more than Daniil Medvedev.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers groundstroke analysis from the 2024 season identifies Medvedev as the only player in the Top 20 who hits more backhands than forehands. The data set is from ATP matches on Hawk-Eye courts. Medvedev is the king of the “backhand cage” strategy, where he locks opponents into a sharp-angle backhand ad-court exchange, daring them to take on more risk by attempting to escape his clutches down the line.

It’s a damned if you do, and damned if you don’t predicament for Medvedev’s opponents. They have little chance of outlasting him backhand to backhand, while at the same time hitting down the line to escape the backhand lockdown pattern also comes with elevated risk.

The six players in the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings who hit the highest percentage of backhands are:

1) Daniil Medvedev 53.1%
2) Alex de Minaur 49.4%
3) Taylor Fritz 49%
4) Sebastian Korda 48.9%
5) Novak Djokovic 48.9%
6) Frances Tiafoe 48.2%

What is fascinating is that Medvedev is also the leader in the Top 20 putting the most backhands in the court. He was the only player in the data set who put north of 90 per cent of his backhands in play.

The six players who put at least 87 per cent of their backhands in the court are:

1) Daniil Medvedev 90.2%
2) Novak Djokovic 88.3%
3) Jack Draper 88%
4) Casper Ruud 87.8%
5) Alexander Zverev 87.3%
6) Alex de Minaur 87%

Medvedev hit 3,253 backhands in the data set. He only missed 319. The ATP Tour average for backhand speed is 68 mph. Medvedev’s backhand is precisely that. He is not over-cooking this shot by trying to play through opponents, but he is also not just pushing it in either.

Medvedev rarely uses slice off his backhand wing. The Tour average is 21 per cent backhand slice in 2024. Medvedev is only at nine percent. He would much rather contort his body into an unorthodox position to shovel the ball back flat and deep, almost always giving his opponents nothing to work with.

Medvedev hits his backhand flatter than most. The Tour average for backhand topspin is 1,775 rpm. Medvedev averages just 1,496 rpm. Flatter equals lower. The Tour average for backhand height over the net is 0.73 metres. Medvedev is at 0.69 metres. Opponents are used to a higher ball with topspin. All Medvedev cares about is making his opponents uncomfortable.

Medvedev’s backhand is simply a different animal.

There is absolutely nothing about Medvedev’s backhand that opponents look forward to. He puts a ridiculous amount of backhands in play. It comes at you almost dead flat at the bottom of your strike zone. Opponents don’t know what to do with it except shovel it back cross court. That’s the first mistake. Trying to attack Medvedev’s backhand encourages overhitting. That’s the second mistake.

Medvedev is a throwback in an age of more forehands and more raw groundstroke power. His backhand confuses and disorientates. It’s a knuckleball in an era of fastballs. As the Tour migrates back to outdoor hard courts in Asia and indoor hard courts in Europe to finish the year, Medvedev will be right at home on his favourite surface doing Medvedev things that completely confound opponents.

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First-Time Winner Spotlight: Shang dishes on teddy bears & tiramisu

#NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour title on home soil at the Chengdu Open.

The 19-year-old also became the first player born in 2005 or later to triumph on the ATP Tour. Entering the week, he had not made a tour-level championship match.

ATPTour.com caught up with Shang to discuss his maiden moment, an important mindset change, his lucky charms and more.

What does it mean to win your first ATP Tour title?
It’s been a tough week, tough matches, tough opponents, and I think it’s special to overcome that, and I feel very grateful to play in [front of] my my home crowd, and they were amazing this week. All the energies were great. My team, they helped me so much. My family that’s supporting me all the way throughout the week. Just super, super happy.

This is a historic moment not only winning your first title, but making more history for Chinese tennis. How much more special does that make this and what should people know about your friendship with the rest of the Chinese stars?
It’s always special to play at home, not mentioning to win a title. I’ve never thought that I would do it this early in my career, but I’m grateful for this one. Just a super special week. I was going match by match, not knowing what will happen in the next one.

All of [the other Chinese players], they support me, and we support each other. We’re kind of competing against each other, the Chinese players. I play one next week in Beijing, actually, and I think it’s going to be a good tournament, good battle, and super excited for what’s coming next.

What have been the key moments of your career that helped you get to this point?
To be honest there are a lot of key moments, but I think what changed is the attitude towards tennis. I think I’ve been trying to place tennis in the number two spot. It’s not the most important thing. It doesn’t matter how many titles you win. At the end, it [is about] the people, the people around you and the family around you. That’s more important. So I think I’ve been focusing on myself, my friends, family, a little bit more than tennis. So when I’m on court, I enjoy it. When I’m off the court, it’s not always about tennis.

Could you take a moment to acknowledge some of the key figures in your life and career who have helped you to reach this milestone?
My parents, they’ve always been supporting me since day one. My grandparents, they’re always really helpful, really supporting me all the time. And my coach, Martin and the IMG Academy family, they’ve been so helpful in my career. When I was 14, practising with all the professionals, it’s really an amazing place to practise, at IMG, and I’m grateful for all the people around me.

First time feeling at home 🇨🇳🏆

Shang becomes the first player born in 2005 or later to win an ATP Tour title after taking down Musetti 7-6(4) 6-1!@ChengduOpen | #ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/9w8t4Alnlp

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 24, 2024

Both of your parents are athletes. What is one lesson in particular you have learned from each of them?
I think to not show emotions and to be grateful for what you have because when you’re successful, it doesn’t mean that you really deserve it, maybe because you’re lucky. And when others fail, it doesn’t mean that they’re just bad at something. Maybe they’re unlucky.

You don’t judge people by what you see in the first place. So I think that’s something really, really important in our family, that we try to not judge, to always appreciate and to always learn to become our better selves.

You are only 19 years old, and you are here as an ATP Tour champion. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in the past couple of years since you’ve started this journey as a professional?
Some people say that one career can be really, really long, but I think the past two years, they went by like a flash. And I think you don’t get to play that many years. All of a sudden, maybe I’ll be 30, 35, years old. So you have to enjoy what you have, and you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. So enjoy, enjoy the moment. Whatever you have, try to live 100 per cent, try to enjoy it.

You have long collected teddy bears and they have become your lucky charms. Would you mind telling fans about your current lucky charm(s), where you got it/them and why it’s important to you?
I think to have the bear sitting on the court, you really can’t get mad at a teddy bear. If you get mad at a teddy bear, there’s something wrong with you. So I try to keep calm. Whenever he falls down, I pick him up so [it] can have a good positioning watching the match. It’s really a mental thing. There’s not really any secrets to it, just to have a good attitude.

How would you describe yourself as a player, and how would you describe yourself off the court?
I think I’m really transparent. On and off the court. I’m about the same. Maybe a little crazier off. On court, I’m a little more calm, I’m more focused, and I think overall, I’m a really positive guy, always happy.

What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I would say golf. I think that that’s helped me a lot with my patience. It’s a four-hour sport. You need basically the whole day to play through. And sometimes the conditions are tough, windy, kind of just like tennis. So if you’re patient in that, something off the court, I believe it’s a little like training, you have fun at the same time.

This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
I think by eating tiramisu!

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Injury-hit Cilic creates ATP history with comeback title

Former US Open champion Marin Cilic becomes the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP Tour title with an emotional victory at the Hangzhou Open.

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Alcaraz qualifies for Nitto ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz is the third player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held at Inalpi Arena in Turin from 10-17 November.

The Spaniard joins Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev in the field, leaving five singles spots remaining at the prestigious season finale. The 21-year-old has earned his place at the event for the third consecutive year. He did not compete in 2022, the year he claimed ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, due to injury.

Alcaraz doubled his major titles count this season, emerging victorious at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The Spaniard became just the sixth man in the Open Era to win the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year, joining Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz also lifted the fifth ATP Masters 1000 trophy of his career at Indian Wells and earned a silver medal in singles at the Paris Olympics. He owns a 43-9 record for the season.

Last year, Alcaraz made his Nitto ATP Finals debut by reaching the semi-finals. He defeated Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in group play to advance to the last four, where he fell to eventual champion Djokovic.

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Cilic becomes lowest-ranked champion in ATP Tour history, triumphs in Hangzhou

Marin Cilic is an ATP Tour champion once again. The Croatian overcame Chinese star Zhang Zhizhen 7-6(5), 7-6(5) on Tuesday at the Hangzhou Open to clinch his first tour-level title since 2021.

The 35-year-old wild card was competing in his first tour-level event since Buenos Aires in February and arrived in Chengdu at No. 777 in the PIF ATP Rankings. However, Cilic looked sharp throughout his run at the ATP 250, dropping just two sets to become the lowest-ranked champion in the ATP Tour history (since 1990).

“Thank you to my family, my boys, my wife. Everyone who has been with me in this difficult period,” Cilic said during the trophy ceremony. “Working with me day by day, pushing me and giving me strength and spirit. I am so happy and proud to make this victory not only for me but for them too.”

Mar-in the winner’s circle 🤩@marincilic’s comeback is complete with his first title since 2021!@HangzhouOpen | #HangzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/6Sq0UIJ7Qf

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 24, 2024

In the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, there was little to separate Cilic and home favourite Zhang, with both players saving both break points they faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The former World No. 3 Cilic played more aggressively in the two tie-breaks and fired 34 winners in the match compared to 26 from Zhang to triumph on the ATP Tour for the first time since he won St. Petersburg in 2021.

Cilic, who missed several months of 2024 due to a knee injury, has now won 21 tour-level crowns and enjoyed title success in 13 different seasons. He is up to No. 212 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his 16th hard-court title.

“It has been a difficult period for me in the past few months. I lost my ranking and I didn’t play too much,” Cilic said. “So a big thank you to the organising team for giving me the opportunity [with the wild card].”

Lowest-ranked champions in ATP Tour history (since 1990)

Zhang was competing in his first tour-level final and was trying to become just the third Chinese man to win an ATP Tour title. Wu Yibing lifted the trophy in Dallas last year and Shang Juncheng won in Chengdu on Tuesday.

“It was a great week for you Zhizhen,” Cilic said, praising Zhang. “I hope you continue to play great tennis in China, in Beijing and Shanghai.”

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Musetti boosts Turin hopes with Chengdu final, Mover of Week

The Asian swing commenced on the ATP Tour in Chengdu and Hangzhou, where Shang Juncheng and Marin Cilic won ATP 250 events, respectively.

Nitto ATP Finals hopefuls Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune were also in action, with the pair experiencing different fortunes in China. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as of Tuesday, 24 September.

Lorenzo Musetti – 15th (2,365 points)
The Italian remains in 15th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin but closed the gap on eighth-placed Alex de Minaur after reaching his second tour-level final of the season at the Chengdu Open. Musetti earned three wins at the ATP 250 event, gaining 165 points.

The 22-year-old is still 940 points behind De Minaur, who currently occupies the final qualification position for the Nitto ATP Finals. Musetti next heads to the ATP 500 in Beijing, where he will need a deep run to boost his faint Turin hopes.

View PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Holger Rune – 16th (2,185 points)
Rune was the only other player inside the Top 20 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin who was in action last week. The 21-year-old Dane suffered a disappointing opening-round exit to Yasutaka Uchiyama in Hangzhou and is 1,120 points behind De Minaur.

Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, scheduled to take place from 10-17 November.

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#NextGenATP Shang downs Musetti, wins maiden ATP Tour title in Chengdu

If Shang Juncheng was feeling the weight of home expectation on Tuesday at the Chengdu Open, the 19-year-old certainly did not show it.

The #NextGenATP star produced a stunning championship-match performance to overwhelm top seed Lorenzo Musetti and lift his maiden ATP Tour title at the hard-court ATP 250. Shang prevailed 7-6(4), 6-1 after 99 minutes to become the first player born in 2005 or later to win an ATP Tour title.

First time feeling at home 🇨🇳🏆

Shang becomes the first player born in 2005 or later to win an ATP Tour title after taking down Musetti 7-6(4) 6-1!@ChengduOpen | #ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/9w8t4Alnlp

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 24, 2024

By lifting the trophy on his event debut in Chengdu, Shang became just the second Chinese man to win an ATP Tour singles title after Wu Yibing triumphed in Dallas in 2023. Zhang Zhizhen could become the third player on that list later on Tuesday if he can defeat Marin Cilic in the final at the Hangzhou Open.

The key to Shang’s victory against Musetti was how quickly he recovered from the disappointment of being broken when serving for the first set at 6-5. He held firm in the subsequent tie-break to move ahead and then unleashed a series of stunning winners across the second set to accelerate to an ultimately commanding victory.

Shang finished the match having converted three of five break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats. His victory was greeted with ecstasy by the crowd, who roared the home favourite on throughout his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Musetti.

Shang has also boosted his bid to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the first time with his title run on home soil. The Chinese lefty has leapfrogged Alex Michelsen into second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.

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