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ATP Tour and Grand Slam breakthroughs, career-high Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Davis Cup heroics, storybook Laver Cup debuts: Our four Most Improved Player of the Year nominees in the 2023 ATP Awards seemed to do it all this season.

Matteo Arnaldi, Christopher Eubanks, Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner showed an improved level of performance throughout the year and made significant jumps in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Nominees for Most Improved Player of the Year are determined by an International Tennis Writers' Association (ITWA) vote. The winner is selected by players from the shortlist.

Matteo Arnaldi, 22

As if Italy wasn’t already deep enough with the likes of Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, Lorenzo Sonego, etc. You can now add Matteo Arnaldi to that potent mix, an aggressive, physical baseliner from the Italian Riviera who in 2023 leapt from No. 134 into the Top 50 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Hamad Medjedovic’s breakthrough season all started on the ATP Challenger Tour.

After entering 2023 as World No. 255 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the Serbian was the youngest player this year to win three ATP Challenger Tour titles and capped the season in the best way possible: winning the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. Medjedovic, now ranked No. 113, is the sixth champion in the tournament’s history, a list that includes Top 10 stars Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“It means a lot. To know that all the great champions [won here], it gives you a lot of confidence and a boost for next season,” Medjedovic said. “I will be coming into next year with a lot of confidence.”

#TheNextGenATP star boasted a 23-12 record on the ATP Challenger Tour this season, with titles in Szekesfehervar, Mauthausen and Mallorca. In May, the-then 19-year-old Medjedovic joined elite company, becoming the third Serbian teenager to win a trio of Challenger titles, alongside Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic.

“The Challenger Tour is a high level, many great players, you need to be really consistent. You need to play good tennis every week,” Medjedovic told ATPTour.com in May. “There are a lot of tournaments and a lot of great matches. Consistency, hard work, discipline, and a good mentality are the keys.

One of the most interesting players in tennis is Jules Marie, currently No. 245 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. At 32, the Frenchman is working hard to earn his place in qualifying at the four majors.

But Marie is also a YouTube star, whose channel has more than 100,000 subscribers. Fans around the world follow his journey as a professional tennis player.

ATPTour.com spoke to Marie to learn more about his tennis journey, YouTube channel and more.

1) Jules’ Start In Tennis Might Surprise You
Some tennis players are whisked into the tennis world from a young age because of family members loving the sport. That was not the case for Marie, who began tennis aged eight because a friend at school was playing it.

None of Marie’s family members had been involved in the sport. He did not learn tennis at a big club, either.

After a one-year hiatus in their long-running Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev made up for lost time with six Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings in 2023. Four of those matchups came at the ATP Masters 1000 level and the sixth came at the Nitto ATP Finals, with Medvedev posting a 5-1 record to improve to 11-7 in the overall series.

At the end of a resurgent year for both stars, ATPTour.com looks back on their six meetings from 2023.

Indian Wells R16, Medvedev d. Zverev 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5
In an eventful matchup at the BNP Paribas Open, Medvedev survived a stern challenge from Zverev and a twisted ankle suffered during a fall in the second set. He hit 40 winners in a gritty victory that extended his winning streak to 17 matches.

On the brink of defeat and with a tape job on his right ankle, Medvedev fought off 10 break points in the second set, including two escapes from 0/40. Early in the tie-break, he produced one of the shots of the season with a brilliant defensive smash as he began to take control of the match. While he missed out on a match point on serve at 5-4 in the final set, Medvedev managed to close out the victory by serving out the win at the second time of asking after a late break.

"When I twisted [my ankle], I thought I was going to stand up just fine," Medvedev said of his dramatic fall. "But then the pain started growing very fast, so I was like 'That is not a good sign.' I felt like I didn't break it but I felt that one of the ligaments was a little injured, so I thought I wasn't going to be able to play."

ATP is proud to announce the extension of its longstanding partnership with Lacoste. The iconic fashion-sport brand will continue as the Official Outfitter of the ATP Tour from 2024-2026.

Lacoste will outfit ATP staff and officials, including chair umpires, elevating style in travel across the Tour. The fashion-sport pioneer will also be showcased to a global tennis audience through the ATP Tour’s fast-growing social and digital channels.

The partnership celebrates a unique shared legacy in tennis. In 2022, ATP celebrated its 50th Anniversary, while 2023 marked Lacoste’s 90th birthday. The partnership also builds on ATP and Lacoste’s aim of bringing together diverse communities through a love of tennis and fashion.

Lacoste's partnerships in tennis span some of the most prestigious events on the calendar, including ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Miami, and Roland-Garros. The brand’s roster of ambassadors includes tennis stars Daniil Medvedev, Grigor Dimitrov, Ugo Humbert, Venus Williams, Fiona Ferro and World No.1 Novak Djokovic.

Lacoste has also teamed with its ambassadors to provide free access to sport for enthusiasts from underprivileged communities. In the past three years, the ‘We Are Etendard’ project has rebuilt more than 20 courts across tennis, basketball, football and handball, helping inspire young people through sport.

Just three days after announcing he will make his return in Week 1 of the 2024 season at the Brisbane International presented by Evie, Rafael Nadal further elaborated on his comeback Monday on social media. In a philosophical message spoken in Spanish, the former World No. 1 brought the fans closer to his current mentality.

“I have been afraid to announce things because in the end it’s [been] a year without competing and it’s a hip operation,” Nadal said. “But what worries me most is not the hip, it’s everything else. I think I’m ready and I trust and hope that things go well and that it gives me the opportunity to enjoy myself on the court.”

De mi anuncio del viernes… algunas explicaciones esta semana. Aquí la primera:
?? Tengo y he tenido miedo de anunciar las cosas. Me ha causado miedo querer anunciar algo sin estar seguro al 100%…
?? Creo que estoy preparado y confío y espero que las cosas vayan bien y que me… pic.twitter.com/vHnDSQzBCx

The 37-year-old explained that because he has not competed since the 2023 Australian Open, he hopes to quickly have the feelings associated with competition.

“I hope, first of all, to feel again those nerves, that illusion, those fears, those doubts. I expect from myself not to expect anything. This is the truth,” Nadal said. “To have the ability not to demand myself what I have demanded myself throughout my career. I believe I’m in a different moment, in a different situation and in an unexplored terrain."

Portugal’s Nuno Borges closed his 2023 season in the best possible way: winning an ATP Challenger Tour title on home soil.

The 26-year-old dropped just one set all week en route to winning the Maia Open, where he downed Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-1, 6-4 in the final. Borges also won Challenger titles in Monterrey, Mexico and Phoenix, Arizona, where he lifted the first title of the all-new 175 category.

"It’s definitely the best season of my career,” Borges said. “Last year I had the chance to play some ATP tournaments and the Grand Slams, but in 2023 I was a regular on the tour and got to live amazing experiences like facing [Carlos] Alcaraz in Barcelona or [Stefanos] Tsitsipas in Rome, the kind of matches that make me feel what it's like to play at the highest level. And in 2024 I'll be looking for more."

In addition to the great success Borges already tasted this year, his clay-court triumph at home is a memory that the World No. 66 will not soon forget.

“Right after winning the match point I started thinking about all the moments I lived here. I spent countless hours [here],” Borges said. “Watching the Davis Cup, being a ball kid in a Davis Cup tie. To become part of the group of champions here in Maia is something I'll always cherish, especially because it happened in front of my family and my childhood friends. It's definitely something very special for me and I'll never forget it."

They have arrived at the big stage, but they are only just getting started: Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Alex Michelsen, Dominic Stricker and Luca Van Assche are nominees for the Newcomer of the Year in the 2023 ATP Awards, to be announced later this month.

Selected by players, the award goes to the #NextGenATP player who entered the Top 100 for the first time in 2023 and made the biggest impact on the ATP Tour this season.

Flavio Cobolli, 21
“I want to be in the future of tennis, I don’t want to stop,” Cobolli told ATPTour.com after making his Top 100 breakthrough in October.

The Italian earned his second career ATP Challenger Tour title in Lisbon and reached the final in Olbia two weeks later, becoming one of seven players to win at least 40 Challenger-level matches in 2023 (40-26).

"It was of course special, because this year I worked a lot," Cobolli said of his Lisbon trophy run. "I played 36 weeks, a lot. I was tired but I think that title means a lot for me and for the season. But I don't want to stop now. I want to push more for the goals of 2024."

The ATP today published the 2023 year-end Pepperstone ATP Rankings on ATPTour.com with Novak Djokovic finishing as ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone for a record-extending eighth time.

After a back-and-forth battle with Carlos Alcaraz throughout the season, Djokovic clinched the honour at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The Serbian is now two year-end No. 1 finishes clear of the player with the second-most year-end No. 1 finishes, Pete Sampras (6).

The 36-year-old now owns the three oldest ATP Year-End No. 1 honours in history (since 1973) after accomplishing the feat as a 33-year-old in 2020 and a 34-year-old in 2021.

The Monday after winning his seventh Nitto ATP Finals, Djokovic began his historic 400th week atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Only Roger Federer (310 weeks) has also eclipsed the 300-weeks milestone. Djokovic tied Federer for the most year-end finishes in the Top 3 with 15. This is Djokovic's 402nd week atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and he is guaranteed to remain No. 1 through the week of 22 January.

The winner of a Tour-leading seven titles this season, Djokovic held the top spot for 28 weeks across four stints. He first returned to No. 1 after winning the Australian Open, less than three months after falling to No. 8. The top spot switched seven times in 2023 between Djokovic and Alcaraz, the most No. 1 changes since 2018, when there were also seven. The only years in which it switched more often were 1983 (10) and 1999 (8). 

The ATP and Tennis Data Innovations (TDI) will deliver unprecedented insights at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. Using state-of-the-art tracking metrics, the insights will assess the physical capacity required to compete at the highest professional level of our sport.

Read more to learn about Friday's semi-final matchups in Jeddah.

Arthur Fils vs. Luca Van Assche

Arthur Fils and Luca Van Assche will face off for the first time on the ATP Tour on Friday. Both players have advanced to the semi-finals of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM, by using their physical make-up in two very contrasting ways. In the three matches of pool play, Van Assche has played the most physical brand of tennis, leading all competitors with the most distance covered, highest workload output, and largest total of explosive movements. He closed out the group stage by playing the second-longest match in Next Gen ATP Finals history, recording a Physicality Index rating of 10, the second-highest rating in tournament history, only behind his opponent in that match, Alex Michelson.

What we know from the data is that Van Asche has no problem responding to high volume and intensity matches, as earlier this year he defeated three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka in a match that was comparable to the output of last nights match against Michelson. He came back the next day and pushed Novak Djokovic to three sets, again pushing his PI rating upward of 9.0.

Fills has spent 25 minutes less of active hitting time on court than Van Assche during the course of the first three matches. His first match against Luca Nardi was his most physical match of the Next Gen ATP Finals, recording a Physical Intensity rating of 7.6. Dominic Stricker was able to force Fils into executing his highest number of explosive movements per minute in their four-set match, forcing him to change direction more often in that match.

At the close of a standout season in which he won his first ATP Tour title in Lyon, Arthur Fils entered the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM at a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 36.

But what is the 19-year-old like off the court? ATPTour.com caught up with the Jeddah top seed for a Q&A that covered his post-tennis career plans, his favourite sports and a holiday adventure.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
Cristiano Ronaldo first, because for me he’s the best footballer who exists in the world. I would say also Michael Jordan, because I’ve watched him a lot. And, third, I’m going to say The Rock. 

So you'd say Ronaldo is better than Messi?
For me, yeah. My coach, Sergi Bruguera, loves Messi. So we have a little fight about it.

[ATP AWARDS]

Rafael Nadal announced on social media Friday that he will make his return in the first week of the 2024 season at the Brisbane International presented by Evie.

“Hello everyone. After a year away from competition, it’s time to come back,” Nadal said in Spanish in a video that has garnered millions of views. “It will be in Brisbane the first week of January. I’ll see you there.”

Two weeks ago the Spaniard confirmed that he would make his return. Now he knows where and when.

The former World No. 1 played two tournaments this year — the United Cup and Australian Open — before missing the rest of the season due to an injury to the iliopsoas muscle in his left leg, for which he later underwent surgery.

Nadal will compete in Brisbane for the second time. The lefty played the ATP 250 in 2017, when he advanced to the quarter-finals before losing to then-World No. 3 Milos Raonic in three sets.

Hamad Medjedovic and Dominic Stricker's maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting is set for Friday night in Jeddah, where the winner will advance to a championship-match clash against Arthur Fils at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM.

[3] Dominic Stricker (SUI) vs. [6] Hamad Medjedovic (SER)

While Stricker and Medjedovic are not countrymen, their relationship goes back many years to their early junior days.

“I’ve known Dominic for a long time,” Medjedovic said after beating Arab hope Abdullah Shelbayh to secure his semi-final place. “He’s a great player and a great guy obviously. I think it’s going to be a great match and I’m happy to be in the semis.”

The Serbian leads the Jeddah field in a number of key metrics on both serve and return, including aces (45), service games won (37 of 39, 95%) and points won against first serve (32%). Those numbers added up to a perfect 3-0 record and a first-place finish in the Red Group.

Stricker posted a 1-2 record in the Green Group and advanced with a better percentage of sets won (45%) than Italians Flavio Cobolli and Luca Nardi, who were also 1-2. While he has not sustained top form so far in Jeddah, he has the advantage of experience: The lone returning competitor at this year's Next Gen ATP Finals, Stricker also reached the semis last season in Milan. He has picked up considerable big-match experience since then, with a run to the US Open fourth round that helped him achieve a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 88 in October.

Hamad Medjedovic put himself in a commanding position in the Red Group by winning his first two matches at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. On Thursday, he completed a perfect 3-0 group campaign to soar into the semi-finals in Jeddah.

The Serbian's 3-4(6), 4-2, 4-3(5), 4-2 victory against Abdullah Shelbayh earned him a first-place finish in the Red Group and also qualified Luca Van Assche at Shelbayh's expense. Entering the match, Medjedovic needed to win at least a set to advance to the semis, while Arab hope Shelbayh needed a victory in three or four sets.

“It was a great match. I played really good after the first set,” said Medjedovic in his on-court interview. “He’s a good friend of mine, he’s a very good player and obviously the crowd here loves him and I respect that. It was a pleasure to play in front of [the crowd].”

The semi-final stage is now set in Jeddah: As winner of the Red Group, Medjedovic will face Dominic Stricker on Friday. Van Assche, the second-place finisher in the Red Group, will meet Green Group winner Arthur Fils.

“I’ve known Dominic for a long time,” said Medjedovic. “He’s a great player and a great guy obviously. I think it’s going to be a great match and I’m happy to be in the semis.”

Arthur Fils has been in scintillating form this week at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. Yet the top seed’s post-victory celebrations have been almost as eye-catching as his on-court prowess in Jeddah.

The 19-year-old has celebrated each of his three wins in Green Group at the 21-and-under season finale by performing Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Siu’ celebration inside King Abdullah’s Sports City. Fils is a long-time admirer of the Portuguese football star, who has played for Saudi Pro League team Al Nassr since January.

“I was a huge fan when I was young of Ronaldo,” Fils told ATPTour.com on Thursday after maintaining his perfect record at the 21-and-under event by beating Dominic Stricker. “Now it’s a little bit tough to follow the football [and Ronaldo], especially when he’s here. I’m really a fan of him and I know he is playing here in this country, so I’m really happy [to do it] when I win.”

Come for the victory, stay for the celebration ?@ArthurFils1 | #NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/EUc7kZWpv0

The reference to Ronaldo’s connection with Saudi Arabia may have been obvious to many in the crowd when Fils celebrated. Yet the Frenchman later revealed an ulterior motive for emulating the Portuguese football legend, who formerly played for Spanish giants Real Madrid.

A rivalry that was born across late-round Wimbledon meetings in 2022 and 2023 hit new heights with three showdowns in quick succession at the end of this season.

Novak Djokovic lost a LexusATP Head2Head meeting with Jannik Sinner for the first time in the round-robin stage of the Nitto ATP Finals, but that was only the beginning of their end-of-season battles. Read on to relive the pair's four memorable matches this season — or five, if you include their decisive Davis Cup doubles rubber in Malaga.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

Wimbledon SFs, Djokovic d. Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4)
One year after Djokovic beat Sinner in the 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finals, the pair met one round later at the All England Club. The Serbian produced a great escape to beat Sinner in 2022, fighting back from two sets down, but he was in command from the beginning on this occasion.

The match was not without its fair share of drama, as Djokovic saved all six break points against him, including two that doubled as set points for Sinner in the third set.

Beaming from ear to ear, Hamad Medjedovic was proud of his achievements on Saturday in Jeddah, where he reflected on winning the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM title. The 20-year-old Serbian defeated Arthur Fils in the title match.

I feel amazing,” Medjedovic said in his post-match press conference. “It was unreal and still is. It was tough to process everything. It was a really tough match. I was on the edge of going crazy after the first set as I had two set points but I managed to stay relaxed and focused and it is an unreal feeling.”

Medjedovic is the sixth champion in the tournament’s history, a list that includes Top 10 stars Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 20-year-old is delighted to join such elite company and hopes it will help him push on further in 2024 as he aims to break the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time.

“It means a lot. To know that all the great champions [won here], it gives you a lot of confidence and a boost for next season,” Medjedovic said. “I will be coming into next year with a lot of confidence.

“I have a big game and big shots but I still have a lot of things to work on with my coach. Physically I need to get much better and I will use preseason for this and I need to improve my focus on the court more.”

As he closes the books on his breakthrough 2023 season, French teen Arthur Fils is wasting little time in preparing to push even higher in 2024.

The 19-year-old, who finished runner-up to Hamad Medjedovic Saturday at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah, will remain in the Middle East for a practice week with Rafael Nadal at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Kuwait.

"I was very happy, very surprised when he asked me to practise with him," Fils said in his post-match press conference. "It's such a big thing for me to play with one of the greatest players of all time. I will try my best for him but I have a big season coming so I will also try my best for myself. I will try to enjoy it as well."

Despite the disappointment of losing in five sets to Medjedovic after saving two match points in the fourth set, Fils can be justifiably happy with his banner year in 2023. He shaved more than 200 places off his Pepperstone ATP Ranking during the year to finish inside the Top 40.

"It was a nice year for sure. I started at 250 but finished at 36, so that's pretty good. It still could have been better. I lost some close matches, like I did today, but it's just experience and I will try to do better next year.”

Fils, who had not won a tour-level match before this year, finishes 2023 with a 23-18 match record, including his 4-1 mark in Jeddah. He won his first title in Lyon and also reached the Antwerp final.

When Ammar Alhogbani stepped on court to take on Zhang Zhizhen at the Asian Games in September, it was more than just an opportunity for the Saudi Arabian to prove himself against a Top 100 player.

Despite falling to a 7-5, 6-2 defeat in Hangzhou, the 25-year-old Alhogbani’s performance against Chinese star Zhang made him realise he was ready to make a full-time return to professional tennis after time away working as National Teams Development Officer for the Saudi Tennis Federation.

“I played Zhang, and I almost took the first set,” the No. 1 Saudi player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings told ATPTour.com on Saturday in Jeddah. “I was like, ‘If I’m almost taking the first set against a guy like this, there is a good possibility I can do well with [full-time] training. I almost took the first set when I’m training three or four times a week and with no coach'.”

[ATP AWARDS]

Born in Saudi Arabia, Alhogbani and his family moved to the United States when he was three years old. After growing up in Ohio and then Virginia, he played college tennis at the University of Virginia, where he was part of a NCAA Championship-winning team in his first year. Due to a variety of reasons, however, Alhogbani’s playing career stalled after he graduated and returned to Saudi Arabia in 2021.

Hamad Medjedovic capped his breakthrough season by lifting the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM trophy on Saturday in Jeddah, where he recovered from squandering two match points in the fourth set against Arthur Fils to win the first five-set final in tournament history.

The 20-year-old played aggressively in front of a packed crowd in King Abdullah Sports City, where he received loud support from energetic fans. The Serbian took large cuts at the ball, won 88 per cent (61/69) of points on his first delivery and converted his third match point to fire past the 19-year-old Frenchman 3-4(6), 4-1, 4-2, 3-4(9), 4-1 after two hours and 11 minutes.

It also capped a great end of the season for Serbia after Novak Djokovic clinched a record seventh Nitto ATP Finals crown in Turin earlier this month. The World No. 1 has been sending Medjedovic messages of support this week.

"Two of us from Serbia. He won the big Masters, the real one, and I won the Next Gen. Obviously it's a huge thing and I'm happy to follow in his footsteps in some way," Medjedovic said.

Medjedovic did not lose a match en route to becoming the first Serbian to triumph at the tournament, taking home a tournament-record $514,000 in prize money.