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Borges denies Nadal in Bastad, wins maiden Tour title

Nuno Borges overcame tennis royalty to notch his maiden ATP Tour title on Sunday at the Nordea Open.

The seventh-seeded Portuguese eased past Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2 to clinch the trophy at the clay-court ATP 250. Borges delivered a rock-solid performance against the 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal, and he broke the Spaniard’s serve five times en route to victory in his maiden tour-level final.

“I don’t know what to say. I think I was wishing for this moment for a while already,” said Borges in his post-match interview. “It’s crazy, in tennis it doesn’t happen when you expect it sometimes. I know we all wanted Rafa to win, a part of me wished that too, but something even bigger inside of me really pushed through today. Through all the emotions, through all the ups and downs.

“it wasn’t about playing my best tennis, it was just coming up in the big moments where I wanted, and I couldn’t have played better. I’m just really happy overall. I really don’t know what to say, I’m very emotional.”

Nu-NO way past ⚔️?@nunoborges97 is an ATP champion for the very first time ?@NordeaOpen | #NordeaOpen pic.twitter.com/JsdykVlB4a

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Berrettini breezes to Gstaad title: 'I found the right energy'

Matteo Berrettini wasted little time charging to his ninth ATP Tour title on Sunday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The sixth seed dispatched Quentin Halys 6-3, 6-1 in just 59 minutes in the championship match at the clay-court ATP 250. Berrettini clinched the opening break of the match shortly before the match was suspended for 30 minutes due to rain. When the players returned to court with the Italian leading 5-3, he promptly won seven of the next eight games to claim the trophy in the Swiss Alps for the second time.

“It feels unbelievable. It feels like it was yesterday that I won my first title here six years ago, but a lot of matches and a lot of things happened," said Berrettini in his post-match interview. "I’m just so glad that I can keep playing and enjoying, and I think I found the energy of six years ago during this week. This place is special for me. I’m just so happy.”

It was Berrettini’s second clay ATP 250 title of the season — he also won in April in Marrakech. The former World No. 6 was outside the Top 150 in the PIF ATP Rankings as recently as March after a difficult 12 months with injuries. Now 16-6 for the 2024 season, he will return to the Top 50 for the first time since August 2023 on Monday.

Matteo's Swiss bliss ????

ATP first-time titlist at Gstaad 2018, @MattBerrettini is back in the winner's circle!@SwissOpenGstaad | #ATPGstaad pic.twitter.com/QeqEW7AFye

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Pickleball Terms

Pickleball, a fast-growing sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, has its own unique set of terms. Here's a guide to some common pickleball terms: Basic TermsServeThe initial hit to start a point, must be made underhand and below the waist.Server: The player who initiates the serve.RallyContinuous play of the ball betw...

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Best Friends: Rublev & Medvedev's hilarious first impression, 'Crying full!'

“I see this guy, sleeveless t-shirt, only one racquet, and I say, ‘Who is this guy? He’s in the quarter-finals with me? No chance I am going to lose to him!’”

Andrey Rublev has a distinct and hilarious memory of meeting Daniil Medvedev for the first time. Though it is a funny story now, it was not all laughs for a slightly skeptical Rublev back then. Instead it was tears, the 26-year-old revealed in ATP Tour’s latest ‘Best Friends’ feature.

The fan favourites also discussed heartfelt moments such as each other’s best qualities, why they are best friends and their biggest wish for each other. And then get ready to laugh again when they share their funniest moment together!

Watch the full video above for a behind-the-scenes look into Mevedev and Rublev’s longtime friendship and hear what career they would like to pursue if it were not for tennis.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Tirante upsets Rublev in Bastad: 'best week of my life'; Ruud falls

It was an upset-filled Wednesday at the Nordea Open, bookended with the top two seeds falling.

Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante earned his biggest career win in the last match of the day, stunning World No. 8 and defending champion Andrey Rublev 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4. Thiago Monteiro opened the day by ousting second seed and 2021 titlist Casper Ruud.

The 23-year-old Tirante, No. 121 in the PIF ATP Rankings, responded to Rublev’s firepower with heavy hitting of his own to claim his first Top 20 win and reach his maiden tour-level quarter-final. 

[ATP APP]

"I think I played a great match," Tirante said. "This is the first match I've played with so many people, so I was very nervous. It was my first meeting against a Top 10 [player].

"I'm very happy to play my best tennis here. I didn't have good weeks before and this is the best of my life, so I will remember Sweden forever."

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#NextGenATP Q2 Review: Fils & Shang break new ground

Several #NextGenATP stars continued to impress on the ATP Tour in recent months, with Arthur Fils and Shang Juncheng earning standout results.

ATPTour.com looks at those in contention to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, to be held from 18-22 December in Jeddah.

View PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

Fils makes major breakthrough
Arthur Fils achieved his best result at a major earlier this month at Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round for the first time. The 20-year-old moved past Dominic Stricker and Hubert Hurkacz before he survived in five sets against Roman Safiullin.

Fils also enjoyed quarter-final runs at ATP 500 events in Barcelona and Halle in recent months, while he lifted the ATP Challenger Tour title at the 175 event in Bordeaux.

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International Tennis Hall of Fame announces combined ATP-WTA 125 event in 2025

The International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) announced on Wednesday a revamped Hall of Fame Open, including ATP Challenger 125 and WTA 125-level tournaments.

Scheduled for 6-13 July 2025, the Hall of Fame Open will become just the second combined men’s and women’s 125-level event in the United States. It will be the only grass-court stop on the Hologic WTA Tour outside of Europe, and the first women’s professional tournament at the ITHF since the Virginia Slims of Newport concluded in 1990. Equal prize money will be awarded to both the men’s and women’s draws. 

“The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a global representation of the sport, and there is no better way to reflect that worldwide impact than to welcome women’s professional tennis back to Newport,” said Hall of Fame Open Tournament Director Brewer Rowe. “We are pleased to welcome the Hologic WTA Tour in concert with our ATP partners and are thrilled to provide fans with double the tennis starting next summer.”

“Elite tennis has been a part of Newport's history since 1881. The 2025 Hall of Fame Open represents the next exciting chapter in the International Tennis Hall of Fame's rich history of honouring the sport,” stated ITHF CEO Dan Faber. “Our distinctive venue and traditions will continue to deliver an exceptional experience for tennis fans in New England.” 

[ATP APP]

Both the ATP Challenger and WTA 125 draws will consist of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. The WTA event will feature an 8-player qualifying draw, with a 24-player qualifying draw for the Challenger Tour event . Matches will be played on five courts simultaneously for at least four days of action.

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#NextGenATP Michelsen 'weasels' into Newport QFs

#NextGenATP Alex Michelsen is aiming to go one step further than last year's runner-up finish at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open, where on Tuesday the third seed defeated 2022 champion Maxime Cressy 6-4, 6-4.

Seeded at an ATP Tour event for the first time, the 19-year-old began his Newport campaign in the same way he did in 2023: beating countryman Cressy, though Michelsen received a first-round bye this year.

Michelsen, World No. 61 in the PIF ATP Rankings, broke Cressy's serve to love at 3-3 in both sets and fended off the two break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to improve to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the 27-year-old.

"I really like that I didn't get my serve broken. A couple tight service games, he played a couple really good return games and I was able to weasel out," said Michelsen. "Really fortunate to get out of this one four and four. Max is a very tough out on grass. Really happy with the win."

[ATP APP]

Into his fourth quarter-final of the year, Michelsen next faces another American: Aleksandar Kovacevic, who overcame seventh seed Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

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Tsitsipas tops Medjedovic in Gstaad opener

In a battle of former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champions, Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Hamad Medjedovic 7-6(6), 6-3 on Wednesday to earn a debut win at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The top-seeded Greek saved four set points in the first set — three from 0/40 at 4-5 and another at 5/6 in the tie-break — but managed to snatch the opener before claiming the second set behind the lone break of the match.

"Hamad played great today," Tsitsipas said of the 2023 Jeddah champion. "From the start of the match it was difficult for me to figure it out. He put out a great effort to put me in trouble."

First W in Gstaad for @steftsitsipas ??

No. 1 seed Tsisipas takes the win with an ace over Medjedovic 7-6(6) 6-3@SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/LOYkK5CoP3

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 17, 2024

Tsitsipas saved all five break points against him, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and raised his level as the match wore on to improve to 22-1 in opening rounds on clay since the start of 2021.

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Nadal & Ruud save MP, reach Bastad SFs with classy doubles win

Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud are giving the fans what they want at the Nordea Open, and the show will go on in Bastad after the popular doubles team escaped a dramatic quarter-final match on Wednesday.

The Spanish-Norwegian duo pulled out a 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 victory against Theo Arribage and Roman Safiullin, saving a match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break before winning three straight points to close out the result. A backhand volley winner from Nadal put an exclamation point on a quality final exchange that was emblematic of the level of the match as a whole.

"I think we had some fun," Nadal said. "It has been an emotional match at the end, a good level of tennis against two good players. We enjoy it and the crowd was amazing, a full crowd in a doubles match, that's fantastic. Just enjoying every single day here."

The pair dominated on second serve in the victory, winning 63 per cent (12/19) of those points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Both teams broke serve twice.

"When you cannot win singles you have to try to win doubles," joked Ruud, who lost his opening singles match 6-3, 6-3 to Thiago Monteiro earlier on Wednesday. "It was not the best beginning of the day but a very nice way to finish the day for me.

"Winning alongside Rafa was a special doubles today. We saved a match point so a bit lucky, and we look forward to the next match."

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Zverev shakes off pain during Hamburg win

Alexander Zverev enjoyed a comfortable first-round win at the Hamburg Open Wednesday but conceded that he continues to manage pain in his left knee resulting from a nasty fall at Wimbledon.

The World No. 4, who overextended his knee during a slip and fall in a third-round win over Cameron Norrie at the grass-court major, dropped just seven points on his first serve and did not face a break point in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Jesper de Jong.

[ATP APP]

"I was still unsure this morning if I was going to play or not and during the warm-up I was in quite a lot of pain," said Zverev, who has a bone edema and tear in the capsule of his knee. "But somehow when I step on this court it disappears a little bit when the adrenaline gets going.

"I have an injury where I know where I stand and it will take time to heal. It won't heal in the next few days, it will take weeks and it's up to me if I am going to play like that or not."

Making a successful transition from his fourth-round run at Wimbledon to the clay on home soil in Germany, the defending champion collected his 41st match win of the season and improved to 12-1 in first-round outings this season.

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ATP Tour & Fitline forge global partnership

The ATP has announced a multi-year global partnership with Fitline, the premium sports nutrition brand. Fitline becomes the Official Sports Nutrition Partner and Official Energy Bar Partner of the ATP Tour through 2026.

Fitline’s premium range of products are designed for athletic performance and to support energy as well as immune function. The global brand, developed and distributed exclusively by PM-International, offers a variety of supplements that can be tailored to meet individual needs.

Through the new partnership, Fitline will receive global exposure across the ATP Tour's social, editorial and digital channels. It underscores the partners’ shared commitment to supporting athletic performance and clean sport, and builds on Fitline's partnership portfolio in professional sport, spanning athlete ambassadors and governing bodies.

[ATP APP]

Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Fitline to the ATP Tour’s partner roster. The synergies between our brands are evident, with both organisations dedicated to optimising athletic performance. This partnership reflects the ATP Tour's appeal to global partners and our strength in engaging fans digitally.”

Rolf Sorg, PM-International CEO, added: “Through our partnership with the ATP Tour, we are proud that our sports nutrition is now represented on one of the largest stages in global professional sports. We’re excited to connect with tennis fans worldwide and continue sharing our passion to support professional and amateur sports in the community.”

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Challenger Q2: #NextGenATP teens Schwaerzler, Debru shine

Joel Schwaerzler and Gabriel Debru headlined a handful of young stars to enjoy a standout second quarter on the ATP Challenger Tour. The #NextGenATP teens lifted their maiden ATP Challenger Tour titles and became the youngest champions of 2024 at that level.

ATPTour.com looks at some of the key moments on the ATP Challenger Tour from Q2:

#NextGenATP Champions:
The Austrian Schwaerzler entered the record books at the Skopje Challenger, where he became just the fourth player to win an ATP Challenger Tour title while holding the Junior No. 1 ranking. Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz and Wu Yibing previously accomplished the feat. “I was kind of surprised. I knew I could win matches there, but to actually win the tournament is something different,” said the 18-year-old Schwaerzler, the youngest Challenger champion this season.

Debru, 18, became the youngest French Challenger champion since 2017 by winning in Troyes. The only Frenchmen to win a Challenger title at a younger age than Debru are Richard Gasquet, Fabrice Santoro, Gael Monfils and Corentin Moutet.

Youngest ATP Challenger Tour champions in 2024

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Former College stars Quinn, Spizzirri win in Newport

One year ago, American Ethan Quinn earned his first tour-level victory at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport. On Tuesday, he scored his second ATP Tour win at the same event with a 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-1 result against Aussie Marc Polmans.

The win lifted Quinn five places to 10th place in the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah. With another victory against fourth seed Christopher Eubanks, the former NCAA singles champion would move into the top eight, further boosting his chances to to qualify for the NextGen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Quinn was a constant threat on return in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Polmans, converting on seven of 14 break chances, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

"Just make sure to put the pressure on him," the 20-year-old said of the key to the third set. "Second set he was serving very well. I just wanted to to make sure I put in a lot of returns, a lot of first balls on my own serve and put a lot of pressure."

[ATP APP]

Another former college standout, Eliot Spizzirri, also advanced to the second round Tuesday with a 6-1, 7-6(4) win over Australian qualifier Li Tu. The former University of Texas star, who saved four of five break points, next faces another Australian, World No. 65 Aleksandar Vukic.

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Tsitsipas brothers save 3 MPs to win Gstaad doubles opener

Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas survived three match points to pull off an opening-round doubles upset on Tuesday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad. The Greek brothers edged fourth seeds Nicolas Barrientos and Luke Johnson 4-6, 6-4, 14-12, capping off the victory by winning the final three points of the Match Tie-break.

The pair won two of three break points and dominated on first serve with a 72 percent win rate, according to Infosys ATP Stats. After being broken three times in the opening set, they saved all four break points against them in set two.

One of the match point saves came on return at 11/12 in the Match Tie-break, sparking that run of three points to close out the win.

[ATP APP]

Seeds advance in Hamburg
Both main-draw doubles matches at the Hamburg Open were won by seeded teams on Tuesday. Third-seeded Frenchmen Fabien Reboul and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Dustin Brown and Daniel Masur 6-4, 6-3 to open their campaign at the ATP 250 breaking four times on seven chances.

 

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Q2 In Review: Alcaraz wins two majors, Sinner reaches No. 1

Between a change of surface and a change atop the PIF ATP Rankings, the second quarter of the ATP Tour season was filled with exciting action.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were the two standout players while three ATP Masters 1000 events featured as many different titlists: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev. ATPTour.com looks back on the champions of the second quarter, when the game's leading players continued their bid to earn enough PIF ATP Rankings points to qualify for November's Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Carlos Alcaraz: Roland Garros, Wimbledon
Dealing with an arm injury across April and May, the Spaniard recovered to perform at his best level during the second quarter’s pair of majors. Alcaraz captured his first Roland Garros title and second Wimbledon crown. He needed a marathon effort in the closing stages of the clay-court major, winning his semi-final and final match in five sets.

Alcaraz then became just the sixth man in the Open Era to complete the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double, joining Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, whom the World No. 3 has defeated in back-to-back Wimbledon finals. “In an interview when I was 11 or 12 years old I said my dream was to win Wimbledon, so I am replaying my dream,” Alcaraz said after triumphing at the All England Club.

[ATP APP]

Jannik Sinner: Rise to World No. 1 & Halle crown
The 22-year-old star became the first Italian and 29th player to reach World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Sinner, who boasts a 42-4 season record, rose to the top spot after a semi-final run at Roland Garros and the Australian Open champion showed no signs of slowing down.

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Nadal makes winning return vs. Borg in Bastad

Rafael Nadal showed a few signs of rust in his first match since Roland Garros on Tuesday, but one break of serve in each set was enough for the 38-year-old to advance at the Nordea Open. The Spaniard earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Leo Borg, the 21-year-old son of former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Bjorn Borg.

Nadal committed uncharacteristic errors in the opening stages, perhaps a sign of having not played an ATP Tour match since falling to Alexander Zverev in the first round of the Paris major on 27 May. The lefty raised his level as the match wore on, finding success in wet, heavy conditions by pinning Borg in his backhand corner and forcing the Swede to hit above his shoulder.

“For me, it has been a huge honour to play against the son of one of the biggest legends in the history of our sport,” Nadal said of Borg. “I think he played quite well, he has a great future in front. I wish him all the very best.”

Competing in Bastad for the first time since his 2005 triumph at the clay ATP 250, the 92-time tour-level titlist showed no signs of hindered movement, even after tumbling behind the baseline just 12 minutes into the match. Nadal seemed cautious in going for big first serves, yet did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats, throughout the one-hour, 25-minute match.

“Playing in front of a full crowd means a lot to me. It gives me energy to keep practising every day," said Nadal, who joked he was defending his 2005 title 19 years later. "Even in the tougher moments, I have been able to keep going with the help of the team, but of course the fans have a huge impact on that. They give me amazing energy.”

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Berrettini cuts short Cachin’s title defence in Gstaad

Matteo Berrettini prevailed in a battle of former champions on Tuesday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The Italian overcame 2023 titlist Pedro Cachin 6-4, 7-6(2) in the first round at the clay-court ATP 250. Berrettini withstood blustery conditions in the Swiss Alps to register a one-hour, 41-minute victory in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Argentina’s Cachin.

“I’m really happy, first of all to be back,” said Berrettini, who himself won the title in Gstaad in 2018. “I have nice memories here, so it’s nice to be back. I didn’t expect this wind, it was really tough. Also, Pedro obviously loves to play in these conditions, he won last year, and he was really solid.

“The first match is never easy. You can practise a lot but it’s important to play the first match to know how you feel. I’m happy to be through and hopefully I’ll be at my best for the next round.”

Deal: SEALED ?@MattBerrettini takes out the defending champion in Gstaad, Cachin, 6-4 7-6!@SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/sw3OK817JL

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Fils fires up, rallies past Munar in Hamburg opener

Arthur Fils took his time to find his best level on Tuesday at the Hamburg Open. It was worth the wait.

The #NextGenATP Frenchman overcame Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 after delivering a classy third-set performance. Fils, who reached his first ATP 500 semi-final in Hamburg a year ago, struck a series of scintillating winners off both wings in the closing stages of his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Munar.

“The first set was very tough. I think that I was playing quite good, but the level he was playing was unbelievable, actually,” said Fils, who will play 2023 finalist Laslo Djere next. “I tried my best to stay composed, to stay focused in the second set, because maybe if I got an early break his level could drop.

“I think I did a great job in the second set and put my foot on the accelerator. I played my best level in the third set.”

"It doesn't get better" ?

Fils completes a compelling 5-7 6-3 6-1 comeback over Munar@hamburgopenatp | #HamburgOpenATP500 pic.twitter.com/mHaxpVPBPQ

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ATP launches cutting edge AI-powered service to protect players from online abuse

ATP, Tennis Data Innovations (TDI) and Sportradar have teamed up to launch Safe Sport, a new service to address online abuse targeting professional tennis players. The collaboration breaks new ground by integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) moderation, education and investigation into a single service to protect athletes.

The new service will be made available to the Top 250 ATP singles players and the Top 50-ranked doubles players, on a free and opt-in basis, starting this month. It combines AI technologies from Sportradar and its partner, Arwen AI, to scan players’ social media channels for toxic and abusive comments, spam and bots across 29 languages. Flagged comments are automatically hidden in real time, protecting players and their followers from being exposed to offensive content. Arwen currently processes 600,000 comments a day, protecting over 750 million followers globally across Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube and TikTok.

In parallel, Sportradar's dedicated team of intelligence analysts will actively investigate threats and potential criminal comments to unmask those responsible, linking online activity to real-world consequences. Players will also be offered an educational programme covering topics such as handling abuse, mitigating online risks and maintaining integrity on social media platforms.

Safe Sport is ATP’s most comprehensive initiative to date to combat online abuse, a long-standing and prevalent issue in sport, and a key part of protecting player wellbeing.

[ATP APP]

Andrew Azzopardi, ATP Director of Safeguarding, stated: “The ATP is committed to safeguarding players and their wellbeing. This includes taking a proactive stance against online abuse, which has become a very important issue in the lives of modern athletes. This collaboration will ensure that tennis is playing its part in tackling this issue, and shining a light on the effects that harmful online discourse can have on our communities. We’re grateful for the support of TDI and the expertise of Sportradar in making this happen.”

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