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Could next week’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM prove a stepping stone to greatness for the eight-strong field in Jeddah?

Jiri Lehecka is in no doubt as to the impact of the 21-and-under event on his professional tennis journey so far. The Czech star, who is currently No. 31 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, reached the final at the 2022 edition in Milan. His experience there is one that still shapes him, even one year on.

“I always think about it, because that has still been one of the nicest experiences for me as a player,” the 22-year-old Lehecka told ATPTour.com. “It was just something amazing and I was very happy that it was that kind of tournament where they showed us what it really means to be a top, top tennis player.

“They literally threw us into all the media attention, into the big arena, playing with a new format, trying new rules. It was a great week, I played very good there and I enjoyed it. Of course, it had been a great motivation for me to be in the final eight."

This year, a new group of young ATP Tour stars will vie for glory at a tournament that counts current Top 10 players Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas among its former champions. Arthur Fils, Luca Van Assche, Dominic Stricker, Alex Michelsen, Flavio Cobolli, Hamad Medjedovic, Luca Nardi and Abdullah Shelbayh will each hope that a strong run at the event’s new home in Saudi Arabia can help propel them to even bigger and better things.

Carlos Alcaraz is used to carving up opponents, week-in, week-out, on the tennis courts of the ATP Tour. One of the keys to the Spaniard’s success is his reading of the game, his tactical nous, and his ability to strategically outthink his opponents during rallies.

So how do those skills help the 20-year-old when it comes to chasing victories on a chess board? Alcaraz is a keen chess player, whose grandfather introduced him to the game when he was a young boy. His passion for it has endured until today.

“It helps me be mentally quicker, to observe moves, see the move you want to make, strategy... concentrating all the time,” said Alcaraz in an interview with Marca. “In chess, like in tennis, if you take your eye off the ball for a minute you can lose the match. In that regard, they are pretty similar disciplines. It helps me because you are focused, your mind is working.”

Fans of tennis and chess alike now have the chance to test Alcaraz’s skills with bishop and pawn in hand. The No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and winner of 12 ATP Tour titles, including two Grand Slams, has been introduced as a Chess.com bot that any user can challenge virtually on the platform.

♟️???? https://t.co/1kuObxBjOT

The ATP and Tennis Data Innovations (TDI) in partnership with Kinexon, 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. The Physicality Index (PI) will allow fans and media to objectively evaluate and quantify the physical outputs of two players competing against each other at the 21-and-under event.

It is important to understand that the Physicality Index (PI) is NOT a direct measurement of the athletes overall tactical performance. It is only reflective of the physical work being produced by each athlete during the match.

At the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals, Carlos Alcaraz won all five of his matches, spending less than 6.5 hours on court, and only dropping one set in the entire event. From a PI perspective, he worked harder than his opponents in four of the five matches, and his highest match physicality never reached above a 3.4 in the tournament. This did not mean he was not performing at a very high level, but rather indicated that he was able to execute tactically while being very efficient with how much energy he was spending on court.

A similar pattern is visible in the NBA. All-Stars tend to have a lower physicality index ranking because of how efficient they are within different parts of the game. They know when to push and how to save energy while still being on the court, contributing to the overall success of the team.

Tennis champions are some of the most physically fit athletes in the world and are asked to move around the court, executing shots from compromising positions, while staying balanced over multiple hours. The highest levels of tennis set themselves apart from other sports due to the combination of skill and athleticism rarely seen in other sports.

Frenchman Arthur Fils and American Alex Michelsen had the honour Friday of opening practice on stadium court at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM, the first ATP-sanctioned event ever held in Saudi Arabia.

Fils and Michelsen are the first two players to arrive for the season-ending 21-and-under event, which will be played at the King Abdullah Sports City from 28 November to 2 December.

"It's the first time we have practicsed together, so it was very nice and the court is very nice," said World No. 36 Fils. "The atmosphere during matches is going to be very good and we're all looking forward to playing the event.

"It's going to be interesting playing with some new rules, like playing to four games."

As he prepares for the tournament, Michelsen has spent a very different Thanksgiving holiday than he did 12 months ago.

The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM will award a tournament-record $2 million in prize money at the 21-and-under event, which will be played in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 28 November-2 December.

If the champion at this year’s tournament lifts the trophy with a perfect record, he will earn $514,000, an increase over the previous record.

Three matches at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals will be worth more than $100,000. Each semi-final victory will be worth $113,500 and the championship match will yield the winner $153,000. The participation fee for each player at the event is $150,000.

Prize Money 2023

In the early stages of his budding career, Jordan’s Abdullah Shelbayh is already etching his name in history.

The 20-year-old, who is at a career-high No. 187 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, became the first Jordanian to win a main-draw ATP Tour match in April and has since continued his rapid rise. Shelbayh will have another opportunity to perform on a big stage as a wild card at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Shelbayh is doing it all with the pride of Jordan behind him.

“It makes me happy to represent my country and the Arab world,” Shelbayh told ATPTour.com. “There is some pressure but you feel like it’s good pressure to have on your shoulders when you’re representing your country and the region you come from.”

[ATP APP]

Sky has agreed new five-year partnerships with both ATP Media, the broadcast arm of the ATP, and WTA Ventures, the commercial arm of the WTA, which will see over 80 tournaments made up of 4000 matches available on Sky Sports, NOW and WOW.

Both Tours will be available for fans year-round with Sky having secured rights exclusively in the U.K. and Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as non-exclusive rights in Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and South Tyrol.

The two Tours will showcase the world's top players such as World No. 1s Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic, alongside Rafael Nadal, Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and the returning Naomi Osaka as well as the ‘new era’ of tennis stars including Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, competing at all levels including at combined Masters 1000 events taking place in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, and Cincinnati, and both the Nitto ATP Finals and WTA Finals. From 2024, Sky Sports will create a new home for tennis all year round, delivering the live action from the six continents direct to fans.

Sky Sports coverage will be led by presenter Gigi Salmon, alongside Tim Henman and Laura Robson who will offer their expert analysis and insights across the two Tours, with Jonathan
Overend on the match commentary. The Sky Sports team will also be joined by additional talent and co-commentators at various events across the season.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

Novak Djokovic has guided Serbia into Saturday's Davis Cup semi-finals in Malaga, where he will face a third showdown with World No. 4 Italian Jannik Sinner in less than two weeks.

World No. 1 Djokovic defeated Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4  in one hour, 41 minutes to give Serbia an unassailable 2-0 lead after World No. 55 Miomir Kecmanovic had earlier held his nerve to edge Jack Draper 7-6(2), 7-6(6) in a match in which neither player was able to break serve.

[ATP APP]

Djokovic, who helped Serbia win its first Davis Cup title in 2010, continued the impressive serving he displayed in Turin, dropping just eight points on serve, while hitting 16 forehand winners, double Norrie's tally. A winner of 98 tour-level titles, Djokovic took control of the match with an immediate break of serve in the first game of the second set.

Less than two weeks ago Djokovic lost a third-set tie-break to Sinner in group player in the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, before he avenged that defeat with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 victory in the championship match last Sunday. The 40-time ATP Masters 1000 champion will take a 4-1 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series into the semi-finals.

Jannik Sinner is delighting Italian fans for the second consecutive week after pulling double duty to lead Italy to a comeback victory over The Netherlands in their Davis Cup quarter-final in Malaga, Spain.

Fresh of his run to the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Sinner survived a tight opening set with Tallon Griekspoor before breaking open the match in the second to run out a confident 7-6(3), 6-1 winner to level the tie at 1-1.

He then partnered Lorenzo Sonego to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof to book Italy’s semi-final spot against the winner of Thursday evening’s tie between Serbia, led by World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and Great Britain.

In his singles win against Griekspoor, Sinner leveraged his dramatically improved serve this year to drop just six points on his delivery, firing nine aces while also cracking 10 forehand winners.

Botic van de Zandschulp had earlier given The Netherlands a 1-0 lead when he saved two match points to defeat Matteo Arnaldi 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-6(7) in two hours, 52 minutes.

Frances Tiafoe is a prominent supporter of the NBA's Washington Wizards, but this week the American paid a visit to another one of his favourite local pro teams. Instead of the basketball hardwood, Tiafoe hit the ice for some hockey with the NHL's Washington Capitals.

"That's way faster than it looks!" a surprised Tiafoe said after attempting to control a pass.

The World No. 16 was more at ease when he mixed in some tennis fun, rallying with Capitals forward Tom Wilson and bombing serves to test the players' reactions. Tiafoe also made time for a photo opportunity with NHL legend Alex Ovechkin in the locker room, and the pair signed a tennis racquet and a hockey stick for one another.

A native of Hyattsville, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C., Tiafoe has supported the teams in the area since his youth. Speaking in front of the Capitals team, Tiafoe explained that he grew up playing tennis just 20 minutes outside of the city.

Check out the full video above for an inside look at Tiafoe's time with the NHL stars. 

Alex de Minaur led a great escape for Australia at the Davis Cup Final 8 on Wednesday to send his country into the semi-finals in Malaga.

The 2022 Davis Cup runners-up were in a big hole against the Czech Republic after Tomas Machac beat Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-5 and Jiri Lehecka built a 6-4, 5-3 lead against De Minaur. But from deuce in his 3-5 service game, the 24-year-old won 10 straight points to turn the match on its head. 

Showing his famed fighting spirit, De Minaur levelled the tie at 1-1 with a 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 victory, breaking late in the final set before serving out the match to love.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

That set the stage for a decisive doubles rubber that pit Aussies Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell against Czechs Lehecka and Adam Pavlasek. Behind a single break in each set, Ebden/Purcell scored a 6-4, 7-5 win to put Australia through to the semi-finals.

After a successful start to their new player-coach relationship, Holger Rune and Boris Becker will continue working together during the 2024 ATP Tour season.

Rune's team initially confirmed the partnership on 19 October, and the Dane has posted a 6-4 record since then, reaching the Basel semi-finals and the Rolex Paris Masters quarters before narrowly missing out on the Nitto ATP Finals knockout rounds with a 1-2 mark in Turin.

Forza, vamos , allez, kom jetzt ? https://t.co/4MzE001BWt

Rune reached a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 4 in August after a strong start to the season but slumped after reaching consecutive major quarter-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Prior to his Basel run in his first tournament after confirming Becker as his coach, Rune had just one win in eight matches.

The Dane pushed Novak Djokovic — who was previously coached by Becker — to three sets in both Paris-Bercy and Turin but was beaten on both occasions by the World No. 1. In his Nitto ATP Finals debut, Rune was one set away from qualifying for the knockout rounds but ultimately fell just short in a three-set loss to home favourite and eventual finalist Jannik Sinner in his final group-stage match.

Finland's best-ever Davis Cup run continued on Tuesday at the Final 8 in Malaga, where Otto Virtanen scored wins in singles and doubles to send his country through to the semi-finals at the expense of defending champion Canada.

The 22-year-old Virtanen defeated Canada's Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 7-5 to force a decisive doubles rubber, then teamed with Harri Heliovaara to beat Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 6-3 in front of vocal Finnish support in Spain.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

Virtanen's heroics were required after Milos Raonic staked Canada an early advantage with a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Patrick Kaukovalta to open the day's play. The 32-year-old Raonic opened the match with four straight aces and never looked back.

But Virtanen levelled the tie by breaking once in each set against Diallo, and a late break in each set of the doubles match sealed a famous victory for the Finns.

Covering a total area of 34,170 sq miles, Serbia is the 111th largest county in the world. While it may not be the biggest in size, it is a nation that has produced world-class tennis players throughout the years. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the clear example, with now-retired Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki climbing as high as No. 8 and No. 12, respectively, in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Aiming to follow in their footsteps is 20-year-old Hamad Medjedovic, who will compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah next week.

“It was a big thing for sure growing up, having so many good players in our country,” Medjedovic told ATPTour.com when discussing his early influences. “I remember starting to watch tennis when I was a kid. We had Novak [Djokovic], Viktor [Troicki] and Janko [Tipsarevic] and they were so good.

“I remember watching them constantly. As a kid it gave me a lot of motivation to start playing tennis and then to become one of them because I saw that they could do it. They're coming from a small country, same as me, and it gave me a lot of motivation and self-belief that I could do it as well.”

[ATP APP]

Brazil and Chile have qualified for the United Cup, completing the 18-team line-up for the 2024 event.

Brazil qualified on the strength of their top WTA player Beatriz Haddad Maia, the current world No.11 who closed her 2023 season on a high note with victory at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai.

She cracked the Top 10 in June shortly after Roland Garros, where she enjoyed her best Grand Slam result with a run to the semi-finals.

Haddad Maia will be joined by teammates Marcelo Melo, Thiago Seyboth Wild, Felipe Meligeni Alves and Carolina Alves.

Team Brazil has landed in Group A – headed by No.1 seed Poland – and will play its matches at RAC Arena in Perth. This sets up a showdown between Haddad Maia and World No.1 Iga Swiatek, a rematch of their Roland Garros semi-final.

On Sunday night, Novak Djokovic was lifting the Nitto ATP Finals trophy for a record seventh time. Less than 24 hours had passed when he boarded a flight on Monday at 4:10 pm CET, carrying the No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from Turin to Malaga, where he joined Serbia’s team in the Final 8 of the Davis Cup.

In the terminal, he was awaited by Feliciano Lopez, the director of the Davis Cup, who gave him a special welcome: “What’s up, man?! Congratulations!” “Hey, man,” Djokovic answered jokingly before a warm embrace.

The Balkan side, captained by Viktor Troicki, and led by Djokovic, will also count Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic, Miomir Kecmanovic and Hamad Medjedovic among its ranks.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

Serbia will play in the quarter-finals of the competition on Thursday 23 November (not before 4:00 pm CET) against a Great Britain outfit that will have to make do without Andy Murray, who recently announced his withdrawal. The news means Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper, Liam Broady, Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury will take on Djokovic’s men.

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek have earned Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honours for the first time.

The Croatian-American duo, which teamed for the first time last year, enjoyed a banner 2023 campaign to finish atop the standings.

Dodig said: “This year was an amazing year for me and Austin. We won five tournaments this year, one Grand Slam, a Masters [1000] and three 500 tournaments. We had a great year, played very consistent. All the hard work we put this year, it's just amazing to finish the year as the number one team and really proud and happy about that. Actually it was one of my best years, even though I'm already for the ninth time in the [Nitto ATP Finals]... I was always playing consistent, was always Top 10 in the world in doubles. But this is something special. This was my goal since I started a couple of years back to only focus on doubles. And now I'm number one as a team.”

Krajicek said: “It's an amazing feeling for sure. Obviously a tough end of the year for us at the Finals, but it really was a special year, the whole year. It's a cool feeling. It's hard to put into words. It's pretty cool to be able to finish as the number one team and know that the hard work you put in all year, all the ups and downs and tough losses and really special wins we've had this year came together at the end there and pretty cool to be able to finish the year number one. It's something that we can always be proud of and look back on, so we're super excited about that.”

[ATP APP]

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury ended their late-season surge in spectacular fashion on Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The American-British duo downed Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-4 to successfully defend their title at the prestigious season finale in Turin. Ram and Salisbury delivered a rock-solid all-around performance to wrap a 69-minute triumph and extend their winning streak inside the Pala Alpitour to 10 matches.

“I don’t know what to say, to be honest,” said Ram after the match. “We love this place. This is the biggest tournament we play on the ATP calendar all year and to win it twice in a row is something I never would have thought of and I’m so proud of.”

Salisbury added: “I think we’ve got better throughout the week. I think that was our best match, maybe along with the semi-final yesterday. I think we’ve served well and not got broken many times. We did that really well and managed to take the few chances we had today. I think we got a little bit of luck as well, but it seems like we get it in this place.”

They love Turin ?@RajeevRam ? @joesalisbury92 #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Hw1r307K5H

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

Juan Carlos Ferrero accompanied Carlos Alcaraz to the Spaniard’s press conference after he bowed out to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals. Sitting on the floor of the press-conference room in the Pala Alpitour, the former World No. 1 listened as his charge offered a self-critique of his loss to the Serb, while also speaking with pride about the best year of his career.

“It’s been a spectacular year,” said Alcaraz. “You have to realise that I picked up 2000 more points than the previous year but played one fewer Grand Slam. I didn’t play in Australia, and it was still my best season. It was incredible, I played some great matches. I’ve improved little by little and also learned how to deal with the pressure, and with difficult moments.”

“On balance it’s been extremely good,” reflected Ferrero, the 20-year-old’s coach, later. “As long as you improve on your previous season, it is good on balance. This year we won the Grand Slam we were least expecting [Wimbledon], and it was a pleasant surprise. And he picked up about 2000 more points without playing in the Australian Open. That says a lot about the effort he’s made at every tournament to build and keep pushing.”

JAW-DROPPING ?

Just an insane level between @carlosalcaraz & @DjokerNole!!! #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Qgy6nAsIMR

Novak Djokovic had little to nitpick about his game Saturday evening after dismissing World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 for a place in the Nitto ATP Finals championship match.

“One of the best matches of the year in these circumstances playing probably the biggest rival I had this year, Carlos. We had some epic matches. Actually, all three matches we played this year were marathon matches that went the distance,” Djokovic said. “I think everyone expected, including probably both of us, that we were going to have a long night, a big fight, a long match.

“I just managed to I guess step it up. When I broke his serve at 4-3 in the first set, played a really flawless match until the end of the match. Played great tennis, high level, put a lot of pressure on his service games, made him play. I served really well when I needed to.”

Djokovic needed three hours and 49 minutes to defeat the 20-year-old in the Cincinnati final. But by playing what he called “one of the best matches of the year”, the Serbian faced much less difficulty at the Pala Alpitour.

“Couldn't be coming at a better time for me, considering that I maybe wasn't playing my best tennis in the first three group stages, matches of the group stages,” Djokovic said. “But tonight I played close to my very, very best.”