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Casper Ruud continued his ascent in 2022, advancing to his first two Grand Slam finals and reaching the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Fans will be able to take a behind-the-scenes look at the Norwegian's year by watching Netflix's Break Point, which premieres on 13 January. Ruud spoke to ATPTour.com about his experience working with the Netflix crews, the one place he did not allow them to go, and how F1: Drive To Survive changed his driver preferences.

What was the experience always having a crew around?
They are asking for a lot and I gave them what I feel comfortable with. You won’t see me in my hotel rooms and so on, too much in my personal life, because it’s not something I’m too comfortable sharing.

They were there when I made both finals this year in Grand Slams, which I’m sure they have caught some good moments on tape. In the Slams they tended to film me in my warmups and we like to play a lot of games with footballs and stuff. I hope that they caught some of the members of my team screwing up the soccer tricks. That is what I’m hoping for a lot and that I can do all the tricks perfectly and that all my team members can do them wrong!

Where did you come up with those games?
It’s just challenges, really. Any trick or move that is challenging to try to make, making it look simple. That’s sort of what Roger has done in tennis. He’s made it look simple and it’s not, so if you can do that, it means you’re good and I’m not sure if I can do that in soccer, but some juggling and dribbling I can do, I’ve learned to do. It’s not world-class material, I would say. But for me, I’m happy with it.

Judging by the Netflix Break Point launch on Thursday evening in Melbourne, the tennis docuseries is going to be a smash hit.

Players — both those featured and others competing in the Australian Open — joined invited guests for an early look at the first episode of the series, which officially premieres on 13 January.

Of the featured players in the show, Matteo Berrettini, Taylor Fritz, Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe and Ajla Tomljanovic were in attendance. They then joined together for a celebration of the historic series inside Rod Laver Arena.

Others in attendance included Holger Rune, Patrick Mouratoglou, Sam Groth, Alicia Molik, boxer Michael Zerafa, Break Point executive producer Paul Martin and Netflix Director of Documentary Series Gabe Spitzer.

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After a historic year for Chinese men’s tennis in 2022, the momentum continued Thursday at the 2023 Australian Open.

The 17-year-old #NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng showed few nerves in the final round of qualifying for the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne, where he downed Zsombor Piros 6-3, 6-4 to reach the main draw.

Shang, who in 2022 competed in his first three ATP Tour main draws in Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells and Miami, broke the World No. 171 Prios three times en route to a 77-minute victory to reach the main draw in his first Grand Slam qualification bid.

“I think overall I’m just very happy and excited about what’s coming next,” said Shang, who will take on Germany’s World No. 74 Oscar Otte in the first round in Melbourne. “These three rounds I’ve given 100 per cent and I think I did very well at controlling my emotions after each round. It’s my first time playing Grand Slams, and I’m just super excited about what’s coming next in the main draw, and I’ll try my best to win.”

Remember the name: ?? Shang Juncheng

The 17-year-old qualifies for the main draw in his Grand Slam debut!#AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/028yxZ1yYq

Tennis fans have been eagerly anticipating the year's first major, and with the draw now set, it's clear that the Australian Open will provide fireworks from Day 1.

Thursday's draw ceremony revealed a host of marquee matchups in the men's singles opening round, including Matteo Berrettini taking on Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev squaring off with Dominic Thiem.

ATPTour.com breaks down five matches to watch in the first round Down Under.

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[13] Matteo Berrettini (ITA) vs. Andy Murray (GBR)

Murray has a chance for instant Grand Slam revenge after a closely contested four-set loss to Berrettini at the 2022 US Open. Berrettini also defeated Murray in the Stuttgart final last season, and will bring a 3-1 ATP Head2Head edge into their Melbourne meeting. Murray's lone win against Berrettini came in 2019 (Beijing).

The ATP and Nilox have today announced a global partnership, which sees the Italian E-Scooter and E-Bike brand become an Official Partner of the ATP Tour from 2023.

Nilox, part of the Esprinet Group, offers a range of two-wheel electric personal mobility devices that are sustainable, practical and fun. The ATP Tour will offer Nilox a year-round global platform to showcase its brand and promote sustainable and healthy living choices for people and the environment.

In parallel to the global Tour partnership, Nilox will become an Official Partner of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell from this season. Nilox will receive on-court and on-site exposure to promote its brand and innovative E-Scooters and E-Bikes.

This marks a first play in professional tennis for Nilox, building on an impressive portfolio of partnerships with leading sports organisations.

“Sustainable personal mobility is a key part of minimising the environmental impact of travel,” said Daniele Sanò, ATP Chief Business Officer. “We’re delighted to partner with Nilox, a true leader in this space, as we continue our focus on reducing travel emissions across the ATP Tour. It’s key to build alliances with like-minded organisations and to raise awareness around this important topic.”

Rafael Nadal will face a difficult opening test at the Australian Open against British lefty Jack Draper, while Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios are in the same quarter of the draw, it was revealed Thursday afternoon at Melbourne Park.

Defending champion Nadal will need to be sharp from his first match against Draper, a 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor. The 21-year-old, who owns two Top 10 wins, has made a quick start to his season. The World No. 40 will compete in the Adelaide International 2 semi-finals on Friday.

“It’ll be amazing to play on court with him, he’s a great champion," Draper said. "[There are] a lot of emotions obviously when I think of playing him, but that’s one thing, I’ve still got to go and play tomorrow and hopefully do well in this tournament first.

“Whatever happens, it’ll be a special occasion for me, still very young in my career, so it’s great to have these sort of experiences and exposure to playing someone like Rafa on a big court like that. But I want to play really well and I want to compete hard and do the best I can."

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Cameron Norrie is two wins away from capping a perfect start to the season with a title in New Zealand, the country where he was raised. Seeded second at the ASB Classic in Auckland, he improved to 5-0 on the year with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2 victory against Marcos Giron in Thursday's quarter-finals.

Norrie has now won four straight three-setters dating back to his triumphs against Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz at the inaugural United Cup. But he was disappointed to have to play a deciding set after a fast start against Giron.

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"I came out firing and really was enjoying my level and playing well," he assessed. "I made it really tricky for myself, played a loose game to start the second set. Just a lack of concentration. I was able to come back and then he played a better tie-break than me, he was more aggressive and he executed better. He deserved it. 

"Then I came out  [in the third set] and played kind of similar to the first set and took it to him, and exposed his backhand."

They say revenge is best served cold, but Jack Draper was in no mood to wait during the hot Australian summer.

One week after losing to Karen Khachanov in Adelaide, the 21-year-old Briton snapped back at the same venue with a 6-4, 7-6(3) win on Thursday at the Adelaide International 2. The victory earns Draper his second ATP Tour semi-final appearance.

Aggressive from the first ball with his first-strike tennis, Draper saved the only break point he faced until he stepped to the line to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second. After a loose game gave new life to the third-seeded Khachanov, a visibly frustrated Draper regrouped to finish the match in straight sets.

"In the last game I got a bit nervous, but that's part of the game," the lefty said in his on-court interview. "I'm still young, I'm still learning from these things."

The crucial point of the tie-break came at 2-1, when Draper defended from corner to corner, ultimately drawing an error to claim a mini-break. This time he would not let the lead slip, mixing in a serve-and-volley to close out a tie-break in which he won all five of his service points.

It lasts but a second or two. But it’s one of the most iconic sounds in the world of entertainment: The distinctive Netflix ‘Ta dum’ theme tune.

But would you recognise it if imitated by the ATP pros who are the stars of the new Netflix series Break Point, which premieres 13 January? And who would nail it best?

In this case, a player who typically lets his racquet do the talking was the one to steal the show…

Paid actors, or tennis players? Listen up, then you decide ?

Break Point, out on Friday.
⁰@netflix | @WTA pic.twitter.com/1hzN4YFgdj

Social media lit up in praise of the performance of Norway's Casper Ruud, who is in contention to climb to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the Australian Open.

Felix Auger-Aliassime enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022, winning his first four ATP Tour titles and qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Canadian's success was documented by the crews of Netflix's Break Point, which will premiere on 13 January. ATPTour.com caught up with Auger-Aliassime to speak about the experience of filming the show, the 2022 moment that gave him "a mixed feeling", and what he has been watching on Netflix.

What was the whole experience like with the cameras and everything involved with filming?
It was very natural. They were very [good at] making us at ease. [It was] on our schedule and [we were] doing it at the time we wanted, so for me it was easy to adapt. It wasn’t too difficult. I think it’s going to make a great show, and I think we gave them some good content.

For me the main goal is that it can help tennis. It can help tennis overall. That would be amazing if we could see a rise in the number of fans and attention for our sport by airing this series.

You are a very easy-going guy, but were there ever any times when you wished the cameras weren’t there?
When they were, it felt good. It was not like I ever didn’t want them there. I tried to be also true to myself, before matches and after matches, but it kind of felt like it was just a bird watching, or somebody watching from the outside and you were just doing your thing, being yourself, staying natural.

When Nick Kyrgios steps on court, it’s hard not to sit up and take notice. Possessing a huge game and an even bigger on-court personality, the 27-year-old Australian is one of the ATP Tour’s most natural entertainers.

A seven-time ATP Tour titlist who reached the final at Wimbledon in 2022, Kyrgios is now one of the stars of Netflix’s new behind-the-scenes tennis series Break Point. ATPTour.com runs down five things to know about the Australian crowd favourite.

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1. The Boston Celtics’ Biggest Fan?
Kyrgios makes no attempt to hide his love for basketball. The Australian tweets regularly about the sport, particularly his beloved Boston Celtics, and often trains wearing basketball attire. But what about his own playing skills?

"I’m LeBron James," joked Kyrgios when asked to rate his own game by ATPTour.com in 2019. "I’m the best basketball player of the tennis players, hence I’m LeBron.” While some of his rivals on the ATP Tour may have something to say about that, Kyrgios continues to work on his skills whenever he has time for a game on Tour.

Casper Ruud enjoyed a breakout season in 2022, climbing as high as No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and reaching his first two Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and the US Open. By his side throughout his journey has been his father and coach, Christian Ruud.

With the first five episodes of Netflx's Break Point set for release on 13 January, ATPTour.com spoke to Christian about the experience of working with the Netflix crews, Casper's rise, and trash-talking on the golf course.

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Do you remember when the idea of Netflix cameras following Casper came up? What was it like to know your son would be featured?
We didn’t think that much. We all saw Formula 1: Drive To Survive, so we kind of [pictured] it was going to be something similar and I think everyone that watched Drive To Survive knew it was a success and it was fun to watch.

On the other hand, I think it was difficult to do the same in tennis. It’s tough to get so close after maybe a tough loss and everything, so I think everyone was kind of curious how it would be. I think we’ve been part of it and we have enjoyed it. I think maybe we were one of the players who didn’t have them too close, so I think Casper is more comfortable with the way he’s been doing it and being a little bit private on top of being on the show, showing of course preparation for matches and maybe during the matches and so on.

Thanasi Kokkinakis served up a treat for the home fans at the Adelaide International 2 on Wednesday, when the Australian downed top seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event.

Kokkinakis held off a mid-match resurgence from Rublev to notch the third Top 10 victory of his career in one hour, 57 minutes. The Australian, who lifted an ATP 250 trophy in Adelaide in 2022, now has an 11-2 tour-level record in his hometown across 2022 and 2023 — no other player has won more matches there in that timeframe.

“I’ve had my best memories on this court,” said Kokkinakis in his on-court interview. “Last year was an incredible feeling. It’s something that you dream of as a kid, and to play in front of you guys in this atmosphere, it’s incredible.”

Kokkinakis took advantage of an error-strewn first-set display from Rublev to move ahead in the pair’s first tour-level meeting. Despite the top seed battling back to claim the second set, Kokkinakis remained largely dominant behind his serve as he fired 17 aces and won 86 per cent (38/44) of points behind his first delivery to blunt Rublev’s powerful return game.

“It’s a big part of my game,” said Kokkinakis. “If I’m serving well, I feel like I have a chance to beat a lot of guys. Especially when the new balls came, I tried to take a little bit of pace off my serve and really try and land it, hit the spot. Fortunately, there were a few unreturnables.”

Cameron Norrie maintained his unbeaten start to the 2023 season on Wednesday at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where the second-seeded Briton fended off a stiff second-round challenge from Czech rising star Jiri Lehecka to reach the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 victory.

The persistent stop-start rain that has affected the schedule this week in the New Zealand capital was again a factor in Wednesday’s play, and Norrie found himself in a second-round battle after 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Lehecka produced a strong second-set tie-break to force a deciding set in a match featuring several interruptions and eventually a move indoors due to the weather.

“It was nice to get it out of the way,” said Norrie, who is now 4-0 for 2023, after his two-hour, 45-minute win at the ATP 250 event. “It’s tough on the concentration... I had a lot of chances in that second set. In the bigger moments he was playing better than me and taking the points to me. I think I wanted to up my energy and in that third set I really came out strong.”

SO close, SO good! ?@jirilehecka | @cam_norrie | @ASB_Classic | #ASBClassic pic.twitter.com/tVj9VAMUMt

As well as navigating the tough conditions, Norrie was delighted to come through his opening match in the country where he lived from the age of two to 16.

Italy's Matteo Arnaldi enjoyed a taste of big-stage tennis at the Next Gen ATP Finals last season, and the 21-year-old is on the brink of another milestone moment after advancing to the final round of Australian Open qualifying. With a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 win against home favourite Alex Bolt on Wednesday, the 22nd seed moved within one victory of his Grand Slam debut.

Arnaldi is making his third attempt to qualify for a major after falling one match short at the US Open last season. He will face another Australian next in Max Purcell, who won the 2022 Australian Open doubles title with countryman Matthew Ebden.

The 24-year-old Purcell — who was the beneficiary of a retirement from second seed Marco Cecchinato his first qualifying match — was a 6-4, 7-5 winner against Damir Dzumhur on Wednesday. He is seeking his second main-draw singles appearance at his home Slam after his debut in 2020.

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American Brandon Holt is bidding to qualify for his second consecutive major after winning three three-setters to earn his place in the US Open main draw. The 24-year-old, a former college star at the University of Souther California, defeated Gastao Elias 6-2, 7-6(5) on Wednesday to set up a final-round matchup against Marco Trungelliti. 

Defending champion Rafael Nadal returns to the Australian Open as its top seed as he bids for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam men's singles title. But nine-time champion Novak Djokovic is hot on his heels and will hope to draw level with Nadal on 22 major crowns. The Serbian is preparing for his first competitive action at Melbourne Park since winning the 2021 title.

While world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will miss out with a right-leg injury, Daniil Medvedev carries unfinished business into the year's first Grand Slam after being turned back in each of the past two finals. Casper Ruud is slated to be the No. 2 seed as he targets his third final in four majors, with two-time semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas just behind him as the No. 3 seed.

Nadal, Ruud, Tsitsipas and Djokovic all have an opportunity to leave Melbourne atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Here's all you need to know about the Australian Open: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won, how to buy tickets and more.

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After reaching three ATP Tour quarter-finals last season, Jack Draper advanced to his first of 2023 with a 6-4 6-4 win against Tommy Paul Wednesday at the Adelaide International 2.

The Briton's win against the eighth-seeded American atoned for his loss to eighth seed Karen Khachanov last week in Adelaide — with a potential rematch on the cards, if Khachanov can defeat Marc-Andrea Huesler later in the day.

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Well established as a strong server with his 6-foot-4 frame, Draper has excelled on return this week. After breaking four times in his opening victory against Lorenzo Sonego, he converted on three of five break chances against Paul, who was playing in his first event of the new season.

Broken just once, Draper fired 10 aces and won 88 per cent of his first-serve point in the win.

Before the Adelaide International 1 final, multiple photos of a young Sebastian Korda with Novak Djokovic went viral. Ahead of the match, former World No. 1 Djokovic had high praise for the 22-year-old American.

“[He is] one of the players that has kind of the cleanest striking technique that you can see on the Tour. I mean, he's so talented. Everything seems very flawless with him. Just effortless, not flawless,” Djokovic said. “The way he plays, the way he moves on the court, just beautiful-looking tennis. Going to try to make it ugly tomorrow.”

Djokovic added that it is not a matter of if, but when Korda will crack the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The World No. 31 took notice of the Serbian’s kind words.

“I saw that he wanted to make my game ugly,” Korda told ATPTour.com, cracking a laugh. “It’s funny, it’s awesome to hear those great words from him and I’ve gotten a lot of great words from Nadal and him. It’s really kind of inspiring to just keep pushing forward knowing I’m doing the right things and just keep believing in myself and [knowing that] I’m on the right path.”

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Robin Haase was laying in bed at his Adelaide hotel on Tuesday afternoon, waiting to head to Memorial Drive for a 2:15 p.m. lunch before a 4:30 p.m. practice ahead of an evening doubles match at the Adelaide International 2.

That was when the Dutchman received a big surprise. The ATP tour manager on site called to ask the 35-year-old if he could make it to the venue by 2 p.m. to take a lucky loser spot in the singles draw. On Monday, he had lost in the final round of qualifying to Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets.

By the moment Haase looked at the time, he had four minutes.

“I was [the] second lucky loser [on the day’s list] and so of course there was actually no chance to get in because everyone is here. If by any chance there was someone, then it would be one and I was second. So I was lucky that he couldn’t play,” Haase told ATPTour.com. “And then I had to rush. It’s four minutes before the match…

“I was speed-walking and I forgot my accreditation so I [saw] the security guard while I was running. He said, ‘Hey, you need to get scanned’, and I was like, ‘Yeah just follow me, I’ve got to go on court.’ I told him [to] get security. It was kind of funny.”