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The 18 countries are now confirmed for the first edition of the United Cup, a new annual mixed teams event taking place across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from Thursday 29 December to Sunday 8 January 2023.

Bulgaria will join Greece and Belgium in Group A in Perth. Kazakhstan will join Poland and Switzerland in Group B in Brisbane.

A blockbuster opening session in Perth will feature world No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas of top seeded country Greece, up against former world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria on Thursday 29 December at RAC Arena.

On day one in Brisbane, Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and recently crowned Billie Jean King Cup winner Belinda Bencic of Switzerland will meet Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva at Pat Rafter Arena.

The United Cup, an ATP-WTA event presented in partnership with Tennis Australia, offers USD $15 million in prize money and up to 500 Pepperstone ATP and 500 WTA rankings points.

Alex de Minaur fired Australia into the semi-finals at the Davis Cup Finals Tuesday when he overcame Botic van de Zandschulp 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to move Australia into an unassailable 2-0 lead against the Netherlands in Malaga.

The World No. 24 showed his fighting spirit in his comeback victory, saving all five break points he faced in the second and third sets to triumph after two hours and 40 minutes.

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In the first match of the tie, Jordan Thompson defeated Tallon Griekspoor 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 55 minutes to give Australia the lead. The 28-year-old fired 16 aces and broke serve three times.

Australia last lifted the Davis Cup Finals trophy in 2003. The nation will face Croatia or Spain in the semi-finals on Friday.

Two #NextGenATP youngsters, Leandro Riedi and Ben Shelton, shined at indoor hard court events on the ATP Challenger Tour this week.

Switzerland’s Riedi advanced through qualifying en route to claiming his maiden title at the Helsinki Challenger while Shelton continued his historic Challenger Tour run at the Champaign (Illinois) Challenger, where he collected his third straight Challenger title and extended his match-winning streak to 15.

Riedi defeated Czech Tomas Machac 6-3, 6-1 in the final at the HPP Open in Finland. The 20-year-old won seven matches in eight days to win the Challenger 90 event.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Riedi said following the title. “My goal all week was to, no matter what, stay positive and I think that’s what got me here.”

Planes, trains, and automobiles are a weekly theme for ATP Challenger Tour players as they work hard for points, prize money, and trophies. The travel schedule can be gruelling at times, but the players stay determined as they persevere towards a similar goal: becoming the next professional tennis star.

Finland’s Otto Virtanen recently had an extensive trip that saw him collect two Challenger titles and win 10 matches in 11 days (singles & doubles). After winning the Brest Challenger doubles title (w/ Viktor Durasovic) in October, the 21-year-old quickly departed for the Bergamo Challenger, where he advanced through qualifying en route to collecting his maiden Challenger singles crown.

“I flew after my doubles [in Brest] to Paris, from Paris to Milan, then Milan to Bergamo by car,” Virtanen said. “I had a very late first match and I played really well. I just went day-by-day and kept playing well. Every day I kept gaining confidence and in the [Bergamo] final I just tried to focus on what I was doing well and tried to treat it as a normal match. It was my first final and I think I handled it well.”

Now at career-high No. 174 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Virtanen is among a strong list of champions in Bergamo including the previous three titlists: Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, and Matteo Berrettini.

Otto Virtanen is crowned champion in Bergamo, Italy. Credit: Antonio Milesi

Run-around forehands > backhands. 

Novak Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-3 in the Nitto ATP Finals title match Sunday in Turin, with his run-around forehand proving to be the difference-maker from the back of the court. Djokovic is widely thought to have the premier backhand in our sport, but it stood second fiddle to his run-around forehand when he was playing out of the Ad court.

This final was always going to be about control of the Ad court, as that is how Casper Ruud loves to organise his baseline patterns of play. According to Infosys ATP Second Screen, Ruud directed 75 per cent of his backhands cross court through the Ad court and 41 per cent of his forehands. 

His goal was to lock Djokovic in the backhand cage and overwhelm him with a copious amount of backhand groundstrokes. It’s a strategy that often frustrates opponents and provides them with few offensive options. It has been a key pattern of play in Ruud’s run to the final in Turin.

Djokovic’s run-around forehand was the perfect antidote.

Novak Djokovic made more history on Sunday when he captured a record-equalling sixth Nitto ATP Finals crown in Turin. Following his straight-sets victory against Casper Ruud, the Serbian revealed that the fire within him burns as bright as ever.

“I don't know what the future holds, but I know that what I hold in my mind is a huge hunger still to win trophies,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “[To] make history in this sport, compete on the highest level all around the world, bring good emotions to sports fans, tennis fans. That's what drives me a lot.

“I have a lot of different motivational factors, and I don't lack any motivation for the moment. Of course, we all have bad days or bad weeks. But generally the feeling is still there.”

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The 35-year-old, who is up to No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, dropped just one set en route to the title in Turin to become an undefeated champion. Djokovic admitted that he felt close to his best at the prestigious year-end event, leaving northern Italy high in confidence.

Goran Ivanisevic revealed a scary concept for the rest of the ATP Tour on Sunday evening. After Novak Djokovic won a record-tying sixth Nitto ATP Finals trophy, his coach said the Serbian will still improve.

“He's practising even harder than when he was 22. That's why he's still so good and that's why he's still going to be even better,” Ivanisevic said. “The will to practise, the will to improve, the will to be better is amazing. He's taking care of his body. In my time we stopped tennis [aged] 30, 31. You were already [an] old guy ready to leave. But now [it is] unbelievable.”

The 35-year-old shattered the record for oldest champion in tournament history. Roger Federer previously held that record having triumphed aged 30 in 2011.

“Look at Roger couple years back. Look at Rafa. Look at him. They all talk about, yes, young players are coming. It's great for the tennis… You have [the] youngest No. 1 in the world who made unbelievable things this year, Carlos [Alcaraz],” Ivanisevic said. “But look at Novak. He's still hungry, he's still winning the tournaments, playing unbelievable tennis. He's still already thinking now about preparation for next season.”

Djokovic is known as a relentless baseliner and magnificent mover who often finds his very best tennis under the most pressure. But the Serbian’s serve was dominant Sunday against Casper Ruud, against whom he did not face a break point.

Casper Ruud, by his own estimation, overachieved during the 2022 ATP Tour season. Following his defeat to Novak Djokovic in Sunday's Nitto ATP Finals title match, the 23-year-old Norwegian will finish the year at World No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

His lofty position is reward for three tour-level titles this season, and an additional four finals at some of the biggest events on the calendar: Turin, the US Open, Roland Garros and Miami.

"In the end it's been disappointing to end up losing these big finals," Ruud said, reflecting on the past 11 months. "Overall, if you gave me an offer to end the year at No. 3, play the finals that I've played, at the 1st of January this year, I would probably sign the contract right away. No doubt about it."

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Asked again about his record this year in finals, he later added: "It gives me motivation and a hunger to maybe next time, if I ever get to another final like this... I hope I can learn from what I have done this year and not been able to do and see how it goes. I just feel like I still have room for improvements, even though I'm very happy with my game and how things have turned out this year."

Novak Djokovic continues to etch his name in the record books. The Serbian tied Roger Federer's record of six Nitto ATP Finals titles on Sunday in Turin.

Djokovic owns six more 'Big Titles' than any other player in history, with longtime rival Rafael Nadal (59) his closest competitor. Outside of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer (54), no other player holds more than 30 of the prestigious crowns (Pete Sampras, 30).

The Serbian first triumphed at the year-end championships in 2008, when the tournament was called the Tennis Masters Cup. Djokovic has obliterated the record of biggest gap between first and most recent Nitto ATP Finals titles at 14. Before his win Sunday, the previous record belonged to Sampras and Federer, who lifted their first and last season finale trophies eight years apart.

Djokovic triumphed in Turin without losing a set, earning a record $4,740,300 in prize money. He lost just one set en route to the title, claiming victories against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Ruud.

Novak Djokovic held firm to clinch the first set 7-5 against Casper Ruud on Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals, where the Serbian is now just one set away from becoming champion for a record-equalling sixth time.

After sealing straight-sets semi-final victories on Saturday, both players picked up where they left off in the championship match in Turin, where they hit confidently through their groundstrokes to try and pressure their opponent in some riveting early exchanges. It was Djokovic who remained the greater threat on return, however, and despite letting slip break point chances in the second and eighth games he made a decisive move at 6-5 to seal a set in which he struck 14 winners, including six aces.

The Rome, Wimbledon, Tel Aviv and Astana champion Djokovic is seeking to win the Nitto ATP Finals in a third different city. The Serbian triumphed in Shanghai in 2008 and in London in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Should he go on to defeat Ruud, he will match Swiss great Roger Federer’s tally of six titles won at the prestigious season finale.

More to follow…

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The Nitto ATP Finals Fan Village is a hub where spectators can relax before and after taking in the intense on-court action, but it also provides the opportunity to discover more about title sponsor Nitto’s exciting sustainability initiatives.

Leg-powered and arm-powered energy-generating bikes have been set up in the Nitto booth, encouraging fans to have a go at producing their own power to gain a greater understanding of what is required to generate clean, sustainable energy. The reward for fans who generate five watts of energy on the bikes is a coin to slot into the nearby giant Gashapon for a prize.

One such fan trying out the arm-powered generators at the Nitto booth was Razvan Constantin. The Rafael Nadal fan from Romania was impressed with the energy-generating bikes that demonstrate the importance of electric power.

“It’s interesting, because they produce energy, and it is very good,” said Constantin, who was in the fan village after watching Nadal defeat Casper Ruud at the Pala Alpitour. “It is something new and very good, so why not? You can also [produce electricity] for bulbs for your home and things like this, so it’s very interesting.”

Photo Credit: Siobhan Hennessy
Standing near to the bikes is another attraction set up by Nitto to promote sustainability, the Future Wish Tree. Fans can hang messages on the tree containing their wishes for the future of Earth and society.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury suffered championship match heartbreak at the Nitto ATP Finals last season. One year on, the second seeds produced an impressive performance Sunday to ensure they would not fall at the final hurdle again, defeating Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic to become undefeated champions in Turin.

In a high-quality final, the American-British tandem was sharp from the first to the last point, overcoming the Croatians 7-6(4), 6-4 to end their season in style in northern Italy.

Salisbury is the first Briton to win the Nitto ATP Finals doubles title, while Ram is the 18th American to clinch the crown. The pair has earned 1,500 Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings points and $930,300 as undefeated champions, the biggest doubles payday in history.

“That’s probably up there with one of our best matches, one of our best matches as a team," Salisbury said. "I think we’re so proud of everything we’ve done this week. We’ve come through some tough situations, but we’ve stuck together the whole way. [I’m] so happy, I can’t believe we’ve achieved this.”

“I don’t know what to say," Ram said. "My partner played out of this world today, but I guess that’s what you’ve got to do and that’s why he’s one of the best around. He saves his best for the biggest moments. I’m so proud of us a team for sure.”

Four of the Top 8 men in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Live Rankings meet on Sunday in Turin, with storylines aplenty in the Nitto ATP Finals title match.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are seeking to complete unfinished business in their fourth straight appearance at the season finale, while Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic hunt revenge after a semi-final defeat to the American-British duo last year in Turin. Both teams bring perfect 4-0 records on the week into the high-stakes showdown, with the winning team to earn 1,500 Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings points and $930,300 as undefeated champions.

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Ram/Salisbury fell to Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in the 2021 final, but enter this year's title tilt full of confidence after defeating top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in Saturday's semis to storm into the championship match.

“We are very happy to be through,” Salisbury said after the 7-6(7), 6-4 victory. “I feel we are pretty good at handling whatever any situation we are in. It was tough not closing it out more straightforward in the [first set] tie-break, but we fought hard and got it done eventually. We then stayed focused and played pretty smart and held onto our serve well. We are pretty happy with the performance.”

The star-studded field of eight champions has been trimmed to two at the Nitto ATP Finals, with Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud still standing to contest Sunday's title match. In addition to the Turin trophy, both men are playing for a major milestone in their respective careers.

Djokovic is seeking his sixth Nitto ATP Finals crown, a mark which would match Roger Federer for the tournament record. The 35-year-old can also become the oldest champion at the season finale, after the then-30-year-old Federer's London triumph in 2011. By claiming the title as an undefeated champion, Djokovic would walk away with a record payday of more than $4.7 million, as well as 1,500 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points.

Ruud — a nine-time ATP Tour champion — is hunting his first 'Big Title' after falling just short in the finals at Miami, Roland Garros and the US Open this year. Already up one place to World No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week, the 23-year-old could return to No. 2 and move within 500 points of Carlos Alcaraz at the pinnacle of the men's game with another victory.

A victory would set either man up with a strong chance at passing the Spaniard early in the 2023 season, with neither Djokovic nor Ruud defending points at the Australian Open. 

Despite his lofty ranking, Ruud still feels like the underdog against Djokovic, who has moved up three places himself to No. 5 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. The Norwegian has yet to win a set in three previous meetings with the former World No. 1, including a 7-6(4), 6-2 defeat last year in the Turin group stage. But Ruud has high hopes of breaking that trend on Sunday against the reigning Wimbledon champion.

Andrey Rublev suffered a devastating defeat Saturday evening against Casper Ruud in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals. However, the three-time season finale qualifier leaves Turin with a positive attitude.

“Of course, there [are] a lot of positive things to take. I can be grateful for the week. I [made the] semi-final. I was here. We're the best eight players. All the players are dreaming to play here, and I was part of it,” Rublev said. “The rest of the players, they're not here, so obviously it’s better to be here and to lose every match than not to be here at all. I did semis for the first time, I'm happy.”

Rublev entered the clash with a 4-1 ATP Head2Head advantage against Ruud. His only previous defeat to the Norwegian came in a final-set tie-break last year at the Pala Alpitour.

On this occasion, it did not go the 25-year-old’s way. Ruud converted all four of his break points to triumph after 69 minutes.

“I hope I can take a great lesson out of this match. We'll see. We'll see. Now I have great time to improve, so we'll see how it's going to be for Australia,” Rublev said. “I'm really excited for the next season. I'm motivated, especially now finishing this week being more stable than usual, winning some matches that normally I would not win before.”

Fans have been treated to dramatic three-set matches at the Nitto ATP Finals this week, with Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud among those producing their best in Turin.

However, the players are not the only ones who have been putting on a show at the Pala Alpitour. Krystal Kuartet, an electric string group from Bologna, have lit up the Pala Alpitour with their pitch-perfect performances before each singles match.

For violinists Ilaria Coratti and Altea Saraceni, the experience of playing in front of more than 10,000 fans each session has been memorable.

“I had a range of feelings before playing,” Coratti said. “We were nervous. But then we were really excited when [we] started [playing], with all the crowds screaming at us. It is a performance for us. It is a joy for us.”

“It is really amazing because you enter the arena and all the people are watching you and it is very impressive,” Saraceni added.

Casper Ruud delivered a ruthless semi-final display on Saturday night at the Nitto ATP Finals, where the third-seeded Norwegian dispatched Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 in Turin to set a championship match clash against Novak Djokovic.

Ruud struck the ball with consistency and power and was clinical at key moments as he converted four of four break points to cruise to a comfortable victory at the Pala Alpitour. The only blip for the Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad champion came at 5-2 in the second set, when he dropped his serve when serving for the match, but he held firm to seal his win in just 69 minutes.

“It's tough sometimes because things are obviously going great, but sometimes they can go almost too well,” said Ruud after his triumph. “So you feel like you can do anything with the ball and you can get a little bit ahead of yourself.

“I don't think I did when I was serving for it [the first time]. Andrey hit some great returns, aggressive with the forehand. Of course, you tend to hesitate a little bit. Luckily for me, I go out there at 5-4 and serve with new balls, so that helps a lot. I knew that I had the backup break. I wasn't stressing too much. Everything sort of was going my way today.”

Rublev had expertly maintained his focus to rally to a crucial three-set round-robin victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday night, but the sixth seed was unable to deliver a repeat performance against the rock-solid Norwegian as Ruud raced into the final on just his second Nitto ATP Finals appearance.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is a tennis junkie. Not only is the 19-year-old finding early success on the ATP Challenger Tour, he also manages to watch his close friends, such as Arthur Fils, on Challenger TV.

Amidst all his matches, practices, work outs, travelling, and the minute details that go into a professional tennis player’s life, the Frenchman is a true supporter of his friends.

This week at the Helsinki Challenger, he didn’t have to go online to watch Fils. He was across the net for a first-round qualifying match.

“I try to watch every single match of Arthur’s on Challenger TV,” Mpetshi Perricard told ATPTour.com.