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Of the 40 countries represented at Paris 2024 Olympics men's tennis event, Lebanon is the only one with no prior representation in the field.

But last month, Benjamin Hassan was notified that he would have the honour of becoming one of the first tennis players to represent Lebanon in the Olympics, alongside countryman Hady Habib, whom faces four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz in the first round.

The 29-year-old Hassan is among the field of 64 singles players via a ‘University Place’, which awards one spot, in both men’s and women’s, to nations that are under-represented in the Olympic Games. He will also partner Habib in doubles.

“When I first heard it, I couldn’t believe it. It was unbelievable for me because it was very spontaneous,” Hassan told ATPTour.com. “I heard before that they have some spots for players, but I wasn’t sure what kind of rule it was or if I could use that. I asked my Federation if they can check and they told me, ‘Look Benjamin, we are very late. Probably not going to work out.’

“I thought, ‘Okay, there’s no chance, but at least I tried.’ I think a few days before the Stuttgart [ATP 250] tournament, I got the information. I was really happy.”

During the second rain delay of Shang Juncheng’s Atlanta Open quarter-final against Max Purcell Friday evening, the #NextGenATP star was not stressing over where Purcell would serve when play resumed. Something else was on the 19-year-old’s mind: ice cream!

“We try to keep a fun environment, but keeping myself focused. We talked about eating ice cream after the tournament,” Shang said during his on-court interview, cracking a laugh. “There's a shop right over there. After the tournament if I do really good, and I feel good, I might go so maybe see you guys there!”

Shang leaps into victory ✨⏭️?

The wins continue for Shang taking the win against Purcell 7-6(3) 6-4 @ATLOpenTennis | #AtlantaOpen pic.twitter.com/i4CQU2TETN

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 27, 2024

Shang is performing plenty well this week to earn it. The teen defeated Purcell 7-6(3), 6-4 despite two rain delays to reach the second ATP Tour semi-final of his budding career. Earlier this season, he made the last four in Hong Kong.

The Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF contender led 5/2 in the first-set tie-break when play was suspended due to rain. The weather struck again at 4-4, deuce in the second set.

Tennis gets underway at the Paris 2024 Olympics this Saturday and all eyes will be on the doubles pairing of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, dubbed 'Nadalcaraz', playing in Spanish colours.

“It’s an iconic image that could define an era,” explained Carlos Moyà, Nadal’s coach. “I watched the two training sessions they’ve had from the courtside and I had a great time. You see Rafa with his experience and charisma. And then you see Carlos, kind of like Rafa was aged 20 or 21, very expressive and effusive… Hopefully they can keep going because it’s a partnership that tennis fans can fall in love with.”

[ATP APP]

Nadal and Alcaraz go into their first-round match against the Argentines Máximo González and Andrés Molteni after completing two doubles training sessions together: on Wednesday they won 6-4, 3-0 against Marcel Granollers and Pablo Carreño Busta and on Friday they were victorious again against the other Spanish pair by 6-3.

“It’s not just about understanding each other,” Nadal stressed. “We need to play doubles well individually. We’ve played very little doubles: Carlos hasn’t played for a long time and I played for two days last week, in Bastad. We have to make the doubles movements automatic, they’re completely different to those of a singles match,” the two-time Olympic medallist added.

“We have to know where to return, select the right shot in each situation… With each game, we’ve felt better and better, more comfortable all-round. We’ll make mistakes from time to time. I doubt our opponents will: they know their roles, and we’ll have to face that from the start. We’re very excited and very focused on giving ourselves the best chance.”

ATPTour.com continues it series paying tribute to Andy Murray as the former World No. 1 readies for his final tournament, the Olympic Tennis Event.

There was rarely a dull moment when Andy Murray stepped onto a tennis court.

The Briton will be remembered as one of the most resilient and defiant fighters the ATP Tour has ever seen. A natural competitor who also possessed one of the most effective counter-punching games in the world, the emotions Murray conveyed as he played encouraged millions of fans to live every shot, every rally, and every match with him.

To celebrate the end of his esteemed career, ATPTour.com looks back on 10 of Murray’s most memorable on-court moments.

[ATP APP]

1. San Jose, 2006: Teenage Murray beats former No. 1s for first Tour title
Murray announced himself as one of the world’s most promising teenagers in 2005. He reached the third round at both the Queen’s Club and Wimbledon, his second and third tour-level events, respectively, before reaching his first ATP Tour final later that year in Bangkok, where he fell to World No. 1 Roger Federer.

Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams were centre stage for the lighting of the Olympic cauldron Friday night in Paris, as the world's eyes turned to the City of Lights for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics.

Nadal, who has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slams titles in Paris at Roland Garros, received the Olympic flame from French football legend Zinedine Zidane before boarding a boat on the Seine, where he was joined by Williams, nine-time gold medallist Carl Lewis and five-time gold medallist Nadia Comaneci.

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From Centre Court to Centre Stage ?

In a city that has been so special to him, all eyes are on you Rafa... what a moment ❤️
@RafaelNadal | @olympics pic.twitter.com/erAnKzpVP6

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 26, 2024

The quartet then handed off to French tennis great and Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, who carried the torch to the Louvre. French judoka Teddy Riner and former French track and field star Marie-Josée Pérec had the honour of lighting the unique cauldron, which resmbled an ascending balloon in tribute to the first 'aerostatic' flight by the Montgolfier brothers at Versailles in 1783.

Nadal a former Olympic gold medallist in singles (2008) and doubles (2016 w/ Marc Lopez) and former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is in action on day one of the Olympic Tennis Event Saturday, partnering Carlos Alcaraz in doubles.

Hugo Gaston and Sebastian Ofner entered the week having played one another three times in professional matches. In Kitzbühel, they clashed in a Lexus ATP Head2Head Challenge for the first time.

Which player was able to hit the most targets in the 60 seconds allotted?

"This one will be very special. It will have a special place at my home," the winner said as he looked at his trophy.

[ATP APP]

Watch the full video above to find out who emerged victorious.

Also watch Saturday not before 1 p.m. local time when Gaston tries to secure his first ATP Tour title in the final of the Generali Open. Competing in his second tour-level final (2021 Gstaad), the lefty will face former No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings Matteo Berrettini for the ATP 250 crown. It will be the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

The competition for PIF ATP Rankings points will be fierce at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington next week, where Andrey Rublev, Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov will be the top three seeds.

Since there are no points up for grabs at the Paris Olympics, the Washington competitors have an opportunity to make a move with a deep run.

Before each tournament week, ATPTour.com looks at three players who might be good selections for fans in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor.

Make Your Picks Now!

Ben Shelton — replacing 0 points
Shelton lost his opening match of the American summer on Thursday in Atlanta, but there is reason to believe the lefty is positioned well for a bounceback week in Washington.

Jennifer Capriati is a former professional tennis player from the United States known for her impressive achievements and significant impact on the sport. Here's a detailed overview of her career and contributions to tennis: Early Life and CareerFull Name: Jennifer Maria CapriatiDate of Birth: March 29, 1976Birthplace: New York City, New York, USAE...

Lorenzo Musetti has successfully adapted his all-court game from the grass of Wimbledon to the clay of Umag, charging into the final of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag with a dominant win over Czech teen Jakub Mensik Friday night.

In his first appearance since reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals earlier this month, the 22-year-old Italian led from start to finish against the #NextGenATP star, converting all five break point chances that came his way, according to Infosys Stats.

[ATP APP]

In Saturday's final the World No. 16 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings will face Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, who upset top seed Andrey Rublev 7-6(6), 6-4.

“Jakub is a really great player, I saw a lot of myself when I was in his position, making the first results in the ATP Tour,” said Musetti, who has won 15 of his past 18 matches. “He was playing really great tennis but I think tonight I played at my best level and it was a convincing game from my side.

“Of course it is a positive period for me, but I try not to forget what there is behind it. There have been so many up and downs in my career; in the last three years a lot of things changed in my life. Whenever you don’t expect something, it happens, so you have to be ready to take the chances and I think I’m taking all the chances that life and tennis is giving me.”

Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur will make his Olympics debut in Paris. The 25-year-old is enjoying a career-best season in which he has risen to No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

ATPTour.com sat down with the Sydney native to learn his favourite Olympic athlete and which sport De Minaur did not inherit from his Aussie upbringing.

[ATP APP]

Which Olympic sport would you like to watch the most?
I would love to watch basketball. Obviously football. Swimming has always been a very strong sport for Australia and I guess probably athletics as well.

Is there an Olympic sport you think you would not be well suited to compete in?
Swimming. Anything to do with swimming, I struggled. I've tried to do it in a couple of preseasons in the past and it's something I did not enjoy. I found it very, very hard.

Who is your favourite Olympic athlete who is not a tennis player?
I’m going to go with [Australian basketballer] Patty Mills.

Let there be no doubt: Matteo Berrettini is back!

The 28-year-old Italian, who in March was floundering outside the Top 150 of the PIF ATP Rankings,  advanced to his second ATP 250 final in as many weeks Friday when he defeated Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 6-4 in the Generali Open semi-finals in Kitzbuhel.

[ATP APP]

Berrettini dropped just four points on his first serve and saved the lone break point he faced according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I feel really good. Obviously I feel tired in the way that I have had a lot of matches on my shoulders, but it’s a good feeling,” Berrettini said. “It’s not tired that I cannot play anymore, it’s tired that I’m pushing myself and this is what I was looking to before the tournament, hoping to have as many matches as possible.

“It’s been a great two weeks and hopefully tomorrow’s going to be another title; that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

A deep-thinking statesman known for his dry and self-deprecating humour off the court and fighting spirit on it, Andy Murray has long been one of the most popular figures on the ATP Tour. The Briton has often used social media as a way to give fans a glimpse into his personal life, with humour regularly at the centre of his posts.

As ATPTour.com celebrates the career of the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings during his final tournament appearance at the Paris Olympics, we look back at 10 of our favourite Murray moments through the years.

[ATP APP]

1. Mauresmo coaching stint highlights support for women’s tennis
Throughout his career, Murray has been a staunch supporter of women in sport. After he brought on former WTA No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as his coach in 2014, the negative reactions to the appointment gave him even deeper appreciation for the challenges women face in tennis and across the sporting landscape.

The groundbreaking appointment made Murray the first male player of his stature to work with a lead female coach. While it was a natural fit for Murray — whose mother, Judy, was his first coach — many outsiders were quick to criticise the Frenchwomen for any of his struggles. 

“Since then, I have been asked about women's equality and I would find it hard to look any of the top female tennis players in the eye if I did not speak my mind,” Murray wrote in a 2017 BBC essay.

For the second straight year, 19-year-old Shang Juncheng has knocked home favourite Ben Shelton out of the Atlanta Open. The Chinese #NextGenATP star earned a 7-6(6), 6-4 win on Thursday night, beating the World No. 14 for his biggest career win by PIF ATP Ranking.

Shang's second Top 20 win (2-7) saw him through to his third tour-level quarter-final, with the previous two coming this season in Hong Kong and Eastbourne. He has moved up seven places to No. 82 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings this week, setting himself up for a new career-high, and also solidified his position in fourth place in the PIF ATP Race To Jeddah.

"It was a really tough match," Shang said after improving to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head against Shelton. "The conditions are completely different from last year. The courts are much slower. But with this crowd, I really enjoy playing here. I don't know what I did to play so well against Ben but he's such an amazing guy, a lot of respect to him."

He later added: "I think I played really well and hopefully I can continue this."

Shang comes in with a bang ?‼️

Biggest career win for Shang defeating No. 1 seed Shelton 7-6(6) 6-4 @ATLOpenTennis | #AtlantaOpen pic.twitter.com/yq5msniD2f

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal will all be in action on Day 1 of the Olympic Tennis Event Saturday at Roland Garros in Paris.

Alcaraz is in line for a hectic Olympics debut, facing Lebanon's Hady Habib during the day session on Court Suzanne-Lenglen before heading to Court Philippe-Chatrier to open the night session with doubles partner Rafael Nadal. 'Nadalcaraz' will play sixth-seeded Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

Chasing his first Olympic singles gold, Djokovic will take on Australian Matthew Ebden, better known as one of the game's leading doubles players. Ebden, who reached as high as No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings as a singles player, last took to the court solo almost two years ago at the ATP 250 in Winston-Salem.

Other big names in action Saturday include Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

View Day 1 Schedule

Andrey Rublev is through to his first semi-final since he won the Madrid title in May after a comeback win against Fabian Marozsan Thursday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. The top seed earned a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory to set up a Friday showdown with fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo in what will be his 40th tour-level semi-final.

"I feel great," Rublev said of his accomplishment. "I was looking forward to that match because it was a great challenge for me. After the first set I was thinking that maybe today's not my day. But then somehow I changed my mentality and I started to say, 'No, just keep fighting and we'll see what's going to happen.' In the end I was able to play better and better to end up winning."

Rublev is seeking to win multiple titles at the same event for the first time in his career, with all 16 of his tour-level trophies having come in different locations. He is also bidding for his third title of 2024 after triumphs in Hong Kong and Madrid.

Rublev races to the semi-finals ?️??

The win goes to @AndreyRublev97 over Marozsan 5-7 6-3 6-2@CroatiaOpenUmag | #CroatiaOpenUmag pic.twitter.com/zjVavmUPUg

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 25, 2024

By reaching the semis, Rublev moved past Casper Ruud to No. 8 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. He can climb to within 70 points of World No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz by winning the title.

The Mubadala Citi DC Open is a combined ATP/WTA 500 event hosting an elite roster of men's and women's stars in the iconic United States' capital, Washington, D.C. Among those in action this year in Washington will be American hopefuls Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, rising star Alex Michelsen, the resurgent Denis Shapovalov and a host of WTA stars.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the US tournament:

When is the Mubadala Citi DC Open?
The ATP 500 event will be held from 29 July to 4 August. The hard-court tournament, established in 1969 by Arthur Ashe alongside Donald Dell and John A. Harris, will take place at the Fitzgerald Tennis Centre in Washington, D.C., USA. The tournament director is Dani Vallverdu.

Who is playing at the Mubadala Citi DC Open?
The tournament promises a strong lineup, with established players like Frances Tiafoe and Karen Khachanov competing alongside younger talents such as Ben Shelton and Alex Michelsen. Other notable players include Sebastian Korda, Denis Shapovalov and Reilly Opelka.

View The American Prospects Hoping To Become Champion

Matteo Berrettini extended his winning streak to eight matches after defeating American wild card Nicolas Moreno De Alboran 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel Thursday.

The Italian fired seven aces, dropped just five points on his first serve and saved all three break points according to Infosys ATP Stats. He also improved to 9-0 in tie-breaks during the past two weeks.

[ATP APP]

The former World No. 6 was outside the Top 150 in the PIF ATP Rankings in March but returned to the Top 50 after winning his ninth title last week in Gstaad. He is chasing his third clay-court crown of the year (also Marrakech).

“Really happy with the performance, I’ve never played against him so I didn’t really know what to expect,” Berrettini said of his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against the World No. 143. “It was a really high level of tennis and I think he was playing and serving really well, hitting the forehand really well, so I had to dig deep with my energy and my level.

“I couldn’t break him in the first set, I had some chances but he played well and in the tie-break this time I was down so I was like ‘Now I’m going to lose this one’. But I fought hard and I’m really happy because I think the level in the second set was better than the first.”

Stan Wawrinka partnered Roger Federer en route to a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Now aged 39, Wawrinka is set for his third Olympics appearance in Paris. 

ATPTour.com sat down with the three-time major champion to hear about his best memories from the prestigious event.

[ATP APP]

How does your Olympic success stick out in your career?
For me, it was my first big, big result, to be able to win a gold medal in the Olympics. The Olympics is not only special, it’s special because it’s every sport. It’s all of the athletes in every sport and it’s something that not only tennis fans watch, but fans of every sport are going to watch the Olympics in general.

The experience of playing there, being there in the Swiss house, having the chance to share with different athletes and looking at different sports, it’s always going to be an amazing memory for me.

Is there an Olympic athlete you enjoy in particular?
I think my first one was Beijing and Usain Bolt was something special there, let’s put it that way. Of course I enjoyed that a lot.

The ATP is proud to announce the publication of its first Sustainability Report, offering an in-depth look at the ATP’s ongoing commitment to sustainability through the ATP Serves programme.

The report provides insight into the ATP’s strategy for addressing its climate impact, an overview of key initiatives implemented to date and a look ahead at future actions. Highlights include:

A deep dive into the award-winning ATP Carbon Tracker app developed in collaboration with Infosys. The Nitto ATP Finals as a showcase for sustainability innovation. ATP’s 2030 and 2040 emissions targets under UN Sports for Climate Action. Sustainability wins on the ATP Challenger Tour, reducing impact and improving player welfare. Partner collaborations to reduce single-use plastics, promote eco-friendly transportation, and drive sustainable innovation on Tour. Efforts to reduce the impact of staff travel. Fan-facing initiatives designed to increase awareness and participation in sustainability efforts.[ATP APP]

ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli said: “Sustainability, often framed in terms of fear and urgency, is, at its core, an opportunity – to innovate, to forge new partnerships and to inspire. Our inaugural sustainability report celebrates the strides we've made, the milestones we've reached and the journey ahead.”

Sector Engagement Lead at UN Climate Change Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu said: “The publication of ATP’s first-ever Sustainability Report is an important step in its climate action journey and commitment to transparency. It’s inspiring to see the innovations that ATP has implemented across the tennis ecosystem, and its ambitious plans to build upon them.”

The 2023 ATP Serves Sustainability Report is available here and at https://serves.atptour.com/.

Two-time gold medallist Andy Murray has withdrawn from singles at the Paris Olympics, but still intends to compete in doubles alongside Daniel Evans in his final Olympic appearance.

Speaking at Thursday’s draw, Murray said, "The Olympics has been incredibly special for me and there have been some amazing memories on the court, particularly in London.

[ATP APP]

"I'm happy I get to do this one more time. It's unfortunate. I trained to get ready to play both, but I'm getting a bit older now so it gets harder to recover from injuries. I ran out of time."

Murray, who has announced that he will retire at the end of the Olympics, has not played singles since retiring in the second round of the cinch Championships in Queen’s. He underwent a small operation on his back before Wimbledon, where he was restricted to playing doubles with his brother Jamie.

Murray will finish his career with a 739-262 record in singles. He earned 46 titles, including 2016 Rio and 2012 London Olympic gold medals.