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It is only fitting that Luciano Darderi’s two title runs this season, one on the ATP Tour and another on the ATP Challenger Tour, have come in Argentina and Italy, the two countries where the 22-year-old has split time throughout his life.

Born in the coastal town of Villa Gesell, Argentina, Darderi was ‘around five years old’ when he received his first tennis racquet as a gift from his grandmother. Little did he and his grandmother know that ‘Luli’ would become a Top 40 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, with his father Luciano as his coach.

“I remember when I was six or seven, I would go by bicycle with my dad and play together,” Darderi recently told ATPTour.com. “It was a court at a hotel, close to the forest and beach. After 10 or 11, I was going to Buenos Aires because they play more tennis there and I started playing more tournaments.

“It's really special for me and my dad too. We have arrived at the level, the ranking, the dream that we've had together. This fast, at 22 years old, is really special. In one year, we are doing a lot of things and I think we have a lot more things to do.”

Set to face German Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round of the Terra Wortmann Open on Wednesday, Darderi realised his potential competing at junior tournaments aged 10, when he started spending six months in Argentina and the other half of the year in Italy, where his grandfather resided. “I started to play 100 per cent and I started to think about playing professionally,” said Darderi, who moved to Italy at age 11.

Alexander Zverev navigated through a tricky opening-round test Tuesday at the Terra Wortmann Open, where the second-seeded German defeated countryman Oscar Otte 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.

Aiming to go one step further than his two finalist appearances in Halle (2016, 2017), Zverev stayed patient to outlast Otte in baseline exchanges and capitalised in pressure moments with first-strike tennis to advance.

"A week ago, I was playing on clay still basically. He made it very tough for me, no rhythm at all," Zverev said in his on-court interview. "That's how grass-court tennis is sometimes and I'm just happy with the win. He did make it extremely difficult for me, so credit to him. I'm obviously happy that I won and hopefully it's going to be a level above in the next match."

The qualifier Otte routinely presented challenges to Zverev, often serve-and-volleying and absorbing the World No. 4's firepower with off-pace slice. But the Roland Garros finalist stuck with his heavy hitting, crushing 54 winners to his 40 unforced errors, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to win in two hours, 17 minutes under the OWL Arena roof.

Zverev improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Otte, who has troubled the 22-time tour-level titlist in both of their meetings. Otte led Zverev two-sets-to-love in the first round of Roland Garros in 2021 before the two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion roared back to win and later reach the semi-finals.

Andy Murray earned victory in his 1000th tour-level match on Tuesday when he overcame Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 at the cinch Championships.

The Scot is a record five-time champion at the Queen’s Club and he played with confidence against Popyrin to snap a four-match losing streak on Tour. Backed by a vocal crowd in London, Murray used his backhand slice to keep the ball low and hit through his forehand to dictate in the key moments.

"I didn't realise, but my mum told me before the match that this was my 1000th match on the Tour," Murray said in his on-court interview. "A lot of matches and a lot of wear and tear in the body and it is not easy but I managed to push through."

With his one-hour, 51-minute win, Murray set a second-round clash with Australian Jordan Thompson. The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings has often produced his best level on grass, also winning Wimbledon twice (2013, 2016).

Murray holds a 32-9 record at the ATP 500 grass-court event, having won his first match at the tournament in 2005.

The grass-court season is rapid fire in many ways. It takes place over the course of a month and the action is fast-paced, with the stars of the ATP Tour playing aggressively and often rushing forward.

This week, new No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz are among the stars in action at the Terra Wortmann Open and the cinch Championships, respectively.

How well do you know the grass-court season and the players who have excelled on the surface? In the newest edition of ATPTour.com's new 'Tuesday Trivia' series, we test your grass-court knowledge.

Carlos Alcaraz made a winning return at the cinch Championships on Tuesday following his Roland Garros triumph earlier this month.

The Spaniard, who lifted his third major title on the Parisian clay, was not at his best in his first grass-court match of 2024, but he found a way to move past Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 7-5 and reach the second round at the Queen's Club.

"The first match in any tournament is never easy but even more difficult here on grass, starting the grass season," Alcaraz said. "You want to do a good result and have to deal with a lot of expectations that you put on yourself. I am really happy with the match and it was a good test, playing with Francisco. It was close in the second set. It is good to have tough situations. Having to deal with nerves."

Champion instincts ?

Back in London @carlosalcaraz saves three set points to edge Cerundolo 6-1, 7-5@QueensTennis | #cinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/JBNsTRTW86

Alcaraz is the defending champion at the ATP 500 event, having dropped just one set en route to the title last season. The 21-year-old backed that up by winning Wimbledon. The top seed started quickly in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Cerundolo, committing just one unforced error in the first set to move ahead. However, his level dropped at the start of the second set, with the Spaniard trailing 2-5.

Jannik Sinner survived a challenging debut match as World No. 1 at the Terra Wortmann Open Tuesday.

In his first grass-court match of the season, the top seed overcame an opening-round scare, rallying past Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-2. The Italian’s debut match as World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings was on upset watch, though. Sinner struggled to find his footing the first hour in Halle, failing to convert two set points in the opening-set tie-break and later facing triple break point in the second set.

"It was for sure mentally tough," Sinner said in his on-court interview. "I was 5/1 up in the tie-break in the first set. But this can happen, especially on this surface, it can go very, very fast. I think I was good mentally. I was struggling in the second set, 0/40 down on my serve. If he makes that point, it is even more difficult.

"But it's all about trying to get the confidence back, especially on this surface and I have shown that. Hopefully I can show some good tennis also in the next round."

Despite jumping to a 5/1 lead in the first-set tie-break, Sinner was unable to hold off a late charge from Griekspoor, who fearlessly took returns early to win the topsy-turvy tie-break 10/8. Griekspoor, No. 27 in the PIF ATP Rankings, was aiming to build upon his grass-court pedigree, having won last year in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where he reached the semi-finals last week.

Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune, Zhang Zhizhen and local favourite Wu Yibing will headline the first edition of the Hangzhou Open, the tournament announced Tuesday at a press conference. The Chinese ATP 250 will run from 18-24 September.

Rublev, No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is a 16-time tour-level champion, including title runs this year in Hong Kong and at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid.

“I’m looking forward to coming back to China and playing in the Hangzhou Open in September,” Rublev said. “I’m excited to come to the beautiful city of Hangzhou and play in the stadium, which I know hosted the Asian Games last year.”

Zhang, 27, is China's highest-ranked male player in history, currently World No. 42. One year ago he triumphed at the Asian Games, which was held at the Hangzhou Olympics Tennis Centre, the home of this event.

“It was an excellent experience to play at the Hangzhou Olympics Tennis Center in last year’s Asian Games. It has nice facilities and there is a great atmosphere there,” Zhang said. “I’m very happy and looking forward to going back and playing at the venue again this year in the ATP event in September.”

Mariano Navone’s introduction to grass 12 months ago was brief and eye-opening.

After winning an ATP Challenger Tour title on clay in Poznan on the Saturday, the 23-year-old travelled to west London 24 hours later to make his debut on the surface at Wimbledon qualifying. He won just three games against Ricardas Berankis, with the match lasting 60 minutes.

“Last year was my first time ever on grass. I came to the club and I thought, ‘Wow, this is a strange feeling’,” Navone told ATPTour.com. “It was crazy because I won a Challenger on clay and then the next day on Sunday I trained indoors on hard. Then when I played on grass on Monday I thought, ‘What is this? What is going on?’ Because it felt totally different than a clay court or a hard court. It was my first time and it was a different experience, a challenge!”

Twelve months on and Navone is set to compete on the surface for a second time when he plays Jack Draper in the cinch Championships. It will be his maiden tour-level grass-court match. The six-time ATP Challenger Tour champion is hoping he can find his groove on the surface this week, using last year’s experience as a learning curve.

“I didn't have time to prepare last year. This year it's different because I finished Roland Garros and then went home for a little bit and played on fast hard courts. I have prepared more, hitting on grass since Thursday. But it is the first time on the ATP Tour playing on grass because I am now playing more events as I am No. 29.

Lloyd Harris is reaping the rewards of toiling through trials for two years.

The South African, who underwent major right wrist surgery in June 2022, last week climbed inside the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time in 21 months.

Harris triumphed at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy, where he won his maiden grass-court crown and became just the fourth player to win a trio of ATP Challenger Tour titles this season. But before his resurgence, the 27-year-old was enduring a turbulent period.

“The last two, three months have been a big turnaround for me,” Harris told the ATP Challenger Tour media team last week. “It’s been a tough start to the year. A tough last year dealing with a lot of injuries, came back from a big surgery. It’s been a difficult road. But all in all, in the last few months I’ve felt like I’ve stepped up and improved and changed my mentality completely.”

From surgery to success ?

Lloyd Harris lifts his third Challenger trophy of the year and returns to the Top 100, just two years after undergoing wrist surgery ⬇️#ATPChallenger | @TennisSA pic.twitter.com/1QDxuruKxX

How far can Joao Fonseca’s upward trajectory take him in 2024?

At just 17 years old, the #NextGenATP Brazilian has announced himself on the ATP Tour with a series of impressive performances across the past six months. He has reached two tour-level quarter-finals, including one on home soil in Rio de Janeiro, and climbed a remarkable 513 spots in the PIF ATP Rankings since 1 January. His rise has been so rapid that Fonseca has barely had time to calibrate it against any expectations he may have had for his first few months as a pro.

“I was really not thinking about it,” the Brazilian told ATPTour.com on Monday in Halle, when asked if he had set himself a ranking target at the start of the year. “After Rio, where I made the quarters, I jumped from 600 to 300. So it was a really big jump.”

Fonseca during his quarter-final run in February in Rio de Janeiro. Photo Credit: Rio Open.

Fonseca has excelled whenever offered the chance to compete at the top level. As a wild card, he reached the quarter-finals in Rio and Bucharest and the second round on his ATP Masters 1000 debut in Madrid. The Brazilian is eager to take advantage of another wild card opportunity this week at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, but that does not mean he will be feeling extra stress once he steps on court.

Milos Raonic on Monday set the record for most aces hit in a best-of-three-set ATP Tour match (since 1991) when he struck 47 in his 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-6(9) victory against Cameron Norrie at the cinch Championships.

The Canadian, who saved two match points in his victory, broke the record previously held by Ivo Karlovic, who hit 45 aces in the 2015 Halle quarter-finals against Tomas Berdych. According to Infosys ATP Stats Raonic won 86 per cent of his first-serve points and held all 17 service games he played.

“With the scoreline and having to save match points, I probably needed every single one of those,” Raonic said. “But my serve has always been the most important shot to me. This small record, it's something special, something meaningful.

“I’m glad that behind that also stands a win because maybe I'd feel differently or maybe a bit more sour if I was to get that many free points and lose the match. So overall, a very positive thing and a fun stat to be proud of.”

Daniil Medvedev made a successful start to his chase for his first title of the year Monday in Halle.

Despite facing a set point at 5-6 in the opening set, the third seed defeated Portugal’s Nuno Borges 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the second round of the Terra Wortmann Open. Medvedev claimed his first grass-court win of 2024 in one hour and 31 minutes. 

"It was a really tricky match. First match on grass, so the sensations were not there," Medvedev said. "But I tried my best and I felt like in the end of the match we were both playing better and better, so that's a good thing and actually the last game I played on the return was pretty good."

Borges, who was trying to claim the first Top 10 win of his career (now 0-8), had an opening at the end of the first set. The favourite Medvedev hit a double fault well long to give the Portuguese No. 1 a set point. But the 28-year-old then hit a big first serve out wide to escape trouble.

According to Infosys ATP Stats, the No. 5 player in the PIF ATP Rankings only won five more points than his opponent in the match (74-69), but he saved five of the six break points he faced, which proved critical.

Luciano Darderi continued his breakthrough season Sunday when he triumphed at the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event in Perugia, Italy. Following his title run, the 22-year-old rose to a career-high No. 34 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The Argentina-born Italian hammered his groundstrokes all week en route to a dominant run, not dropping a set across five matches. Darderi fed off the home crowd's energy in the final, downing sixth seed Sumit Nagal 6-1, 6-2 to win the Internazionali di Tennis Citta di Perugia, his third ATP Challenger Tour title.

“I’m very happy because all week I played against amazing players, Fabio [Fognini], [Andrea] Pellegrino, semi-finals against [Daniel] Altmaier. In the final, Sumit Nagal, who is playing really, really good,” said Darderi, the first Italian champion in nine editions of the Perugia Challenger.

“This tournament is really special to me. It’s really close to my house. Here in Umbria, I feel really good. Last year I won in Todi.”

A year ago Darderi was ranked outside the Top 200 of the PIF ATP Rankings and seeking his maiden ATP Challenger Tour trophy. Now a Top 40 player, Darderi’s standout 2024 season is highlighted by his maiden ATP Tour triumph as a qualifier in Cordoba. He also was a semi-finalist at the ATP 250 events in Houston and Lyon.

The backhand shot in tennis is one of the most fundamental strokes, and several classic styles have been mastered by some of the game's greatest players. Here are some of the most iconic and effective classic backhands in tennis history: 1. One-Handed BackhandRoger FedererStyle: Federer's one-handed backhand is known for its elegance, fluidity, and...

It takes more than prodigious talent to reach World No. 1. Climbing to the top of tennis’ mountain also requires mental strength, rigorous discipline, and the ability to stay dedicated to the game. It is a difficult combination of attributes that ensures no one, not even one of the brightest talents in the game, is guaranteed to go all the way to the top.

Yet Jannik Sinner’s rise to become the latest No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings has taken few by surprise, not least the Italian’s rivals on the ATP Tour. As the 22-year-old prepares for his first tournament as the world’s top player at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, several of his rivals in the ATP 500 field recalled seeing great things in Sinner’s future from the minute he burst onto the scene as a scrawny 17-year-old.

“The thing about Jannik is he came along very early,” Daniil Medvedev, another man to have occupied the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings, told ATPTour.com. “Everyone could see straight away that he had big potential. The thing about potential is it is always tricky. You never know if it is going to grow, but he always seemed very professional and serious, and usually these are the big ingredients for this potential to become reality.

“That’s what happened. There was maybe one year or one year and a half where he maybe stopped improving for one moment, and I think the rankings would say the same, but he has just reached another level in his game. Now he’s beating a lot of players, gaining a lot of points and winning a lot of tournaments.”

Top seeds this week ?

?Halle @ATPHalle | #TerraWortmannOpen pic.twitter.com/vGLMQC6A8r

Grigor Dimitrov earned a statement win on Monday at the Cinch Championships, where he dispatched World No. 21 Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 6-2 in just 63 minutes at the grass-court ATP 500.

"I was very happy with the way I started the match. I think I set the bar high and wanted to be steady the whole time," Dimitrov said. "Serve and return I just tried to focus on, they are the fundamentals of this surface. As the match went on I felt more solid and more secure, so I am very happy."

Mannarino has won two tour-level titles on grass and has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon twice. The Frenchman was unable to cope with Dimitrov’s high level in London, though, with the No. 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings striking 28 winners and committing five unforced errors, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Dimitrov has fond memories at The Queen’s Club, having won the title in 2014. The third seed will next meet Sebastian Korda or Karen Khachanov.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

The ATP Tour's grass-court season began last week with action in Stuttgart and 's-Hertogenbosch, where Jack Draper and Alex de Minaur claimed the respective singles titles. Both men rose to career-high PIF ATP Rankings as a result. ATPTour.com looks at the movers in the PIF ATP Rankings as of Monday, 17 June.

[ATP APP]

No. 30 Jack Draper, +10 (Career High)
Draper's first tour-level title at the BOSS OPEN also earned him a debut as British No. 1. The 22-year-old passed Cameron Norrie for that honour and will fittingly play his next match on home soil at The Queen's Club. Draper's first title came in his third tour-level final after runner-up finishes in Sofia last year and Adelaide this season.

No. 7 Alex De Minaur, +2 (Career High)
De Minaur won his second title of 2024 at the Libema Open, living up to his billing as the top seed at the ATP 250. The Aussie did not drop a set en route to the trophy and beat Sebastian Korda in Sunday's final. De Minaur returned to the Top 10 with a run to the Roland Garros quarter-finals, matching his previous career-high of No. 9, before rising even higher behind his 's-Hertogenbosch run.

No. 34 Luciano Darderi +7 (Career High)
Like De Minaur, Darderi won a title last week without losing a set as the top seed. The Italian went all the way as a home favourite at the ATP Challenger event in Perugia, beating Sumit Nagal in Sunday's final. The 22-year-old's rise to No. 34 in the PIF ATP Rankings has also been fuelled by his first tour-level title in Cordoba earlier this year.

Twelve months ago, Carlos Alcaraz arrived at the Cinch Championships in London having won only four tour-level matches on grass. The Spaniard went on to shine on the surface in 2023, winning 12 consecutive matches to lift trophies at the Queen’s Club and Wimbledon.

With confidence high, the 21-year-old Spaniard believes his success last year will help him quickly adjust to the grass.

“I have more matches in my bank on grass and now with the great run I had last year at Queen’s and Wimbledon, I know a little bit on how to play and understand the game a little bit on grass,” Alcaraz said in his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday. “I am more mature playing on this surface. The first practice I have done here, my movement wasn’t as good as last year but it is a slow process, so I have to be really focused in every practice and every match.”

Alcaraz arrives in London off the back of winning his third major title at Roland Garros. With his final victory against Alexander Zverev, the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings became the youngest player in history to win a slam on all three surfaces (US Open 2022, Wimbledon 2023).

The top seed at the Queen’s Club celebrated his Roland Garros triumph by celebrating with friends in Ibiza.

In March, Alex de Minaur won the Acapulco title before bolting to San Diego to see his girlfriend, Katie Boulter, win a WTA trophy the next day in San Diego. On Sunday, the tennis power couple one-upped themselves by claiming two crowns on the same day.

First, top seed De Minaur won his second grass-court tour-level title in 's-Hertogenbosch, beating Sebastian Korda 6-2, 6-4 in the final. A few hours later, Boulter followed suit by beating Karolina Pliskova 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Nottingham trophy match. The third seed pulled double duty on Sunday, wrapping up a three-set semi-final win against fellow Briton Emma Raducanu earlier in the day.

"How did that happen again ... You are a joke!" De Minaur wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

How did that happen again ???? @katiecboulter You are a joke!!! #doubletrouble

De Minaur's victory moved him up to No. 7 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, setting him up for a career high, while Boulter will remain just outside the WTA's Top 30 thanks to her successful title defence. Both players will be in action in Great Britain next week, with De Minaur at The Queen's Club and Boulter in Birmingham.

Nuno Borges is out to notch a grass-court milestone on Day 1 at the Terra Wortmann Open.

The No. 48 in the PIF ATP Rankings has arrived at the ATP 500 seeking his maiden tour-level match win on the surface. He could have been disheartened when he promptly drew World No. 5 and former Halle finalist Daniil Medvedev in the opening round, but Borges has plenty of reason to believe he can spring an upset on Monday afternoon at OWL Arena.

“I think it is everybody's least-played surface, so I guess everybody's a little bit on the same foot with it,” Borges told ATPTour.com on Sunday in Halle when asked about how top players adapt to the grass. “Even though [Medvedev] has been on the Tour for more years and played at the highest level for longer. I'll use everything I can, and if that's a good reason to hang on to any hope I'll use it.”

Borges has claimed a personal-best 13 tour-level wins this season, three of which came at January’s Australian Open. In the fourth round, the Portuguese put on an impressive display in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Medvedev, who is a two-time finalist at the Melbourne major and who ultimately overcame Borges in four sets on Rod Laver Arena.

“It was amazing,” reflected Borges, who had upset then-World No. 13 Grigor Dimitrov in the second round in Australia. “Playing on the centre court at a Slam is incredible and I believe it was the only match I played on a centre court. It was my first time on such a big court and against such a big player with a history of being so good on hard courts and who made the final, not only this year, but [in 2022 too].