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Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury completed their US Open trifecta in September, capturing the title at Flushing Meadows for a third consecutive year. Now the American-British duo sets their sights on another coveted title defense: the Nitto ATP Finals.

Ram and Salisbury have found their form with a late-season surge, claiming the title in two of their past three events. Perhaps no better memory than in New York, where they captured their fourth major team trophy.

“We've had great success there and we've done well. I don't think you can ever just assume that you're going to win a major,” Ram told Chris Bowers on the ATP Podcast. “But we seem to play our best there for sure. For whatever reason, I think a lot of things suit our game [there] and as tennis players, we tend to do well at places we've done well before.

“I do think it's a pretty substantial achievement that we were able to win it three times in a row just because even if you do well in play, something has to go your way. And so for that to happen three years in a row was pretty special for us.”

Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram are crowned champions at the 2023 US Open. Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images
Despite an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, Ram and Salisbury have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for a fifth consecutive year. A second consecutive title in Turin would be the best possible way to close the year for Ram and Salisbury. 

Alexander Shevchenko booked his first appearance in an ATP Tour semi-final in style on Thursday at the Moselle Open.

The 22-year-old downed third seed Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-4 at the indoor ATP 250 in Metz for just his second victory against an opponent in the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Shevchenko saved all three break points he faced to upset the World No. 15 Khachanov in a 73-minute quarter-final clash.

? Shot of the week contender!

Alexander Shevchenko can do NO wrong ?@MoselleOpen | #MoselleOpen pic.twitter.com/tYlSm4hDgZ

After defeating Mathias Bourgue, Mate Valkusz and Khachanov this week in Metz, Shevchenko has risen three spots to No. 60 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, setting him up for a career-high next Monday. He has enjoyed a breakout season on the ATP Tour, notching 15 tour-level wins and reaching his first quarter-final at the ATP 500 in Basel two weeks ago.

Shevchenko’s next opponent in France will be Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who ended #NextGenATP Luca Van Assche’s run with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win. Herbert had not won a tour-level singles match in more than 20 months prior to this week but is now preparing for the 12th ATP Tour semi-final of his career.

Jan-Lennard Struff and Jack Draper set a hard-hitting late-season clash on Thursday at the Sofia Open, where the pair notched contrasting quarter-final victories at the indoor ATP 250.

The third-seeded Struff overcame Fabian Marozsan 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4 in a one-hour, 58-minute battle in Bulgaria to reach his first hard-court ATP Tour semi-final since 2021. The 33-year-old German, who is now 20-16 for the season, rallied from 0-2 in the deciding set to prevail in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Marozsan.

“I think it was a great match of very high intensity and a good level,” said Struff. “I felt like [we both] played a very good first set. In the second I gave away one break with a double fault, which I think was unexpected. But in the third he was a break up and I managed to stay in, fight for every point and [be aggressive] on return.”

Bend it like Struff ?

Lovely whip from @Struffitennis! @sofiaopentennis | #SofiaOpen pic.twitter.com/EoXVpmnuoC

Struff’s next test in Sofia is a semi-final meeting with Draper, who eased past wild card Cem Ilkel 6-2, 6-2 to back up his second-round win against top seed Lorenzo Musetti. The 21-year-old Briton converted four of nine break points he earned to book his third appearance in an ATP Tour semi-final after Eastbourne in 2022 (I. to Cressy) and Adelaide-2 in 2023 (I. to Kwon).

Home favourite Jannik Sinner will play in the first singles match of the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday afternoon at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. The fourth seed will play Stefanos Tsitsipas before six-time season finale champion Novak Djokovic takes on eighth seed Holger Rune in the evening session.

Tsitsipas leads Sinner 5-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The pair has split two clashes this season, with Tsitsipas winning a five-setter at the Australian Open and Sinner earning his revenge in straight sets one month later in Rotterdam.

Djokovic will play Rune just two weeks after their memorable Rolex Paris Masters quarter-final. The World No. 1 emerged victorious after two hours and 55 minutes en route to capturing the title at the season's final ATP Masters 1000 event. None of their four Lexus ATP Head2Head showdowns have ended in straight sets (series tied 2-2).

In doubles action, top seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek will face seventh seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the afternoon, and fourth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin will play fifth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the evening.

ORDER OF PLAY - SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER

Move like a gazelle? A forehand that he can 'rev up'? Be a recipient of the Accelerator Programme?

Briton Toby Samuel checks all the boxes and if the 21-year-old can race up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as fast as he moves around the court, he will be the next college player to find success at the highest level.

The University of South Carolina star finished the collegiate season at 10th in the ITA Rankings, earning him six main draw spots into select ATP Challenger Tour events, thanks to the ATP/ITA Accelerator Programme, which aims to become a launching pad for the top players within the American collegiate system and accelerate their journey to the pro level.

Samuel is using an Accelerator spot at this week’s Calgary National Bank Challenger, where he secured his third win at that level on Tuesday.

“That’s been so helpful for a lot of college players making that transition to the Tour because we’ve missed out on four years to play on the Tour. I feel like our level is at this level, we just haven’t had enough time to get the points to get here,” Samuel told ATPTour.com in Calgary.

Top seed Novak Djokovic will lead the Green Group at the Nitto ATP Finals with home favourite and fourth seed Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune, it was revealed at the draw on Thursday afternoon in Turin.

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz headlines Red Group, which also will feature Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic, a six-time champion at the season finale, is trying to break a tie with Roger Federer for most titles in tournament history. He is also closing in on earning ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honours for the eighth time.

Four of the eight singles competitors have lifted the trophy before. Djokovic (6x), Zverev (2x), Medvedev and Tsitsipas have all earned the ultimate championship in the sport.

SINGLES
Green Group: Novak Djokovic (1), Jannik Sinner (4), Stefanos Tsitsipas (6), Holger Rune (8)

Holger Rune's 2023 season has taken the shape of a three-act play. A smooth and successful start was followed by a challenging middle period, before the Dane began to put things right late in the year. Now it all sets up for the dramatic climax at the Nitto ATP Finals.

After making the trip to Turin as an alternate last season, following his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters, Rune was well on course to qualify for his debut at the season finale following consecutive quarter-final runs at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Before that, the 20-year-old reached his second Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo and then completed a successful title defence in Munich the very next week.

"If I continued the way that I did the first six months, I would be in easily," Rune said of his progress in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Instead, he struggled after Wimbledon, posting a 1-5 record from August to mid-October. That kept the Dane battling to make the Nitto ATP Finals right up until his return to Paris-Bercy as the defending champion.

"It's OK. It's a good fight," Rune said of his precarious position entering the year's final ATP Masters 1000. "It's the last push of the season. I'm really ready to give all."

[SWEEPSTAKES]

At the close of yet another historic season, Novak Djokovic enters the Nitto ATP Finals with an eye on breaking another record.

The Serbian won three Grand Slams this season, equalling Rafael Nadal's all-time best 22 men's major singles titles at the Australian Open and then storming past that mark with further triumphs at Roland Garros and the US Open. He also extended his own ATP Masters 1000 record by winning his 39th and 40th titles at that level in Cincinnati and Paris.

He will add to two more precious records —  finishing as year-end No. 1 for an eighth time and passing 400 weeks at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings — if he can hold onto the top spot in Turin.

But that's not all that's on the line for the Serbian at the season finale. If he can repeat as champion, Djokovic will win his seventh Nitto ATP Finals crown and break a tie with Roger Federer for most at the prestigious year-end event.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

ATP, Nitto and the Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel (FITP) have teamed up to launch the Nitto ATP Finals Torino Green Project, an environmental sustainability project in Turin, the event’s host city. It headlines another year of sustainability in the spotlight for the event.

The Nitto ATP Finals Torino Green Project will aim to offset CO2 emissions in the City of Turin, while supporting the development and regeneration of green spaces around the city. Through funds raised, 40 trees will be planted in the vicinity of Pala Alpitour arena, the home of the Nitto ATP Finals. It will also see the installation of green roofs atop select bus stops in the city, designed to improve insulation, reduce storm water run-off, capture CO2, filter pollutants, and increase biodiversity.

Nitto will kickstart the project by donating €100,000 to the Municipality of Turin. Nitto will raise additional funds through an online charity auction offering premium tournament tickets and unique money-can’t-buy experiences, in addition to proceeds from Stalogy notebook sales in the Nitto ATP Finals Fan Village. To explore the charity auction and bid for exclusive prizes, click here.

Photo: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
The Nitto ATP Finals Torino Green Project was officially announced at the Nitto ATP Finals Innovation Summit, held today in central Turin for the second consecutive year. The Summit focused on CO2 emissions reduction and the circular economy. Panel discussions featured representatives from Nitto, ATP, FITP, and The City of Turin, one of 100 "Mission Cities" chosen by the European Commission to become climate neutral by 2030. A panel of world-leading brands and tech start-ups, including Haier, Iren, PlanetSmartCity, Argotec and Pirelli, rounded out the Summit.

Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO, said: “The Nitto ATP Finals is our flagship event and a cornerstone of the ATP Serves sustainability strategy. We have ambitious targets and meaningful progress is only possible with the right partners by your side. We would like to thank Nitto and FITP for their commitment to this special event and focus on environmental sustainability.”

Watch a live stream of the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals draw today on this page from 3.30 p.m. CET/9.30 a.m. ET.

World No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic will be top seed in the Green Group, with World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz the top seed in the Red Group.

The tournament also features Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune.

The event, which also features the world's best eight doubles teams, runs 12-19 November in Turin, Italy.

Overcoming obstacles and naysayers has been a constant theme for Aziz Dougaz, the Tunisian who is one of just two players from Africa in the Top 250 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The 26-year-old is enjoying a career-best season on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he’s reached seven quarter-finals in 2023 and is hoping for another deep run this week in Calgary, Canada. To understand how Dougaz has reached this point takes revisiting his past.

“My path was like no one else’s path that’s playing the same tournaments I’m playing,” Dougaz told ATPTour.com at the Calgary National Bank Challenger. “I think I created my own path in tennis and I pushed through the obstacles I faced and I have a lot more obstacles to face to reach my goals.

“I come from a city in Tunisia that nobody ever thought I could already be where I am now because of the obstacles. No money, no coaches, no tournaments. Tennis was just for fun and that’s it. Nobody thought that we could make it. I had nobody to tell me, ‘This is the way, this is what we need to do.’ I was always going through the unknown and adapting to what comes to me. I think that’s a strength I have and I have to use it.”

[ATP APP]

Fabio Fognini reached his first tour-level quarter-final of the season in dramatic style on Wednesday when he saved two match points to claw past Alexander Bublik 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(5) at the Moselle Open.

The Italian saved match points at 5/6 and 6/7 in the second-set tie-break with great touch around the net. Fognini then recovered from squandering a break advantage in the third set before eventually sealing victory on his first match point to advance after two hours and 53 minutes.

Fognini will meet #NextGenATP Jordan star Abdullah Shelbayh or defending champion Lorenzo Sonego in the last eight.

In other action, French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert reached his first tour-level quarter-final since Marseille in 2021 when he downed Dutch lucky loser Gijs Brouwer 7-5, 6-4.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche also advanced after Stan Wawrinka was forced to retire at the end of the second set with the score 3-6, 7-6(6). The 19-year-old Van Assche, who will compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals later this month, saved two match points in the second set to reach his second tour-level quarter-final of the season. He will next face Herbert. Alexander Shevchenko defeated Mate Valkusz 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Jack Draper continued his impressive recent form on Wednesday at the Sofia Open, where he defeated top seed Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-2 to reach his seventh tour-level quarter-final.

The Briton won his fifth ATP Challenger Tour title in Italy last week and has quickly found his level in Sofia, also beating Maximilian Marterer at the ATP 250 event. In a high-quality performance against Musetti, Draper won 89 per cent (31/35) of his first-serve points to advance one hour and 48 minutes.

"Lorenzo is an amazing player, one of the top young players in the world, so I knew it would be a real challenger," Draper said. "I started off a little slow but after that I found momentum and am proud of the way I played. I am feeling really confident, I am playing great tennis."

The 21-year-old, who reached the fourth round at the US Open in September, is chasing his maiden tour-level title. He will next play Cem Ilkel after the World No. 259 beat Max Purcell 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

[ATP APP]

Carlos Alcaraz is ready to make his Nitto ATP Finals debut.

The 20-year-old star arrived at the Pala Alpitour in Turin on Wednesday, where he received a tour of the season finale's home and enjoyed his first practice session on centre court with junior World No. 1 Joao Fonseca.

Photo: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
One year ago, Alcaraz made a brief visit to the arena to receive his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour. He had qualified for the year-end championships, but did not compete due to injury.

Now Alcaraz is ready to play in the prestigious eight-man event for the first time. Tied for the ATP Tour lead with six titles this year according to Infosys ATP Stats, the Spaniard will try to add a seventh to his 2023 collection between 12 and 19 November.

The other seven competitors in the singles field are Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune. Twenty-year-olds Alcaraz and Rune are the first 20-and-under pair to compete in the same Nitto ATP Finals since 2000, when 19-year-old Lleyton Hewitt and 20-year-old Marat Safin made their debuts.

The week after a career milestone, injury suddenly struck Zizou Bergs.

The 24-year-old reached his maiden tour-level quarter-final at the ATP 250 event in Gstaad in July and the next week Bergs was playing a doubles match at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Zug, Switzerland when he tore a ligament in his left wrist.

“I did a first serve and then on the third ball, I hit a backhand and it got torn. That’s something that scares you. A normal backhand and stuff like that can happen,” Bergs told ATPTour.com at the Calgary National Bank Challenger. “From that moment, it was my last backhand and the day after in singles I was doing only slice.”

[ATP APP]

Bergs then went home to Belgium to visit a specialist who straightaway knew the problem. “The ligament was broken, so the tendon clicks out and that was the issue,” Bergs said.

ATP Tour events in Dallas, Doha and Munich will be upgraded to ATP 500 status from 2025, part of an unprecedented set of reforms to strengthen the tennis calendar.

The three event upgrades are set to deliver benefits for fans and players alike, with more action and playing opportunities at bigger events. It marks the ATP’s latest move to enhance the sport’s calendar and premium product, a core objective of the OneVision strategy.

The Dallas Open’s upgrade bid, by GF Sports & Entertainment, was headlined by a relocation to a soon-to-be announced new venue. The city has a long track record of hosting major sporting events including All-Star Games and Super Bowls, and is set to be a host city of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Qatar ExxonMobil Open (Doha) is a five-time ATP 250 Tournament of the Year winner, as voted by players, known for its world-class standards and attracting one of the strongest player fields in the category.

The BMW Open (Munich) is set to undergo a full-scale renovation of its facility as part of its upgrade plans. The Munich application was a joint bid between Iphitos (owner of the Munich ATP 250 membership) and Champ AG (owner of Lyon ATP 250 membership).

Lorenzo Musetti is known for his brand of entertaining and flashy shot-making every time he steps onto the tennis court. The 21-year-old Italian is the top seed at this year’s edition of the Sofia Open. As Musetti has risen up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, he has often received more media attention and spotlight as one of the best young prospects of his generation.

Compared to his previous experiences of pre-tournament press conferences, this one in Sofia had a different twist to it. Musetti took the time to engage with fun questions asked by young kids on Tuesday.

One of the kids asked him how he maintains his focus in the middle of losing a game. Musetti was honest in his assessment of himself.

“Not every game, unfortunately, I maintain the best focus. I am not the best on Tour with that.” He later added, “I am working very hard to practice that, which is really important especially from a young age like yours.”

[ATP APP]

Arthur Fils, Dominic Stricker, Luca Van Assche and Flavio Cobolli have qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals, while Abdullah Shelbayh has received a wild card for the innovative 21-and-under event, to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 28-November-2 December.

The 19-year-old Frenchman Fils has broken new ground on the ATP Tour this season after beginning the year at No. 251 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The World No. 36 captured his first tour-level title in Lyon in May and reached the title match in Antwerp last month. Fils also enjoyed runs to the semi-finals in Montpellier, Marseille and Hamburg and is now set to make his debut in Jeddah.

Fils’ countryman Van Assche will also line up at the Next Gen ATP Finals after qualifying for the first time. The 19-year-old has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year, with his best result on the ATP Tour a quarter-final showing at the ATP 500 in Hamburg. Van Assche also won a set against Novak Djokovic in Banja Luka.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

Swiss lefty Stricker will make his second appearance at the 21-and-under event after reaching the semi-finals last year. The 21-year-old has continued his development this season, highlighted by his run to the fourth round at the US Open. Stricker cracked the Top 100 for the first time after his performance in New York.

Most elite athletes thrive behind supreme confidence, their self-belief — justified or not — willing them to achieve the impossible.

Andrey Rublev is built different. For any fans who have seen the unique 26-year-old’s affable off-court demeanor, that will come as no surprise. But Rublev is very much his own man inside the lines as well.

This season, when he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo, he battled back from 1-4, 0/30 in the third set to defeat Holger Rune in the final. What was going through his head as the Dane was pulling away?

“That it was over,” Rublev told the ATP Tour’s cameras earlier this season. “It was over, but at least try to play, not to give up. You never know, maybe somehow there will be one chance to come back and maybe somehow you will be lucky and you will make it.”

In the end, Rublev found a way through — though luck had little to do with it. After two previous defeats in ATP Masters 1000 finals, he was brought to tears upon claiming the elusive crown on the Monaco clay.

"I think my tennis didn't improve so much since last year. What I improved a lot is to [handle] the pressure, just to play relaxed. That's the most important thing for me.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s words after becoming champion for the first time at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March reflected a 19-year-old at ease with his relatively newfound status as one of the world’s top players.

The Spaniard’s stunning breakout 2022 season, during which he lifted five trophies en route to becoming the youngest No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history, could hardly have been a tougher act to follow. Yet Alcaraz has done just that this year, notching six tour-level crowns and constantly jostling with Novak Djokovic in the race for the coveted ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

Although the Serbian enters the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin as heavy favourite to finish 2023 as World No. 1, Alcaraz can look back on another remarkable year in his fledgling ATP Tour career. He wasted little time finding his rhythm on the South American clay after a hamstring injury delayed the start of his season to mid-February, charging to ATP 250 success in Buenos Aires before reaching the final as defending champion in Rio de Janeiro.