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As he began his title defence at the 2023 US Open, Carlos Alcaraz said he felt like a better player than when he won his first major title in New York. While the Spaniard could not repeat his trophy feat at the hard-court Slam, his statistics this season trump his 2022 campaign almost across the board.

There is one key measure by which Alcaraz is off his previous pace: the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Alcaraz debuted at World No. 1 following his US Open triumph last year and held onto that position to finish the year as the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone. This September, he sits at No. 2.

But a closer look reveals that the 20-year-old has improved even by the measure of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

[ATP APP]

After finishing the 2022 season with 6,820 points, Alcaraz already has 8,175 points in this year's Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He's just 770 points behind Novak Djokovic in the Live Race, with two ATP Masters 1000s (Shanghai, Paris) and the Nitto ATP Finals still to come, among other events.

Liam Broady reached the Wimbledon boys’ singles final aged 17 and after turning 18, became the No. 2 junior in the world. After more than a decade, the Briton has made his biggest breakthrough on the ATP Tour.

On Tuesday, 29-year-old Broady cracked the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time by climbing to a career-high World No. 93. The lefty credits his surge over the past few years to a change in mentality, how he treats his career and his attitude on the court. Why did he make that shift?

“Partly the feeling like I'm a bit of a disappointment to what my junior career was, and feeling like I was wasting my talent. I also didn't really want to live with that feeling anymore of being rubbish or being trash at tennis and knowing I could do something about it,” Broady told ATPTour.com in July. “Whereas nowadays, I go to bed at night and I feel like, ‘Yeah, I'm doing everything I can to be better at the sport.’ I'm doing everything I can to try and achieve what I can and if I don't, at least I can say I've done that.

“I'm a big believer in karma and stuff. I think if you do the right things, good things happen, whether that's during your career or after it.”

Broady was immortalised on Netflix earlier this year when his match against Nick Kyrgios was covered on Break Point. But the Briton has proven he is far more than a complimentary character in a docuseries. He is himself one of the best players in the world, and credits his progression to his maturity.

Eight of the Top 10 players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings are set to compete at the China Open in Beijing, including debutants Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. In addition to the star-studded ATP 500, this week will also see ATP 250 action at the Astana Open, where home favourite Alexander Bublik joins Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem in the field.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at 10 things to watch this week.

[ATP APP]

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BEIJING
1) Alcaraz Returns To Action: Alcaraz is set for his first tournament since his semi-final defeat to Medvedev at the US Open. The Spaniard enters Beijing just 770 points behind Novak Djokovic in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which also serves as a barometre for the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone. With strong results in Beijing and the following week at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Alcaraz could leave Asia in fist place in the Live Race. He will face a qualifier in the first round in Beijing.

2) Medvedev Seeks To Extend Hard-Court Dominance: Medvedev has earned 38 hard-court wins this season, with the World No. 3 claiming four titles in 2023 on his favourite surface. Prior to his run to the US Open final, the 27-year-old's hard-court form peaked earlier this season when he reached five straight ATP Tour finals, winning four titles, capped with a trophy at the Miami ATP Masters 1000 in early April. The Beijing second seed will need to be ready from the first point as he opens against World No. 13 Tommy Paul.

Alexander Zverev completed a hard-earned title run on Tuesday evening in China as he claimed a 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-3 championship match win against Roman Safiullin at the Chengdu Open.

Zverev sealed his third three-set win in four matches at the ATP 250 by holding firm in the face of a clean-hitting display from Safiullin, who was competing in his maiden tour-level final. Zverev was two points from defeat at 5/5 in the second-set tie-break but he raised his level to seal a two-hour, 56-minute triumph and claim his 21st tour-level crown.

“He’s playing the best tennis of his life for sure,” said Zverev of Safiullin. “The way he was winning this week, I think he beat a lot of great players quite easily, so I knew that he was playing well. Obviously, I’m happy to be able to come back and to win this title.”

The little jump of happiness ?

Your 2023 #ChengduOpen Singles Champion: @AlexZverev ?@ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/Cr3AWUysG4

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 26, 2023

Safiullin had lit up Chengdu with a series of clean-hitting displays en route to the final and he did not let up for the championship match, striking 33 winners to his opponent’s 25. He saved three set points from 4-5, 0/40 to win the opening set, but the World No. 10 Zverev dialled in behind his big first serve and finished the stronger as he improved to 14-6 in tour-level finals on hard courts.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s annual Fan Voting is back again for 2023, with six accomplished ATP and WTA players among this year’s candidates for the Class of 2024. From 27 September through 9 October 2023, tennis fans around the world can cast their ballots to help these players achieve induction into the Hall of Fame.

The six nominees in the Player Category for the Class of 2024 are:

Carlos Moyá of Spain, winner of 1998 Roland Garros and former World No. 1 Daniel Nestor of Canada, a former doubles World No. 1 and winner of 12 major titles in doubles and mixed doubles Leander Paes of India, winner of 18 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles and a former doubles World No. 1. He makes history as the first Asian man nominated for the Hall of Fame in the Player Category. Cara Black of Zimbabwe, former doubles World No. 1 and a 10-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles Ana Ivanović of Serbia, former World No. 1 and 2008 Roland Garros champion Flavia Pennetta of Italy, former doubles World No. 1 and 2015 US Open singles champion

Paes is a new addition to the ballot, while the other five players return in the Player Category.

Fans can learn more and weigh in with their ballots at vote.tennisfame.com during the voting period. While fans can only vote once, they may vote for as many candidates as they would like.

[ATP APP]

Karen Khachanov returned to the winners' circle for the first time since 2018 on Tuesday when he captured the title at the Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships.

The top seed overcame Japanese star Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6(2), 6-1 in the final at the Chinese ATP 250 hard-court event to clinch his fifth tour-level title and first since Paris nearly five years ago.

Khachanov played 'big-man' tennis throughout the one-hour, 43-minute clash. After recovering from squandering a break advantage in the first set to edge a tight opener, the 27-year-old opened his shoulders in the second set, unleashing on the forehand to overpower Nishioka.

Khachanov struck 34 winners, including nine aces, to improve to 4-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against the eighth seed. Khachanov was competing in just his second tour-level singles event since his Roland Garros quarter-final in May, when he suffered a stress fracture in his back. His victory in Zhuhai seals a stunning comeback week.

The top seed lost in the first round at the US Open on his return in August, but looked close to his best in Zhuhai, dropping just one set en route to the title. Khachanov, who also triumphed on Chinese soil in Chengdu in 2016, is up to No. 14 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul clinched their first ATP Tour title in thrilling fashion Tuesday, when they defeated Francisco Cabral and Rafael Matos 4-6, 7-5, 10-7 at the Chengdu Open.

French duo Doumbia and Reboul reeled off five consecutive points from 5/7 in the Match Tie-break to secure victory in one-hour, 52-minutes in China’s Sichuan province. The top seeds saved five of the six break points they faced to add a tour-level crown to the 15 ATP Challenger Tour titles they have won together since 2019.

[ATP APP]

The 33-year-old Doumbia and 28-year-old Reboul reached three tour-level semi-finals in 2022 and came close to becoming champions at that level for the first time in February, when they reached the championship match in Cordoba. After finally tasting title success by dropping just two sets all week in Chengdu, the French pair improved to 23-17 for the 2023 season.

Currently 17th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, Doumbia and Reboul will next head to Kazakhstan to compete at the Astana Open. They will hope another deep run at an ATP 250 can maintain their momentum as they eye a late qualification charge for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus continued their impressive season on Tuesday when they captured their fourth tour-level title together at the Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships.

The second seeds overcame third seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes to triumph at the Chinese ATP 250 hard-court event.

Murray and Venus, who dropped just one set en route to the title, saved all 13 break points they faced in the final, holding their nerve in the key stages to improve to 38-19 as a team in 2023.

[ATP APP]

The British-Kiwi pair is up three spots to ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings on 3,325 points. They are just 15 points behind eighth-placed Lammons and Withrow. Murray and Venus will aim to further boost their Nitto ATP Finals qualification chances when they compete in Astana this week.

The China Open draw has thrown up a host of intriguing first-round matches. Third seed Holger Rune meets Felix Auger-Aliassime, former champion Andy Murray will renew his Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry with Alex de Minaur and second seed Daniil Medvedev meets Turin hopeful Tommy Paul. Medvedev could play Murray in the second round.

The ATP 500 hard-court event, which is taking place for the first time since 2019, features eight of the Top 10 players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. World No. 2 and top seed Carlos Alcaraz faces a qualifier on debut and could play Karen Khachanov or Lorenzo Musetti in the second round.

The Spaniard, who has won six tour-level trophies this year, is seeded to meet Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals. The seventh seed opens against Jan-Lennard Struff, who returned from injury last week in Zhuhai.

Rune is also in the top half and could play 22-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals. Denmark's Rune is eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and will hope for a deep run to boost his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. Sixth seed Sinner meets Washington champion Daniel Evans in the first round.

[ATP APP]

As Karen Khachanov and Yoshihito Nishioka prepared for the resumption of elite tennis in Zhuhai a week ago, neither man was fully convinced they would be contending for the crown come the final.

Both men enjoyed bright starts to the season but then endured a rough patch after Roland Garros, with a back injury forcing Khachanov to the sidelines and a form slump hitting Nishioka’s confidence.

But after a superb week at the Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships, including strong semi-final wins, the two players are one triumph away from claiming their first ATP Tour title for 2023.

Khachanov, the top seed, showed greater poise on pivotal points when edging Sebastian Korda 7-5 6-4 on Monday, while the eighth-seeded Nishioka progressed past an ailing Aslan Karatsev 6-4 6-4.

It will be the fifth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair, with Khachanov leading their series 3-1, the most recent of which was a straight set triumph in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January.

Terence Atmane would be happy to demonstrate a magic trick with playing cards, talk about his 158 IQ score, or comment on his two recent titles on the ATP Challenger Tour.

But mention the Next Gen ATP Finals contender's lifelong Pokémon card collection, which he started in 2007, and the 21-year-old Frenchman lights up.

“I have one of the biggest collections in France,” Atmane told ATPTour.com. “I [am] planning to put a video on my Instagram showing the collection that I have by the end of the year with some subtitles and everything. Like 10, 15 minutes to show people what it is about, so they can learn a little bit more about me and my collection, the story all about it and how it started and why.

“When I was a little kid, I was watching Pokémon on TV. It came pretty naturally, at school and everything, people were talking about these Pokémon cards and it was pretty famous in the world at that time. I remember I was playing with my friends in school and then somehow I started collecting this when I was a little boy. And this little boy still has his collection from that time.”

[ATP APP]

Players from Argentina and France continue to battle atop the ATP Challenger Tour leaderboards. Argentines won a record 23 Challenger titles last season, with France just one behind. Both countries now find themselves in another race for history in the final quarter of the season.

Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli captured his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title and first of this season on Sunday to earn his country’s 17th trophy at that level in 2023. France leads the way with 23, one shy of breaking the all-time record, after Constant Lestienne scored his second Challenger crown of the season.

The 24-year-old Ugo Carabelli returned to the winners’ circle by winning the Challenger Dove Men+Care Antofagasta, where he rallied past American Tristan Boyer 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the final. Boyer, 22, played college tennis for two years at Stanford University before turning pro last season.

"I am very happy to win, I have been working hard to get a result like this and luckily I got it," Ugo Carabelli said in Spanish. "I felt comfortable all week, that was important. I want to thank Horacio [de la Pena] and his team for giving us the chance to have many tournaments in South America. That's very important for us as we are close to home and can travel with more members of our team." 

[ATP APP]

Former Top 3 stars Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem could meet in the second round at the Astana Open, where top seed Tallon Griekspoor leads the field.

The Swiss Wawrinka is the eighth seed at the ATP 250 hard-court event and opens against American Marcos Giron. If he advances, he could play debutant Thiem in the second round if the Austrian can overcome Juan Pablo Varillas.

Wawrinka and Thiem have not met since 2017, when the former triumphed in a deciding-set tie-break in Indian Wells. Three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka leads Thiem 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

[ATP APP]

Home favourite Alexander Bublik is also in the same quarter. The third-seed Kazakhstani, who reached the semi-finals in Astana in 2021, opens against Marton Fucsovics or Sebastian Ofner. Second seed Sebastian Baez is chasing his fourth title of the season. He is in the bottom half of the draw and is seeded to meet eighth seed Adrian Mannarino in the quarter-finals.

Alexander Zverev repeatedly kept his cool under pressure to down Grigor Dimitrov on Monday at the Chengdu Open to move within one match of his second ATP Tour title of the season.

The top seed at the Chinese ATP 250 saved all five break points he faced in his 6-3, 7-6(2) semi-final victory. Zverev fired 21 winners, including nine aces, as he delivered a classy all-round showing to improve to 7-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.After pulling through three-set battles against Pavel Kotov and Miomir Kecmanovic in his first two matches in Chengdu, the World No. 10 believes he is gaining momentum as he prepares to face Roman Safiullin in Tuesday’s championship match.

“For sure it was the best match I’ve played [in Chengdu],” said Zverev after his one-hour, 50-minute win. “Even though I think yesterday’s match was a very high level and Kecmanovic was playing extremely well. I’m very happy to be in the final, that’s what I came here for and hopefully it’s going to be another high-level match tomorrow.”

Zverev is now 45-21 for the season and seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he seeks to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, where he is a two-time champion. His next hurdle in Chengdu is a second tour-level meeting with Safiullin, who will be competing in his maiden ATP Tour final. The German is all too aware of Safiullin’s improvement since he defeated the now-World No. 55 in straight sets at Roland Garros in 2021.

“I think this tournament he has been one of the most dangerous players,” said Zverev of Safiullin. “He is somebody that plays very fast, hits the ball extremely hard and he is somebody that maybe sometimes lacks consistency. This week obviously he’s playing extremely well, and when he’s playing like that, he’s one of the most dangerous players.”

Karen Khachanov snapped a five-match semi-final losing streak on Monday at the Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships, where he defeated Sebastian Korda 7-5, 6-4 to reach his first title match of the season.

The top seed, who last competed in a tour-level final in Adelaide in January 2022 (l. to Monfils), red-lined the ball throughout the one-hour, 47-minute clash. He edged a tight first set, gaining the crucial break at 5-5 when Korda could only find the net with a drop shot.

Khachanov then put his foot down in the second set, hitting the ball with greater depth, weight and precision to dominate the baseline exchanges and improve to 3-2 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

[ATP APP]

The 27-year-old was competing for just the fourth time in singles since his quarter-final match at Roland Garros, where he suffered a stress fracture in his back. He fell in the first round at the US Open, but has recorded three wins in Zhuhai, also defeating Alex Bolt and Mackenzie McDonald.

ATP and Tennis Data Innovations (TDI) have announced the launch of Tennis IQ, a brand-new performance analytics platform that democratises access to cutting-edge data and insights for players on the ATP Tour.

Launching today, Tennis IQ gives ATP singles players access to advanced match analytics, all in one simple and intuitive platform. Tennis IQ combines rich historical datasets and live in-match data to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date insights – helping players optimise their preparation, on-court performance, and post-match analysis. The creation of TDI, the joint-venture between ATP and ATP Media for the central management of data across the ATP Tour, has been critical in facilitating this.

Ross Hutchins, ATP Chief Tour Officer, stated: "Never before have high-quality analytics been as readily available to so many players, as it is with this platform. Tennis IQ will help create a level playing field across the Pepperstone ATP Rankings – enabling more players and their teams to perform at their best. It also reflects the emphasis we are putting on data innovation as a business. We're thrilled to see Tennis IQ in action and to continue advancing the product.”

Tennis IQ's features set includes interactive court graphics, allowing players to easily visualise their own performance data. This empowers deep dives into their most and least successful patterns of play during matches, helping drive informed decisions on the court. Metrics include the full suite of TDI-developed insights such as Shot Quality, In Attack and Steal Score.

The scout section enables players to access detailed information on upcoming opponents. This unlocks comprehensive analysis of player tendencies and patterns. Players are also able to compare performance against individual players or see how they stack up against ATP Tour averages, facilitating a deeper understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement.

The tables have well and truly turned for Team World in the history of the Laver Cup.

After four defeats in the first four editions of the annual team event, John McEnroe’s men backed up their 2022 triumph in London with a resounding 13-2 victory against Team Europe this weekend in Vancouver. Yet team captain McEnroe is already thinking about further success.

“On behalf of Team World, I am proud of these guys,” said the American ATP Tour legend at his team's post-event press conference. “We brought together a great group of some youth and experience, guys that have been here before. Everybody played well. It was an awesome week. We kicked some ass, baby. That's what we did.

“We're already thinking about next year because winning is a whole lot better than losing. We struggled the first couple years, and now we have tasted winning, and it feels good.”

Three members of McEnroe’s six-strong roster had not played a Laver Cup match prior to this week. Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Francisco Cerundolo contributed to eight of the 13 points won by Team World and all three spoke about the thrill of making their debut at Roger’s Arena.

Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe put the finishing touches on Team World’s convincing Laver Cup victory Sunday.

The Americans held their nerve to defeat Team Europe’s Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev 7-6(4), 7-6(5) and secure the Laver Cup 13-2, claiming the event for the second consecutive year. The Vancouver crowd was treated to exciting rallies, with both teams demonstrating quick reflexes and deft touch in the forecourt throughout the one-hour, 37-minute clash.

Shelton and Tiafoe relied on their firepower and were dominant on serve, winning 40 of their 48 first-serve points to clinch the title. A key moment came when Shelton and Tiafoe won three consecutive points from 4/5 in the second-set tie-break to close the match.

On top of the world once more ?@BenShelton and @FTiafoe secure #LaverCup 2023 for Team World. pic.twitter.com/hOhOWJXWCC

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 24, 2023

"It's been crazy for me and I've enjoyed being in a team environment," Shelton said. "I've enjoyed playing for Johnny Mac. Team World really brought the energy this week. It's easy for me to play when I'm amped up and hyped and the bench has done a great job of hyping me up all week. I hope I've done a good job of hyping them up too. Playing with Frances speaks for itself, easiest guy to play with, most fun guy to be on court with."

Ahead of Sunday’s Laver Cup action, Rod Laver answered fan questions on Twitter. The Australian was asked questions related to the past, present and future of tennis.

Who is Laver's favourite young player?

Shelton is the new player on the tour. We're going to see him winning a Slam, he's got one of the biggest serves, a big left-hander, he doesn't make many mistakes. He sees an opening and he goes for it.

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 24, 2023

The 20-year-old Ben Shelton, who is No. 19 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is one of the fastest rising stars in the sport. This time last year, Shelton was World No. 177. The lefty has enjoyed a breakthrough season, with a career-best run coming at his home Slam, where he was a semi-finalist.

Shelton was also a big part of Team World's convincing Laver Cup victory against Team Europe. The 2022 NCAA singles champion earned a singles victory in his Laver Cup debut and also earned two doubles wins, alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe. The 25-year-old Tiafoe is another player who Laver anticipates great success from.

Trailing a set and gasping for breath after several lung-busting rallies against MackenzieMcDonald, Karen Khachanov posed to soak in the Zhuhai applause on Sunday. The competitiveness of his 4-6 6-4 6-4 triumph over McDonald and the crowd’s responsethroughout their Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships quarter-final delighted him.

It is these experiences the World No. 15 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings missed the most during his absence from the Tour following a semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros.

“I was missing the energy of the crowd. Here today, it was almost full, and I always enjoyplaying in front of people in full stadiums, so I was really missing it,” Khachanov said. “I am mentally ready. I had a kind of unexpected vacation and now I'm motivated, determined, excited to be back playing and trying to bring on this game again.”

[ATP APP]

The top seed will next experience a similar challenge and atmosphere when he meets American Sebastian Korda in Monday’s semi-finals. It will be the fifth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair. If their history and recent form in Zhuhai is a guide, it shapes as an intriguing clash in a tournament resplendent with exciting matches.