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With Chinese men’s tennis already having made groundbreaking strides in 2023, is Shang Juncheng the one to take it into overdrive?

The #NextGenATP talent is ready and willing to build on the achievements of his ATP Tour colleagues Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen, not to mention the host of Hologic WTA Tour stars who have flown the flag over the years for the second most populous country on Earth.

“I think it's definitely a really cool thing for me,” Shang told ATPTour.com last month when asked about the current hype surrounding Chinese men’s tennis. “I think it's a good pressure to have for me and it's obviously a lot of motivation for me to push through and do better every day.”

In February, Wu won in Dallas to become the first Chinese ATP Tour titlist in history. In July, Zhang rose to No. 52 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the highest position ever held by anyone from the East Asian country. Now looking to help the pair establish a Chinese dynasty in the Top 100 is Shang, who reached the second round as a 17-year-old qualifier at January’s Australian Open.

“I think I am the kind of player that deals with pressure pretty well in important moments,” said Shang, who turned 18 in February before rising to a career-high World No. 149 in July. “So I'd say [the hype about Chinese tennis] never really bothered me, other than pushing me through the hard practices and the tough matches.

Ben Shelton has received plenty of applause on the tennis court. This weekend, the American received it on a football field and volleyball court.

Shelton returned home to the University of Florida, where he was a star on the tennis team under his father, then-head coach Bryan Shelton. The recent US Open semi-finalist was recognised Saturday in front of 90,751 fans inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during Florida's 29-16 football win over the University of Tennessee.

The big-serving lefty was on the sideline to take in the action wearing the jersey of former Gator Kyle Pitts, who is currently a star for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.

Photo: Ashley Ray/Florida Athletics
On Sunday, Shelton hit the honourary first serve ahead of the University of Florida's volleyball match against the University of Wisconsin. The crowd of 10,323 in attendance was a Southeastern Conference home match record and state of Florida on-campus record.

Guido Pella has a smile on his face and a tear in his eye at the same time. The 33-year-old Argentine knows that last weekend was not a normal one for him, quite the opposite. After a few intense months, he announced something that he had planned some time ago — his goodbye to professional tennis after 16 years on the ATP Tour.

For Pella, who reached the Top 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, his last match was a 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Lloyd Harris in the first round of the US Open. On Court 14 at Flushing Meadows he proved that he still has the game, but perhaps his mind was already elsewhere. Despite the loss, he enjoyed himself in the company of his wife Stephanie, his daughter Arianna, his parents and his sister Catalina, also a tennis player.

“When I was on my way to the court, I couldn’t believe that it was something I would never do again,” Pella said. “But I didn’t say anything beforehand because I would have lost my desire if I’d spoken about it before playing in New York. And until the last moment, regardless of the decision, it’s like you have the excitement that if you win four matches, who knows what might happen?”

After the match, his entire family left on a planned holiday to Disneyland, their second-favourite place in the world after tennis courts. The Argentine thinks he has been there at least 35 times (and as many as seven times in the same year). He even proposed to his wife at Euro Disney. “Disneyland is still around partly thanks to me,” he laughed.

Those days of “freedom” were the last chance to process the end of a huge period of his life. Last Friday morning he returned to Argentina, and a few hours later he told his loved ones —— some had already known for some time — and the rest of the world that he was hanging up his racquet.

Americans Zachary Svajda and Maxime Cressy returned to the winners’ circle Sunday on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Svajda earned his second Challenger title and first of this season at the Atlantic Tire Championships in Cary, North Carolina, where he ousted top seed Rinky Hijikata 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1 in the final. Following his triumph, the 20-year-old soared 39 spots to a career-high No. 168 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“It feels really good,” Svajda said after winning in Cary. “I played some good tennis this week. I thought I served well the whole tournament and also my movement, that’s probably my biggest strength. In all of my matches I try to run down every single ball and try not to let anybody hit a winner past me.”

Cressy did not drop a set all week, including 6-0 in tie-breaks, to lift the trophy at the Open Blot Rennes. Playing in his first ATP Challenger Tour event since March 2022, the 26-year-old won the title after home hope Benjamin Bonzi was forced to retire with the American leading 6-3, 2-0.

“I was very nervous at the start. There was a big crowd, most of whom were for Benjamin. It really was an incredible atmosphere,” Cressy said. “I managed it really well despite a few double faults at the start. I kept my game tight, that was the key to overturning that first set.”

Holger Rune has withdrawn from the Laver Cup due to receiving treatment on his back. Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will replace the Dane on Team Europe.

“As I am in treatment with my back it’s not possible for me to play Laver Cup next week,” Rune wrote on social media. “I would have loved to join the fight to get the trophy back to Europe and I will support my teammates from a distance.”

As I am in treatment with my back it’s not possible for me to play Laver Cup next week. I would have loved to join the fight to get the trophy ? back to Europe and I will support my team mates from a distance ?? #teameurope #lavercup

Davidovich Fokina will make his debut at the Laver Cup, which will be played from Friday through Sunday in Vancouver.

“You play against the best players in the world at Laver Cup,” Davidovich Fokina said according to the event’s website. “I am excited to be a part of Team Europe, to share the court with other great players and to have them supporting you.”

The ATP Tour returns to China for the first time since 2019 this week with the Chengdu Open and Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships, two ATP 250 hard-court events. The fifth edition of the Laver Cup will take place from 22-24 September in Vancouver, Canada.

Zverev headlines the action in Chengdu, where Lorenzo Musetti and Grigor Dimitrov compete. Former World No. 1 Andy Murray, Chinese star Shang Juncheng and Karen Khachanov take to court in Zhuhai.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe are among the stars playing at the Laver Cup.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch from each event.

[ATP APP]

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the ATP Masters 1000 event to be played from 4-15 October.

“Over the years, some of the best support I receive anywhere in the world is in China,” Djokovic wrote on social media. “Shanghai has always been one of my favourite tournaments in the season. I will be missing my #NoleFam in China. I hope that I can come back to China in the future and play in front of all of you again.”

Over the years, some of the best support I receive anywhere in the world is in China. Shanghai has always been one of my favorite tournaments in the season. I will be missing my #NoleFam in China. I hope that I can come back to China in the future and play in front of all of you…

Djokovic just won his 24th major title at the US Open after claiming his 39th Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati.

The 36-year-old has won the Shanghai tournament four times and owns a 34-5 record at the event. The Serbian in 2008 triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals when it was held in Shanghai.

In a winner-takes-all tie between Great Britain and France, Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski delivered on Sunday in the deciding doubles match to guide Great Britain to the Davis Cup Final 8 at their opponents’ expense.

In front of an electric crowd in Manchester, Evans and Skupski saved four match points to earn a hard-fought 1-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(6) victory against Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Evans and Skupski held serve from 4-5, 0/40 in the third set, before they raised their level in the third-set tie-break to triumph after two hours and 50 minutes. Evans and Skupski’s win clinched a 2-1 tie win for Great Britain.

“I don’t know how we won that match,” Skupski said. “Sheer fight. Evo produced an unbelievable performance to win in the singles then to come back and win with me. It is an unbelievable effort from him.”

[ATP APP]

Italy advanced to the Davis Cup Final 8 on Sunday when singles wins from Matteo Arnaldi and Lorenzo Sonego gave their country an unassailable 2-0 lead against already-eliminated Sweden.

Italy needed just one win from its three ties against Sweden in Bologna to qualify from Group A and Arnaldi quickly delivered.

The 22-year-old, who reached the fourth round at the US Open, defeated Sweden’s Leo Borg 6-4, 6-3 in one and 22 minutes to secure his country a place in the Davis Cup knockout rounds in Malaga this November.

Sonego then overcame Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-4 to move Italy 2-0 ahead. The result means the former champion will join Group A winners Canada in the next round. Italy has now advanced to the Davis Cup quarter-finals five times since 2016. Last year it reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Canada.

[ATP APP]

With the ATP Tour entering the Asian Swing, the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin continues to heat up.

Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev have already punched their tickets for the Nitto ATP Finals, with a number of stars hoping to perform well over the coming weeks in a bid to join them in Turin. Jannik Sinner is currently fourth in the Live Race To Turin on 4,365 points and looks in a good position to qualify for the prestigious year-end event for the first time.

The Italian, who won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto last month, competed on home soil in Turin as an alternate two years ago. Sinner’s next scheduled to compete in Beijing later this month.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin

Behind Sinner there are just 630 points separating fifth-placed Andrey Rublev (3,640 points) and ninth-placed Taylor Fritz (3,010 points). Rublev is aiming to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 12-19 November, for the fourth consecutive year, while Fritz was a semi-finalist at the event in 2022.

In a winner-takes-all tie between Finland and the United States, Saturday singles victories from Emil Ruusuvuori and Otto Virtanen sent Finland into the Davis Cup Final 8 at their opponents' expense.

After a 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(7) win for Virtanen against Mackenzie McDonald, Ruusuvuori clinched the tie with a 7-6(1), 6-4 victory against Tommy Paul on his fourth match point in Split.

The result means that Finland (2-1) will join the Netherlands (2-0) in advancing out of Group D and into the Davis Cup knockout rounds in Malaga this November. It is Finland's first time progressing to the Davis Cup quarter-finals.

History for Finland ??@tennisfi make the Final 8 for the very first time!#DavisCup pic.twitter.com/QodefvVCa3

Virtanen gutted out a thrilling opening win against McDonald, escaping 0/40 at 5-5 in the third set and then saving two match points in the decisive tie-break. Ruusuvuori put the final touches on a brilliant Finnish performance throughout the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage. He won the first set against Paul despite trailing 1-3 and 2-5, and claimed the second with a break after failing to serve out the match at 5-3.

After seven years together, Diego Schwartzman and coach Juan Ignacio Chela are going their separate ways. The 31-year-old Schwartzman has spent the majority of his professional career with Chela, a fellow Argentine, and reached a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 8 in 2020 under his guidance.

Chela, a former Top 20 player himself, announced the split in a heartfelt Instagram post on Friday.

"One day the phone rang and without knowing it, it was the beginning of a new stage in my life as a coach," he wrote in Spanish.

"Today, after seven years, the time has come for each of us to go our own way. I just want to say thank you and wish you the best in everything to come. I will continue watching you and cheering you on in every match."

Singles wins from Alex de Minaur and Thanasi Kokkinakis earned Australia victory in a Davis Cup Finals Group Stage tie against Switzerland on Saturday in Manchester. The result lifts Australia ahead of hosts Great Britain into first place in Group B.

Kokkinakis set Australia on its way with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Dominic Stricker, before De Minaur cliched the tie with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Marc-Andrea Huesler. 

[ATP APP]

Kokkinakis fired 16 aces but still faced six break points against Stricker. He was able to fight off five of those chances, while converting on three of his five break opportunities to secure a straight-sets win. De Minaur limited Huesler to just five winners off the ground and was a constant threat on return, creating 11 break points and cashing in on three of them.

If the Aussie doubles duo of Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell can defeat Huesler and Stricker in the tie's final rubber, they will seal their country's spot in the Davis Cup Final 8. With defeat in the doubles, Australia will still be in strong position to qualify but will be at risk on Sunday, when Great Britain (2-0) takes on France (1-1).

Playing for the first time since winning his 24th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, Novak Djokovic continued his winning ways with a 6-3, 6-4 Davis Cup win against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Friday. Djokovic's victory in Valencia clinched the tie for Serbia and secured the nation its place in the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga in November.

"I'm on cloud nine, as you can say, with everything the has been happening lately on the tennis court," Djokovic said post-match, alluding to his titles in Cincinnati and at the US Open. "Obviously playing for Serbia, for my country, is something completely different. It's a huge responsibility and pressure, but also an incredible privilege and honour.

"I'm really glad that I was able to contribute with a crucial point to qualify for Malaga with this win."

[ATP APP]

Djokovic trailed 1-4 in the second set against Davidovich Fokina but won the final five games to secure a straight-sets victory. He was broken on the only break point he faced in the match, but made up for it by converting on three of his five break chances. Djokovic finished a strong serving day with 10 aces and an 80 per cent win rate (33/41) on first serve.

Andy Murray earned a marathon Davis Cup Finals win for Great Britain in Manchester on Friday, defeating Switzerland's Leandro Riedi to earn Great Britain a 1-0 lead in the tie. Following the match, Murray shared that Friday was also the day of his grandmother's funeral, which he was not able to attend.

"Gran, that one's for you," an emotional Murray said to close his on-court interview.

The Briton defeated Riedi 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-4 in a three-hour, 10-minute marathon. Murray led 5-2 in the opening set and had two set points on return at 5-3, and a further two in the first-set tie-break, but he was forced to rescue the rubber from a set down to give Great Britain a 1-0 lead.

Murray broke twice in each of the final two sets to secure his 33rd Davis Cup singles win, hitting his third ace of the match to seal the victory.

"Incredible to get through that one. It easily could have gone the other way," said Murray, who had prepared to face Dominic Sticker before learning an hour before the match that he would contest his first Lexus ATP Head2Head matchup against Riedi. "It was ridiculous, the shots he was pulling off. Amazing returning. I kept fighting, managed to stay focused and managed to turn it around."

World-class tennis is back in Queensland for 2024 with the return of the Brisbane International.

The combined ATP 250 and WTA 500 tournament will feature at the Queensland Tennis Centre from 31 December to 7 January.

A record AU$3.1 million in prize money is on offer and 180 of the world’s best players are expected to travel to the Sunshine State to compete.

The men’s singles draw features 32 players, with a 24-pair draw in both men’s and women’s doubles.

The women’s singles draw expands from the 32 of previous editions to 48, providing even more competitive opportunities for the top women in the sport.

Daniil Medvedev is known as one of tennis’ great on-court thinkers, so what would the World No. 3 do if given a clean slate to build his perfect player?

Opt for a little bit of everything, it seems. Medvedev mentioned eight players across 12 categories put to him by ATP Uncovered, including himself — although perhaps not in the category some might expect…

“Carlos is unbelievably fast, maybe the fastest I have seen,” said Medvedev, when debating whether to take his own speed around court ahead of Carlos Alcaraz. “Carlos is pure speed, but I love the way I run, so I’ll go with myself.”

The influence of the Big 3 is never far away. Medvedev selected each of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic more than once, but how did he merge them together to give his player an extra dose of greatness? And which elements of maverick talents Nick Kyrgios and Corentin Moutet does the 27-year-old consider must-haves?

Medvedev, one of the ATP Tour’s most humorous on-court stars, also discussed his famous match-winning celebrations. To learn what he said, watch the full video above.

If Patrick Kypson ever feels pressure on court, his father Alan will jokingly tell the 23-year-old he does not know pressure.

While Kypson is battling on the ATP Challenger Tour, Alan faces a different type of pressure working as a cardiac surgeon in Raleigh, North Carolina, 20 minutes from the host site of the Atlantic Tire Championships, where Patrick is competing this week.

The American is soaking in this rare opportunity to play close to home. Kypson cruised through his opening-round match against Michael Geerts and was immediately met by family congratulating him.

[ATP APP]

“All of my family lives here. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, this is the only time they get to come out and watch me play throughout the entire year,” Kypson told ATPTour.com. “It’s cool to play in front of them. I get to sleep in my own bed, home-cooked meals, my mom is a good cook. You can’t beat it. It’s a little extra motivation for sure.

Australian Adam Walton grew up playing tennis alongside his older brother Jack. They would create ‘hectic’ Saturday schedules, starting the day practising tennis before playing cricket and rugby in the afternoons.

Their mother Sherry, who is a registered nurse, would often work night shifts and during the day would take the two boys to their activities. When Jack decided to take tennis more seriously, Adam followed in his footsteps.

A native of Home Hill, Walton received a scholarship to a Brisbane boarding school his final three years of high school before moving across the world to the University of Tennessee. Despite being more than 14,000 kilometres away from home, the 24-year-old has found success in the United States.

[ATP APP]

“I already lived away from my parents for a couple of years, so I felt ready to go to college and there were a couple Australians at Tennessee so that's a big reason why I chose Tennessee,” Walton told ATPTour.com. “I knew the two Aussies on the team and I wanted to go somewhere where at least I knew someone. Tennessee is in the SEC [Southeastern Conference], which has very strong competition week in and week out, so it was a good pick for me.”

Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell breathed fresh life into Australia’s Davis Cup Finals Group Stage hopes on Thursday in Manchester, where the pair notched a deciding doubles victory to give their country a vital win against France.

Having lost their Group B opener 1-2 to host Great Britain, Australia was plunged into further trouble when Adrian Mannarino edged Purcell 7-6(4), 6-4 in the opening singles rubber of the tie. Alex de Minaur soon restored parity in the 17th Davis Cup tie between the two nations, however, moving past Ugo Humbert 7-6(2), 6-3.

That opened the door for Ebden and Purcell to clinch Australia’s first victory of the group and the pair did not let the opportunity slip. They defeated experienced doubles stars Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5, 6-3 to complete a hard-earned comeback win in the tie.

?? @MaxPurcell98 knows how to seal a tie ? @DavisCup | #DavisCup | @TennisAustralia pic.twitter.com/R2s7QveVL4

“We were just inspired by our team,” said Ebden. “Yesterday was a tough day. Everyone fought hard. We came up short, but we got a point. Today we were down, up against it, backs against the wall. We went in the locker room and [Tony Roche] said, ‘That’s where we love to be, that’s where we want to fight from’.