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The fierce lefty serve of Dominic Stricker proved crucial to the outcome of an all-#NextGenATP clash Tuesday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, where the home favourite edged Arthur Fils 7-6(4), 7-6(4).

The 20-year-old Stricker won 82 per cent (36/44) of points behind his first delivery to hold off his French rival in one-hour, 44-minutes. It was a first ATP Tour victory of the season for the Swiss, who arrived at the Alpine clay-court ATP 250 at a career-high No. 106 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

With his victory, Stricker solidified seventh place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race. The 19-year-old Fils remains in fourth, as both chase a spot at the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals. Stricker, who reached the semi-finals at the 21-and-under event last year, next plays second seed Miomir Kecmanovic in his homeland.

Stricker’s countyman Stan Wawrinka also reached the second round in Gstaad. The former World No. 3 led Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1, 3-1 when the Spanish sixth seed was forced to retire.

Wawrinka is competing in Gstaad for the first time since 2013. The 38-year-old, who reached the final in the Swiss Alps in 2005, will play Jaume Munar in the second round.

Just over 24 hours after wowing Wimbledon with his stunning championship match victory against Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz lit up the city of Turin on Monday night.

An image of the 20-year-old Spaniard was projected onto the historic Mole Antonelliana, the landmark building of the Italian city, to announce his qualification for the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals. Alcaraz is the first player to qualify for this year’s edition of the prestigious season-ending event, which will take place at Turin’s Pala Alpitour from 12-19 November.

It is the second consecutive year that Alcaraz has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. He was set to make his debut at the eight-player tournament in 2022 but was forced to withdraw due to injury. Novak Djokovic ultimately triumphed for a record-equalling sixth crown, defeating Casper Ruud in the final to draw level with Roger Federer’s title tally.

Alcaraz’s victory at Wimbledon on Sunday afternoon ensured he stopped Djokovic from usurping him as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Serbian remains in second place, 730 points behind Alcaraz, in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. With both players enjoying stellar 2023 seasons so far, they remain the frontrunners to become the year-end ATP No. 1 presented by Pepperstone. The battle for that coveted prize could be decided by who shines brightest in November in Turin.

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Gabriel Diallo remembers when he began to miss more school to practise tennis and compete in tournaments aged 10. His parents sat him down to explain why he was in a different situation than his friends and classmates.

“They asked me how I felt about it. I thought about it, and I didn't see it as a sacrifice, because I really enjoyed it,” Diallo told ATPTour.com. “I enjoyed practising and I enjoyed playing.”

From a young age, Diallo dreamt of becoming a professional tennis player. “I always wanted to win Slams. Every kid goes through that phase,” he said.

It was around this time when Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in an unforgettable five-hour, 53-minute Australian Open final in 2012.

“I remember I was trying to play like him and imitate his sliding and just moving and just not missing the ball,” Diallo recalled. “Me and my friends at the time, we were trying to recreate that match, actually.”

Kevin Anderson will make his return to singles action on Tuesday at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport. The South African revealed on Monday evening after his doubles loss alongside Ethan Quinn that a factor in his decision to return from retirement was a visit from Roger Federer.

A couple of months ago, Anderson and a friend enjoyed a casual hit at a local club in Delray Beach. They simply wanted to play tennis and it was the former World No. 5’s first day back on court in about nine months, he said. Coincidentally, Federer was in town visiting his agent Tony Godsick, whose son Nicolas Godsick is a top junior player. The Swiss icon stopped by.

“I was hitting, just me and [my friend] just up and down the middle. And I was like, ‘Man, I'm feeling great,’” Anderson told ATPTour.com. “And at the end of practice, Roger Federer was actually in town, visiting. He came out to the courts and it was really a pretty profound experience. For me, I feel like looking back at my career, I was always pretty intimidated by some of the top guys.

“I think coming from South Africa and not really being exposed to some of the best players in the world, I always was a little bit intimidated. And it was really interesting, because, in the first few minutes of our conversation, I felt that same sort of uneasiness, I felt very shifty.”

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Rinky Hijikata continued his charge towards the world’s Top 100 on Monday with a straight-sets win in Newport.

The Australian defeated Abdullah Shelbayh 6-3, 6-4 without losing serve to reach the second round of the Infosys Hall of Fame Open.

“It's great. It's my first time playing here and I was really looking forward to it,” Hijikata said. “I’ve heard great things about the tournament and then to get to play on centre court my first match here was pretty cool. And I was very, very happy to get through the match today.”

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The 22-year-old climbed to No. 110 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with his victory. Hijikata, who advanced to his first ATP Tour singles semi-final last month in ’s-Hertogenbosch, saved the only break point he faced on the Rhode Island grass.

Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta has an interesting take on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“It's like a jungle!” Diaz Acosta told ATPTour.com. “The Challenger Tour is so, so tough. Everyone can beat everyone. Maybe one week you do good, the next week you lose first round. Maybe [a player ranked] 200 can beat a Top 100 player. That makes you stronger, you have to have a very good mindset or else you will stay there and not pass it.”

Though it may be a ‘jungle’, the 22-year-old has excelled at the Challenger level this year. Diaz Acosta is one of four players to earn three Challenger titles this season, joining Andy Murray, Matteo Arnaldi, and Max Purcell. Diaz Acosta’s triumph at this month’s Milan Challenger helped him crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time Monday, when he climbed to World No. 97.

Welcome to the club, @Facudiazacosta ?#ATPChallenger | @AATenis pic.twitter.com/tH5ww438Db

“It's something that every tennis player wants to achieve, so I'm very happy for that,” Diaz Acosta said of his Top 100 debut. “It's tough to keep this level all through the years, obviously I have to keep improving. I cannot just be happy and stay sitting down like, 'I'm Top 100!' because then everyone will pass me.

Carlos Alcaraz passed one of the toughest tests in tennis by downing seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic on Sunday to claim his maiden title at the grass-court major.

From his own relative inexperience on grass to Djokovic’s unrivalled knack of getting over the line at the majors, the context of Alcaraz’s victory only enhanced the 20-year-old Spaniard’s achievement. To reflect further on an all-time classic, ATPTour.com breaks down five stunning aspects to Alcaraz’s 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 final win.

1. Green On Grass
A 34-match winning streak dating back to 2017, a 92-10 tournament record, undefeated on Centre Court in over 10 years: Djokovic’s Wimbledon stats leading into the final painted a clear picture of the challenge facing Alcaraz. The Serbian’s experience at the All England Club stood in particularly stark contrast to his opponent, who was competing for only the third time at Wimbledon and in just his fourth tournament on grass at any level.

The Spaniard’s development on the surface had been evident as he triumphed at The Queen’s Club prior to reaching the final at SW19, but ending Djokovic’s reign on Centre Court in such dramatic fashion counts as another level of achievement altogether.

10 YEARS and 9 DAYS ?@carlosalcaraz is the only man to defeat Novak Djokovic on Centre Court at Wimbledon since Andy Murray in 2013.@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/cDBqfovOdu

Luca Van Assche continues to find his feet on the ATP Tour.

The #NextGenATP Frenchman claimed the fifth tour-level victory of both his career and the 2023 season Monday by downing home wild card Dragos Nicolae Madaras 7-6(2), 6-4 at the Nordea Open in Bastad. Van Assche prevailed in a topsy-turvy first-round battle featuring seven breaks of serve to book a second-round clash against defending champion Francisco Cerundolo.

“I felt good. It was a very close match against a good player,” said Van Assche. “He beat me two years ago, so I knew he was a tough player. It was a tough match, and at the end I was a little bit tight, so it was not my perfect game, but I managed to win this match and I am very happy.”

Each of Van Assche’s ATP Tour wins have come at different events, with four triumphs on clay being complemented by a maiden grass-court win against George Loffhagen in Eastbourne. He defeated Stan Wawrinka in Banja Luka in April before pushing Novak Djokovic to three sets in the second round, while his 16-5 record this year on the ATP Challenger Tour also suggests the 19-year-old is growing increasingly accustomed to grinding out wins.

Currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race, Van Assche will hope to reach his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final by upsetting Cerundolo in Bastad, a result which would also boost his chances of qualifying for the season-ending 21-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals.

It is time tennis fans get used to the name Alex Michelsen.

The 18-year-old captured the ATP Challenger Tour 75 title in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday to become the youngest American to win a Challenger crown since 2016 (Stefan Kozlov). Michelsen, who is one of five Challenger champions this week, struck his backhand cleanly to oust Japan’s Yuta Shimizu 7-5, 6-2 in the final at the Chicago Men’s Challenger.

“It’s really cool. I’ve been training pretty hard in the gym for this, to be able to stay fit for a whole week, because six months ago I couldn’t do that,” Michelsen told commentator Mike Cation. “It’s really big, I’m Top 200 now and it feels really, really good. I didn’t think I would get it this week, I had an absolute war in my first round [against Li Tu], but I escaped and played pretty well the rest of the week.”

The California native produced a high level all week, defeating former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori in the quarters before moving past 18-year-old Shang Juncheng in a rain-hindered semi-final that started on Saturday, but was forced to finish on Sunday. Competing in just his 10th Challenger tournament, Michelsen fended off 15 of 17 break points faced to survive the lefty Shang.

At a career-high World No. 185, Michelsen is the third- youngest player in the Top 200 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, behind Shang and Czech 17-year-old Jakub Mensik.

Dominic Thiem did not take long to get back to winning ways Monday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The Austrian rode a fast start to a 6-1, 7-6(4) first-round victory against Alexandre Muller at the ATP 250, his first tour-level win since April. The former World No. 3, who lifted the trophy in Gstaad in 2015, saved all four break points he faced in his 95-minute triumph.

“It’s always great to be here. Already on Wednesday, when I arrived, it felt like home here,” said Thiem. “With the surroundings, with the mountains, the fresh air.

“Everything is really great here, and also when I step on the court I feel great memories from 2015 and last year, when I made a nice run to the semis. The conditions here suit my game very well, so I’m super happy that I got the win today as well.”

Thiem will take on #NextGenATP Hamad Medjedovic in the second round in the Swiss Alps as he chases his first ATP Tour crown since returning to action in March last year after a long-term wrist injury. He now holds an 8-2 record in Gstaad, having also reached the semi-finals on his second appearance there in 2022.

Carlos Alcaraz lifted his second Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon, where several ATP Tour stars enjoyed impressive runs at the grass-court major. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

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No. 32 Matteo Berrettini, +6
The 27-year-old has moved six places following his fourth-round run at Wimbledon. The Italian entered The Championships without a tour-level win since Monte-Carlo in April, but re-found some of his best grass-court form, defeating Lorenzo Sonego, Alex de Minaur and Alexander Zverev.

No. 43 Roman Safiullin, +49 (Career High)
The 25-year-old came into Wimbledon as World No. 92 with just six tour-level match wins on the season. Four victories later and he left as a Grand Slam quarter-finalist for the first time and at a career-high No. 43. Safiullin.

No. 56 Daniel Elahi Galan, +29 (Career High)
The Colombian made history on London’s lawns when he became the first man from his nation to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon. The 27-year-old, who entered SW19 with just two grass-court tour-level wins in his career, won a five-set third-round thriller against Mikael Ymer before losing against Jannik Sinner.

Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday became the first player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals when he defeated Novak Djokovic in a memorable five-set Wimbledon final for his second major title.

The Spaniard has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. The 2023 season finale will be played from 12-19 November at the Pala Alpitour in Turin.

According to Infosys ATP Stats, Alcaraz this year leads the ATP Tour in both match wins (47-4) and winning percentage (92.2%). He has lost before the semi-finals of a tournament just once in 2023.

Alcaraz also leads the Tour with six tour-level trophies this season. The 20-year-old has triumphed at a major (Wimbledon), two ATP Masters 1000s (Indian Wells and Madrid), two ATP 500s (Barcelona and Queen’s Club) and an ATP 250 (Buenos Aires).

The Spaniard is in first place the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin with 6,675 points, 730 points ahead of second-placed Djokovic. Alcaraz is trying to claim ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone for the second consecutive year. Djokovic is 825 points ahead of third-placed Daniil Medvedev.

Several stars, including Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios, took to social media on Sunday to congratulate Carlos Alcaraz on his epic five-set victory over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.

Other current and former players who shared their praise include Rod Laver, Billie Jean King and Andy Roddick.

Enhorabuena @carlosalcaraz . Nos has dado una alegría inmensa hoy y seguro que nuestro pionero en el tenis español, Manolo Santana, también ha estado animando allá dónde esté como de Wimbledon al que hoy te has unido.
Un abrazo muy fuerte y a disfrutar del momento ¡¡¡Campeón!!!… pic.twitter.com/y0j2GowX3O

Haven’t watched a whole tennis match in a long time haha THANKYOU @DjokerNole & @carlosalcaraz for putting on that incredible performance. Congratulations to you both ???

Congratulations on your first Wimbledon crown Carlos Alcaraz. You certainly found your feet on grass this summer, an astonishing achievement against one of the greatest champions ever, Novak Djokovic. I’m sure there will be many more magnificent battles between you two. ?

Big serves win big titles.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon title on the back of a stunning serving performance. Alcaraz relied heavily on his first serve to close out the match, making six straight first serves at 5-4 in the fifth set to clinch the most significant victory of his career. He served 22 service games in the final, but none mattered more than the last one.

The following serve-related statistics identify that Alcaraz took his serve up a notch or two against Djokovic compared to his previous six matches to the final.

Average Serve Speed
Alcaraz served harder in the final with his first and second serves than in any match he played in the tournament. Djokovic’s potent return game required a serve recalibration.

Alcaraz Average First Serve Speed

Entering Sunday’s Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic had not lost a match on Centre Court since 2013. Step forward Carlos Alcaraz, who ended the Serbian’s dominance at the grass-court major by capturing a thrilling five-set win.

The 20-year-old was ecstatic following his second major triumph and hopes his victory can inspire the next generation on Tour.

“Making history that I did today, it's the happiest moment of my life,” Alcaraz said. “I think it's not going to change for a long time. Beating Novak, winning Wimbledon championship is something that I dreamt about since I starting playing tennis. That's why is the biggest moment of my life.

“Beating Novak at his best, in this stage, making history, being the guy to beat him after 10 years unbeaten on that court, is amazing for me,” the Spaniard later added. “It's something that I will never forget, that's for sure. It's great for the new generation, as well, I think to see me beating him and making them think that they are capable to do it, as well. It's great for me and I think for the young players, as well.”

With his Tour-leading 47th win of the season, Alcaraz became just the fifth man in the Open Era (since 1968) to win multiple major titles prior to turning 21. The Spaniard’s victory also means he will begin a 29th week at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.

Novak Djokovic has played great rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer a combined 109 times. On Sunday, he faced Carlos Alcaraz for just the third time, falling against the 20-year-old Spaniard in five sets in the Wimbledon final.

Reflecting on the clash, Djokovic was full of praise for Alcaraz, comparing the World No. 1 to 20-time major winner Federer and 22-time Slam champion Nadal.

“I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about [Alcaraz’s] game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that. I think he's got basically best of all three worlds,” Djokovic said.

“He's got this mental resilience and really maturity for someone who is 20 years old. It's quite impressive. He's got this Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and fighting spirit and incredible defence that we've seen with Rafa over the years. And I think he's got some nice sliding backhands that he's got some similarities with my backhands. The two-handed backhands, defence, being able to adapt. I think that has been my personal strength for many years. He has it, too.

“I haven't played a player like him ever, to be honest. Roger and Rafa have their own obvious strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces.”

Italian Jannik Sinner has climbed two spots to fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin after reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old Sinner (3,175 points) is aiming to qualify on home soil for the first time at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, having competed at the year-end event as an alternate in 2021. The Italian won a tour-level title in Montpellier earlier this year and advanced to the final at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami.

Sinner is one of three players aged 21 or under that are aiming to qualify. The 20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has moved to first in the Live Race To Turin (6,675 points) after he defeated Novak Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title. The 2022 US Open champion Alcaraz is just the fifth man in the Open Era to win multiple major titles prior to turning 21.

The 20-year-old Dane Holger Rune entered the 2023 grass season without a career win on the surface, but leaves holding a 7-2 record on grass after reaching the semi-finals at The Queen’s Club and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Sixth-placed Rune (3,025 points) is hoping to make his debut in Turin.

Djokovic is currently second (5,945 points) after advancing to the final at SW19. The 36-year-old Serbian, who has triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals six times, dropped just two sets en route to the title match.

Carlos Alcaraz retained World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by defeating Novak Djokovic on Sunday in an epic five-set Wimbledon final.

The championship clash was a winner-takes-all showdown, with the champion leaving London with the trophy and World No. 1. Alcaraz will on Monday begin his 29th week in the top spot.

At only 20 years old, Alcaraz has already held World No. 1 for longer than 12 other former World No. 1s including Mats Wilander (20 weeks), Daniil Medvedev (16), Andy Roddick (13), Boris Becker (12) and his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero (8).

Alcaraz leads Djokovic by 880 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Nobody else is within 2,000 points of the pair, setting the stage for a big showdown for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone.

Last year, Alcaraz became the youngest player to earn the year-end No. 1 honour. Djokovic owns the record for most year-end No. 1 finishes with seven, most recently accomplishing the feat in 2021.

Novak Djokovic has moved to within two sets of a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title after racing to the first set 6-1 against Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s championship match.

The Serbian produced a masterful first-set performance on Centre Court, where his clean, deep returning piled the pressure on Alcaraz’s delivery. Djokovic converted two of his six break points to deliver an early statement in the pair’s third Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Alcaraz, whose huge groundstrokes helped him reach his maiden Wimbledon final for the loss of just two sets, was unable to penetrate his opponent’s defence with any kind of regularity.

Djokovic continued his sensational tournament on serve. He faced just one break point in the set, in the opening game, and at one point responded to Alcaraz attacking his second serve by sending his next one down at 120mph. If Djokovic lifts the trophy, he remains on course to have done so having been broken the fewest times of any of his title runs at Wimbledon (3).

Novak Djokovic, Service Games Lost In Wimbledon Title Years

The depth of Djokovic’s groundstrokes also prevented Alcaraz from moving forward frequently. The 20-year-old won 28 of 36 points at the net during his stunning semi-final win against Daniil Medvedev, but he only ventured forwards four times in the opening set against Djokovic, winning the point twice.

After a fortnight of major action at Wimbledon, the 2023 season rolls on with Bastad, Gstaad and Newport hosting ATP 250 events from 17-23 July.

Casper Ruud leads the field at the Nordea Open, where Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev will also be competing on the Bastad clay. Roberto Bautista Agut is the top seed at another clay event, the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, which also features home favourite Stan Wawrinka and former champion Dominic Thiem.

Newport, Rhode Island plays host to the final grass-court action of the 2023 season. Home favourite Tommy Paul is the top seed at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open, where Maxime Cressy is the defending champion and Kevin Anderson makes his return from retirement.

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

View Draws: Bastad | Gstaad | Newport