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Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

The Alcaraz family spans five generations in El Palmar, a parish of Murcia with a little over 24,000 inhabitants that is now known the world over thanks to the sporting feats of Carlos Alcaraz.

Yet this fledgling superstar surrounds himself with people that keep his feet firmly on the ground. The humility and people skills of Team Alcaraz are an important part of understanding the thrilling story he continues to write with his racquet. Some situations and actions speak louder than words.

The team arrived in Buenos Aires for Alcaraz’s comeback to the ATP Tour after three months away at this week’s Argentina Open. Visiting the venue for the first time, Carlos Alcaraz González, Carlos’ father, surprised Martin Jaite, the tournament director, with an unexpected gift.

He introduced himself before showing the former Top 10 player a photo of him after winning a tournament in 1983 in Murcia. One of the ballboys seen alongside Jaite in the picture is Carlos Sr., who had kept the photo at his parents’ home having asked Jaite to sign it for him as a momento.

Daniil Medvedev cemented his return to the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by continuing his domination of Jannik Sinner on Sunday at the ABN AMRO Open, where the sixth seed completed a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory in the championship match.

Medvedev had to retain his composure after dropping a hard-fought opening set at the indoor ATP 500 event in Rotterdam. Montpellier champion Sinner started aggressively in his pursuit of back-to-back ATP Tour titles, but Medvedev responded by digging deep, dialling in on serve and frequently defying the Italian with some outstanding defence to improve his lead in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series to 6-0.

“It was a very tough match, I would say mentally for both of us, I think,” said Medvedev, who now holds a 10-4 record in Rotterdam. “Jannik was on top of me, especially in the first part of the first set. I managed to come back into the set even though, in my opinion, I was playing worse than him. Maybe that gave me some time to find my rhythm.

“I started playing just a little bit more offensive on a few shots, and it managed to work well at the beginning of the second set. I just managed to continue pushing him mentally down until the end of the match.”

With his two-hour, 29-minute win, Medvedev secured his 16th tour-level title, 15 of which have been won on hard courts. He will return to the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday as a result of his first title since his Vienna triumph last October, with the 27-year-old set to leapfrog Hubert Hurkacz, Holger Rune and Felix Auger-Aliassime to No. 8.

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek capped a week of tie-break tension with a thrilling championship match victory on Sunday afternoon at the ABN AMRO Open, where the third seeds downed Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 7-6(5), 2-6, 12-10 to claim their first title of 2023.

Dodig and Krajicek faced a championship point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break but reeled off three straight points to clinch their fourth ATP Tour title as a team. Earlier, they had also rallied from 3-5 in the opening set, which featured six service breaks.

The Croatian-American duo was frequently forced to dig deep during its title run at the indoor hard-court ATP 500. Dodig and Krajiceck prevailed in four tie-breaks and two Match Tie-breaks across their four matches at the Rotterdam Ahoy, where they were competing for the first time as a team.

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Bopanna and Ebden converted five of eight break points in the final but were left to rue missed chances at key moments in the one-hour, 42-minute encounter. The Indian-Australian pair let slip two set points in the 10th game of the first set before also missing their chance to clinch victory in the Match Tie-break.

An action-packed February on the ATP Tour next week sees Rio de Janeiro, Doha and Marseille host some of the world’s top players.

The season’s first ATP 500 action on clay takes place at the Rio Open presented by Claro, where defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Cameron Norrie and Lorenzo Musetti lead the field.

Meanwhile a pair of ATP 250 events — one outdoors and one indoors — also feature a host of top names. Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev are the top seeds under the Doha sun at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, while Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner headline under the roof at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille.

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

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Frances Tiafoe dipped his toes in the basketball world Friday when he competed in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. On Saturday, a six-time NBA All Star visited the tennis world in Buenos Aires.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler watched Carlos Alcaraz’s semi-final win against Bernabe Zapata Miralles at the Argentina Open. Alcaraz knew who Butler was, but this was their first meeting.

“I have seen him play several times. I have a lot of respect for him, after all he is a legend of his sport, a star and to have him come to see me is a privilege.” Alcaraz said. “I thanked him and invited him to the final.”

¿Querían saber cómo tira Carlos???

? @MiamiHEAT @NBALatam pic.twitter.com/iP1YQldVE3

The World No. 2 enjoys basketball and tries to keep up depending where he is in the world.

Miomir Kecmanovic was made to work at the Delray Beach Open on Saturday to reach his third ATP Tour final. But work the Serbian did, rallying past 2019 champion Radu Albot 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-2.

"I was a little bit nervous throughout the match," Kecmanovic said. "But luckily I was able to stay calm when it mattered, play good and I'm happy I was able to come through."

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Kecmanovic and Albot were both seeking their 100th tour-level victory in the semi-final. Despite trailing by a break in the third set, it was Kecmanovic who was steadier in the crucial moments to triumph after two hours and 28 minutes.

"It feels awesome," the 23-year-old Kecmanovic said of reaching 100 wins. "It's crazy that I've been able to do that relatively quickly, so I'm pretty happy about that, proud. Hopefully I'll have a few more."

Cameron Norrie is finding his clay-court footing in Buenos Aires.

The second seed advanced to the Argentina Open final on Saturday with a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory against Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas. Norrie will face World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the final if the Spaniard ousts countryman Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

"It’s going to be a tough one for sure regardless of who I play," Norrie said. "I lost a tough final in Auckland, so hopefully I can get some good feelings back tomorrow in the final."

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Norrie needed three sets to battle through his first two matches of the week at the ATP 250. However, the lefty raised his level in the semi-finals against a gritty foe in Varillas, who reached a career-high No. 94 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in January.

Jannik Sinner delivered a flawless serving performance on Saturday to defeat home wild card Tallon Griekspoor and reach the championship match at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.

The Italian did not face a break point in his 7-5, 7-6(5) semi-final victory against the World No. 61 at the indoor ATP 500 event. Although Griekspoor competed fiercely in a richly entertaining encounter packed with clean baseline hitting and some deft volleying, Sinner’s ability to take his chances ultimately proved decisive.

“I felt a lot of pressure today,” acknowledged Sinner, when asked about taking on a home player. “I’m very happy with how I handled it, it was not easy from my side. I tried to play aggressive tennis. Sometimes I managed to do it, sometimes not, but this is part of the game.

“I’m very happy with how I played the tie-break also… [I’m] very happy to be again in a final, and tomorrow is obviously going to be a tough, tough challenge.”

The World No. 14, who has only been broken three times across his four matches this week at the Rotterdam Ahoy, converted the only break point of the match in the 12th game to claim the opening set and then held his nerve to claim a high-quality second-set tie-break. It was a seventh tour-level victory in a row for Sinner, who last week in Montpellier claimed his seventh ATP Tour title.

A decade ago, Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini lifted the Argentina Open trophy for the first time. On Sunday, the Italians will have a chance to do so again.

The third seeds advanced to the Buenos Aires final on Saturday when they eliminated Brazilian Marcelo Demoliner and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 7-5. They will face Nicolas Barrientos and Ariel Behar for the trophy.

Bolelli and Fognini have not lost a set en route to the championship clash. In the semi-finals they won 88 per cent of their first-serve points and broke serve four times.

If the Italians triumph in the final, it will not be the first time they lift the trophy at a tournament at least 10 years apart. They also won in Umag 11 years apart, in 2011 and 2022.

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Dialled-in defence and and a cool head at key moments have been the basis of Daniil Medvedev’s run at the ABN AMRO Open this week. Saturday’s semi-final clash against Grigor Dimitrov proved to be no exception.

The sixth seed delivered a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 victory in 82 minutes against the Bulgarian to reach the final at the indoor hard-court tournament in Rotterdam for the first time. Medvedev was typically relentless from the baseline and converted six of 13 break points to reach his first tour-level championship match since he claimed the title in Vienna last October.

A match featuring several marathon exchanges threatened to become more complicated for Medvedev when Dimitrov recovered from 0-2 in the second set to earn three break points at 2-2, 0/40. The World No. 11 shut any potential comeback down in style, however, dropping just four more points in the match en route to increasing his ATP Head2Head series lead against Dimitrov to 5-2.

Court, covered ?

These two are getting the steps in today…
⁰@abnamroopen | #abnamroopen pic.twitter.com/6mI6WtOtx5

“It was an amazing match,” said Medvedev afterwards. “The score [looks] easy, but the match was not. I felt physically like I was playing five sets. [There were] some amazing rallies. It was 2-2, 0/40 for him in the second [set], so [I am happy] to manage to win it 6-2, just raise my level a little bit on serve and manage to keep consistent… He made a few more errors than he needed to make, and I’m happy with my level.”

Have you ever wondered how ATP players think the season will unfold and which of their peers they believe is due for a standout year or to crack the Top 10?

Last week we learned that Rafael Nadal, Jack Draper, and Thanasi Kokkinakis believe that Jannik Sinner will claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title this season. What will other say in part two of the fun 2023 predictions series? ATP sat down with Cameron Norrie, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Diego Schwartzman, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev to get their thoughts.

Norrie cracked a smile when he said, “I want to make some decent predictions and not just wing it!” when asked who will make their Top 10 debut this year.

[BREAK POINT]

According to the Briton and Diego Schwartzman, Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who is No. 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is due to climb even higher. Frances Tiafoe, World No. 15, was also a popular choice among players.

Frances Tiafoe's home will always be the tennis court, but the American star had a blast on the basketball court Friday evening in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

Tiafoe, the No. 15 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, made two shots to help NBA legend Dwyane Wade's team to victory. 

Tiafoe made a teardrop shot from close range in the early going to settle the nerves and early in the third quarter, he knocked down a midrange jumpshot over 2016 NBA champion Richard Jefferson. That bucket thrilled Team Dwyane coach Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player.

It was not just about the basketball, though. Tiafoe met several superstars, from current NBA players like Pascal Siakam to other players in the game such as teammates DK Metcalf and Janelle Monae.

Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback continues to gain steam in Buenos Aires.

The World No. 2 advanced to the Argentina Open semi-finals on Friday evening when he defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-2. The Spaniard will next face fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo or Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

“I think I played really, really well from the beginning until the last ball, the last point,” Alcaraz said. “I knew that it was going to be really, really difficult. Dusan is playing great on clay, [he is] a great player, a really tough one.”

Entering the week, Alcaraz had not played a match since last year’s Rolex Paris Masters because of an internal oblique muscle tear. But he has shown no signs of discomfort in Argentina. To the contrary, he is improving by the game.

“I had to be really, really solid from deep in the court,” Alcaraz said. “My second match of the year and I’m really happy with my performance.”

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek have had a solid start to the 2023 season. The Croatian-American duo, which reached the final at last month’s Adelaide International 2, is looking for a fourth team title this week.

On Friday, the pair earned a razor-thin 7-6(5), 7-6(5) quarter-final victory over Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.

When Dodig and Krajicek made a run to the Adelaide-2 final earlier this year, misfortune struck them before the championship match. Dodig suffered an injury that forced them to give a walkover to Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer.

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After a disappointing first-round exit at the Australian Open, Dodig and Krajicek are hoping to make a statement at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, where they are the only seeded team remaining. They will next meet Belgian qualifiers Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in the semi-finals.

Miomir Kecmanovic is inching closer towards his first ATP Tour title since September 2020.

The Serbian, who last triumphed three years ago in Kitzbuhel, downed Marcos Giron 7-6(5), 6-3 to open Friday’s quarter-final action at the 2023 Delray Beach Open. The World No. 33 saved five of six break points faced during his one-hour, 34-minute victory, which was halted by rain on several occasions.

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Moldova’s Radu Albot upset second seed Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-2 to score the seventh Top-20 win of his career. The 33-year-old stayed steady from the baseline and won 32 of 40 points off his first serve to defeat the American.

Albot, who won the Delray Beach Open in 2019, advanced to his first semi-final since Singapore in 2021 (l. Bublik). Friday’s victory lifted Albot to No. 99 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He will next meet Kecmanovic in Saturday's semi-final.

The fast-paced nature of the ATP Tour leaves little time to savour success. Just three weeks have passed since Tommy Paul's run to his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open, but moving on quickly has been no problem at all for the American.

“I’m not really looking back at it too much,” Paul told ATPTour.com when asked about how he is reflecting on his Melbourne run. “I’m kind of trying to look forward, you know? I’m pretty focused on this week and the rest of the year.”

While proud of becoming the first American man to reach an Australian Open semi-final since 2009, the 25-year-old is unwilling to let it define his season with so much tennis left to play.

“I think it’s pretty easy to put it behind you, because it’s not going to win me the next match that I play,” he said. “I’ve got to win the next match that I play anyway. The rest of the year is really important to me, and I want to keep getting better. I wasn’t perfect in Australia, and I want to be better than I was in Australia.”

That’s not to say Paul hasn’t taken the opportunity to relax away from the court. After guiding the United States to victory against Uzbekistan in the Davis Cup Qualifiers in the wake of his Melbourne exploits, he travelled to his girlfriend’s house in Connecticut to turn his attention to two off-court passions — horse-riding and his favourite NBA team, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Despite several challenges in Friday's rain-hindered quarter-final in Buenos Aires, second seed Cameron Norrie prevailed to book his ticket into the Argentina Open semi-finals.

The World No. 12 had to rally from a set down against home hope Tomas Martin Etcheverry to claim a 5-7, 6-0, 6-3 victory. After the Argentine grabbed the opening set, rain halted play for a brief period before Norrie won 12 of the next 15 games to advance.

“I knew it was going to be difficult, he came out and played really well,” Norrie said. “It was so different today than the other day when I played Facundo [Diaz Acosta] when it was boiling. Today was freezing. Probably a bit warmer in London today than here in Buenos Aires!

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“He played a really good first set and served well. I came out really strong after the rain delay and again after the second rain delay. I managed to scrape through in a pretty difficult match.”

On a roll on European indoor hard courts, Jannik Sinner will be tough to oust this week at the ABN AMRO Open.

The day after he dispatched top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets at the ATP 500 event, the World No. 14 returned to down Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-3 and reach the semi-finals in Rotterdam for the first time.

Sinner raced through the first set in Friday's clash with 2015 champion Wawrinka and, despite the Swiss showing some late resistance to reclaim a break and level at 3-3 in the second, the 21-year-old Italian’s combination of consistency and power proved key as he frequently outlasted his more experienced opponent from the baseline.

The 72-minute victory extended Sinner’s winning streak to six matches, with Rotterdam victories against Benjamin Bonzi, Tsitsipas and Wawrinka backing up his run to his seventh tour-level title last week in Montpellier.

“I just try to play every match with a high intensity, try to play my game, try to adapt myself,” said Sinner, when asked about his good form. “The first round match here was very important for me, then I try to keep going, to get more rhythm. Today I think it was also a good match. It’s never easy playing against him, so I’m very happy.”

Lorenzo Sonego lost in the first round of this week’s ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. But off the court, the Italian won big.

The song ‘Un Solo Secondo’, which Sonego created in collaboaration with friend ‘AlterEdo’, soared past the one-million listen mark on Spotify.

“We did some songs together when we were young for a hobby,” Sonego told ATPTour.com last year. “And then, we tried to do something together for enjoyment in the summer and only to enjoy the moment and do something different, not always [focus on] tennis.”

‘Un Solo Secondo’ is not the only song they have created together. They also published ’Swing’ last year. Would Sonego ever collaborate with one of his ATP Tour colleagues?

Matteo Berrettini is well accustomed to taking on the world’s best players on some of the most iconic courts in the world. Yet even after lifting seven ATP Tour titles, surging to a career-high No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and reaching a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, the Italian sometimes still wonders how it all came about.

“My whole family plays tennis. They always told me, ‘Do what you love, and give your best’,” Berrettini said recently in an interview with the ATP Tour. “Growing up, I never thought about it. I was dreaming about playing maybe [in] Rome, [but] I was more like a child that is dreaming and saying, ‘I want to go to the moon’… And then it happened. Everything [happened] so fast.”

Netflix’s Break Point followed Berrettini’s stellar run to the semi-finals at the 2022 Australian Open in the second episode. Despite that Melbourne campaign ultimately ending in disappointment with a four-set defeat to legend Rafael Nadal, the 26-year-old remains grateful for every experience he has in his life as a pro. Berrettini believes that the more he gives, the more he gets back, no matter the result on court.

“It teaches you a lot about who you are,” said Berrettini of competing on the ATP Tour. “[When] I was a kid, I had idols. I want to be one of those players. I would like to have kids that are looking and are like, ‘I’m going to decide to play tennis or I’m going to improve this thing because I saw that Matteo is doing it’.