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When you are searching for your first win of the season, a visit from Frances Tiafoe could be just what you need.

NFL team Washington Commanders lost it's opening match of the new campaign last week but were given a boost ahead of their second match against New York Giants when Tiafoe surprised the team on Saturday during their pre-match meeting.

Amazing energy in the room after bringing Frances (@FTiafoe) as a surprise to the @Commanders team meeting today! pic.twitter.com/vtjiIhr4fy

The team were watching a motivating video of Tiafoe enjoying success at the US Open when the two-time Flushing Meadows semi-finalist made an appearance. The 26-year-old received a raucous reception from the players before he spoke to the team.

Tiafoe, who is from Hyattsville, Maryland, is an avid supporter of the Commanders and regularly supports the team from afar when travelling on the ATP Tour. He will be hoping his words of encouragement will help guide the Commanders to their first win of the season on Sunday night.

A familiar face was in the stands to watch Italy’s Davis Cup Group Stage Finals tie against Netherlands on Sunday.

Recently crowned US Open champion Jannik Sinner was present in Bologna to cheer on his countrymen as they played their final group stage tie.

The defending champions became the first team to qualify from Group A for the Final 8 in Malaga after Brazil clinched its tie against Belgium on Saturday. Despite the absence of the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Italy won both of its ties against Belgium and Brazil, thanks to two singles victories from Matteo Berrettini.

Sinner’s last match was his 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 victory in the US Open final against American Taylor Fritz. The Italian picked up his second major after winning his maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January.

These two ??? @MattBerrettini and @janniksin celebrate together after Berrettini's win ?#DavisCup https://t.co/hU7f8WBFqv pic.twitter.com/FiIfTe6gXH

Novak Djokovic and Hamad Medjedovic sealed Serbia’s Davis Cup World Group 1 tie against Greece with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory in the doubles rubber against Aristotelis Thanos and Petros Tsitsipas on Sunday in Belgrade.

The Serbians served 13 aces and won 75 per cent (42/56) of their first-serve points en route to closing out the match in two hours and 10 minutes.

The former champion led 2-0 at the start of Day 2 play following singles wins from Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic on Saturday. They entered Sunday's action in Serbia requiring just one win to advance.

Serbia now progresses to the 2025 Davis Cup Qualifiers for a chance to return to the Davis Cup Group Stage Finals. The country won the Davis Cup in 2010, defeating France 3-2 in the final.

Medjedovic made just his second Davis Cup appearance after his three-set victory against Norway’s Viktor Durasovic last year. The 21-year-old won the NextGen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last year and made a final at an ATP Challenger Tour event last week.

Boris Becker enjoyed a weekend of celebration in Italy, where he married fiancée Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro in a heart-warming ceremony on Saturday.

The 56-year-old German began dating political risk manager Lilian in 2022. The pair arrived on a boat to a pre-wedding dinner in Genoa on Friday before they tied the knot the following day with around 150 guests in attendance.

In a three-day long wedding party, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi attended the ceremony to celebrate the marriage between the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and Lilian.

Other guests in Genoa included former Dutch footballer Ruud Gullit, German actor and model Boris Kodjoe and Noah and Elias Becker, Boris’ sons from his first marriage.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Novak Djokovic eased to a 6-0, 6-1 victory Saturday over Ioannis Xilas to give Serbia a 2-0 lead over Greece in their Davis Cup tie against Greece.

The 37-year-old, who won the Davis Cup with Serbia in 2010, converted five of his seven break points to wrap up the match in just 45 minutes.

The No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings is trying to help Serbia win their World Group I tie to advance to the Davis Cup Qualifiers next year. Earlier in the tie, Miomir Kecmanovic gave Serbia a 1-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Aristotelis Thanos.

Djokovic is playing his first match since his four-set loss to Alexei Popyrin in the third round at the US Open. He is aiming to rediscover his form in the final two months of the season as he chases a spot at November's Nitto ATP Finals. The seven-time champion at the prestigious season finale is currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin.

Casper Ruud secured a 3-1 win for Norway in their World Group I tie against Portugal with a 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over Jaime Faria.

Brandon Nakashima continued his 2024 resurgence in style on Saturday in Zhuhai.

The 23-year-old completed a perfect week of singles action for the USA in the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph against Maximilian Marterer. With his 86-minute win, Nakashima helped his country earn a 2-1 victory against Marterer’s Germany, simultaneously ensuring the USA a first-place finish in Group C and a seeding at November’s knockout stage.

Job done ✅

United States defeat Germany 2-1 to top group C in commanding fashion!#DavisCup pic.twitter.com/3kk4na2cOk

"Each person on this team brings great value,” said Nakashima, who dropped just one set across his three wins this week. “We all like to bring out the best in each other and to really enjoy every second out there on the court and off the court as well. I’m really happy with everyone’s performance this week and to all the staff and all the players, I really appreciate all their hard work.

“I think we have a good chance against any team there [in Malaga]. There’s a bunch of talented Americans playing really well right now. Whoever is going to be on the team will give us a great shot against any other team out there, so it’s definitely an exciting time for American tennis and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Shaking off the disappointment of his modest U.S. hard court season, Carlos Alcaraz has led Spain to the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8 with a 6-3, 6-3 win Friday against France’s Ugo Humbert in Valencia.

"The level that I played from the beginning to the last ball, I was really focused, really intense. It was probably one of the best matches I have played this year and after my last month I need these kind of matches," said the World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Earlier in the day, Roberto Bautista Agut rallied to a 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Arthur Fils, who served for the match at 5-4 in the second set.

Alcaraz said that the team atmosphere of Davis Cup was just what he needed to spark him out of a mini slump, which saw him lose to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the US Open following an opening-round loss to Gael Monfils in Cincinnati.

"I need this week, being with the team, with all the players, all the staff from the Federation,” Alcaraz said. “Having them cheer me on in every point. Off the court we have a really good relationship. I need this atmosphere and these matches where I feel I am not playing alone. My energy is getting higher."

Less than two months remain until the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals begin in Turin, Italy, where on Friday and Saturday the city is holding its first of eight 'Tennis in Città' activities.

In the shadows of the Regione Piemonte skyscraper, fans are invited to play tennis on a mini court and receive instruction from local instructors. Tennis in Città brings the sport to some of the most important areas in Turin in the leadup of the year-end finale, during which the season’s best eight players — and as many doubles teams — aim to become the champion of champions. The Nitto ATP Finals runs 10-17 November at the Inalpi Arena.

Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev have secured their place among the eight. Sinner, first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, will aim to go one step further than last year’s runner-up finish to triumph on home soil. Zverev’s 56 match wins leads the ATP Tour this season. The German is a two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion (2018, 2021).

Two doubles teams have qualified: Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic and Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

Other Tennis in Città activities will take place in Piazza Castello from 20-22 September; 27-29 September in Piazza San Carlo; 4-6 October at Ruffini Park; 11-13 October at Peccei Park; 14-25 October at the Lingotto shopping centre; 18-20 October in Piazza Arbarello; 25-27 October at Parco Dora.

Amid all the demands of professional tennis, Luca Van Assche still finds time to immerse himself in his mathematics studies at Paris Dauphine University. Upon returning to France from US Open qualifying, the 20-year-old was greeted not by rest, but by an awaiting exam. This balance of tennis and studying is highly important for Van Assche, whose mother is an Italian teacher.

"My mom always told me, 'If you go to school, have good grades and finish well. Then you can go and play tennis, two hours, four hours, whatever you want. But first you have to finish your homework and everything,'" Van Assche told ATP Tour.com.

"When you are doing tennis the whole day, sometimes it's good that your brain is working on something else. Of course I would like to have an incredible career and win a lot of matches. But after my tennis career, I also want to explore something different."

The three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion is using his platform to speak with youth on his experience of being a professional athlete, yet continuing to study at the same time.

Fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Van Assche is an ambassador for Yannick Noah’s foundation, Association Fête le Mur, which strives for ‘Tennis against exclusion’. The Belgian-born player has been a part of Fête le Mur initiatives at multiple events this year, including at Roland Garros, the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo and two French ATP Challenger Tour tournaments.

The USA continued to give a reminder of the strength in depth of its talent pool on Friday in Zhuhai, where it defeated Slovakia 3-0 to seal its passage to the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8.

The record-32-time Davis Cup champion headed to China without any of its five players currently in the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings. Yet Brandon Nakashima, Reilly Opelka and Mackenzie McDonald have all notched singles victories this week to ensure a perfect start to their country’s Davis Cup Finals Group Stage campaign.

On Friday, McDonald defeated Lukas Klein 6-4, 6-3 and Nakashima overcame Jozef Kovalik 6-3, 6-3 to confirm the USA’s place in the Final 8. Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram then won 15 of the final 16 points to rally past Norbert Gombos and Klein 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 10-1 in the doubles rubber.

“It means a lot,” said Nakashima, when asked about his country reaching just its second quarter-final since the Davis Cup Finals format was introduced in 2019. “I know last year the guys missed out on that spot just by a little bit. To be able to be in this position right now, to be clinching that spot, it’s very important for us and I’m just proud of all the guys on the team.”

McDonald added: “I’m actually really proud of myself for performing well today and putting the team on the board. It means a lot to me. I love it in China, I feel like the fans treat me so well. I love Chinese food. My grandparents on my mum’s side are actually from this region so yeah… it’s kinda home.”

Carlos Alcaraz produces fearless ballstriking and thrilling shotmaking that makes him one of the most exciting players to watch on the ATP Tour. Still at the youthful age of 21, the Spaniard may dabble in his fair share of high-risk, high-reward plays, but key metrics confirm that Alcaraz’s electrifying groundstrokes are what have anchored his strong 2024 season, which has him on the cusp on qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Alcaraz is second in both forehand (8.62) and backhand shot quality (8.24) this season, according to Tennis Data Innovations, in partnership with TennisViz. Shot Quality is calculated in real-time by analysing each shot's speed, spin, depth, width, and the impact it has on the opponent.

Shot Quality Update ?

The latest top 5⃣ leaderboards below?

See the thread for serve, return and backhand...

Context: Tour Avg.
Serve 7.9
Return 6.5
Forehand 7.5
Backhand 7.1#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/NrGNOOSyNh

“I think I'm always pushing my opponents to the limit. I'm trying to be aggressive all the time, just to play different shots,” Alcaraz recently said. “I think that I'm going to say the worst thing for my opponent, they are not going to know what's going to be next. They have to be aggressive. They have to defend well if they want to be alive in the point."

The data and on-court results go hand in hand. Alcaraz has won two of the season’s four majors and this year's ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells. The only player ahead of Alcaraz in forehand and backhand shot quality is rival and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who captured both hard-court Slams this season. [Click here to read our feature on Sinner’s baseline domination in 2024].

To say Carlos Alcaraz was disappointed with his US Open elimination would be an understatement. The Spaniard, No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, took a few days off after bowing out prematurely from the season’s final Grand Slam before heading to Valencia to join the Spanish team for the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage. By Wednesday, Alcaraz was back to winning ways with two victories in the match against Czechia, beating Tomas Machac in his singles encounter and then joining Marcel Granollers to see off Jakub Mensik and Adam Pavlasek.

“I needed it after the last few matches, as it wasn’t feeling very positive,” explained the Murcia native at the end of the day. “I felt the extra pressure of being number one the first set, I wasn’t comfortable, but I had to stay positive,” added Alcaraz. “The Davis Cup is special and you always want to do well.”

Alcaraz endured an intense day of tennis on Wednesday, taking to the court twice, doubling his normal matchday workload.

“It was a day with a lot of hard work, but I’m happy to have had the opportunity to play singles and doubles,” said Alcaraz. “I’m trying to take the positives from my time in the US and use them so I don’t make the same mistakes again, trying to progress on the mental side and to become increasingly mature,” he continued. “I was very motivated to be here, I’m looking forward to helping the team go as far as possible.”

It was with this mentality that Alcaraz approached his first Davis Cup match of 2024, which turned out to be a tough encounter. He would lose the first set and fight back to level the scores before his Czech opponent withdrew injured.

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from next week’s Laver Cup in Berlin, the tournament announced Thursday.

In a tweet issued by the event, Nadal said: “I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week.

A statement from @RafaelNadal regarding Laver Cup Berlin 2024: “I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week.

This is a team competition and to really support Team Europe, I need to do what’s best for them and at this… pic.twitter.com/Y9i0T61kbA

“This is a team competition and to really support Team Europe, I need to do what’s best for them and at this moment there are other players who can help the team deliver the win.

“I have so many great, emotional memories from playing Laver Cup and I was really looking forward to being with my teammates and with Bjorn in his final year as Captain.

The Dallas Open is gearing up for a thrilling 2025 tournament, as World No. 9 Casper Ruud and defending Dallas Open champion Tommy Paul have committed to compete. The event, set for February 1-9, 2025, will take place at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, the headquarters and training facility of the Dallas Cowboys. Premium ticket packages are available now at www.dallasopen.com.

In 2025, the Dallas Open will elevate its status from an ATP 250 to an ATP 500 event, promising the strongest field since the tournament's move to North Texas in 2022. This upgrade not only attracts top-tier talent but also offers players the chance to earn more ATP ranking points and compete for a share of approximately $2.8 million in prize money.

“I am very much looking forward to playing at the new edition of the Dallas Open in 2025,” Ruud said. “Tournaments elevated to a 500-level tournament bring the highest levels of competition and as a player, I always look forward to competing against some of the best players in the world with the hopes of coming out on top".

Ruud, who reached the Round of 16 at this year’s US Open, is a 12-time winner on the ATP Tour, including two titles in 2024 (Geneva, Barcelona). The 25-year old Ruud finished as the runner-up at the 2022 and 2023 French Open and the 2022 US Open. He was previously ranked as high as No. 2 in the world (September 2022), securing his place as the highest-ranked Norwegian in history.

“Elevating the Dallas Open to a 500-level event will bring the best players in the world to North Texas,” Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs said. “Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul are two of the premier players on tour and we look forward to adding more high-level talent to America’s newest ATP 500-level tournament. The 2025 Dallas Open will feature the event’s deepest field yet as players will be competing for the largest purse in tournament history while playing in one of the most impressive facilities in the world.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime moved Canada to the brink of qualification in the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage on Thursday in Manchester, where he moved past Otto Virtanen 6-2, 6-3 to give the former champion an unassailable 2-0 lead against Finland in Group D.

Canada entered its second tie in Manchester off the back of a 2-1 opening win against Argentina. With the top two in Group D advancing to the Final 8 in Malaga in November, Auger-Aliassime was quick to secure his nation a second point after Denis Shapovalov defeated Eero Vasa 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first match of the day.

Auger-Aliassime was dominant on serve throughout his 73-minute win, saving all three break points he faced and winning 86 per cent (32/37) of points behind his first delivery.

The 24-year-old, who was part of the team that beat Australia in the Davis Cup Finals title match in 2022, now holds a 8-3 record in Davis Cup singles matches. He is set to face Great Britain’s Jack Draper in Canada’s final Group D match on Sunday. Great Britain beat Finland 2-1 in its opening match.

Earlier, Shapovalov backed up his win against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo by overcoming Vasa in straight sets. The former No. 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has rediscovered his form in Manchester following disappointing first-round exits in Montreal and at the US Open last month.

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition caused by the inflammation of the tendons that attach to the lateral epicondyle, a bony prominence on the outside of the elbow. It typically results from overuse or repetitive stress on the forearm muscles, which are responsible for extending the wrist and fingers. Despite its name, ...

Alexander Zverev has made a career of holding serve with ease, racing through his service games by overpowering opponents with his hefty first delivery. But the German has been equally as effective on return in 2024, making for a troubling combination for opponents.

His complementary serve and return performance has helped him tally a season-leading 56 match wins and secure qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals for the seventh time.

The 27-year-old is notably among the Top 5 in both serve (8.8) and return quality (7.49), according to Tennis Data Innovations, in partnership with TennisViz. Shot Quality is calculated in real-time by analysing each shot's speed, spin, depth, width and the impact it has on the opponent. Zverev has an impact by mixing firepower with hefty spin.

A significant improvement in his forehand Shot Quality has provided a boost to Zverev on both serve and return points. In 2023 Zverev was 13th on the forehand Shot Quality index; this year he has surged to fifth. (He is fourth on the backhand leaderboard, the same position he held in 2023.)

“Sascha likes to serve big, return big, but he’s also intelligent on court, he can read the game very, very well,” said Mischa Zverev, former No. 25 in the PIF ATP Rankings and an established member of his brother’s team.

In a summer of transition from the clay courts of Europe to the hard courts of North America, the third quarter of the ATP Tour season was filled with new records and a wave of first-time champions.

Jannik Sinner's dominance continued as he clinched his second Grand Slam title at the US Open, while the World No. 1 also won his third ATP Masters 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open. Novak Djokovic took a long-awaited first gold medal home at the Paris Olympics. In early August, Alexei Popyrin became a first-time ATP Masters 1000 winner by clinching the Montreal crown.

ATPTour.com reflects on the champions from the third quarter of 2024.

Jannik Sinner: US Open and Cincinnati
The Australian Open champion and World No. 1 solidified his position atop the PIF ATP Rankings with wins at the US Open and the Cincinnati Open. Enjoying his best season on Tour, Sinner beat American Taylor Fritz in the final of the US Open to become the first Italian man to win the hard-court major. With the title in New York, he also became the youngest man to win both hard-court Grand Slam titles in a single season.

"So many big wins for me this season, starting off with Australia," said Sinner after winning the US Open. "Playing so well there gave me confidence. The work never stops. I know I can still improve, as we saw today, a couple of things. But you have to be proud with what you have and the rest you have to work for it. I can't wait for my continued process."

Carlos Alcaraz and Tomas Machac were locked at a set a piece Wednesday when the 23-year-old from the Czech Republic was forced to retire due to cramps in the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage clash. Roberto Bautista Agut won the opening singles match against Jiri Lehecka 7-6(1), 6-4, ensuring that Spain would later secure a 2-0 win against the Czech Republic in Group B action.

Alcaraz dropped the opening set 6-7(3), but fought back to level the match with a convincing 6-1 second set. Machac retired in the opening game of the deciding set after one hour, 38 minutes of play in Valencia. When Machac could not continue, he hunched over his knees and struggled to walk towards the net. Alcaraz warmly embraced his opponent.

"I think after a really difficult and tough first set, I knew that I had to stay tough, stay positive and play long rallies," Alcaraz said. "I think he played more matches in the American swing. He played tough matches in New York. Then coming here, different conditions, different everything. It's difficult to get used to."

That touch though ?@DavisCup | #DavisCup | @carlosalcaraz

pic.twitter.com/qFeN0wVMPa

The World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings dropped just four points behind his first serve and produced superb all-court coverage throughout his first match since falling in the US Open second round. Machac enjoyed a career-best Slam result at Flushing Meadows, where he reached the fourth round before falling to eventual semi-finalist Jack Draper.

The United States swept Chile 3-0 in Wednesday’s Davis Cup Finals Group Stage clash, but the victory was less straightforward than the scoreline suggested. The Americans needed a deciding-set tie-break in all three matches in Zhuhai.

Reilly Opelka and Brandon Nakashima led the singles charge before Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram secured the clean sweep for Team USA.

“It was truly an epic day of tennis for both teams," said United States team captain Bob Bryan. "Everyone showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts. Hats off to the Chileans. Hats off to our guys who were really digging deep, especially in the big moments.

"I don’t think it’s ever happened in Davis Cup that all matches went to the third-set breaker… historic day. Just feeling very, very proud of the players.”

Opelka began the day by hammering 27 aces to edge past Cristian Garin 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) and improve to 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.