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Returning to the London apartment he was sharing with coach Craig Boynton after finally closing out his epic 11-hour Wimbledon victory over Nicolas Mahut in 2010, John Isner was feeling good about life.

“I actually felt okay physically, not knowing I was going to feel awful the next day,” Isner recounted to ATPTour.com this week. “So I told CB, ‘I feel like a million dollars’.”

“Yeah, in quarters,” Boynton quipped back, knowing full well that the 70-68 fifth-set victory would take a toll.

“And he was right. I did feel like a million dollars in quarters the next day, just awful,” Isner laughed. “He is so witty; he is one of the wittiest guys I know. He always has a quick quip to come back at you with. Ask anyone, the guy is hilarious.”

Boynton, one of the most respected voices in the game who is also known for his Santa Claus beard and congenial personality, is the subject of ATPTour.com’s ATP Coach Spotlight this month.

Jiri Lehecka has parted with coach Tomas Berdych after 18 months. The 22-year-old Czech announced the news on social media on Monday.

Lehecka started with countryman Berdych at Monte-Carlo last year, with the former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings helping guide Lehecka to his maiden tour-level title in Adelaide in January.

As of today, by mutual agreement, I have ended my cooperation with Tomas Berdych, with whom I have been working since the Monte-Carlo 2023 tournament. Our paths are not diverging, though. We will continue to work with Tomáš within the Davis Cup team.

“As of today, by mutual agreement, I have ended my cooperation with Tomas Berdych, with whom I have been working since the Monte-Carlo 2023 tournament,” Lehecka wrote in Czech on social media. “Our paths are not diverging, though. We will continue to work with Tomas within the Davis Cup team. I wish him much success and many victories in his new role as the Davis Cup team captain.

“My team otherwise remains the same, with coach Michal Navratil, fitness coach Radek Stepanek, and physiotherapist Carlos Manuel Baptista Carvalho. The general manager of the team is Roman Vik and the agent is Pierre Christen.”

The Asian swing commences on the ATP Tour from Wednesday, with 250 hard-court events at the Chengdu Open and the Hangzhou Open. In Berlin, the seventh edition of the Laver Cup will take place from 20-22 September in Germany.

Italian Lorenzo Musetti is the top seed in Chengdu, where Nicolas Jarry and Alexander Bublik compete, while Holger Rune leads the field in Hangzhou. Chinese stars Zhizhen Zhang, Shang Juncheng, Wu Yibing and Bu Yunchaokete lead home hopes across the two events.

Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev will lead Team Europe's quest for glory at the Laver Cup against Team World.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at all three events.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN CHENGDU
Can Musetti boost slim Turin hopes? Lorenzo Musetti arrives at the hard-court event in Chengdu with an outside chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. The Italian is 15th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, the highest-ranked player in action this week, but is 1080 points behind eighth-placed Alex de Minaur, who occupies the final qualification spot. If Musetti is to make his move, he will need to start with a deep run in Chengdu, where he reached the semi-finals last year.

Jannik Sinner has added fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio to his team ahead of the Asian swing. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who won his second major title at the US Open earlier this month, broke the news on social media on Monday.

Panichi and Badio both join the Sinner camp having worked with 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the past.

Panichi worked with Djokovic from 2017 until May this year, when the Serbian ended his partnership with the Italian. Badio left the Djokovic camp at the end of 2022 after more than five years together.

Panichi and Badio had their first session with Sinner on Monday in Monte-Carlo, where the Italian is practising. They will then travel with Sinner to the ATP 500 event in Beijing in September and the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai next month. The 23-year-old will continue to work with osteopath Andrea Cipolla during the upcoming Asian swing.

With less than two months to go until the Nitto ATP Finals, all eyes will be on Asia during the next four weeks when the battle for Turin qualification will take further shape.

Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev have already booked their spots at the prestigious year-end event, to be played from 10-17 November, while Carlos Alcaraz (6,010 points) is close to joining them.

Behind that trio, five spaces are left to be filled, with many stars aiming to gain points in Asia to boost their hopes. Taylor Fritz (3,890) is fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin after he reached his maiden major final at the US Open and is now in strong contention to qualify for the second time after reaching the semi-finals in 2022.

Fourth-placed Medvedev (4,420), sixth-placed Casper Ruud (3,795) and seventh-placed Andrey Rublev (3,480) have all competed in Turin on more than one occasion, with Medvedev lifting the trophy in 2020. Medvedev and Rublev will take to court at the ATP 500 in Beijing, starting in nine days time, with none of the Top 14 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin in action this week at ATP 250 events in Chengdu and Hangzhou.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

With the pressure on, Denis Shapovalov delivered for Canada on Sunday to fire the former champion to the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga. Needing one point from its winner-takes-all tie against Great Britain, Shapovalov moved past Daniel Evans 6-0, 7-5 to give Canada a 1-0 lead in its Group D tie.

Argentina advanced from Group D in Manchester on Saturday, with its 3-0 victory against Finland leaving Great Britain needing to defeat Canada by the same scoreline to join Guillermo Coria’s side.

However, Evans struggled to impose himself on Shapovalov, who fired 25 winners and saved both break points he faced to earn the crucial point for his nation.

Felix Auger-Aliassime then put the icing on the already-qualified cake when he overcame US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper 7-6(8), 7-5 in two hours and seven minutes. Auger-Aliassime, who avenged his Cincinnati defeat to British lefty Draper, has impressed on the hard courts in Manchester this week, not dropping a set in all three matches.

In the doubles, British pair Neal Skupski and Henry Patten defeated Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau 7-6(4), 6-4.

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.”