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Before Rafael Nadal was a household name on the ATP Tour, claiming 92 tour-level titles and rising to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the Spaniard used the ATP Challenger Tour as a springboard to stardom, capturing two trophies at that level as a teenager in 2003.

Now aged 38, the lefty has welcomed the ATP Challenger Tour to his home base, the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, since 2018. Routinely held the first week of the US Open, the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar has featured a host of well-known players in its short stint.

“I am really happy,” Nadal reflected in Spanish. “Over the years, we have had incredible tennis players like Andy Murray [in 2019] and Marin Cilic [in 2024], as well as other great players. As organisers, having the ability to organise a Challenger here at the academy is an important step forward and it is a great satisfaction that the players are leaving very happy and grateful.”

Credit: Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar

Nobody left this year’s edition happier than Croatian Duje Ajdukovic, the 23-year-old who was crowned champion Sunday. Earlier in the tournament, Ajdukovic beat countryman and former World No. 3 Marin Cilic, who was competing in his first event since February. Last year's titlist Hamad Medjedovic went on to win the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF three months later.

Gabriel Debru fell to his knees on the Italian clay following a gruelling 30-ball rally on championship point, which he clinched with a deft backhand drop volley. It was an emotional moment for the #NextGenATP 18-year-old as he won the Challenger Citta’ di Como, his second title in three months on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Debru, who won the Troyes Challenger in July, defeated Peruvian Ignacio Buse 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 in Sunday's final to become the youngest player to win multiple Challenger titles this season. The teen is the third-youngest Frenchman to win multiple Challenger trophies (since 1978), joining former Top 10 stars Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils.

Youngest Frenchman To Win Multiple Challenger Titles

Following his title run, Debru is up nine spots to 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. He is aiming for his maiden trip to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

In other Challenger action, Croatian Duje Ajdukovic moved closer to securing his Top 100 debut by triumphing at the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar. The 23-year-old captured his third Challenger title at the academy of 92-time tour-level titlist Nadal, whom Ajdukovic pushed to three sets in the semi-finals of July’s ATP 250 event in Bastad.

Alex de Minaur is enjoying another fruitful season. The Australian, No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings, peaked at No. 6 a few months ago and has claimed two titles in 2024 (Acapulco and ’s-Hertogenbosch).

De Minaur also reached the last eight at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. On Monday, De Minaur will take on his countryman Jordan Thompson at the US Open for a place in yet another major quarter-final. What is clear is that, despite his 25 years, the Australian is still getting better. His recent improvements have earned him a place among the best players in the world.

“Honestly, there’s no secret to progress other than following our most basic ideas and principles,” Adolfo Gutierrez, De Minaur’s coach, told ATPTour.com in New York. “My father taught me that it is daily hard work, never giving up, and believing in what we’re doing.

“The goals we have today are still to improve everything: to be a better player, a better person and not to settle for anything. As well as trusting oneself in the big moments, and training to be ready, above all for the Grand Slams, which were on our to-do list.”

Of course, the 2024 version of De Minaur was not built in a couple of days. Gutierrez, who has been with the Australian since his junior days, knows exactly what the process was to improve a player who already had formidable foundations. Now, through pure hard work, De Minaur has found his place among the elite.

Frances Tiafoe rising to the occasion at the US Open has become an annual tradition. The final major of the 2024 season has proven no different.

The 20th seed advanced to the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for a third consecutive year on Sunday evening when he defeated 28th seed Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 in three hours and two minutes. The home favourite will play ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the last eight.

"I always dreamt about playing on this court [since I was] a kid. I used to hit against the wall and wanted to compete on this court," Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. "Seeing the Williams sisters win titles here, seeing Roger win here a million times, I was like 'I just want to play on this court'. It's so iconic, obviously named after Arthur Ashe, so I wanted to be a part of that. I think it brings out the best of me." 

Welcome to the Late Night Show, starring Big Foe! ✨@usopen | #USOpen | @FTiafoe pic.twitter.com/Sis71NoMev

Tiafoe arrived in Cincinnati with a 19-18 tour-level record this season. Since then he has won nine of 10 matches, including a run to his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Ohio and now his fourth major quarter-final.

Alexander Zverev qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the seventh time on Sunday when he advanced to the US Open quarter-finals with a victory against Brandon Nakashima. The season finale will take place at Inalpi Arena from 10-17 November.

The German has earned his place at the prestigious year-end championships in seven of the past eight seasons. He is a two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion, having lifted the trophy in 2018 and 2021.

The 2x CHAMP is back! ?️

See you in Turin, @AlexZverev ?
#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Y6HSYKvzPe

Only two active singles players have won the tournament more than once: record seven-time champion Novak Djokovic and Zverev, who in 2018 defeated Roger Federer in the semi-finals and Djokovic in the final to earn the crown. Only 10 players have triumphed at the event more than once in the event’s history (since 1970).

Zverev leads the ATP Tour in wins during the 2024 season with 56 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a consistent season, including his sixth ATP Masters 1000 triumph in Rome. He also made his second major final at Roland Garros and another championship match on home soil in Hamburg.

Alexander Zverev moved closer to capturing his first major title at the US Open on Sunday when he ended American Brandon Nakashima’s run to reach the quarter-finals in New York for the fourth time.

The German dictated after a slow start on Louis Armstrong Stadium to earn a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win. With his two-hour, 38-minute triumph, Zverev notched his 450th win.

"I was extremely defensive at the beginning of the match and Brandon used it very well and played an awesome set," Zverev said. "I knew that I had to step up my game and take the ball on the rise more and I did well today and I am happy to be back in the quarter-finals."

A special achievement for @AlexZverev ?

The No. 4 seed sees off Nakashima 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-2 to reach his fourth consecutive #USOpen quarter-final! pic.twitter.com/G3xnacYuoX

Zverev looked on course for a comfortable win in the fourth set when he almost turned his right ankle when chasing a ball down on the forehand wing at 3-1. Despite showing a look of anguish on his face after the point, Zverev showed little sign of discomfort following the brief scare, winning three of the next four games to advance. The 27-year-old injured his right ankle during his semi-final match against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2022 and missed the rest of the season.

Can Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson complete a Grand Slam redemption story at the US Open?

The Australian duo booked its quarter-final spot at the hard-court major on Friday afternoon with a 7-6(3), 6-3 triumph against Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral. Purcell and Thompson did not face a break point in their 86-minute triumph on Grandstand, where they struck 32 winners to Borges and Cabral’s 18.

Seeded seventh at Flushing Meadows, Purcell and Thompson are chasing their maiden Grand Slam title as a team. The pair held three championship points at Wimbledon in July before falling to a heartbreaking loss to Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten. They have lifted three ATP 250 trophies together this year, however, and the pair is currently up one spot to seventh in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as it chases a spot at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

Standing in Purcell and Thompson’s way in the last eight in New York are top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos. The Spanish-Argentine duo defeated Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti 6-2, 6-2 in a 62-minute third-round encounter.

In the bottom half of the draw, 10th seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz ousted fifth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4). The German pair, which has already reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, will take on second seeds Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden or 16th seeds Maximo Gonzalez/Andres Molteni in the last eight.

Could Serena Williams have been key to Grigor Dimitrov’s fourth-round victory at the US Open against Andrey Rublev?

The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion revealed that he spoke to the six-time US Open singles champion on Saturday before triumphing in five sets on Sunday. The 33-year-old also discussed to what extent he gets nervous playing in front of his longtime friend.

“For some reason not in front of her,” Dimitrov said. “She gave me a good pep talk yesterday. Yep, I know, exactly. I’m thrilled.”

? That's what friends are for ?@serenawilliams ?? @GrigorDimitrov @usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/lePW8PPeh8

Williams was watching from a suite alongside American singer Alicia Keys.

Can Grigor Dimitrov add a Grand Slam title challenge to his resurgent 2024?

The Bulgarian withstood a stirring comeback from Andrey Rublev to clinch victory in a pulsating fourth-round US Open clash on Sunday afternoon in New York. The ninth-seeded Dimitrov kept his cool for a 6-3, 7-6(3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 triumph after three hours and 39 minutes inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Two of the cleanest baseline ballstrikers on the ATP Tour produced some scintillating rallies for an engrossed crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Although Dimitrov fired fewer winners than Rublev (41 to 47) and more unforced errors (67 to 59), his ability to raise his level under pressure proved crucial to his victory.

“I was playing fairly good, I think, for the first two sets,” said Dimitrov in his on-court interview. “But for some reason my body was starting to lose its rhthym a little bit and he was not going to just give up the match. You know how he is. I just had to stay patient and I think today the biggest thing that helped me was my experience and [the crowd].”

Big stage for a big milestone ?@GrigorDimitrov advances to his 8th Grand Slam quarter-final, defeating Rublev in five sets! @usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/5Ff55OjsDL

Taylor Fritz gained revenge against Casper Ruud on Sunday at the US Open, where he overcame the Norwegian 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals in New York for the second consecutive year.

The American fell to Ruud in the fourth round at Roland Garros earlier this year but ensured history would not repeat itself under the roof on Louis Armstrong Stadium. In a statement display, Fritz fired 56 winners to Ruud’s 32 and used the energy of the home crowd to triumph after two hours and 44 minutes.

"I just had to stay in it because I felt like he outplayed me in the first set. I had some chances, he had some chances and he took them," Fritz said. "He was playing well and I did a really good job to fight at the start of the second to get through some tight service games and apply some scoreboard pressure. I feel his level then maybe dropped a little bit. I was getting more looks on second serves and I could just get through it from there."

TAYLOR MADE ?

American No. 1 @Taylor_Fritz97 punches his ?️ into his FIFTH Grand Slam quarter-final, taking out Ruud in four sets! @usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/zF38NyMxJL

With his third Top 10 win at a major, Fritz set a quarter-final meeting with fourth seed Alexander Zverev or countryman Brandon Nakashima. Fritz will be trying to reach the semi-finals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time when he takes to court on Tuesday, having fallen in the quarter-finals four times.

Carlos Alcaraz and Matteo Berrettini both helped shake off second-round losses at the US Open on Sunday when they attended the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Both stars are fans of Formula 1 and had a nice time watching the race, which Charles Leclerc won in front of his team’s home fans.

The crossover we love to see ? x ?️

Carlitos & Matteo enjoying their time at the Italian Grand Prix! ?

?: @MattBerrettini pic.twitter.com/SakC2VRJem

A Spanish-speaking reporter for DAZN caught up with Alcaraz before the race.

“Very well, very well,” Alcaraz said in Spanish of his love for the sport. “The truth is, we were able to come here to Formula 1. The truth is, for me, it’s a pleasure, and we are going to enjoy it.” 

Andrey Rublev was on the brink of elimination at this year’s US Open in the second round. He came back from two sets down against Arthur Rinderknech for a five-set victory in hot and sticky conditions in New York. Surviving the encounter has now led to a golden opportunity this weekend as we approach the halfway point of the final Grand Slam of the 2024 season.

“It was a turning point because you kind of think you’re out,” explained Fernando Vicente, Rublev’s coach, to ATPTour.com. “Watching the match on court, it was a very hot day, and he was in deep trouble. Andrey was very strong physically and he managed to pull through, and the other matches were a little better.

“In Grand Slam tournaments, there are always days like that, where you have to come back or play long matches. As I say, he did well; his body held up, as did his mind, and he was able to celebrate victory. I think he looks good.”

Having seen off Rinderknech and then beaten Jiri Lehecka in the third round, Rublev will on Sunday face Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the quarter-finals. The 26-year-old Rublev holds a slender 4-3 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“He’s looking good coming into the match against Dimitrov. I think against Lehecka he played a very solid match, even though he dropped his serve a couple of times in the third set and things got tough, he coped with it very well,” reflected Vicente, whose charge is the current No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I think he’s physically well, feeling confident.

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos overcame Matwe Middelkoop and Alexander Erler 6-3, 7-6(5) Saturday to advance to the third round at the US Open and continue their bid for a maiden Grand Slam title.

The pair has finished runner-up in three previous Grand Slam finals: the US Open in 2019 and Wimbledon in 2021 and 2023.

Granollers and Zeballos won 39 of 44 first-serve points to defeat their opponents in 1 hour, 42 minutes. The pair, ranked No. 1 in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, are bidding for their third title this season after claiming Masters 1000 titles in Rome and Montreal.

Granollers and Zeballos qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin earlier this week. This is the fifth consecutive year that the pair will compete in the event.

Granollers and Zeballos were knocked out in the third round in Flushing Meadows last year, falling to French team Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in a tight three-set match. Their best run in New York together came in 2019 when they finished runners-up, losing 6-4, 7-5 to Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the final.

When Christopher O’Connell walks onto the court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium Saturday, he will have the biggest opportunity of his career. The Australian will try to reach the fourth round at a major for the first time with the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Jannik Sinner, standing in his way. But do not expect any theatrics from the 30-year-old.

Jordan Thompson, another Aussie still in the draw at Flushing Meadows, was quick to describe his fellow Sydneysider, with whom he has trained, enjoyed meat pies and gone swimming.

“Silent assassin. He’s a quiet achiever,” said Thompson, with whom he shares coach Marinko Matosevic. “Everything about him is quiet, so I think he likes going under the radar, and he's had some great results, and probably doesn't get the credit he deserves… Maybe that's just [the way] he likes it.”

O’Connell has climbed as high as World No. 53, reached two ATP Tour semi-finals and played eight matches against Top 10 opponents. But he does not make a splash with how he behaves on court.

The five-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist is content keeping to himself and not standing under the spotlight. Even so, his story is an incredible one.

Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev restored order to the US Open evening session Saturday after the chaotic exits of former champions Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz the previous two nights.

The 28-year-old, who is now the only former champion remaining in the men’s field, denied a feisty challenge from young Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours, 18 minutes to set a fourth-round showdown with Portugal's Nuno Borges.

“I said it before the match that for me the upsets don’t really matter. The only thing [is when] the conditions are a bit tricky the favourites maybe have less margin than the other guys. Just have to be more cautious," said Medvedev, who improved to 38-13 on the season [21-6 on hard courts].

“If I play good tennis I can win the whole thing. If I don’t play good I can lose against anyone.”

The players captivated fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium with a series of spellbinding rallies, with Cobolli frequently forcing Medvedev to defend like an octopus with his gangly arms at full stretch and his trademark defensive skills tested to the limit.

On back-to-back days Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic suffered stunning defeats at the US Open, sending shockwaves through the tennis world.

The players remaining in the draw, headlined by Jannik Sinner, were quick to credit their opponents and point out that losses are part of the sport.

“It shows that this sport is unpredictable. Whenever you drop a little bit of your level, if it's mental, if it's tennis-wise or physical, at the end it has a huge impact on the result. Both opponents who they lost against, they played some incredible tennis. And it happens,” Sinner said. “So I just watch on my side what I have to do, that I guess I have done also in last period of time, and then we will see what I can do.”

One player who was directly impacted by one of the upsets was 25th seed Jack Draper. The Briton was in the same section of the draw as Alcaraz. But instead, the lefty faced the Spaniard’s conqueror, Botic van de Zandschulp.

“I think both of them, [Carlos and Novak], obviously played the Olympic final. I think that's taken a lot out of them. It's taken a lot out of everyone, but they obviously made the finals, and it was emotional for both of them,” Draper said. “Obviously Novak, that was probably his biggest goal, and to come through that is obviously emotionally challenging to sort of have a rest and then come here.

Alex de Minaur moved back inside the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Live Rankings Saturday night after defeating an ailing Daniel Evans 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-0, 6-0 to advance to the US Open second week for the fourth time in his career.

The No. 1 Australian also became the first player from his country to reach the fourth round of all majors in the same season since Lleyton Hewitt 20 years ago. He joins countrymen Alexei Popyrin and Jordan Thompson, whom he faces next, in the second week.

”I’m super proud of what I’ve been able to achieve this year," De Minaur said. "It’s been tough coming back from injury, but I’m so happy to be back here in New York playing these kind of matches. Let’s keep it going.”

Evans came into the clash with a 3-0 lead in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series over the Australian and appeared to be digging into a dogfight after winning a second-set tie-break to level the match.

But De Minaur's plan to make it a physical match proved telling in the third, when Evans began to suffer from a physical ailment, which required treatment from the physio. In the first round Evans survived a five-hour 35-minute match — the longest match in US Open history — in his epic victory over Karen Khachanov.

On Friday night, Carlos Alcaraz was en route to the John F. Kennedy International Airport to return to Murcia after bowing out in the second round of the US Open to Botic van de Zandschulp, who defeated the Spaniard in three sets in one of the biggest upsets of the season.

Alcaraz, who posted a photo on social media bidding farewell to the fans at the tournament until next year, ended his participation in the 2024 Grand Slams on Thursday with a return that he surely would have taken at the start of the year.

Below, ATPTour.com reflects on the 21-year-old’s season at this year’s majors.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: QUARTER-FINALS
Alcaraz arrived in Melbourne to play his first tournament on the calendar at the season’s first Grand Slam. He beat Richard Gasquet (first round), Lorenzo Sonego (second), Juncheng Shang (third) and Miomir Kecmanovic (last sixteen) before meeting Alexander Zverev in the quarters. In that round, German sent Spaniard packing after four sets, ending his title hopes.

“I honestly don’t know what happened,” Alcaraz said later. “I’d love to say what might have happened, but I wasn’t feeling my game at the start of the match, with a lot of errors that I wasn’t making in previous matches, and my serve was very bad too...” he added.

When Novak Djokovic reached all four Grand Slam finals in 2023, winning three, including a record 24th major, there was nothing to suggest that 2024 would not bring another year of Grand Slam success for the Serbian.

But when he lost in the third round of the US Open on Friday, Djokovic concluded his Grand Slam season without a trophy for the first time since 2017.

Below, ATPTour.com reflects on the 37-year-old’s season at this year’s majors.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: SEMI-FINALS
Playing in his second tournament of the season after the United Cup, Djokovic arrived in Melbourne in the hunt for his 11th title. Slowly building rhythm, he edged out Dino Prizmic, Alexei Popyrin, and Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first three rounds. He put up a vintage performance against Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round, dropping only three games en route to victory. In the quarter-finals, he was tested by Taylor Fritz before winning in four sets.

But Djokovic, a 10-time champion at Melbourne Park, suffered a surprise defeat to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in four sets in the semi-finals, where his streak of 33 consecutive wins in Melbourne ended.

Most players dream big. They want to win a Grand Slam title, reach No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and compete against the best players in the world. Flavio Cobolli, who will play 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the third round at Flushing Meadows Saturday evening, has something else in mind.

“I want the people to know about my name when I stop playing,” Cobolli told ATPTour.com. “So I want to be an important player, of course on the court, but also outside. I want to always smile, always try to have fun with this sport. So of course, I want to win a big tournament. And yeah, be a good player with a good ranking. But the first thing is for people to know about me after my career.”

The Italian has no interest in going through his career, retiring and sailing into the sunset as just part of the crowd. The 22-year-old wants to leave his mark on the sport and the world.

“I'm a guy with a big dream. I'm a guy happy to make other people happy,” Cobolli said. “I think I'm a good guy and I want to leave something to the other people, [make them want to] come to play tennis. I want to inspire people, of course.”

Cobolli has the game and the personality to do it. All eyes have been on the rise of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and recent Wimbledon semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti. Cobolli appears on his way to joining his countrymen.