Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Andy Murray has been immortalised at his original tennis club, with a 20-foot mural now adorning a once-barren wall at the Dunblane Sports Club in Scotland.

Dubbed the ‘People’s Tribute to Andy Murray’, the work shows the Scot’s trademark roaring celebration with the words: ‘Sir Andy. Warrior. Legend.’

The mural is an initiative developed by Tennis Channel, which has also produced a companion short film, and executed by Sift Creative and their global production team.

Distributed by Tennis Channel, the short film, The People’s Tribute – Sir Andy Murray, features inspirational tributes from fans and people close to Andy, capturing the former World No. 1’s impact on them, the sport and the country. It also features a timelapse of the creation of the mural.

The world’s top-ranked tennis players will arrive in December for the blockbuster United Cup, the innovative mixed team tennis event staged in Perth and Sydney.

From Friday 27 December to Sunday 5 January 2025, the world’s best men and women will compete side-by-side.

Eighteen countries featuring up to three men and up to three women will compete for a minimum US$10 million in prize money and 500 PIF ATP and WTA rankings points.

Perth will open the United Cup on Friday 27 December at RAC Arena, while the group stage in Sydney will begin on Saturday 28 December at Ken Rosewall Arena.

Group winners in each city will advance to the quarterfinals with one quarterfinal spot in each city awarded to the best runner up in that city.

Five years ago, then 17-year-old Eliot Spizzirri stepped inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for an extended training session with five-time US Open champion Roger Federer. It was an unforgettable experience for Spizzirri and his longtime coach, Patrick Hirscht, both of whom looked up to the Swiss legend.

“That was definitely a highlight of both Eliot’s life and mine,” Hirscht said. “He was my favourite player, I think he's Eliot's favourite player, someone we both idolised and emulated. A lot in Eliot's game we kind of copied off Federer. How we wanted Eliot to carry himself on court, and how we wanted him to act and talk and be like.”  

Just weeks later, Spizzirri and Tyler Zink won the boys’ doubles event in New York. Five years later, Spizzirri will compete in the main draw of the men’s singles event for the first time when he faces #NextGenATP standout Alex Michelsen.

“I got to hit with Fed on Ashe, and so that was like, ‘Wow, okay, this is insane’. And to now be playing in the tournament, and now, actually in the main draw, you can't explain the feeling,” Spizzirri said. “Seven, eight, 12-year-old me is going crazy right now. Of course, yeah, I’m going crazy, but it takes time to soak in a little bit.”  

The good news for Spizzirri is that not only is he on the verge of playing the biggest match of his life to date in the first round of the season’s final major, the 22-year-old is doing it at home. No other player in the draw is as familiar with the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as Spizzirri.

At peace with his impending retirement and the end of his US Open career, Dominic Thiem was happy to sign off in New York with a final appearance on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday afternoon.

“Everything was a bit different,” said Thiem in his post-match press conference after his straight-sets defeat to Ben Shelton. “I tried to enjoy, I tried to really soak up every moment in this stadium. It was really nice. I think I was able to focus on the match, but of course I don’t have that level anymore that is required to really go head-to-head with players like Ben.

“This I also knew before, so of course I tried to enjoy as much as possible, but still, I was focusing on the match pretty good.”

New York will forever love Domi ❤️

2020 champion @domithiem bids an emotional farewell to the US Open ?@usopen | #USOpenpic.twitter.com/Zfx5KJlx5s

Thiem will end his career later this year as the owner of a 23-9 record at the US Open. That tally includes the highlight of the Austrian’s career: his run to his only Grand Slam trophy at the 2020 edition of the hard-court major.

Casper Ruud is set to partner William Blumberg in the men’s doubles at the US Open, with the pair facing the Italian fifth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the opening round.

Ruud and Blumberg are set to compete in their fourth Grand Slam as a pair. The duo lost to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 7-5, 6-4 in the first round at Wimbledon earlier this year. The Norwegian Ruud's best doubles result at Flushing Meadows came in 2019, when he partnered Miomir Kecmanovic to reach the third round.

Bolelli and Vavassori are currently third in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as they vie to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. They have won two ATP Tour titles this year in Buenos Aires and Halle.

#NextGenATP star Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will face fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the opening round. The French duo will make their second Grand Slam appearance after their first-round exit at 2023 Roland Garros as a wild card pairing.

Arevalo and Pavic enter the tournament having recently won the Cincinnati Open, defeating home favourites Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 in the final.

Can Alexander Zverev cap a strong year of Grand Slam performances with his maiden major title at the US Open?

The fourth seed made a solid start to his campaign on Monday in New York with a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 triumph against Maximilian Marterer. Zverev sent down 21 aces and converted six of 16 break points he earned to wrap a two-hour, 53-minute victory on Grandstand and set a second-round clash with Adam Walton or Alexandre Muller.

aaaaannnd breathe ?

No. 4 seed @AlexZverev digs deep to defeat his compatriot Marterer in four sets.@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/sviS6K3ogY

With victory against his fellow German Marterer, Zverev improved to 15-3 at the majors this year. The 27-year-old reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open, the championship match at Roland Garros, and the fourth round at Wimbledon, and his past history at the US Open suggests he is more than capable of forging a deep run this fortnight. Zverev reached his first Grand Slam final at the 2020 edition of the hard-court major before falling to Dominic Thiem.

Zverev is also competing in New York knowing that he can further boost his strong position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 22-time ATP Tour champion is currently third behind Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in his bid to secure a spot at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

Ben Shelton is up and running at this year’s US Open. A semi-finalist in New York 12 months ago, the American overcame former champion Dominic Thiem - who was competing in his final US Open match - 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the second round.

Shelton lit up New York last year when he became the youngest American man to reach the semis at the hard-court major since Michael Chang in 1992. The 21-year-old American looked comfortable on his return to Flushing Meadows on Monday when he dictated throughout against Thiem on Arthur Ashe Stadium to improve to 2-1 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series.

Wild card Thiem was competing at the US Open for the final time. The 30-year-old Austrian, who is set to retire later this year, held a 23-9 record at the fourth major of the season, highlighted by the run to his maiden Grand Slam trophy in 2020. Four years ago, Thiem rallied from two sets down to defeat Alexander Zverev and capture the biggest title of his career.

On Monday, the former World No. 3 soaked in a standing ovation from the crowd following his defeat to Shelton, while he also received a photo collage on court.

"It has been 10 years since I first played here. It is actually a really important moment for me, because I had my greatest success here on this court," Thiem said on court. "In that weird 2020, in strange and different circumstances. I had this success unfortunately without any of you [the fans] here. It was an amazing moment but on the other hand a bit sad, so I am super happy I got the chance to play my last US Open match on this court."

Improper footwork is one of the most common mistakes in tennis and can greatly affect your performance. Here's a deeper look at the issue and tips to correct it: The Problem:Standing Still or Flat-Footed: Players often get stuck in one spot, leading to late reactions and weak shots.Poor Movement to the Ball: Not positioning yourself correctly can r...

Americans Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien have boosted their respective chances of qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF after they impressed on home soil in Winston-Salem.

Michelsen consolidated second spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah after he reached his second ATP Tour final of the season at the hard-court event. The 20-year-old produced a series of aggressive displays at the ATP 250 event before he lost to Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the title match.

Michelsen, who is also at a career-high No. 49 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is aiming to making his second appearance in Jeddah after competing last year. He will now head to New York to play at the US Open, starting against Eliot Spizzirri.

PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

Tien also enjoyed a memorable week in Winston-Salem, where he advanced through qualifying to reach the quarter-finals. The 18-year-old, who has received a wild card for the US Open, had never competed in an ATP Tour main draw before arriving in North Carolina.

The North American hard-court season continued apace last week at the Winston-Salem Open, where Lorenzo Sonego overcame #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen in the final to seal his fourth ATP Tour crown.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers in the PIF ATP Rankings as of Monday, 26 August.

No. 49 Alex Michelsen, +3 (Career High)
One day shy of his 20th birthday, Michelsen stepped on court for his third ATP Tour final at the Winston-Salem Open. Although the home favourite was comfortably defeated by Sonego at the ATP 250, he can look back on another positive step in his career ahead of the US Open. Michelsen has risen three spots to a career-high No. 49 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

No. 48 Lorenzo Sonego, +10
Lorenzo Sonego became just the 11th active ATP Tour player to win tour-level titles on outdoor hard, indoor hard, clay and grass with a dominant series of displays in Winston-Salem. The Italian, who had not won consecutive matches on hard courts this year prior to arriving in North Carolina, did not drop a set all week en route to clinching his first title for almost two years.

No. 72 Shang Juncheng, +5 (Career High)
Chinese star Shang notched his 20th tour-level win of the year against Francisco Comesana in the first round in Winston-Salem, and that victory was enough to propel him five spots to a career-high World No. 72. The 19-year-old Shang has also consolidated third place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah: He remains 25 points clear of fourth-placed Jakub Mensik as he bids to qualify for the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Li Tu was playing Jesper de Jong Thursday in the final round of US Open qualifying on Court 6, which sits in the shadow of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the biggest tennis-only stadium on the planet. The Australian battled with the Dutchman deep into the third set of their match and even faced two match points on serve at 4-5. His dream of qualifying for a major for the first time nearly slipped away.

During the decider, the 28-year-old thought about his mother, Yu Ping Zheng, who passed away nearly two years ago after a courageous battle with lung cancer.

“I was a little bit nervous in the third set and I remember looking up at the change of ends, seeing her face, and just saying, ‘We've got this, we've got this, we've got this’,” Tu told ATPTour.com. “She's still with me. I truly believe that, and I just want to make my parents proud. I know no matter what I do, they would be. But I just want to make them proud.”

Tu rallied to win the match and earn his place in the main draw at the season’s final major. It was a memorable moment for a player who left the sport altogether for six years and has had to deal with the tragedy of losing a loved one since his return. He will play four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the first round.

“Honestly, I already almost started tearing up, 30-love that last game, because I was like, ‘Oh, wow, is this going to happen?’” Tu said. “I got a wild card into the 2021 [Australian Open], but how that all happened, it was pretty weird. This one, I earned it. I did it, I qualified. Playing a major is stuff that people dream about, that I dreamed as a kid as well. And to really do it, do it properly, it’s just truly amazing.”

ATPTour.com looks at five ATP Challenger Tour players to keep your eyes on during the US Open.

Learner Tien
The 18-year-old arrives at Flushing Meadows fresh off a dream ATP Tour debut week, reaching the Winston-Salem quarter-finals as a qualifier. Eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Tien survived a marathon tournament at last month’s Bloomfield Hills Challenger, where he needed a deciding set in all five of his matches to lift the trophy.

Tien became the 10th-youngest American Challenger champion, joining the likes of Andy Roddick, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, whom the teen lost to in the first round of the US Open last year. The lefty will look to rely on his ultra-consistent baseline play to challenge the world’s best in his third consecutive US Open appearance. In the first round, Tien faces fellow #NextGenATP star and 24th seed Arthur Fils.

Mattia Bellucci
It has been a red-hot past month for the Italian inching closer to his Top 100 debut, currently World No. 101 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Bellucci made his first tour-level quarter-final in Atlanta and followed that run by qualifying for Washington and reaching the second round. The 23-year-old held two championship points at the ATP Challenger Tour 100 event in Cary, North Carolina, but fell to Roman Safiullin after nearly three hours.

After qualifying for a third consecutive major main-draw appearance, the lefty starts against 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka.

The stars of the ATP Tour are ready for the final Grand Slam tournament of the season at the US Open, where a huge haul of PIF ATP Rankings points is up for grabs.

Novak Djokovic is the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz has won the past two majors and Jannik Sinner is World No. 1. ATPTour.com looks at three players who might be good selections for fans in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor.

Make Your Picks Now!

Jannik Sinner - defending 180 points
The top seed faces a tough draw, with former World No. 1s Daniil Medvedev and Alcaraz potential quarter-final and semi-final opponents, respectively. But the Italian has proven consistent at the majors recently.

Since Wimbledon last year, he has won 24 of his 28 matches at the majors. His defeats have only come against players who have reached at least World No. 2. One year ago, he fell in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows to Alexander Zverev, who he defeated last week in Cincinnati.

The last time Novak Djokovic was in action, many of his colleagues said he “completed tennis”. The Serbian claimed the men’s singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics, earning the one big title he had not yet captured.

Ahead of the US Open, the 37-year-old made a bold statement regarding how highly that accomplishment ranks among his long list of accolades.

“Just kind of sharing my thoughts, my emotions and experiences of reflection on what is for me, I think now when I look back, the greatest achievement and greatest highlight of my career overall, winning the gold for Serbia,” Djokovic said. “Had some heartbreaking losses at the Olympic Games, worked very hard to try to get myself in a position to fight for gold. And at 37 I thought, I don't know, could this be the last chance? Maybe. So I had to push more than ever, than I have ever done.”

Djokovic explained that his effort in Paris was one of the best performances, throughout the entire tournament, he had produced in years.

“Of course in the finals against Carlos, it was kind of a dream scenario really having my wife and children there, the entire nation watching. Just a very proud moment of experiencing the golden medal around my neck with Serbian anthem and Serbian flag. Very, very special. Probably the most intense emotions I have ever had on a tennis court,” Djokovic said. “I was saying that carrying the flag, being a flagbearer for my country, opening [the Olympic] Games in 2012 in London at the Olympic Games, was the best feeling I had overall in my professional career, surpassed every Slam that I won, until I won the gold medal.

Word spread quickly Saturday on the grounds of the US Open that Carlos Alcaraz had cut his training session short because of a turned ankle. Would the freak accident jeopardise his US Open hopes?

Alcaraz put those concerns to bed quickly later in the day during his pre-tournament press conference.

“I wasn't worried at all for my US Open participation. Obviously I was angry because I don't want to stop the practice, just to respect [Francisco] Cerundolo, as well. I don't want to stop any practice. I want to practise, I want to get better, I want to get ready for the tournament,” Alcaraz said. “But honestly with the ankle, I wasn't worried about that. So I'm sure that tomorrow or in two days I'm going to be at my 100 per cent, for sure. It's about time.”

The Spaniard, who will begin his tournament on Tuesday against Li Tu of Australia explained that he only stopped his practice as a precaution.

“I didn't feel comfortable enough to keep practising just in case if everything is going to be worse,” Alcaraz said. “But after a few hours later, I’m still feeling good, my feet, so tomorrow I will try to be practising again 100 per cent without thinking about it. But today I'll take care [of] it.”

Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow won their second consecutive Winston-Salem Open title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory Saturday over Julian Cash and Robert Galloway.

The Americans, who are ranked No. 9 in the PIF ATP Doubles Team Rankings, converted three of four break point chances according to Infosys ATP Stats. They sealed victory in 56 minutes to take their Lexus ATP Head2HEAD to 3-0 against their opponents.

"I think they kind of said it last night with feeling a little added pressure knowing that you played well here last year and having an expectation," Withrow said after the match. "But at the same time I think we feel comfortable here."

"It’s another great time of the year for us when we feel like we play our best tennis back in the States, we feel comfortable at home. We feel like we’re a part of this Wake community and it’s always exciting to be coming back here."

[ATP APP]

Lorenzo Sonego captured his first title in almost two years Saturday after dominating American teen Alex Michelsen from start to finish to claim a resounding 6-0, 6-3 win in a 64-minute Winston-Salem Open final.

Anchored by his ferocious forehand and effective serve, Sonego produced one of his best performances of the season while Michelsen played far below the form that saw him crack the Top 50 of the PIF ATP Live Rankings for the first time this week.

"It's a crazy week for me, for my team for my family," Sonego said. "I brought my game every day. I'm really proud of myself.

"I will enjoy this moment with my team and then I'll start to think about the US Open."

The 29-year-old Italian becomes just the 11th active player to have won a title on outdoor hard, indoor hard, clay and grass. It is his fourth title and first since Metz in September 2022.

When Radu Albot was on the way back to his hotel after his US Open final-round qualifying win Thursday against Shintaro Mochizuki, his wife, Doina, was scrolling through the draw on her phone to see if qualifiers had been placed.

Doina needed to scroll for quite a while — to the very bottom of the 128-player draw, in fact. The Moldovan had been slotted to face 24-time Grand Slam champion and second seed Novak Djokovic.

“My reaction was that I never played him, so it's interesting, it will be interesting to do that, but also at the same you expect when you qualify to get an easier draw, of course, than to play against the second seed,” Albot told ATPTour.com. “I practised with Rafa, practised together with Roger, but I never practised with Djokovic and it's going to be the first time that we'll play on the same court.”

The experience will be made more special by having his wife and daughter, Adeline, with him. Adeline went with her mother into Arthur Ashe Stadium to take a photo in the world’s biggest tennis-only stadium not knowing her father would soon play there.

The four-year-old has in her time on Tour met the likes of Federer, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Perhaps her most special encounter came earlier this week in the US Open’s player dining area. Adeline met the venue’s namesake: Billie Jean King.

Wu Yibing capped a dream comeback week Saturday when he was crowned champion at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Jinan, China.

Playing in just his second tournament since last year’s US Open and first since the ATP 250 in Houston more than four months ago, Wu built upon his level each match.

He began the week down 0-4 to Stefanos Sakellaridis in the first round, but the home favourite found greater consistency to eventually claim his fifth ATP Challenger Tour title. The 24-year-old defeated Japan’s Rio Noguchi 7-5, 6-3 in the 2024 Jinan Open final.

“That was my goal before coming here,” the wild card Wu said of winning the trophy. “I have high expectations of myself and also my team, we all work hard for it. It’s been more than [four] months since my last tournament. We all gave our best, tried to do everything the correct way and I think I deserved to win this tournament.

“I feel happy. It’s the first step of coming back. And hopefully more to come.”

The tennis world mourns the loss of former World No. 25 Peter Lundgren, who has passed away at the age of 59. In the 1980s golden era for Swedish tennis, Lundgren was one of seven Swedes ranked in the Top 25.

Lundgren notably coached Roger Federer in the Swiss icon’s early career. It was a successful three-year partnership that featured Federer’s first of 20 major triumphs at Wimbledon in 2003.

Lundgren's countryman Magnus Norman, former World No. 2 wrote on social media: "R.I.P Peter Lundgren. A fantastic warm and positive person and on top of that a magical coach has left us way to early. A very sad day."

Darren Cahill added: "A good man with a kind soul. A helluva coach also."

As a player, Lundgren collected three tour-level singles titles and as many in doubles. He won 119 singles matches with his maiden title coming in 1985 in Cologne. Two years later, Lundgren lifted trophies in Rye Brook and San Francisco. He was voted the ATP Tour's Most Improved Player that year. In 1988, Lundgren reached the Australian Open doubles final alongside Briton Jeremy Bates.