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Kouame, 16, becomes sixth-youngest qualifier on ATP Tour this century

  • Posted: Feb 02, 2026

Frenchman Moise Kouame became the sixth-youngest man to qualify for an ATP Tour event since 2000 on Monday when he overcame countryman Clement Chidekh 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-3 at the Open Occitanie in Montpellier.

The wild card, aged 16 years and 10 months, defeated Elias Ymer in the first qualifying round and will now make his main draw debut against eighth seed and last year’s finalist Aleksandar Kovacevic. Kouame won two ITF World Tennis Tour titles last month.

Youngest Men to Qualify for ATP Tour event since 2000

Player  Event  Age 
Richard Gasquet Monte-Carlo, 2002 15 years, 9 months
Ryan Harrison Houston, 2008 15 years, 11 months
Richard Gasquet Adelaide, 2003 16 years, 6 months
Rudolf Molleker Hamburg, 2017 16 years, 8 months
Rafael Nadal Monte-Carlo, 2003 16 years, 10 months
Moise Kouame Montpellier, 2026 16 years, 10 months

Kouame is the No. 552 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. The Frenchman competed in ATP Tour qualifying for the first time last year in Madrid, where he fell to Botic van de Zandschulp.

In main draw action on Day 1, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard retired from his match against Arthur Gea due to a eye injury. Gea led 5-3, 30/0 in the opening set when he hit a passing shot to Mpetshi Perricard’s backhand volley. The ball bounced from Mpetshi Perricard’s racquet into his eye. The former No. 29 player in the PIF ATP Rankings immediately fell to his knees and took a medical timeout. 

The players contested just one more point, because Mpetshi Perricard retired one point after returning to the court. “It’s never easy to see a friend [injured],” Gea said. “It’s never easy to see this.”

Adrian Mannarino moved past Pedro Martinez 7-6(3), 6-1. Mannarino hit 14 aces and saved both break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Mannarino has now earned at least one ATP Tour win in 18 different seasons.

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What history did Novak Djokovic make at the Australian Open?

  • Posted: Feb 02, 2026

Novak Djokovic fell just short of winning his 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, where he battled Carlos Alcaraz in a tight four-setter in the final. But it was still a memorable tournament for the Serbian.

Djokovic made plenty of history throughout the fortnight, continuing to write and rewrite the record books.

ATPTour.com looks at just five of the historic achievements the 38-year-old earned at the season’s first major.

Record for most Australian Open wins
By reaching the Australian Open final, Djokovic now owns 104 wins at Melbourne Park, putting him in first place among both men and women in history. The Serbian passed Roger Federer, who won 102 Australian Open matches during his career.

Djokovic now owns at least 100 victories at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, making him the only player to achieve the feat at three different major tournaments.

Most Australian Open Singles Wins

 Player  Australian Open Wins
 1) Novak Djokovic  104
 2) Roger Federer  102
 3) Serena Williams  92
 4) Rafael Nadal  77
 5) Margaret Court  60

First to reach 400 Grand Slam wins
Djokovic already held the record for most Grand Slam singles wins in history, but he reached a milestone this fortnight. The 24-time major champion became the first player to reach 400 major match wins, finishing the event with 402. Federer is second on the all-time list with 369, while Serena Williams is just behind with 367.

Oldest Australian Open finalist in Open Era
The 38-year-old became the oldest man in the Open Era to make the Australian Open final, breaking the record set by Ken Rosewall. The Australian reached the championship match in 1972 aged 37.

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Extended Slam singles finals record
Djokovic had already held the mark for most Grand Slam singles finals in history with 37, but made his 38th to extend his record. He stood alone for the first time after making the 2023 Wimbledon final. Chris Evert is second on the list with 34.

Earned record for Slam finals after turning 35
This was the seventh time Djokovic has made a major final since turning 35, a new record for the Open Era. The Serbian was previously tied with Ken Rosewall (6). Williams did it five times and Federer on four occasions.

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Alcaraz withdraws from Rotterdam

  • Posted: Feb 02, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. The tournament announced the news via social media on Monday.

The Spaniard lifted the trophy at the ATP 500 event last season but won’t return to defend his crown at the indoor hard-court event, which will be held from 9-16 February. Top 10 stars Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur will be in action in Rotterdam.

Alcaraz, 22, became the youngest player to complete the Career Grand Slam on Sunday at the Australian Open, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in four sets. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, a seven-time major champion, participated in a photoshoot at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne to celebrate on Monday.

Alcaraz has now won 15 Big Titles – a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals.

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Will Alcaraz be getting a tattoo after winning the Australian Open?

  • Posted: Feb 02, 2026

Every major champion has their rituals, but Carlos Alcaraz might have the coolest one. For the Spaniard, trophies don’t just go on the shelf, they go under the skin. Wimbledon brought a strawberry, Roland Garros an Eiffel Tower and the US Open a bold design featuring the Statue of Liberty.

Now, having triumphed at the Australian Open to complete the Career Grand Slam, what tattoo will join the growing gallery?

“I’ve said it’s going to be a kangaroo, for sure, a little kangaroo,” Alcaraz said after he defeated Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final.

The only mystery left is placement. The leg is locked in, but right or left? That’s still under debate, with the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings joking that he has some time to decide.

“I don’t know where it’s going to be,” Alcaraz said. “It’s going to be in the leg, for sure. I don’t know the right, the left one. I have got to choose a good spot, but it’s going to be for sure close to the French Open or Wimbledon. I just have to choose.”

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Alcaraz has now captured seven majors and 15 Big Titles – a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals. Rival Sinner has 11. Alcaraz remains at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings following his run, 3,350 points clear of 2024 and 2025 Australian Open champion Sinner.

The Spaniard will leave Melbourne shortly, but before departing, the 22-year-old took part in a fun photoshoot on Monday at the Royal Exhibition Building, posing with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

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Alcaraz celebrates Australian Open triumph with champion's photoshoot

  • Posted: Feb 02, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz celebrated winning the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open on Sunday by stepping into the sun on Monday, when he enjoyed a photoshoot with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

The 22-year-old Spaniard, dressed in all black, posed with the trophy during the shoot, which took place at the Royal Exhibition Building among gardens in central Melbourne.

Entering this year’s Australian Open, the 22-year-old had one clear aim: to complete the Career Grand Slam. Having already triumphed on two occasions at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings was determined to complete the historic set in Melbourne.

Alcaraz did not drop a set en route to the last four, before he rallied from 3-5 down in the fifth set against Alexander Zverev to win the longest semi-final in tournament history (five hours, 27 minutes). Alcaraz then overcame 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the final to lift his seventh major and first in Australia.

Read more from the Australian Open
Carlos Alcaraz’s Career Grand Slam: Daring tennis, defining triumph
Alcaraz dents Djokovic’s Melbourne final perfection
Alcaraz stretches Big Titles lead over Sinner
Alcaraz on Career Grand Slam: ‘It is a dream come true’
The stunning facts tying Federer, Nadal & Alcaraz’s first Melbourne titles

It was the first time Djokovic had lost an Australian Open final, having previously held a perfect 10-0 record. With victory, Alcaraz levelled the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 5-5 and has defeated Djokovic in all three major finals they have played.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz is next scheduled to play at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, which starts on Monday 9 February.

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Ruud announces birth of his daughter: 'Best feeling ever'

  • Posted: Feb 02, 2026

Casper Ruud and his wife Maria have announced that their daughter was born on 30 January. The No. 13 player in the PIF ATP Rankings posted on social media Sunday confirming the news.

“Thank you for all beautiful messages these last couple of weeks,” Ruud wrote on Instagram. “Maria and our baby are doing great.”

A 14-time ATP Tour champion, Ruud spoke to ATPTour.com last month about his excitement at becoming a father for the first time.

“It’s really exciting. It’s something we’ve been looking forward to now for half a year, so time is running and it’s going to be a new chapter for us,” said Ruud. “[It will be] a new way of life on Tour and I very much look forward to it, knowing how close I’ve been with my own family and my father and also my mother.

“I look forward to hopefully becoming a good parent myself. Even though this life requires a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of travel and these things, I look forward to trying to be there as much as I can and when I have downtime — time off from the court — I will spend it where I want to go with my future daughter.”

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Musetti withdraws from Buenos Aires & Rio de Janeiro

  • Posted: Feb 01, 2026

Lorenzo Musetti announced on social media Sunday that he will not be competing in the IEB+ Argentina Open in Buenos Aires or the Rio Open presented by Claro.

“After the results of my medical examinations and tests, my team and I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the upcoming tournaments in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro,” Musetti wrote on Instagram. “My focus right now is on my rehabilitation so I can return to the court. Thank you to everyone for their support and hope to see you soon.”

 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Lorenzo Musetti (@lore_musetti)

The Italian star was enjoying a deep run at the Australian Open, where he led 10-time champion Novak Djokovic two sets to none in the quarter-finals. However, he struggled with an upper-right leg injury and retired in the middle of the third set.

Entering the fortnight, the No. 5 player in the PIF ATP Rankings had never advanced past the third round of the Australian Open. But after reaching the final in Hong Kong and the last eight in Melbourne, he owns a 7-2 record for the season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

The IEB+ Argentina Open is an ATP 250 event that begins on 9 February, and the Rio Open presented by Claro is an ATP 500 tournament that starts on 16 February.

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