Tennis News

Fonseca meets Federer for the first time at Laver Cup

It is safe to say Joao Fonseca will never forget 16 September 2025.

Before the start of the Laver Cup, the #NextGenATP Brazilian star has already experienced a memorable moment. The 19-year-old met Roger Federer on Tuesday.

“My hands are sweating because I’m going to meet Roger,” Fonseca said in a Laver Cup video.

Milestone Moment 🤩#LaverCup | #JaoFonseca | @rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/yAI4fCTy38

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 16, 2025

Shortly thereafter, the 103-time tour-level titlist arrived to chat with the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion.

“Finally! Nice to meet you, it’s a pleasure,” Federer said. “Congratulations on everything so far, yeah. Well done on a great career so far.”

“They told me like 10 minutes ago, ‘You’re going to meet Roger’,” Fonseca told Federer, showing the Swiss his sweaty palms.

The teen will turn his attention to helping Team World record the Laver Cup trophy this weekend. The action begins on Friday at Chase Center, home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Djokovic salutes Duplantis: 'Greatness has no ceiling'

Novak Djokovic has rewritten tennis history many times, including earning a record 428 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

But on Tuesday, the 24-time major champion turned his attention to another record breaker: Swedish pole vault star Armand “Mondo” Duplantis. Just a day earlier, Duplantis raised the bar yet again at the World Athletics Championships, setting the 14th world record of his career.

Djokovic celebrates the achievement by sharing the Swede’s Instagram post with the caption: “Greatness has no ceiling”.

The two sporting icons have long shared mutual admiration. Earlier this year, Djokovic presented the 25-year-old with the World Sportsman of the Year honour at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Djokovic himself is no stranger to the accolade, having won it five times — tied with fellow former World No. 1 Roger Federer for the all-time lead.

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Defending champions Italy battle into BJK Cup semis

Defending champions Italy battle into the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals with a pair of comeback singles wins against China.

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Who is American teen sensation Jovic?

Our Ask Me Anything team look at the rise of American tennis star Iva Jovic, who won the Guadalajara Open aged 17.

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Meet the GB team going for maiden BJK Cup title

Meet the Great Britain team bidding for a maiden Billie Jean King Cup title, with their tie against Japan live on the BBC.

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When will Alcaraz & Sinner play their next tournament?

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner just met in the US Open final, their third consecutive clash in a major championship match. When will the top two players in the PIF ATP Rankings be back in action?

Alcaraz returns to competition this coming weekend in San Francisco at the Laver Cup, where he will play for the second time. Last year, the Spaniard helped Team Europe to glory with victories against Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz.

The new World No. 1 is then scheduled to compete the following week in the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, the ATP 500 event held in Tokyo. Alcaraz will be making his debut in the tournament.

That same week, Sinner is scheduled to play in the China Open, the ATP 500 event in Beijing. The Italian won the title in 2023 and reached the final last year.

Both men will then be in the same draw again at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the penultimate ATP Masters 1000 of the season.

Alcaraz is in control in the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours with Sinner. The Spaniard is in pole position to earn the accolade for the second time (also 2022).

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Sinner secured, Musetti on the march toward Turin debut

Could Italy have not one, but two of their own players in the singles field of the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals?

Jannik Sinner has already booked his spot to the season finale, while countryman Lorenzo Musetti sits eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The next two months will be decisive for the 23-year-old Italian, pushing for his debut at the year-end event on home soil.

Musetti leads the field at this week’s Chengdu Open, where he reached the final last year before falling to home favourite Shang Juncheng. Musetti’s best results this season include his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final appearance in Monte-Carlo, followed by semi-final runs in Madrid, Rome and at Roland Garros. The two-time tour-level titlist reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, where Sinner ousted him.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Should Musetti join Sinner in Turin, it would mark the first time that two Italians qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. In 2021, Matteo Berrettini qualified for the event, but withdrew after one match due to an abdominal injury. Sinner, the first alternate, replaced Berrettini. The 24-year-old Sinner has qualified on his own merit the past two seasons. Last year, he won the event without dropping a set.

First-placed Alcaraz and second-placed Sinner are the only singles qualifiers so far. Fifth-placed Shelton and Musetti are aiming to make their Nitto ATP Finals debut. Andrey Rublev (11th) and Alexander Bublik (15th) are among those playing this week trying to move into contention. Rublev and Bublik will be in action at the Lynk & Co Hangzhou Open.

The doubles field could also feature Italians for the Turin crowd to get behind. At sixth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings is Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, who have collected four tour-level titles this season: Adelaide, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Washington. They also reached the Australian Open final and the title match in Halle.

British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool are first in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings. They hold a 830-point lead over second-placed Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos. Granollers and Zeballos won the US Open, where they saved three championship points to defeat Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury in a thrilling final.

PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings

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Rafael Jodar's Journey: From idolising Nadal to forging his own path

It is hardly surprising that a young boy growing up in Spain’s capital city Madrid idolised Rafael Nadal. What makes it even more fitting is that he shares the same first name as the former World No. 1.

Rafael Jodar, born in September 2006 when Nadal already had two major titles, is emerging as one to watch on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Jodar’s past 12 months have featured breakthrough victories and memorable moments, on and off the court. He won the 2024 US Open boys’ singles crown, which he labelled, “one of the best weeks of my life”. Last month, — a year removed from his Flushing Meadows triumph — the Spaniard won his first ATP Challenger Tour title. Beyond the trophies, Jodar enjoyed a dream-come-true encounter with Nadal in December.

“I was at the Next Gen ATP Finals [as a hitting partner], and he was there. I had the chance to meet him and we had a conversation for 10, 15 minutes and he congratulated me for the US Open,” Jodar told ATPTour.com. “When I met him and he knew that I won the US Open, that made me realise that he knew about the Spanish players and how they were doing. So he’s very interested in those players and it was great to talk to him.”

Nadal retired from pro tennis last November, a month before crossing paths with Jodar in Jeddah. In an illustrious career, Nadal amassed 92 tour-level titles and tallied seemingly untouchable records, including winning 14 Roland Garros trophies. Jodar looks up to his countryman’s legacy with admiration.

“It’s inspiring to look back and see all the things that he has done not just for tennis, but for Spanish sports in general. From my point of view, we consider Rafa Nadal as one of the best Spanish athletes of all time,” Jodar said. “And that’s insane, all the achievements that he has done, that’s impressive.”

<img alt=”Rafael Jodar wins the 2024 US Open boys’ singles title.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/15/19/17/jodar-usopen-2024-title.jpg” />
^{Rafael Jodar wins the 2024 US Open boys’ singles title. Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images}

Born and raised in Madrid, Jodar picked up a racquet at age four and was playing at Club de Tenis Chamartín by six. When he was 12 years old, he left football behind to focus solely on tennis.

The only child of two teachers, Jodar was a regular attendee at the ATP Masters 1000 event in his home city. He fondly recalls witnessing two epic battles at the Caja Mágica: Nick Kyrgios’ 2015 upset of Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov’s three-hour triumph over Novak Djokovic in a 2013 thriller.

“I remember watching that match at the centre court and it was one of the best matches that I ever watched live,” Jodar said of the Dimitrov-Djokovic clash. “I was very young so I don’t know how I remember that match, but that impressed me.

“I had so much fun going to the tournament. I remember we had tickets for certain days and I was super excited to go those days.”

Now a sophomore at the University of Virginia, Jodar is juggling five classes this semester while competing in college and professional tournaments. As a freshman at UVA, he made an immediate impact, earning ITA National Rookie of the Year honours and All-American status.

“I had two options right after my junior career, go pro, or go to college. I took the option of going to college because I think Virginia is a great place to develop as a tennis player,” Jodar said. “You’re surrounded by good people, good coaches, a culture that helps you develop a lot.”

Jodar is ranked second in the ITA preseason singles rankings, only behind reigning NCAA champion Michael Zheng. Thanks to his freshman-year success, Jodar qualified for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator, a programme that aims to increase the development pathway for top players in the American collegiate system to earn direct entry into select Challenger events.

“I think it’s great to give opportunities to young players to develop faster in the pro circuit,” Jodar said. “ATP is doing a great job giving more opportunities to those players so that they can get points early in their careers and they can go up in the rankings and get into better tournaments. I’m super happy that I was able to play eight or nine Challengers already this year.”

At last month’s Hersonissos Challenger in Greece, Jodar went all the way to the title in what was his ninth outing at that level. Celebrating his 19th birthday this week, Jodar is only getting started.

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Djokovic watches Fonseca's thrilling Davis Cup win against Tsitsipas

It is not every day the record-holder for weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings is in the stands for a match, but that is exactly what happened Sunday in Athens.

Novak Djokovic was in attendance with his son, Stefan, for the Davis Cup tie between home side Greece and Brazil. The 100-time tour-level titlist watched Joao Fonseca seal Brazil’s victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas led Fonseca 5-3 in the deciding set and had an opportunity to serve for the match, which would have led to a deciding fifth rubber. Instead, #NextGenATP star Fonseca won the final four games of the match for a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory against the former World No. 3.

It was the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. Fonseca had already defeated Stefanos Sakellaridis 7-5, 6-3 to begin the tie, and Tsitsipas had eased past Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-2, 6-1.

Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo put Fonseca in position to close out the tie with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against Aristotelis Thanos and Petros Tsitsipas.

Learn about all of the week’s Davis Cup action, including Czechia’s memorable triumph against the United States and Spain’s comeback against Denmark.

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Gaston denies Wawrinka's quest for Challenger history

Frenchman Hugo Gaston spoiled Stan Wawrinka’s hopes of becoming the oldest ATP Challenger Tour champion on Sunday at the Open Blot Rennes.

A full crowd in northwest France was treated to a final between the top two seeds, the home hope Gaston and fans’ favourite Wawrinka, respectively. The lefty prevailed, ousting Wawrinka 6-4, 6-4. Wawrinka, 40, was aiming to surpass Ivo Karlovic’s record of oldest Challenger champion (39 years, seven months).

“I thank my team, we are happy to start our collaboration with Tristan [Lamasine] with a title,” Gaston said during the trophy ceremony. “It’s always a joy to play here. The arena is incredible. A big thank you to the fans, playing in a full stadium is great.”

Title No. ✋ for Hugo Gaston #ATPChallenger | @FFTennis pic.twitter.com/FkWxsnNzp0

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 14, 2025

Gaston, who entered the week on a five-match skid across all levels, dropped just one set all tournament to lift his fifth Challenger crown. He is up 22 spots to No. 106 in the PIF ATP Rankings, eyeing a return to the Top 100.

Wawrinka was competing in his second Challenger final of the season. He reached the championship match in Aix-en-Provence in May, falling to Borna Coric in a three-hour, 11-minute battle. The former No. 3 holds a 16-8 season record at the Challenger level and will be in action again this week in Saint-Tropez.

“I congratulate Hugo and his team,” Wawrinka said. “He had a great week, he was stronger, it’s deserved. Despite the defeat, it was a very positive week, a success. I’m trying to make the most of my career, unfortunately I’m getting older. It’s not good to be 40, but it’s always a thrill to be on the court, thanks to the crowd, the emotions and the support they give me. It’s one of the reasons why I keep fighting.”

In other Challenger action, Briton Jack Pinnington Jones captured his second trophy of the season to rise to a career-high No. 177. The former Texas Christian University standout triumphed at the Winston Salem Challenger in North Carolina.

Pinnington Jones, 22, did not drop a set all week and saved 17 of the 19 break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats. In the final, he defeated 19-year-old American Trevor Svajda 6-2, 6-2. Pinnington Jones completed his junior season at Texas Christian University in May and won his first Challenger title in July at the grass-court event in Nottingham.

Argentines Thiago Agustin Tirante, Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Marco Trungelliti also lifted trophies. The 24-year-old Tirante won the Invest in Szczecin Open, where he beat Spaniard Pablo Llamas Ruiz 6-3, 6-2 in the final.

“I think it was a very, very good match for me,” said Tirante, who is back in the Top 100 for the first time since last September. “I played well from the first point until the last one, so I’m very happy to come back and win a title, I think the biggest of my career. I think it’s my first title in Europe. I’m very happy to win and return to the Top 100.”

<img alt=”Thiago Agustin Tirante celebrates winning the Szczecin Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/15/14/43/tirante-szczecinch-2025.jpg” />

^{Thiago Agustin Tirante celebrates winning the Szczecin Challenger. Credit: Jaroslaw Gaszynski}

Cerundolo earned his 11th Challenger title and first on hard court at the
Guangzhou Huangpu International Tennis Open in China. The 23-year-old downed fellow lefty Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 6-3 in the championship match. Following his triumph, Cerundolo is at a career-high No. 72 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“I’m really happy because it’s my first title on hard courts. I never expected this,” Cerundolo said. “This is my first time in China. There’s an 11-hour time difference between here and my home, so the first days were pretty tough. I couldn’t sleep, so I had to adapt very quickly.

“I’m really happy about it and I hope to keep improving and keep getting better, especially on this surface.”

<img alt=”Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the Guangzhou Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/15/14/46/cerundolo-guangzhouch-2025.jpg” />

^{Juan Manuel Cerundolo wins the Guangzhou Challenger. Credit: Guangzhou Huangpu International Tennis Open}

Trungelliti won the Intaro Open in Romania to cap back-to-back title runs. The winner of the previous week’s Tulln Challenger, Trungelliti led Mili Poljicak 6-1 in the final when the Croatian retired due to an oblique injury. The 35-year-old has won six Challenger titles, three of which have come this season.

Italian Stefano Napolitano was crowned champion at his home tournament, the città di Biella. Entering the week at No. 847 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the 30-year-old relied on home support to become the lowest-ranked Challenger champion this season. A four-time Challenger champion, Napolitano ousted Swiss Kilian Feldbausch 7-5, 6-3 in the final.

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