Tennis News

Nadal announces hand surgery, shows great sense of humour

Rafael Nadal announced Friday that he recently underwent hand surgery.

The retired legend’s good sense of humour was on full display when he joked that he won’t be able to play the Australian Open next month.

“Looks like I won’t be able to play the @AustralianOpen 2026 😂,” Nadal wrote. “I had to undergo hand surgery because of an issue I’d been dealing with for a long time, but I hope to be fine soon 🤗”

Me parece que no podré jugar el @australianopen en enero 😂

He tenido que someterme a una intervención en la mano por un problema que venía arrastrando desde hace mucho tiempo, ¡pero espero estar bien pronto! 🤗

Looks like I won’t be able to play the @AustralianOpen 2026 😂

I… pic.twitter.com/XIizIdOtOl

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) December 12, 2025

The Spaniard, who retired last year, will not be far from the tennis court despite his surgery. Nadal will return to Jeddah for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which takes place from 17-21 December.

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Alcaraz headlines 2025 ATP Awards; Sinner, Vacherot among winners

Carlos Alcaraz and his team took home three honours in the 2025 ATP Awards, capping a standout season in which the Spaniard secured ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF for the second time.

The 22-year-old claimed the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, while his team Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez are voted Coach of the Year, guiding him to a Tour-leading eight titles in 2025, including two majors.

Jannik Sinner was voted Fans’ Favourite for a third time, adding to a growing list of honours, including Newcomer of the Year (2019) and Most Improved Player (2024). In doubles, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori also repeated as Fans’ Favourite, the first back-to-back winners of the doubles award since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (2005-17).

The ATP Awards also recognised Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool as ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF, achieving the feat in their first full season as a team.

Valentin Vacherot captures Breakthrough of the Year after a historic title run in Shanghai, where he defeated his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history.

Andrey Rublev received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in recognition of his mental health advocacy and ongoing work through the Andrey Rublev Foundation, launched in 2024 to support children struggling with critical illness.

Tournament award winners included the Cincinnati Open (ATP Masters 1000), Qatar Exxonmobil Open in Doha (ATP 500), and Nordea Open in Bastad (ATP 250). On the ATP Challenger Tour, honours went to the BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux (ATP Challenger 175), Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger in Manama (ATP Challenger 125), Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills (ATP Challenger 100), Copa Internacional de Tenis in Curitiba (ATP Challenger 75), and Bolivia Open in Santa Cruz (ATP Challenger 50).

For the first time, members of the exclusive ATP No. 1 Club – current and former World No. 1 players – voted to decide two award categories: the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award and Breakthrough of the Year, a new award introduced this year to recognise milestone wins, significant jumps in the PIF ATP Rankings and first ATP Tour titles.

2025 ATP Awards Winners

ATP No. 1 presented by PIF

Determined by PIF ATP Rankings

Carlos Alcaraz
At 22 years old, Alcaraz has now held the World No. 1 spot for 49 weeks – more than 15 members of the ATP No. 1 Club. He reclaimed the position from Sinner after winning the US Open and has held it for all but one week since. Alcaraz showed great consistency across the season, emerging victorious at two majors (Roland Garros and the US Open), three ATP Masters 1000s (Monte-Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati) and three ATP 500s (Rotterdam, Queen’s Club and Tokyo).

ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF

Determined by PIF ATP Rankings

Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool
In their first full season together, Cash and Glasspool made history as the first all-British team to finish as Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF. They claimed a tour-leading seven titles in 2025, including five consecutive trophies between June and August in a run of 22 matches unbeaten.

Fans’ Favourite (Singles)

Voted by fans

Jannik Sinner
Fans’ Favourite for a third consecutive year, the Italian opened the year by successfully defending his Australian Open title. Of the 12 tour-level events he competed in, Sinner reached the final in all but two (Halle, Shanghai). He closed the season on a 15-match winning streak with titles in Vienna, Paris, and at the Nitto ATP Finals, finishing as World No. 2 with a 58-6 season record.

Fans’ Favourite (Doubles)

Voted by fans

Simone Bolelli / Andrea Vavassori
The Italians repeated as Fans’ Favourite after claiming four tour-level titles this year and returning to the Nitto ATP Finals on home soil in Turin.

Breakthrough of the Year

Voted by ATP No. 1 Club

Valentin Vacherot
Entering Shanghai qualifying ranked World No. 204, Vacherot went on to capture the title, earning 1,020 PIF ATP Rankings points and surging to World No. 40. The Monegasque built on his momentum with a quarter-final run at the Rolex Paris Masters to reach a career-high World No. 30.

Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award

Voted by ATP No. 1 Club

Carlos Alcaraz
The Spaniard claimed the honour for the second time. One of his standout sportsmanship moments came at Roland Garros this year, where he called a foul on himself in his fourth-round clash against Ben Shelton. From 2004-21, only Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal received the award, with Federer winning 13 times and Nadal five.

Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award

Awarded by ATP

Andrey Rublev
After launching the Andrey Rublev Foundation in 2024 to support children facing critical illness, Rublev expanded his efforts throughout the 2025 season. Earlier this year, the foundation announced a partnership with Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital in Rome. Rublev visited the hospital ahead of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament to spend time with medical staff and patients. He has also spoken candidly about mental health and the importance of seeking help, featuring in an ATP Originals documentary, ‘Breaking Back’, to discuss his personal struggles.

Past winners of the award include Roger Federer, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Coach of the Year

Voted by ATP coaches

Juan Carlos Ferrero & Samuel Lopez (Carlos Alcaraz)
Ferrero and Lopez guided Alcaraz to ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF, and a Tour-leading 71 wins and eight titles, including two majors and three ATP Masters 1000 trophies. Ferrero is the first coach to win the award twice (also in 2022).

ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year

Voted by ATP players

Cincinnati Open (Cincinnati)
Named the ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year after completing a $260 million transformation at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, doubling its footprint to more than 40 acres.

ATP 500 Tournament of the Year

Voted by ATP players

Qatar Exxonmobil Open (Doha)
A six-time winner of the award in the ATP 250 category, Doha raised its exceptional standards in tournament organisation, player services and hospitality to mark its elevation to the ATP 500 level.

ATP 250 Tournament of the Year

Voted by ATP players

Nordea Open (Bastad)
One of the most scenic stops on the ATP Tour calendar, Bastad adds another accolade after winning the award for 11 consecutive years from 2002-12.

ATP Challenger 175 Tournament of the Year

BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux (Bordeaux)
Held at the historic Villa Primrose Bordeaux, the event is celebrated for its first-class hospitality. This year, all eight seeded players were ranked inside the Top 80 of the PIF ATP Rankings, including champion Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

ATP Challenger 125 Tournament of the Year

Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger (Manama)
Honoured for the second consecutive season, this year’s event was won by Marton Fucsovics.

ATP Challenger 100 Tournament of the Year

Cranbook Tennis Classic (Bloomfield Hills)
The first American event to receive an ATP Challenger Tournament of the Year award. Estonia’s Mark Lajal lifted the 2025 trophy.

ATP Challenger 75 Tournament of the Year

Copa Internacional de Tenis (Curitiba)
Praised for its atmosphere and organisation, Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo claimed this year’s title.

ATP Challenger 50 Tournament of the Year

Bolivia Open (Santa Cruz)
Recognised for a third consecutive year, the Bolivia Open continues to stand out among South America’s Challenger Tour events. Argentine Alex Barrena lifted the trophy in June.

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Sinner three-peats as Fans’ Favourite in 2025 ATP Awards

Jannik Sinner continues to win not only on court but also in the hearts of fans. The Italian, who won six tour-level titles in 2025, was voted Fans’ Favourite singles player in the ATP Awards for a third straight year.

“Thank you so much for voting for me,” said Sinner in a special message for fans. “Winning the Fans’ Favourite award once again means the world to me, especially because of you guys. 

“It has been a very intense year, but you give me so much energy and love, especially when I go on court and perform in front of you. It’s the best feeling for us tennis players, so thank you so much. I will prepare myself in the best possible way to be ready for next year, and see you all very, very soon.”

 

 

 

 

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Sinner opened the year by successfully defending his title at the Australian Open. Of the 12 tour-level events Sinner competed in, he reached at least the final at all but two (Halle, Shanghai). One highlight was when he defeated rival Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final to lift his maiden trophy at the All England Club.

Finishing the season as World No. 2, behind Alcaraz, Sinner ended the year on a 15-match winning streak, with title runs in Vienna, Paris and at the Nitto ATP Finals, where for the second consecutive year the Italian did not drop a set en route to the title. The 24-time tour-level titlist tallied a 58-6 season record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Sinner has been a routine visitor to the ATP Awards podium. As a teenager, he was named Newcomer of the Year in 2019. Then, in 2023, Sinner took home both the Most Improved Player of the Year and Fans’ Favourite honours. He won the fan vote again the following season, as well as ATP No. 1 presented by PIF. 

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Alcaraz, Sinner feats among ATP No. 1 Club highlights of 2025

To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. Today we highlight some key ATP No. 1 Club moments from the 2025 season.

The story of the ATP No. 1 Club in 2025 revolved around just two men: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

The great Lexus ATP Head2Head rivals played out a riveting battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours across the season, and in doing so they continued to enrich the history of one of sport’s most exclusive groups. ATPTour.com breaks down the 2025 storyline surrounding Alcaraz and Sinner, the ATP No. 1 Club’s two newest members.

Introducing The ATP No. 1 Club:

Sinner Hits 52 Weeks In Debut No. 1 Stint
Even within the prestigious ATP No. 1 Club, Sinner became part of an even more exclusive group on 2 June. On the middle Monday of Roland Garros, the Italian began his 52nd week consecutive week atop the PIF ATP Rankings, becoming just the fifth No. 1 to register a full year in their debut stint in top spot.

Sinner joined Roger Federer (237 weeks), Jimmy Connors (160 weeks), Lleyton Hewitt (75 weeks) and Novak Djokovic (53 weeks) in surpassing the 52-week mark in his opening streak as No. 1. By the time Alcaraz replaced him in top spot on 8 September, the Italian’s reign had increased to 65 weeks.

Only four other members of the No. 1 Club have held top spot for an uninterrupted year at any point since the introduction of the PIF ATP Rankings in 1973: Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Rafael Nadal.

Alcaraz Prevails In Winner-Takes-All US Open Showdown
Alcaraz completed a double swoop on his rival Sinner on 7 September in New York. The Spaniard prevailed in a four-set championship match to claim the US Open crown from 2024 titlist Sinner as well as usurp the Italian as World No. 1.

Victory for Alcaraz in the winner-takes-all final, in which Sinner would have retained the No. 1 spot himself with victory, ensured that the Spaniard returned to top spot on 8 September, the 22nd anniversary of the day his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, first reached No. 1. Alcaraz’s fellow ATP No. 1 Club member Ferrero was one of the first people the 22-year-old thanked in his speech at the trophy presentation inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“My team, my family, I am really lucky to have you guys,” said Alcaraz. “The hard work you do to make me even better, not only in the professional part, but the personal part as well. Every achievement that I am [making] is thanks to you, and this one is no less, it’s also yours.”

Indoor Master Sinner’s Late-Season Charge
Alcaraz opened a commanding 2,590-point lead over Sinner in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin with his US Open triumph. Overhauling such an advantage may have been unthinkable for most players on Tour, but Sinner soon set about providing plenty of reminders that he was still alive in the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours.

The Italian bounced back quickly with an ATP 500 title in Beijing and, although he was then forced to retire from his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai, Sinner quickly locked in during the European indoor season to keep his Year-End No. 1 rival Alcaraz on his toes.

The 24-year-old dropped just one set across his title runs at the Vienna ATP 500 and the Rolex Paris Masters, while Alcaraz showed signs of fallibility indoors with a shock opening-round defeat to Cameron Norrie in Paris. That defeat enabled Sinner to return to World No. 1 for one week before the Nitto ATP Finals.

_{^{Sinner celebrates winning Paris with his team. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}}

Alcaraz Keeps His Cool In Turin, Clinches Year-End No. 1
With Alcaraz back at No. 1 a week later after PIF ATP Rankings points for the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals dropped off, the stage was set for the final battle for Year-End No. 1 honours at the 2025 edition of the season finale. Alcaraz needed to rebound from his Paris struggles to finish the year in top spot, and he managed just that with some impressive opening performances at Inalpi Arena.

Requiring 450 points in Turin to secure ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours for the second time, Alcaraz defeated Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti in the group stage to finally shake off Sinner. Despite Sinner going 21-1 after the US Open, Alcaraz’s consistency across the year had ultimately proved too big a mountain for his rival to climb, although Sinner did enjoy the last laugh of the 2025 season by downing Alcaraz in the Nitto ATP Finals championship match.

“It is a pleasure for me [being] the No. 1,” said Alcaraz, who is just the second active member of the ATP No. 1 Club to secure multiple year-end No. 1 finishes after Djokovic. “Being the No. 1 of the world is something that I’m working really hard for with my team every day. It is a goal. But I think it is a journey that you’re not going through alone. It’s with your whole team, with your family, with your close people behind you always supporting you in the tough and good moments.”

_{^{ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi and Head of Corporate Brand and Strategic Advisory at PIF Mohamed Alsayyad present Alcaraz with the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF trophy. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}}

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Daniel Altmaier marries Paulina Nieto in Mexico

It has been a 2025 to remember for Daniel Altmaier.

The 27-year-old German followed a personal-best season on the ATP Tour by marrying his fiancée, Paulina Nieto, on Saturday at a ceremony in Morelos, Mexico.

Altmaier, who earned a career-best 22 tour-level wins in 2025 and finished the year at a career-high No. 46 in the PIF ATP Rankings, had announced his engagement to Nieto in January.

Altmaier posted a host of videos and photos of the wedding on Instagram, including one of him being held aloft by friends on the dance floor while holding a tennis racquet.

All photos courtesy of @portra.weddings.

<img alt=”Daniel Altmaier married Paulina Nieto in Mexico.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/11/19/58/altmaier-wedding-2025-2.jpg” />

<img alt=”Daniel Altmaier married Paulina Nieto in Mexico.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/11/19/58/altmaier-wedding-2025-3.jpg” />

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Nadal set for Jeddah return, to appear at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF

Rafael Nadal will return to Jeddah for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 17-21 December. The Spanish superstar, an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, will participate in several events during the tournament, aiming to inspire the younger generation, both globally and locally.

Among the highlights on this year’s agenda, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings will take part in a meet and greet at the King Abdullah Sports City’s fan zone on 19 December.

“Coming back to Jeddah for the Next Gen ATP Finals is something I am looking forward to,” Nadal said in a press release. “I’ve been given the warmest of welcomes in Saudi Arabia and I feel there is a real energy for tennis.

“As I have been saying, it’s my goal to help inspire the next generation, in Saudi Arabia and around the world. Working together with the STF [Saudi Tennis Federation] to develop the huge potential of tennis in the Kingdom that has already made impressive progress is one key element. The reason for me to come back is to see the development at all levels and to help towards that goal. I’m very proud to help more kids pick up a racquet, compete, or simply discover something new that they love.”

Last year in Jeddah, Nadal held a meet and greet, attended a prize giving ceremony at an U14 STF tournament, and also ran a clay-court coaching clinic for young Saudi tennis hopefuls at The Racquet Space. Nadal visited the Onyx Arena to meet the competitors taking part in the first wheelchair tennis event held in Saudi Arabia and also met with Team Saudi’s Davis Cup players.

Nadal also held a roundtable talk with ATP Tour stars Jakub Mensik, Alex Michelsen and Joao Fonseca, the Brazilian who went on to win the 20-and-under event.

The Jeddah field this year will feature last year’s finalist Learner Tien, Alexander Blockx, Dino Prizmic, Martin Landaluce, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Nishesh Basavareddy, Rafael Jodar and Justin Engel.

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Shelton launches YouTube channel, offering behind-the-scenes footage

Ben Shelton is one of the ATP Tour’s most entertaining and magnetic figures. Whether it’s his blistering serve, infectious energy or his bright personality, the American has a way of connecting with fans. Now, the 23-year-old is inviting fans an even closer look at his life.

On Wednesday, Shelton launched his own YouTube Channel and released an 11-minute episode titled, ‘The Long Game’, which provides behind-the-scenes footage of the lefty at the US Open and his debut appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.

“I’m really excited to show you guys the behind the scenes of my life, on the court, off the court, unedited, unfiltered,” Shelton said in an intro video posted on his channel.

Shelton, No. 9 in the PIF ATP Rankings, won his biggest career title in August at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto. He finished the season with a 40-24 match record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

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McDonald tops 2025 Carbon Tracker leaderboard; winners donate $100,000 to charity

More than 300 players have taken part in the first three seasons of Carbon Tracker, the award-winning app that helps players track their tournament travel, understand their emissions and make more sustainable choices on Tour.

Mackenzie McDonald topped this year’s leaderboard, followed by Tom Hands, Yanaki Milev, Ryan Peniston and Valentin Royer. Across the season, players tracked a combined 2.3 million kilometres of travel and offset 585 tonnes of carbon.

The top five will direct a $100,000 prize pool to the charities of their choosing. McDonald, two-time Carbon Tracker winner (also in 2023), will donate his share to the USTA Foundation’s Mackie McDonald College Fund. Launched this year, the Mackie McDonald College Fund is an initiative that will provide college scholarships to students in under-resourced communities who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, sportsmanship and passion for the sport of tennis, as well as support pathway programmes for younger youth, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Additional charities supported this season include X.

Mackenzie McDonald, ATP Player, said: “It’s great to win Carbon Tracker for the second time. The initiative has helped me understand the impact of travelling between tournaments, allowed me to practically make more responsible choices, and shown me that even small changes add up. This donation from the ATP will be used to support the programmes and initiatives of my fund through the USTA Foundation, which helps open doors of opportunity for young people through the power of tennis, education and mentorship.”

Eno Polo, ATP CEO, said: “As a global sport with over 300 tournaments across the ATP and ATP Challenger Tour, travel is our number one environmental challenge. Carbon Tracker puts real numbers behind our impact, helping us take the steps we need to tackle it. Thank you to every player who took part, particularly to Mackenzie McDonald for leading the way this season.”

How Carbon Tracker Works

Track: Players log their travel to tournaments to calculate and understand their carbon emissions.

Offset: Players can mitigate their emissions by purchasing carbon credits through Gold Standard, supporting accredited climate and sustainable development projects. One credit represents the removal or reduction of one tonne of CO2 equivalent from the atmosphere.

Compete: Leaderboard points are awarded for a range of in-app activities including number of tournaments offset, tonnes of CO2 offset, and participation in sustainability quizzes, with double points awarded on key environmental days during the year.

Carbon Tracker’s long-term goal is to encourage more sustainable travel choices on Tour. Its dashboard gives players a clear breakdown of their footprint and the impact of different travel options. Aggregated data also helps the ATP to monitor key Tour-wide trends season to season. Carbon Tracker begins its fourth season in January 2026.

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Ferrero & Lopez win Coach of the Year in the 2025 ATP Awards

Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez have been named Coach of the Year in the 2025 ATP Awards. The Spaniards helped Carlos Alcaraz regain the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings and earn ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours.

Ferrero is the first coach to win the award twice, having been named to the same honour in 2022. Lopez joined Alcaraz’s coaching team before the 2025 season and there was never any doubt there would be good chemistry between him and Ferrero.

“I’m so happy with the award,” Ferrero told ATPTour.com. “I was in no doubt that Samuel would fit our working philosophy really well, because we’ve been working together for many years and he knows exactly what I want for Carlos [Alcaraz]. He’s done great work from the start.”

Lopez added: “Everything was easy, because the results came,” he said with a smile. “I’ve known Juan Carlos since he was ten years old and Carlos since he took his first steps at the [Ferrero Tennis] Academy. I was with Pablo [Carreno Busta] during that period, but we’d shared a lot of moments together. The working atmosphere is very relaxed because we’ve always known each other and we understood what Carlos needed.”

 

 

 

 

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Alcaraz finished the year with a season-leading eight titles, including trophies at Roland Garros and the US Open, as well as the ATP Masters 1000s in Monte Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati.

Since the Coach of the Year category was added to the ATP Awards in 2016, Ferrero has been nominated for the accolade four times and won it twice. The award is voted on by fellow coaches.

“Honestly, since I started this project, it’s never been a goal to win Coach of the Year,” said Ferrero. “But for the work to be recognised by other coaches who understand as we do how complicated it is… it means a lot to me to have won it twice now. This year it’s doubly fulfilling because I’m sharing it with Samuel.”

The Spanish duo helped Alcaraz claim a career-best and season-leading 71 matches wins, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Ferrero and Lopez were on the same page with their messages.

“Maybe I freshened things up, because Juan Carlos has been with him for seven years and I’m new,” said Lopez, who had previously coached Ferrero himself, as well as Pablo Carreno Busta and Nicolas Almagro before formally joining Alcaraz’s team. “I know the team and we’ve all contributed equally, but in different ways. Above all, we’ve really insisted that the work has to be fun.

Ferrero added: “The goal is for Carlos to work at 100 per cent and get everything out of the talent he has within him. We do that through hard work and discipline, but also with fun and joy while we’re doing it. In that regard, I’m maybe a bit stricter and more serious. And Samuel is the joker, he’s more open. But he also has the serious side you need when it comes to work.”

<img alt=”Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez at Roland Garros.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/10/15/40/ferrero-lopez-roland-garros-2025.jpg” />
^{Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez at Roland Garros. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images}

Even in a season during which Alcaraz finished atop the PIF ATP Rankings, there was a fair share of setbacks for the team. The ATP Masters 1000 hard-court swing in Indian Wells and Miami proved to be a turning point for Alcaraz, particularly when he bowed out to David Goffin in his opener in Florida.

“Carlos had just won in Rotterdam, when he did great. But in Indian Wells and Miami he lost a little confidence,” said Ferrero. “It was a tough time, not because of the defeat, but the way it happened. He was affected by the tournament and we had a chat when we got back. We talk to him a lot, but when you see that he’s short tempered or weak at some point of the season, we always talk a little more from a psychological point of view and as friends, more than as a coach.”

And then everything clicked, specifically at the ATP Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo.

“Winning in Monte Carlo, without playing that well, but having a 10-out-of-10 attitude really helped him have clarity about the rest of the season,” said Ferrero. “From there he reached a lot of finals, had incredible results in the Grand Slams… But Monte Carlo was a lightbulb moment. It gave him the confidence he needed and from there he was able to get some amazing results.”

Monte-Carlo was just Alcaraz’s first step in an unforgettable clay season. He earned two more titles on the surface, in Rome and at Roland Garros. He also reached the final in Barcelona, tallying a 22-1 clay-court record. But apart from the spectacular results, Lopez highlights an important step taken by Alcaraz in terms of his maturity.

“Carlos has matured and he has realised the importance of expressing his feelings,” said Lopez. “After Monte-Carlo, he was talking much more about how he was feeling and it really helped him to express himself more, in terms of any difficulties, fears, and everything that comes with being there and handling the pressure of the tour.”

Alcaraz’s ability to withstand the pressure was, in all probability, the key to him ending the season as the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF in Turin, a moment that Lopez will never forget.

“On a personal level, I won my first Grand Slam at Roland Garros by forming part of a team as a coach, and what a win!” said Lopez. “Then, at the end of the year we knew he had the chance to end it as No. 1 and although nobody on the team was obsessed with it at the time, doing it in Turin was also a very happy moment.”

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Ferrero and Lopez’s enthusiasm for what is to come burns as brightly as ever.

“Our mission is to keep his ambition alive,” said Lopez. “You cannot rest on your laurels with what he’s achieved. From now on that motivation has to keep growing, wanting more big things that are within reach of so few and from there staying motivated and not settling for anything, always gunning for more with that joy he is known for, which rubs off on the rest of us.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been translated from ATPTour.com/es.

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#NextGenATP talents Fonseca, Mensik, Tien headline first-time ATP Tour winners in 2025

To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. Today we highlight those who joined the winner’s circle for the first time.

The 2025 ATP Tour ushered in a fresh cast of first-time champions, nine players who carved their names onto the winners’ roll and into the season’s defining narrative. It was a year marked by unexpected breakthroughs, dramatic runs, and stories that captured the imagination of fans around the world.

Alexandre Muller, Hong Kong
The Frenchman opened the new season with a nerve-jangling surge to the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open crown. After beating Kei Nishikori in the final, Alexandre Muller became just the third player in the Open Era to win a tour-level title having lost the opening set in every match he played (after Arthur Ashe at the 1975 WCT Finals and Alexander Bublik in Montpellier in 2024).

“I was a little tired on the courts but I think the key was to stay calm and keep the energy for myself,” Muller said. “I stayed calm, focused on my game and tried to adapt.”

Joao Fonseca, Buenos Aires
After his triumph at last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah, Joao Fonseca arrived in 2025 surrounded by expectation, and he instantly delivered. The 18-year-old produced a dazzling run at the IEB+ Argentina Open — including against Mariano Navone in the quarter-finals, where he saved two match points — to become the youngest South American champion in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).

“Unbelievable week, even in Argentina there are some Brazilians cheering for me,” an emotional Fonseca said. “That’s just amazing. Every Brazilian, everyone from their country wants this support from your own country. For me, this [moment] that I’m living is just unbelievable.”

Tomas Machac, Acapulco
Tomas Machac arrived at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco as the highest-ranked player yet to win a title, but he left with an ATP 500 trophy in his hands. His championship-match victory placed him alongside former Top 10 stars Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek as the only Czech players to win a title at that level.

“It means a lot. It is something I never dreamed could happen, especially at an ATP 500, so it feels amazing for me,” said Machac, who rose five spots to No. 20 with his triumph. “I was working very hard in the past year, so I am happy I can achieve something that shows me I am going the right way.”

Jakub Mensik, Miami
Facing Novak Djokovic in an ATP Masters 1000 final would intimate almost anyone. But not Jakub Mensik, who delivered the performance of his career at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where the 19-year-old downed his idol in straight sets to become just the fourth man to win his first ATP Tour title at that level.

“It was not the first time I’ve played against Novak,” said Mensik, who lost his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting Djokovic last year in the Shanghai quarter-finals. “There is no harder task in tennis than to beat him in the finals. But of course I felt really great and it’s my time, so I just tried to focus on the match like I did before in previous rounds.”

Flavio Cobolli, Bucharest
Flavio Cobolli flipped his 2025 season on its head in spectacular fashion at the Tiriac Open presented by UniCredit Bank. The Italian arrived in Bucharest riding an eight-match tour-level losing streak, but he tore through the field — including top seed Sebastian Baez in the final — to join the ATP Tour winner’s circle.

“It’s a big dream come true for my career,” said Cobolli. “I always dreamed of winning an ATP tournament and it happened today. I came from a tough moment. I had not won a match before this tournament, this year, and I won the tournament. So I’m really happy about it.”

Jenson Brooksby, Houston
If drama defined Muller’s run in Hong Kong, Jenson Brooksby’s week at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston was downright cinematic. The 24-year-old American saved match points in three of his matches en route to his maiden title. He survived one in his first-round qualifying match, two against third seed Alejandro Tabilo in the main-draw second round, and one against top seed Tommy Paul in the semi-finals, before defeating 2023 Houston champ Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-2 in the final. Brooksby began the season as an unranked player but in Houston, where he was competing as the World No. 507, he became the third-lowest ranked champion in ATP Tour history (since 1990).

“It means the world. It was one of my biggest goals ever since I’ve been a professional tennis player,” said Brooksby, who entered the ATP 250 as a qualifying wild card. “It just means a lot to have my first one. It really does. It’s probably the best week of my life.”

Gabriel Diallo, ‘s-Hertogenbosch
At the Libema Open, Gabriel Diallo showcased his natural feel for grass, launching 56 aces on his way to the title at the ATP 250 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. He edged close friend Zizou Bergs 7-5, 7-6(8) in a tense final before collapsing in delighted disbelief.

“Oh man, I don’t have the words. It’s something that you dream of for your whole life since you were a little kid, to get an ATP Tour title,” said Diallo, who lost his first tour-level final in Almaty in 2024. “The fact that I was able to do it here after losing a final last year, it just means the world to me. I’m very happy, not only for myself but for my whole team.”

Valentin Vacherot, Shanghai
Valentin Vacherot produced one of the season’s most astonishing runs at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. As the No. 204 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, he became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion, defeating the likes of Holger Rune and Djokovic before his cousin and former Texas A&M teammate Arthur Rinderknech in a family-driven final.

“It is unreal what just happened. I have no idea what is happening right now. I am not even dreaming, it is just crazy,” Vacherot said after the final. “I am just so happy with my performances the past two weeks. There has to be one loser but I think there are two winners today, one family that won. And I think for the sport of tennis, the story is unreal.”

Learner Tien, Metz
In the closing week of the regular ATP Tour season, Learner Tien delivered a defining moment at the Moselle Open in Metz. The 19-year-old added a maiden tour-level trophy to a year in which he captured five Top-10 wins and reached an ATP 500 final in Beijing.

“I never take it for granted, just coming out here and competing. So, holding this trophy just means the world to me. And I’m just really grateful,” Tien said during the trophy ceremony.

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