'Mine was for social change, this is not' – King on Battle of the Sexes
Billie Jean King says the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios is “not the same” as her era-defining meeting with Bobby Riggs in 1973.
Billie Jean King says the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios is “not the same” as her era-defining meeting with Bobby Riggs in 1973.
Francisco Cerundolo was recently featured in GQ Mexico and Latinoamerica, highlighting the Argentine’s tennis journey, his life on the ATP Tour and off-court style.
The exclusive interview, a GQ Hype feature, explores Cerundolo’s sacrifices to reach the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings and the 27-year-old’s mindset as Argentine’s No. 1. The feature also spotlights a sleek, fashion-forward photoshoot.
Cerundolo, No. 21 in the PIF ATP Rankings, finished the 2025 season with a 38-25 match record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. His best result was a run to the final at his home tournament, the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires.
Francisco Cerundolo. Photo Credit: Lucas Ricci
Credits:
Interview: Raul Vilchis (@elvilchisolalde)
Photography: Lucas Ricci (@_lucasricci_)
Stylist & Creative Director: Gaston Olmos (@gastonhttp)
Makeup: Guadalupe Cecile by Veronica Moon por Chanel
Location: Buenos Aires Rowing Club (@buenosairesrowingclub)
Head of Editorial Content: Alejandro Ortiz (@yosoymatu)
BBC Sport speaks to Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios about their controversial Battle of the Sexes-style match, set to take place in Dubai on 28 December.
Billie Jean King, founder of the WTA, believes the organisation’s billion-dollar deal with Mercedes shows the tour “continues to lead the way” in women’s sport.
The Women’s Tennis Association announces a long-term partnership with Mercedes-Benz that has the potential to be the largest in women’s sport.
Valentin Vacherot can add another significant milestone to his stunning end to the 2025 season: The Monegasque has been voted as the inaugural winner of Breakthrough of the Year in the ATP Awards.
The four nominees for Breakthrough of the Year — Jack Draper, Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik and Vacherot — were determined by an International Tennis Writers’ Association (ITWA) vote. The decision to award Vacherot, who became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history with his triumph at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, was made by the 29 members of the ATP No. 1 Club (the current and former players to have reached No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings).
“I’m super happy to have won the Breakthrough of the Year award for the 2025 season,” said Vacherot. “It’s such an amazing achievement for myself and for the whole team, and it’s the product of all the work we have put in all these years.
“All this work came into the light a little bit in October in Shanghai and Paris, and now I have my highest ranking. I’m really happy to have won the award and hopefully this will bring many more for the following years. Thanks again to the ATP and see you in 2026.”
Drumroll please… 🥁
Introducing your breakthrough player of the year, @val_vacherot 🤩 as voted by members of the No.1 club 🥇#ATPAwards pic.twitter.com/XJMRtM88dn
— ATP Tour (@atptour) December 10, 2025
Vacherot entered qualifying in Shanghai as the World No. 204 and with just one tour-level match win to his name, but he sensationally reeled off nine straight wins, including against Top 20 stars Alexander Bublik, Holger Rune and record four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic. In the final, he defeated his cousin, Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, in one of the most remarkable storylines in recent ATP Tour history.
Vacherot and Rinderknech faced off again later in the month at the Rolex Paris Masters, where the Monegasque again prevailed en route to the quarter-finals. As a result of his late-season surge, the 27-year-old Vacherot will head into the 2026 season at No. 31 in the PIF ATP Rankings, having hit a career-high No. 30 on 3 November following Paris. He had been outside the Top 250 as recently as early August.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Ricardas Berankis, the highest-ranked Lithuanian player in history, announced his retirement from professional tennis on Tuesday via a post on X.
“Today is one of those days that seems like it will never come, but when it does, it touches me very sensitively and deeply,” wrote the 35-year-old. “I want to announce that I have made one of the most difficult decisions of my life – to end my professional tennis career.”
Berankis reached a career-high No. 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2016 and finished his career as a two-time finalist on the ATP Tour.
“Twenty-five years is not just a number. It is a life path, a childhood dream of reaching the heights of tennis that I have been following,” Berankis continued. “This stage passed in a moment, but at the same time it left an unimaginable amount of excitement, struggle, victories, painful experiences, lasting memories, and acquaintances that will accompany me for the rest of my life.”
Berankis won the US Open boys’ title and the Orange Bowl Tennis Championships in 2007 — the same year that he rose to No. 1 in the ITF Junior World Rankings. Along with reaching two ATP Tour finals in Los Angeles in 2012 and Moscow in 2017, he also captured a tour-level doubles title in Houston in 2015 with Teymuraz Gabashvili.
[ATP APP]“There were ups. There were downs. These experiences have shaped me as an athlete and as a person,” Berankis wrote. “Every story has its beginning and its end… Today I am closing one of the most important chapters of my life, and I do so with peace and gratitude.
“I thank everyone who was there for me – my family, friends, coaches, teammates, sponsors, partners, fans, and everyone who believed in me, supported me, encouraged me, and helped me get back up when things were the hardest. My faith and your support were my driving force.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]They arrive on the ATP scene from different corners of the tennis world, but Dino Prizmic, Learner Tien and Nicolai Budkov Kjaer share a common thread. Each has forged early career’s through setbacks, adaptation and a relentless commitment to improvement. Whether through tactical reinvention, rapid physical development or injury recovery, the trio is carving distinct paths toward the top of the game.
For Prizmic, a breakthrough didn’t come with a trophy or a headline moment, it came during an unwanted pause. A wrist injury in 2024 forced the Croatian to the sidelines for months, a stretch he describes as “a very tough moment.”
“When I had injury with my wrist, that was a very tough moment because I stopped with the tennis for a couple of months and after that, we solved that problem and I’m happy to be back and really pleased with what I could do in 2025,” Prizmic told ATPTour.com.
Prizmic won a set against Novak Djokovic as a qualifier at the 2024 Australian Open prior to his injury. On his return in 2025, the Croatian captured two ATP Challenger Tour crowns and reached the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Umag. The 20-year-old, who will make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF later this month, keeps his approach to tactics simple: trust your instincts.
“I think you just need to play your game and be focused on how you need to play,” Prizmic explained. “The result will come.”
The biggest leaps in Prizmic’s level have been physical but he also has a music-fuelled process on match days:
“My legs, my footwork and my backhand have all improved. I also have a good process in place on matches which helps. When I wake up, I put on music, get warm, think how I need to play and that’s it. It has worked so far this year overall.”
[ATP APP]If Prizmic is defined by simplicity, Budkov Kjaer is defined by energy. The Norwegian will make his debut in Jeddah after winning four Challenger Tour trophies in 2025. The 19-year-old also earned a tour-level win in Bastad.
“Someone watching me for the first time can expect a modern tennis game,” Budkov Kjaer told ATPTour.com in October. “A powerful serve, fast balls from both sides. I try to bring energy to the court, we’re in the entertainment business.”
In the past year, the 2024 Wimbledon Boys’ singles champion Budkov Kjaer has leaned into constant refinement. Even his biggest weapon, a serve that once dominated juniors at 125 mph, requires ongoing sharpening at Tour level. His willingness to adjust has already paid off. Mid-season, after working with his father to alter the mechanics of his serve, he surged to three ATP Challenger Tour titles. Reinvention for the 19-year-old isn’t a moment, it’s a cycle.
“I need to improve all areas of my game,” Budkov Kjaer admitted. “Tennis is a continuous improvement process. I think all the best players always reinvent their game, maybe especially after losing and learning.”
Access to elite training blocks with top players accelerates that cycle. Practising with the Nitto ATP Finals field in 2024, including warming up Jannik Sinner in Turin, left a lasting impression. And like many Nordic talents, he draws motivation from close to home.
“Casper [Ruud] has always inspired me,” Budkov Kjaer said. “He proved that it’s possible to come from a small tennis country like Norway and achieve great things.”
Where Prizmic thrives in clarity and Budkov Kjaer thrives in power, Tien thrives in thought.
“I really enjoy the tactical aspect,” Tien told ATPTour.com. “You go out with a game plan and you adapt from the first point. You’re problem-solving around what the other guy is giving you, and he’s doing the same to you. I think that’s really fun.”
Tien, a Tour-level champion in Metz and a finalist in Beijing, doesn’t overwhelm opponents with sheer force; he outthinks them.
“I wouldn’t say I’m someone who often blows people off the court,” said Tien, who is at a career-high No. 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “But I do a great job of adapting and problem-solving.”
His improvements, particularly in his forehand and serve, have come through “a little bit of work each day” that compounds over time. And when it comes to match preparation, he aims for simplicity and calm.
“Preparation is done before tournaments,” Tien explained. “During events, it’s just maintaining what you have. I don’t like thinking too much before matches, sometimes that stresses me out. I just keep things simple.”
Unlike many rising stars, Tien doesn’t model himself after a specific player. Instead, he absorbs bits and pieces from everyone around him.
“I have no ego about acknowledging other players’ strengths and trying to take what I can,” he concluded.
This is the seventh feature of our Next Gen ATP series Next in Line. Read our other stories here:
Wimbledon dreams, Nishikori’s run & Vinci’s courtside lessons: Next Gen stars share memories
Next Steps: How Tien, Basavareddy & Engel are making the leap
Learning from Legends: Nadal, Cilic & Ram inspiring #NextGenATP stars
Fuel for the future: Inside the mindset of the best youngsters
The voices driving Landaluce & Cina to the top
The Fierce Feuds lighting up the latest Next Gen wave
Anticipation is building for the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, and this year’s contenders know the track record is impossible to ignore.
The 20-and-under showcase has evolved from a glimpse of potential into a springboard for future champions, highlighted by names who have already reshaped the sport, such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the current World No. 1 and No. 2.
The field for the eighth edition features Learner Tien, Alexander Blockx, Dino Prizmic, Martin Landaluce, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Nishesh Basavareddy, Rafael Jodar and Justin Engel, all chasing a trophy that now comes with prestige.
[ATP APP]Sinner set the precedent in 2019, when he captured the title at the age of 18 and climbed to No. 1 five seasons later — becoming the first Italian to do so in the history of the PIF ATP Rankings. He has since amassed four major titles, offering early proof that the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF could be a powerful stepping stone, but Alcaraz’s story raises the bar slightly further.
The Spaniard also lifted the trophy at 18 — in the 2021 edition — and needed less than a year to become the youngest World No. 1 in history after winning the US Open in 2022 at 19 years and four months. Alcaraz, now a six-time major champion, has ensured that the leap from the #NextGenATP stage to the very top is undeniably possible.
<img alt=”Sebastian Korda, Carlos Alcaraz” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/10/11/47/korda-alcaraz-next-gen-2021-final.jpg?w=100%25″ />Carlos Alcaraz beats Sebastian Korda for the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title. Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour.
Last year in Jeddah, Joao Fonseca provided the most immediate recent example of fast progress. The Brazilian, who became just the third 18-year-old to triumph at the 20-and-under event, cracked the World’s Top 25 by claiming two ATP Tour titles in 2025, the season that directly followed his Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF debut.
Sinner, Alcaraz and Fonseca have reshaped how the event is perceived, but they are part of a broader picture rather than a guaranteed equation. Daniil Medvedev, who competed at the inaugural event in 2017, took a different route — slowly but equally deliberate — before lifting the US Open trophy in 2021 and rising to World No. 1 in 2022. Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in 2018 and then triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals on his debut just 11 months later.
Last year’s finalist Tien has already experienced a powerful surge of his own. The American has climbed to a career-high No. 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2025, highlighted by five wins over Top 10 players and his first ATP Tour title in Metz.
For Spaniards Landaluce and Jodar, the pathway is theirs to define, but the inspiration is immediate. Both have received advice from Alcaraz, while Landaluce has also benefitted from guidance at the Rafa Nadal Academy — insight that may not promise success, but helps soften the unknown that awaits.
This year’s field arrives not with certainty, but with evidence in view that the journey from the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF stage to the top of the sport is possible. For eight rising talents, Jeddah represents the first big test of whether possibility can become greatness.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios defend their controversial Battle of the Sexes-style match, saying the “fun” event will attract new fans to tennis.