The New Year goal of 'building a better Emma Raducanu'
Emma Raducanu hopes to develop a better base level in 2026 so she can dictate matches and worry less about her opponents’ strengths.
Emma Raducanu hopes to develop a better base level in 2026 so she can dictate matches and worry less about her opponents’ strengths.
They may be relatively fresh to life on the tennis circuit, but the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF competitors have wasted little time in striking up Fierce Feuds with their on-court rivals.
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer will be finely tuned to performing on the big stage when he steps on court for his Jeddah debut later this month. The 19-year-old Norwegian finished his regular season by playing ATP Tour events in Stockholm, Vienna (his ATP 500 debut) and Metz, and he opened up to ATPTour.com about some of the deep-rooted relationships that already exist between some of the brightest young stars in men’s tennis.
“Joel Schwaerzler and I travelled to a J500 in Osaka our first ITF junior year,” recalled Budkov Kjaer to ATPTour.com. “We practised a lot together that week and I won the training sets, I remember, but then he beat me 7-6, 7-5 in the final. The year after we won the doubles at Roland Garros together and I feel we both have had a rivalry and friendship in one.
“These days I have a lot of fun with Alexander Blockx, we go to many of the same Challengers. But I was quite far behind all the other Next Gen’s when I was young. Only from the age of 15 did I improve fast and from 16 I started to play the same tournaments as all these other players.”
Even if he ends up only facing opponents with whom he is less familiar than Blockx in Jeddah, Budkov Kjaer is aware of the level he will have to hit if he wants to make an impact at King Abdullah Sports City.
“I think they are all really talented, everyone with their own extraordinary skill set,” said the Norwegian, when asked about the other Jeddah contenders. “History has shown that the Next Gen finals participants can impact tennis the next decade. Some of the players I already know a bit, the others I look forward to meeting for the first time and get to know better – on and off court.”
Another player very familiar with Blockx is his fellow 20-year-old Belgian Gilles Arnaud Bailly. Bailly believes that friendly rivalries with Blockx and other rivals his age have the potential to act as crucial motivators in his career.
“I have a really good relationship with Blockx. We talk a lot and we get on so well,” said Bailly, who hit a career-high No. 201 in the PIF ATP Rankings on 10 November. “Because I am climbing now, I hope we can play more tournaments together. We have a lot of contact together and we play some games on the phone together, so there is a competitive edge there.
“I get on really well with him and I hope to see him and the others more often on Tour and the relationships will develop. I have known Blockx for many years and we keep pushing each other and it is healthy to have that relationship.”
Bailly earned his maiden tour-level win on home soil in October by defeating World No. 51 Daniel Altmaier in Brussels after using a Next Gen entry spot to enter qualifying at the indoor ATP 250. He spoke of how important he thinks competing at the top level is for the development of #NextGenATP stars.
“I think the Next Gen entry spots we get given are great,” said Bailly, referring to the Next Gen Accelerator pathway, which offers 20-and-under players ranked in the Top 250 eligibility for one ATP 250 main draw spot and two ATP 250 qualifying event opportunities each season. “The other Next Gen guys are doing so well.
“Blockx, Landaluce, Budkov Kjaer are all doing really well on the ATP Tour and Challenger Tour. It is great from the ATP to give us chances, otherwise it would be tough to play some events, so that support is helpful. I like seeing the other young players do well, it gives you further drive.”
Watch Highlights Of Bailly’s Breakthrough ATP Tour Win:
One player that can attest to Bailly’s theory is Nishesh Basavareddy. Having made his Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in 2024 alongside a familiar face from his junior days, Learner Tien, Basavareddy then faced his friend and rival for the first time at Tour-level on one of the biggest stages of them all: in the first round at Wimbledon in July.
“The first time I met Learner was when I was six,” Basavareddy told ATPTour.com. “We played at the Little Mo Regionals in San Diego, and I remember those matches being real battles. I also played Alex [Michelsen] when I was seven and he was already a year older than me. We crossed paths at junior tournaments all the time, and over the years, we’ve not only competed but become close friends.”
Basavareddy and Tien did not play each other in Jeddah a year ago, when the latter went on to reach the championship match. With Tien having triumphed in straight sets in their Wimbledon clash and both players now having qualified once again for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, the 20-year-old Basavareddy will be seeking a revenge win.
“I think our games match up pretty well,” Basavareddy told ATPTour.com when asked about Tien ahead of their Wimbledon clash. “We are both not the biggest servers, but we have a lot of baseline rallies. The [two Challenger] matches [we played in 2024] were quite long, especially the first one in a final. He’s a counterpuncher, he makes a lot of balls, and he’s really smart out there, so he makes it tough on you.”
This is the sixth 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
Jack Draper delays his comeback from an arm injury as he pulls out of this weekend’s Ultimate Tennis Showdown grand final in London.
Denmark’s Elmer Moller capped the 2025 ATP Challenger Tour season on a high note Sunday when he claimed his third title of the season.
The 22-year-old won the Maia Open, where he ousted Slovakian Andrej Martin 6-4, 6-1 in the final. Following his title run, Moller is up to No. 121 in the PIF ATP Rankings, drawing him closer to his Top 100 debut.
“It’s incredible. I was actually not sure a month and a half ago if I was going to play anymore this year,” Moller said in his post-match press conference. “It was good for me to take a break from playing tournaments, practising and staying at home. I feel like I came here with new energy that had been missing for a while. I’m happy I did that for myself. It paid off in the end.”
This was not the first time Moller triumphed in Portugal this year. He also won the Oeiras Challenger in April. His second Challenger title of the season came in July in Iasi, Romania. All four of Moller’s career Challenger crowns have come on clay.
Samuel secures back-to-back titles
Briton Toby Samuel finished his season in dominant fashion. The former University of South Carolina star, who graduated in 2024, won back-to-back Challenger titles, with his most recent victory coming at the Manama Challenger in Bahrain. He raced past Ilia Simakin 6-0, 6-2 in a 48-minute final.
Samuel, 23, did not drop a set all week in Manama and is now at a career-high No. 267 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The week before, Samuel was crowned champion in Soma Bay, Egypt. He also won an ITF M15 title in Sharm ElSheikh in early November.
Gomez wins first Challenger title of season in final week
Federico Agustin Gomez secured his first Challenger title of 2025 and fourth overall with his triumph at the Challenger Dove Men+Care Temuco in Chile. The Argentine defeated Lautaro Midon 6-4, 6-1 in the championship match to win his first hard-court title.
<img alt=”Federico Agustin Gomez wins the Temuco Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/01/14/58/gomez-temucoch-2025.jpg” />
Federico Agustin Gomez wins the Temuco Challenger. Credit: Legión Sudamericana
Mejia triumphs on home soil in Bogota
Colombia’s Nicolas Mejia triumphed on home soil at the Challenger Seguros del Estado in the capital city Bogota. A three-time Challenger champion, Mejia’s victory marked his first on Colombian soil. In an all-Colombian final, the 25-year-old downed countryman Juan Sebastian Gomez 6-4, 6-4.
Hijikata wins Playford Challenger for third time
Rinky Hijikata successfully defended his title at the City of Playford Tennis International, where he also triumphed in 2022. All four of Hijikata’s Challenger trophies have come on Australian soil. The 24-year-old, who played college tennis at the University of North Carolina, overcame fellow Aussie Dane Sweeny 6-0, 6-7(8), 6-4 in the final.
<img alt=”Rinky Hijikata in action at the Playford Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/01/15/04/hijikata-playfordch-2025.jpg” />
Rinky Hijikata in action at the Playford Challenger. Credit: Mark Willoughby/Aussie Photo Media
Clarke wins Pakistan’s first Challenger tournament
Briton Jay Clarke went one step further than last week’s runner-up finish in Soma Bay with a title run in Islamabad, Pakistan, which became the 97th country to host a Challenger event. Clarke, 27, beat Turkey’s Mert Alkaya 6-3, 6-1 in the final.
Geerts wins maiden Challenger crown in Greece
Michael Geerts won the I.T.C. Athens Challenger, which was directed by Apostolos Tsitsipas, the father and coach of ATP Tour star Stefanos Tsitsipas. Geerts defeated the top two seeds, Sandro Kopp and Arthur Fery, respectively, in his final two matches of the week. The 30-year-old outlasted Fery 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 in a hard-fought final to claim his maiden Challenger crown. Geerts also won the Athens doubles title alongside Alberto Barroso Campos.
Geerts takes it all in Athens 😎
The Belgian follows up yesterday’s doubles triumph with a hard-fought three-set victory over Fery to complete the full title sweep! #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/iChZ7IUoiT
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 30, 2025
It can be said that without Nicola Pietrangeli, who died today aged of 92, the sport of tennis may not have become as popular in Italy.
With film star good looks, Pietrangeli mingled with the jet-set, counting the likes of Marcello Mastroianni, Brigitte Bardot and Claudia Cardinale among his acquaintances. On court, it was his exceptional touch, movement and a superb backhand that helped him become one of the world’s leading clay-court exponents in the late 1950s and 1960s.
In seven major final appearances at Roland Garros, Pietrangeli captured four titles – notably the singles (d. Vermaak) and men’s doubles (w/Orlando Sirola) in 1959. The next year, his socks were red with blood in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Chile’s Luis Ayala. He additionally lost to Manuel Santana in gruelling singles finals of 1961 and 1964 and claimed the mixed doubles trophy at the event in 1958 with Shirley Bloomer.
Fans in Rome also marvelled at his 1957 and 1961 titles, two of 52 pieces of career silverware, but it was in the Davis Cup that Pietrangeli raised his game. In a record 164 rubbers between 1954 and 1972, the Italian won 120 matches and the country lost to Australia in the 1960 and 1961 Challenge Rounds (both held on grass courts). In playing retirement, as captain, he led Corrado Barazzutti, Paolo Bertolucci, Adriano Panatta and Tonino Zugarelli in 1976 to Italy’s first Davis Cup title with a 4-1 final victory over Chile in Santiago.
Pietrangeli was born in Tunis, and during the Allied occupation of Tunisia (1942-43), his father, Giulio, an amateur tennis player, was interned. Nicola started to play tennis inside the prison camp, before the family moved to Rome. He later became part of the youth team of Lazio football club.
It wasn’t until Pietrangeli was 19 that he fully committed to tennis. He first competed at the 1952 Italian Championships [now known as the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, an ATP Masters 1000 event] and at The Championships, Wimbledon on 19 occasions, reaching the 1960 semi-finals (l. to Rod Laver) — one of two years the right-hander ranked World No. 3.
He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1986, and, 20 years later, the second largest tennis stadium at the Foro Italico was named in his honour. It is at the 3,000-seater Pietrangeli stadium, he wrote in his autobiography, Se piove rimandiamo (If it rains, we postpone), that he would like his funeral to be held.
Pietrangeli had three sons — Marco, Giorgio [who died aged 59 on 4 July 2025] and Filippo — in a 15-year marriage to Susanna Artero, and he also had a long-term relationship with Italian TV presenter Licia Colo. Pietrangeli had been in declining health following a hip fracture in December 2024.
Nicola ‘Nicky’ Chirinsky Pietrangeli, tennis player and captain, born 11 September 1933, died 1 December 2025
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Andy Murray says he “probably didn’t get the results I would have liked” for Novak Djokovic during his time coaching his former rival earlier this year.
Two devoted scarecrows plan the perfect wedding – until a rival threatens everything.
Italian tennis great Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, dies at the age of 92.
Lorenzo Musetti and his partner Veronica Confalonieri welcomed their second child on Saturday. The couple have had a baby boy named Leandro and Musetti took to social media to share the news.
“Love is multiplied,” wrote the Italian in introducing the new family of four on Instagram. Musetti and Confalonieri welcomed their first son Ludovico in March 2024.
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Musetti received congratulatory messages from stars including Holger Rune, Jasmine Paolini, Sara Errani and Marta Kostyuk.
Musetti finished the 2025 season at No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings after holding a 45-22 record on the year. The 23-year-old Italian reached the title match at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo and made his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]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 of the most memorable off-court moments from this season.
The on-court action may make the headlines, but the ATP Tour is about much more than just serves, sets and sporting success. A host of the world’s top stars enjoyed plenty of exciting off-court experiences during the 2025 season, reminders of the wider spectacle of the tennis merry-go-round.
ATPTour.com recaps some of the best off-court moments of 2025.
[ATP AWARDS] Djokovic to Coach Murray: No injuries, please!
Novak Djokovic began his 2025 season with a New Year’s Eve opening-round win at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ. The Serbian was promptly asked to reveal the whereabouts of his then-coach and great former rival Andy Murray, who was reportedly only scheduled to arrive Down Under later that month for the Australian Open.
“He is skiing at the moment. He has a family skiing trip. Sending my love to all the Murray family,” Djokovic confirmed in his post-match on-court interview in Brisbane. “I hope he doesn’t get injured skiing before he comes to Melbourne. That wouldn’t be great.”
Djokovic needn’t have worried, as Murray soon responded to his charge with a reassuring-if-tongue-in-cheek post on X:
I’m taking on some huge slopes as you can see but no injuries just yet 😂 https://t.co/fqdBbMzNZJ pic.twitter.com/4E5QUYUOQc
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) December 31, 2024
From volleys to Vogue
The crossover between tennis and fashion hit new heights in 2025. In March, fast-rising leftys Ben Shelton and Jack Draper appeared in an issue of Vogue Magazine, with the iconic fashion publication branding the pair as ‘Two Princes’.
<img alt=”Ben Shelton ” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/03/05/12/41/shelton-vogue-2025-(1).jpg” />
Ben Shelton takes part in a photo shoot for Vogue Magazine. Photo Credit: Theo Wenner/Vogue
Meanwhile another renowned fashion publication, GQ, got into the action at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, where it held a photo shoot with six of the qualified players at a hotel in downtown Turin.
<img alt=”Nitto ATP Finals” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/11/14/28/gq12025.jpg” />
A group shot from the Nitto ATP Finals GQ photo shoot. Photo Credit: John Russo
Sinner’s divine moment with Pope Leo XIV
In May, Jannik Sinner marched to his maiden final at his home ATP Masters 1000 event, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Perhaps Sinner was feeling particularly inspired on the Rome clay in the wake of his meeting with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican City.
When in Rome…
Jannik Sinner met Pope Leo XIV this morning 🤩
🎥: Vatican Media#IBI25 pic.twitter.com/tYg7fCN3zx
— Internazionali BNL d’Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) May 14, 2025
Leo XIV was not the only iconic figure with whom Sinner crossed paths in 2025. In June, the then-No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings released a song with famous Italian tenor Andrea Boccelli, titled Polvere e Gloria (Dust and Glory).
Golfing greats…& golfing gaffes
ATP Tour stars past and present tried their hand at golf in 2025, apparently with mixed success. While many tennis players appear to have no trouble adjusting their skills to excel at golf, ATP No. 1 Club members Alcaraz (“I’m not that good”) and Murray (“I know, I know, I’m terrible at golf”), who played a round together shortly before Wimbledon, both seemed intent on ‘managing expectations’ when asked about their abilities with club in hand.
Perhaps Alcaraz and Murray could benefit from tagging along on the next ‘Fedal’ golf day… legendary Lexus ATP Head2Head rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal hit the fairways together in Mallorca in July, while Alcaraz could also just head to the locker room and hit up Casper Ruud for some advice: the Norwegian is a fanatic of the sport who is widely acknowledged as the best golfer on the ATP Tour.
<img alt=”Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/07/22/20/02/roger_rafa.jpg” />
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played golf together in July at the Pula Golf Resort in Mallorca. Photo Credit: Rafa Nadal Academy
No man is an island… except Alcaraz?
Golf was not the only off-court activity that Alcaraz enjoyed this season. The Spaniard, who finished the year with ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, took the time to visit a San Francisco landmark ahead of the 2025 Laver Cup.
Alcaraz took a tour of Alcatraz Island, home of the world-famous former prison that has become one of San Francisco’s most-visited tourist attractions. The Spaniard was able to escape the island in time to lead Team Europe’s Laver Cup bid, but it is Team World who will keep the event’s trophy under lock and key until next year after it secured a commanding 15-9 victory at Chase Center.
<img alt=”Carlos Alcaraz at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco ahead of the Laver Cup.” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/17/22/41/alcaraz-alcatraz-laver-cup-2025-visit.jpg” />
Carlos Alcaraz at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco ahead of the Laver Cup. Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup
Earlier in the year, Alcaraz had taken another, somewhat different, island trip following his stunning triumph from three championship points down against Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros final. For the second year in a row, the Spaniard flew to Ibiza to enjoy a June holiday with friends: “The craziest thing was probably staying out really late,” Alcaraz later said. “I danced a bit, but nothing more than what a normal person would do.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]