Tennis News

Federer to play in on-court celebration during 2026 Hall of Fame Induction

The International Tennis Hall of Fame has announced the 2026 Induction Celebration schedule of events. Roger Federer will be inducted in the Player Category and Mary Carillo will be inducted in the Contributor Category during the festivities from 27-29 August, 2026. Individual tickets for select events and full-weekend packages will be available for purchase starting 11 February at 10 a.m. EST.

The reimagined celebration, originally introduced in 2025, will return with three days of programming in Newport, R.I. The Hall of Fame Celebrity Pro Classic presented by Fidelity Investments returns on Friday, 28 August, featuring a doubles appearance by Federer alongside other tennis legends. New events include an all-new Red Carpet Pre-Show and Watch Party for fans ahead of the Induction Ceremony.

With tickets starting at $90, fans will enjoy a rare opportunity to watch Federer play on a surface where he achieved many of his greatest successes. More information about participants in the Hall of Fame Celebrity Pro Classic presented by Fidelity Investments will be announced in the coming months.

For the first time in 2026, fans can also secure their spot for an exclusive Red Carpet Pre-Show where Federer, Carillo and additional Hall of Famers will make special appearances just ahead of the 2026 Induction Ceremony. Tickets to the Red Carpet Pre-Show also include access to the Induction Watch Party, allowing fans to view the ceremony together on the big screen at the stadium court on the grounds of the Hall of Fame.

Additionally, the three-day celebration in Newport will bring back existing programming like Courting Fashion, a cocktail evening hosted at the iconic Marble House mansion, and the Fit for Fame Blazer Presentation dinner. Fame Fest will take over the Hall of Fame’s grounds where fans can enjoy engaging tennis experiences, live podcast recordings, food trucks and more. The celebrations will also kick off with the return of The Tennis Wave, a pop-up tennis court at Bowen’s Wharf with appearances from Hall of Famers.

Individual tickets for the 2026 Induction Celebration’s Red Carpet Pre-Show and Watch Party, Hall of Fame Celebrity Pro Classic presented by Fidelity Investments and Courting Fashion will go on sale on Wednesday, February 11, at 10 a.m. EST. Fans looking for a more robust Induction Celebration experience can choose from various ticket packages, which range from access to the weekend’s programming and the Induction Ceremony in Horseshoe Court, to VIP access and seating to the weekend’s events and a 3-night stay at a premium Newport hotel. Further details, full schedule and pricing for a la carte tickets and packages can be found at tennisfame.com/induction.

About the International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) is a non-profit organization that preserves the history of tennis and celebrates its champions to inspire excellence across generations globally. Induction into the Hall of Fame is the Ultimate Honor in Tennis, and to date has been presented to 270 Hall of Famers representing 28 nations. Located in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States, the Hall of Fame honors these legends and chronicles the sport’s history in an interactive museum, digital experiences and global programming. For more information on the International Tennis Hall of Fame, visit tennisfame.com.

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Korda earns 150th ATP win in Dallas, avenges AO defeat to Zheng

Sebastian Korda gained his 150th tour-level win and a measure of revenge with a crisp opening performance Monday night at the Nexo Dallas Open.

Three weeks after losing to Michael Zheng at the Australian Open, Korda beat the Columbia University star 6-3, 6-4 to open his campaign at the ATP 500 event. The victory continued Korda’s recent success on home soil after his run to the final at an ATP Challenger Tour event in San Diego one week ago.

Now 150-100 at tour-level, Korda is the sixth man born in 2000s to reach the 150-wins mark.

Korda lost just one point on first serve against Zheng, according to Infosys ATP Stats, winning 29 of 30 points behind his first delivery. He saved the only break point he faced, which came as he served out the opening set. Korda’s victory drew the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series level at 1-1 after Zheng picked up his first tour-level win in their Aussie Open meeting.

Men’s Tour-Level Wins Leaders (Born since 2000)

Eighth seed Frances Tiafoe also advanced Monday with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 result against Terence Atmane. Now a perfect 4-0 in Dallas, Tiafoe is seeking the biggest title of his career this week after reaching previous ATP 500 finals in Vienna (2021) and Tokyo (2022).

“It was kind of nice to get through that. Probably a year ago, last season, I’d lose a lot of those types of matches,” said Tiafoe, who was competing for the first time since the Australian Open. “To be able to not hit the panic button and keep going, trust my legs… I feel like I’m in great shape, so I can run and be tough out there.”

Brandon Nakashima also advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Mattea Bellucci, but third seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina prevented an American sweep on the day with his 6-4, 7-6(1) result against qualifier Zachary Svajda. The Spaniard is through to the Dallas second round for the second straight year; the No. 14 in the PIF ATP Rankings is seeking his first ATP Tour title and his second indoor final after reaching the Basel title match last October.

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After '100s of DMs', Shelton pairs with Kovacevic for Dallas doubles win

After posting on Instagram about his search for a Nexo Dallas Open doubles partner, Ben Shelton said he received “100s of DMs” from potential teammates. After an opening win Monday, it seems he made the right choice in pairing with countryman Aleksandar Kovacevic for his first competitive action since his Australian Open singles quarter-final run.

On centre court, the American duo earned a 5-7, 7-6(3), 10-3 win against Bulgarians Grigor Dimitrov and Georgi Georgiev, the latter a current college player at nearby Southern Methodist University.

Despite missing out on both of their break chances in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats, Kovacevic and Shelton rose to the occasion in the two tie-breaks to advance. They won the second-set tie-break by claiming its first point against serve at 6/5, then raced to an 8/0 lead in the Match Tie-break. The Americans fired 18 aces in the match, including one from Kovacevic on match point, and won 88 per cent (49/46) of their first-serve points.

Kovacevic and Shelton await either third-seeded Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul or American qualifier Tyler Hilderbrand and Mac Kiger in the quarter-finals. 

In the only other doubles match played so far this week in Dallas, Evan King and John Peers saved two match points to upset fourth-seeded Americans Robert Cash and James Tracy 7-6(1), 3-6, 11-9.

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Home favourite Etcheverry makes fast start in Buenos Aires

Tomas Martin Etcheverry made a winning start on his return to the IEB+ Argentina Open on Monday.

The Argentine, competing in the main draw in Buenos Aires for the fifth consecutive time, earned a 6-3, 6-4 win over Italian qualifier Andrea Pellegrino.

“It was an incredible match. Playing here in Buenos Aires in front of my people is super special,” he said. “I have a different energy when I play here and I’m super happy to get the first victory. I am looking forward for a long week here.

In his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against Pellegrino, Etcheverry produced a dominant serving display. He fired seven aces and won 85 per cent (29/34) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, sailing to victory in one hour and 38 minutes.

The two-time quarter-finalist will next face Laslo Djere or fellow Argentine Roman Andres Burruchaga.

In other action on the opening day of the tournament, 2025 semi-finalist Pedro Martinez cruised past Argentine qualifier Lautaro Midon 6-4, 6-1, earning his 50th tour-level clay-court win. The Spaniard saved 80 per cent (4/5) of the break points he faced.

Watch Highlights from Martinez vs. Midon:

Hugo Dellien set a second-round clash with top seed Francisco Cerundolo after defeating Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 6-1. The victory marked Dellien’s first tour-level win since defeating Thiago Seyboth Wild at the Masters 1000 event in Rome last May.

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Smith, Ugo Carabelli successfully defend Challenger titles

American Colton Smith and Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli successfully defended ATP Challenger titles on Sunday. The 22-year-old Smith dropped one set all week en route to winning the Cleveland Open while Ugo Carabelli won an all-Argentine final on home soil in Rosario.

Smith, who graduated from the University of Arizona in 2025 as the winningest singles player in school history, last year won the Cleveland Challenger in what was his seventh appearance at that level. Now at No. 142 in the PIF ATP Rankings, nine spots off tying his career high, Smith returned to the indoor event and defeated Borna Gojo 6-4, 7-5 in the final to defend his crown. Since 2019, the Cleveland Challenger has featured six American champions.

Ugo Carabelli, World No. 48, captured his ninth Challenger trophy at the Quini 6 Rosario Challenger presentado por el Gobierno de Santa Fe. The 26-year-old downed countryman Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-2, 6-3 in the championship match to return to the winner’s circle.

“I think I’m going to move to Rosario,” Ugo Carabelli joked in Spanish during the trophy ceremony. “I came here with some doubts, lacking confidence. I lost three matches in a row in a difficult start to the year where I’m defending a lot of points, so I’m very happy.”

<img alt=”Camilo Ugo Carabelli celebrates winning the Rosario Challenger for the second consecutive year.” style=”width:100%” src=”/-/media/images/news/2026/02/10/03/30/ugo-carabelli-rosarioch-2026.jpg” />
^{Camilo Ugo Carabelli celebrates winning the Rosario Challenger. Credit: Rosario Challenger}

Sweeny surges to first Challenger crown
Australian Dane Sweeny also triumphed on home soil, lifting his maiden Challenger title at the Brisbane Tennis International #1. The 24-year-old recently qualified for the Australian Open and earned his first major main-draw win against Gael Monfils before falling to eighth seed Ben Shelton.

Building off his Melbourne momentum, Sweeny overcame defending champion Tristan Schoolkate 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in a two-hour, 41-minute championship-match battle.

Winning at home hits different 🇦🇺#ATPChallenger | @TennisAustralia pic.twitter.com/L6wcZWomEJ

— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 8, 2026

Merida, 21, marches to title in Tenerife
Daniel Merida is at career-high No. 152 following his title run at the Tenerife Challenger 1, where the Spaniard downed top seed Francesco Maestrelli 6-2, 6-4 in the final. Merida, 21, is a two-time Challenger champion, having won in Pozoblanco last July.

“It’s something amazing because it was something I was dreaming of one year ago,” Merida said of winning two Challenger titles. “Having two trophies now with me is something that feels very, very nice.

“I think my level all throughout the week was very high. I was trying to be more aggressive, I think that was the key.”

<img alt=”Daniel Merida wins the Tenerife Challenger 1.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2026/02/10/03/29/merida-tenerifech-2026.jpg” />
^{Daniel Merida wins the Tenerife Challenger 1. Credit: Alejandro Fumero/MEF Tennis Events}

Kotov returns to winner’s circle for first time since 2022
Pavel Kotov claimed the Koblenz Tennis Open in thrilling fashion, winning a topsy-turvy deciding-set tie-break to lift the trophy. The 27-year-old escaped Tom Gentzsch 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(8) after two hours, 46 minutes to secure his fourth Challenger crown and first since August 2022.

<img alt=”Pavel Kotov celebrates his Koblenz Challenger triumph with his mother, Liliya.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2026/02/10/03/27/kotov-koblenzch-2026.jpg” />
^{Pavel Kotov celebrates his Koblenz Challenger triumph with his mother, Liliya. Credit: Janko.media}

Prihodko celebrates maiden Challenger trophy
Ukraine’s Oleg Prihodko won his maiden Challenger title at the Start Romagna Cup -1° Trofeo Città di Cesenatico, where he rallied past Italian Raul Brancaccio 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4 in the final. The 28-year-old Prihodko, who was competing in his second Challenger final and first since 2021, is No. 355 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

📍 Brisbane 🇦🇺
📍 Pau 🇫🇷
📍 Tenerife 🇪🇸
📍 Baton Rouge 🇺🇸
📍 Chennai 🇮🇳

All streaming on Challenger TV ➡️ https://t.co/zdmegU4yTU#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/v0oy2rUpeZ

— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 9, 2026

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Serena Williams can return from 22 February – but will she?

American great Serena Williams is eligible to return to competition on 22 February when she will have completed the reinstatement process.

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Raducanu retires from Qatar match two days after losing final in Romania

Emma Raducanu retires from her first-round match at the Qatar Open, two days after her defeat in the final of the Transylvania Open.

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Mpetshi Perricard splits with coach Planque: 'This stage will be very important in my journey'

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard announced the end of his partnership with long-time coach Emmanuel Planque on Sunday.

Since beginning their work together, Mpetshi Perricard captured his first two ATP Tour titles, triumphing in Lyon and Basel in 2024, and climbed to a career-high No. 29 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Under Planque’s guidance, the Frenchman established himself as one of the Tour’s most imposing servers and a rising force on the men’s circuit.

“After four years working together, my partnership with Emmanuel Planque has come to an end,” Mpetshi Perricard wrote in French on social media. “Manu, thank you for all your hard work and total commitment, which have helped me grow not only as a tennis player, but as a person.

“This stage will be very important in my journey.”

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A post shared by Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (@giovanni.mpetshi)

Standing at 6’8”, Mpetshi Perricard broke through on the ATP Tour in 2024, when he claimed both of his titles and made rapid strides behind an explosive serve and aggressive game style.

His momentum slowed in 2025, however, as he struggled to find consistency, finishing the season with a 19-26 tour-level record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Competing as the World No. 56, Mpetshi Perricard opens his campaign at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam on Tuesday against seventh seed Tallon Griekspoor, who won their only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

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Humbert upsets former champ Medvedev, claims first Rotterdam win

Ugo Humbert delivered a clutch deciding-set performance on Monday to earn his maiden win at the ABN AMRO Open, where he upset former champion Daniil Medvedev 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3.

Relying on his slippery left-handed serve and rock-solid defence under pressure, Humbert saved all six break points he faced in the final set, according to Infosys ATP Stats. With the victory, the 27-year-old Frenchman improved to 4-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and handed Medvedev his first opening-round loss since last year’s US Open.

Delivering the knockout blow 🥊@HumbertUgo resets to defeat former champion Medvedev and reach the second round in Rotterdam.@abnamroopen | #abnamroopen pic.twitter.com/ZS8IhZH4Ao

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 9, 2026

“This one is really great,” Humbert said of his two-hour, 22-minute win. “My first win here, against Daniil… It’s a big victory and I’m super happy. I lost the second set, but I knew I was playing well. It was a great match from the beginning to the end. The last set was really solid.

“I know that, against Daniil you have to play a lot of rallies. I was ready to fight for each point and I did it.”

Humbert is chasing his eighth ATP Tour title this week and his fifth on indoor hard courts. The former No. 13 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will next face Dutch wild card Guy Den Ouden or Marton Fucsovics as he looks to build momentum at the ATP 500 event.

Earlier on Day 1 in Rotterdam, Cameron Norrie produced a clinical display to defeat Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(3), 6-1, setting up a second-round clash with qualifier Christopher O’Connell. The Australian saved one match point to defeat Frenchman Valentin Royer 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4). 

Home hope Botic van de Zandschulp made a notched his first win at the Dutch ATP 500 since 2023 by ousting qualifier Luka Pavlovic 7-6(5), 6-3. The 30-year-old, who fell to eventual champions Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in his two previous first-round matches in Rotterdam, will next face Stefanos Tsitsipas or Arthur Rinderknech.

Spain’s Jaume Munar rounded out Monday’s action with an impressive win over 19-year-old Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, prevailing 6-1, 6-3. Budkov Kjaer reached the last four at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in December and qualified for his maiden appearance at the Australian Open last month, but Munar proved too solid throughout his 71-minute victory.

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Remembering Mark Hodgkinson

Mark Hodgkinson, the former tennis correspondent of The Daily Telegraph from 2005 to 2011 and an award-winning author, has died unexpectedly at the age of 46. Hodgkinson was taken ill at his home on 4 February and passed away in hospital the following day.

As his career blossomed — from securing one of the most coveted roles in British sports journalism to excelling as a writer of sport, lifestyle and finance — Hodgkinson remained forever encouraging, kind, reserved and quietly self-deprecating.

At the age of 25, Hodgkinson followed in the footsteps of the Telegraph’s distinguished tennis correspondents Arthur Wallis Myers, John Olliff, Lance Tingay and John Parsons. He gave readers a complete picture of the events he covered — not only match analysis, but insight into the characters and personalities on and off the court, and the atmosphere in the streets, stands and galleries.

He chronicled the careers of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams, while also working as a ghostwriter for a number of high-profile figures. He collaborated with Robbie Williams, Daniel Craig and Tom Hiddleston on fashion and fitness projects.

One of his most recent tennis books, Searching for Novak, published in 2024, won International Sports Book of the Year at the 2025 Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards.

A graduate of Oxford University with a degree in Modern History, Hodgkinson also wrote several Davis Cup annuals, produced features for the London 2012 Olympics programme, and contributed to Wimbledon and the WTA Tour. He also worked with the ATP Tour as a writer on the daily supplements at the Nitto ATP Finals when the tournament was held at London’s O2 Arena.

Hodgkinson is survived by his partner, Amy, and their two daughters, Molly and Rosie. He fondly recalled, with a broad grin, taking Amy to Rome for the 2005 Internazionali BNL d’Italia on one of his first trips for the Telegraph. As Hodgkinson typed away on deadline in the press room, Amy watched her first live tennis match and texted him from the stands: “When will this tennis match end?” Rafael Nadal eventually defeated Guillermo Coria in five sets over five hours and 14 minutes — one of the greatest matches in ATP Tour history.

Mark Hodgkinson, author and tennis journalist, born 5 January 1980, died 5 February 2026.

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