Tennis News

Dimitrov is 'back with the boys' in highly anticipated Paris return from injury

You can’t wipe the smile off Grigor Dimitrov’s face these days.

After three long months on the sidelines due to a pectoral injury, the 34-year-old Bulgarian is finally back in action at the Rolex Paris Masters this week — and you can feel his relief radiating throughout La Défense Arena.

“There are a lot of good and mixed feelings in the most positive way, but it’s nice to be back with the boys and starting to challenge each other again,” Dimitrov told ATPTour.com. “It’s been a good week for me so far, trying to get as many hours as possible on the court because this is what I’ve craved. At the same time, I’m also trying to keep things at the most basic stuff.

“Of course, my goal is coming back to full force next year, but it’s a great challenge for me right now just to see how the body will respond.”

He’s BAAAACK !!!#RolexParisMasters | #Dimitrov pic.twitter.com/elSuGLjKpK

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 24, 2025

Dimitrov’s last appearance was at Wimbledon, where he produced some of his most inspired tennis to forge a two-sets-to-love lead against then-World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the fourth round. He seemed destined for the quarter-finals, but it was heartbreak all over again, with the Bulgarian suffering his fifth consecutive exit at a major through retirement.

The sight of his tears said more than any press conference could. But as he returns to the bright lights in Paris, where he reached the final in 2023, Dimitrov is back to his joyous self.

The former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings practised with good friend Andrey Rublev on Friday night and then returned less than 12 hours later to train with Francisco Cerundolo.

“I’ve always loved these last tournaments of the year,” said Dimitrov, the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion. “Overall, I’m not trying to overthink anything right now, just trying to be as kind as possible to me, to my body, and to test myself to really see what else I need to be working on, especially coming into the next season.”

Whether it be physical or otherwise, Dimitrov is hoping for a week free of pain. But the emotions will run high regardless. He will take to the doubles court alongside five-time major winner Nicolas Mahut, who is playing the final tournament of his career.

For both men, it promises to be a poignant chapter. One making an anticipated return to ATP Tour action, the other taking his final bow.

“We always wanted to do a few double sessions together throughout the last years, but I was honestly never really able to commit,” Dimitrov said of Mahut. “It was the right time. It was the last tournament for him and it made sense. I have a very sentimental relationship with him.

“For so many years, we played against each other. We competed more than once on such a big occasion. So it’s safe to say that it’s a good ending for him.”

In his singles bid, Dimitrov faces a stern opening test against big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The Bulgarian, however, boasts a 24-12 tournament record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, which includes that spirited 2023 run.

Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: Grigor Dimitrov is back where he belongs — smiling, competing and writing another chapter in his story.

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Rybakina pulls out of Pan Pacific Open semi-final

Elena Rybakina pulls out of her Pan Pacific Open semi-final a day after securing her spot in the season-ending WTA Finals.

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Masters of Paris: Where ATP No. 1 Club members shine

From the thunderous serves of Boris Becker and graceful volleys of Stefan Edberg in the 1980s and 1990s, to the relentless baseline dominance of today’s ATP Tour stars like Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, the Rolex Paris Masters has long been a proving ground for ATP No. 1 Club members.

Since the tournament welcomed a new identity in 1986, nine different ATP No. 1 Club members have combined for 21 trophies at the indoor hard-court event. This year, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be among the favourites to join that elite list.

Djokovic, whose 428 total weeks atop the PIF ATP Rankings leads the ATP No. 1 Club, owns a record seven titles at the tournament. His most recent Paris triumph, in 2023, marked his record-extending 40th Masters 1000 crown. “This win is definitely one of the most special wins in the Masters 1000 category,” the Serbian said at the time.

Medvedev is among the ATP No. 1 Club members in the Paris field this year and the 29-year-old is in form following a title run in Almaty, his first trophy in more than two years. The 21-time tour-level titlist won Paris in 2020, staging a remarkable comeback in the final against Alexander Zverev. Trailing 5-7, 3-4, Medvedev won nine of the last 10 games to turn the match — and his season — around.

“Before the tournament I was not in my best form, playing not so bad with zero finals this year,” said Medvedev, who carried his momentum into the Nitto ATP Finals and won the year-end event two weeks later. “I was actually crying to my wife — not crying — but just complaining, ‘Oh my God, I don’t have the level, I don’t even have one final, I’m playing so bad’, bla bla bla… So finally, I’m the winner of the Rolex Paris Masters.”

A Paris victory has often foreshadowed success at the season-finale Nitto ATP Finals, Andy Murray demonstrated in 2016. Murray closed the year on a 24-match winning streak, capturing his lone Rolex Paris Masters title — which was also his final Masters 1000 triumph — before defeating Novak Djokovic in the Nitto ATP Finals, a match that decided the ATP Year-End No. 1 crown presented by PIF.

Roger Federer, one of the most accomplished tennis icons with 103 tour-level titles, found Paris a tougher conquest. He won the Rolex Paris Masters just once, in 2011, ending the season on a 17-match winning streak. “I have had many attempts to win Paris and, for some reason, I wasn’t able to. It’s a special victory,” Federer reflected.

The Rolex Paris Masters switched from carpet to hard courts in 2007, but even during the carpet era, conditions favoured heavy-hitting baseliners like Marat Safin, who claimed three of the first five titles of the 21st century (2000, 2002, 2004).

Safin also reached the 1999 final but fell to Andre Agassi, who, along with rival Pete Sampras, claimed multiple Paris titles in the 1990s. Agassi completed a rare Paris double in 1999, winning both Roland Garros and the indoor event in November. His first Paris Masters triumph came in 1994.

Sandwiched between Agassi’s Paris triumphs, Sampras captured the title twice. In 1997, Paris marked one of Sampras’ eight tour-level titles that year alone. In 1995, the American claimed Paris by defeating Becker in the final. Becker was the first player to claim three Paris titles (1986, 1989 and 1992).

Edberg’s aggressive game and exceptional net skills helped carry him to the 1990 Paris title. In a rematch of that year’s epic five-set Wimbledon final, the Paris final proved far less dramatic. Becker retired after just six games due to a thigh injury. It was the only retirement in Edberg and Becker’s 35 Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.

This year’s top two seeds, Alcaraz and Sinner, have yet to triumph at the Rolex Paris Masters. Could the latest edition feature one of them lifting the trophy in a week’s time?

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Sinner beats Bublik to reach Vienna Open semis

World number two Jannik Sinner progresses to the semi-finals of the Vienna Open with a dominant straight-set win over Alexander Bublik.

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Humble rise, proud name: Inside Ignacio Buse's tennis journey

It was a mild September day in Lima, and south of the city centre, Peru’s Davis Cup team faced underdog status against Portugal. In front of a vocal home crowd, Ignacio Buse delivered the clinching blow, defeating Nuno Borges to close the tie in the stadium that carries his family name — Estadio Hermanos Buse (Buse Brothers Stadium), honouring his grandfather Eduardo and twin brother Enrique, who both were tennis players.

Eduardo competed at the majors as early as 1942, when he played on the grass courts of West Side Tennis Club in New York for the US National Championships. Ignacio never met his grandfather, but his legacy shaped a tennis tradition in the Buse family.

Although the stadium court at Club Lawn Tennis de la Exposición bears the family name, Buse began his journey across town at Country Club de Villa. He started alongside his father, Hans, a tennis coach who moved to Miami in 2019 and has since worked at Royal Palm Tennis Club.

“I always remember the best moments with my dad,” Buse told ATPTour.com. “Before we started practice, we played mini tennis and that was such a battle for me. Sometimes I was confused with the situation, sometimes getting pissed. My dad just wanted to practice and I was so happy playing mini tennis against him.”

Buse, World No. 111, is Peru’s top-ranked player in the PIF ATP Rankings. He competes mostly on the ATP Challenger Tour, the level at which he has captured two titles this year. His goal for 2025 was to finish inside the Top 150 — a quest he is on pace to achieve with flying colours.

As a teen, Buse climbed inside the junior Top 10 before facing a pivotal decision in 2022 of playing college tennis or turning pro. After struggling to secure a visa to attend school in the United States, Buse decided to chase pro tennis, a difficult challenge coming from a country that has had five players crack the Top 100 in PIF ATP Rankings history (since 1973).

“It was like a dream, but it never seemed realistic. I always saw it really far,” Buse said of playing pro tennis. “Then I wanted to go to college and when I couldn’t go to college — basically there was a problem with the residence — there I said, ‘Okay, I will go professional’, when I was 18.”

Buse made his Challenger debut in 2022 as a teenager ranked outside the Top 1,400. In his second appearance — a home outing in Lima — then-No. 886 Buse met top seed Federico Coria, a former Top 50 player. Buse pushed the match to a decider and ended the night with newfound confidence despite the loss.

“I was starting to believe in myself that I could do it,” he reflected.

Now based in Barcelona, Spain, Buse considers his father his greatest mentor. Having made his maiden Grand Slam appearance at this year’s US Open, where he fell to sixth seed Ben Shelton, Buse has come a long way. He is doing it all while holding true to the biggest lesson his parents taught him.

Ignacio Buse has left his mark in Seville ✍️#ATPChallenger | @CopaSevillaCh pic.twitter.com/WIwdw9HkV5

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 6, 2025

“First of all, always be humble,” Buse said. “I learned it from my dad and mom also. I don’t think saying you’re humble means you are humble. You have to demonstrate with facts. It has to be natural.

“If you are known more in the world, that doesn’t mean you are above the others. That’s the most important thing. That’s why sometimes society is confused in those terms. I feel that we all have the same importance.”

Buse’s family extends this philosophy beyond tennis. His uncle, Gaston Acurio, is a world-renowned chef with restaurants worldwide and over one-million Instagram followers. Buse greatly admires Acurio and his values.

“He’s not my idol just because of how he cooks or whatever, but he always wants to help people,” Buse said. “He has a foundation in Peru for the people that want to be a chef who have no money. He helps him, forms them and then they work in a restaurant around the world.

“For me, what he does there is an example that he not only cares about the world, but also about humanity.”

With Christmas quickly approaching, Buse looks forward to a big family gathering and eating the delicious food that Acurio will make.

“It’s like an event,” Buse said. “He’s such an amazing chef. It’s always so delicious. He made all his recipes and a lot of his recipes came from his grandmother that I didn’t get to meet.”

Around the table with loved ones, Buse will be able to proudly reflect on his 2025 season.

“If you would have told me that today I would be at the ranking I am, I would tell you that I don’t believe you. I wanted to end in the Top 150, more or less,” Buse said. “It was the goal we set. I think the start of the year was not as we imagined, but we managed to keep improving, keep believing in the process.”

<img alt=”Ignacio Buse triumphs in Heilbronn – Bad Rappenau, Germany.” style=”width:100%” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/06/09/13/35/buse-heilbronnch-2025.jpg” />
^{Ignacio Buse triumphs at the Heilbronn Challenger in June. Credit: Elias Hoh Media/NECKARCUP}

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Sinner powers past Bublik, reaches Vienna SFs

Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik renewed their entertaining rivalry on Friday evening at the Erste Bank Open, where the top-seeded Italian prevailed 6-4, 6-4 to move within two wins of his fourth title of 2025.

Sinner lost to Bublik in Halle in June but has since put the 28-year-old to the sword. The World No. 2 dropped just three games en route to a fourth-round win at the US Open in September and was close to his best once again on Friday evening in Vienna.

The 24-year-old suffocated the World No. 16 with his relentless striking and achieved a performance rating of 9.23, which combines In Attack, Conversion, Steal and Shot Quality to show overall performance level. Sinner recorded a 9.61 performance rating in his 58-minute first-round win against Daniel Altmaier, which was his second-highest rating of the season. Sinner now leads Bublik 6-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series following his quarter-final win.

“It is a tough, a tough matchup. I am very happy,” Sinner said. “I tried to return as many balls as possible, I felt he was serving great today. I am happy I had some chances. Early in the first set I had some but I could not use them but I am happy I was able to stay there mentally. He is a very dangerous player but I tried to stay as solid as possible, so I am very happy.”

Sinner lifted the trophy in his previous appearance in Vienna in 2023 and is 15-4 at the event, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The 24-year-old has also won his past 19 indoor matches and will meet Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals.

The Australian overcame Matteo Berrettini 6-1, 7-6(4) to claim his 53rd win of the season. Only Carlos Alcaraz has recorded more victories on Tour in 2025. De Minaur has also reached four ATP 500 semi-finals this year, tying Alcaraz for the most appearances at that stage. The 26-year-old captured the ATP 500 title in Washington.

De Minaur recovered from squandering a match point on serve at 5-4 against Berrettini, eventually prevailing in the second-set tie-break to improve to 2-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the Italian.

De Minaur is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 500 points ahead of ninth-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who retired from his quarter-final match in Basel on Friday. De Minaur is chasing his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.

One man who will be in Turin is Alexander Zverev. The two-time year-end champion sealed his spot by reaching the semi-finals in Vienna. The German did not even step onto court on Friday, with Tallon Griekspoor withdrawing ahead of the match due to a back injury.

Zverev is seeking his second title in Vienna, having won in 2021. The World No. 3 will play Lorenzo Musetti in the last four. Musetti closed the day with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Corentin Moutet. Aiming for his maiden trip to the Nitto ATP Finals, Musetti currently holds the final qualifying spot at eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, just 60 points behind seventh-placed Alex de Minaur.

By defeating Moutet, Musetti captured a personal-best 41st win of the season. He will look to add to that count against Zverev, whom the Italian leads 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Heaad series. Musetti beat Zverev in the Vienna quarter-finals last year 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Watch Extended Highlights from Friday in Vienna:

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Alcaraz & Sinner discover Paris draw fate; Turin contenders in same quarter…

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now know their potential paths to a maiden Rolex Paris Masters crown — and perhaps, to a sixth consecutive showdown in a final.

World No. 1 Alcaraz returns to action for the first time in more than three weeks, opening his Paris campaign against Cameron Norrie or Sebastian Baez, following Friday’s official draw. Sinner, who is still alive in the Vienna semi-finals, will begin his run at La Défense Arena against Alex Michelsen or Zizou Bergs.

View the draw

The final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season promises high stakes, with potential major implications for the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as players vie for the remaining spots at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud could meet in a blockbuster third-round match. Auger-Aliassime is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, currently just 410 points ahead of 11th-placed Ruud, who is still alive in Basel. Jack Draper, who is 10th, is not competing through the end of the season through injury.

Lorenzo Musetti, aiming to debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, sits in the final qualification spot at eighth. He begins his Paris campaign against a qualifier or special entry and is seeded to meet defending champion Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.

Fourth seed Taylor Fritz and sixth seed Alex de Minaur, both in strong contention to return to Turin, are seeded quarter-final opponents. Denis Shapovalov faces a rematch with #NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca in his opener, with the winner to face 2018 Paris champion Karen Khachanov.

Cousins Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot, who were both present at the draw ceremony, could face each other in the second round. Vacherot, who defeated Rinderknech in the Shanghai final to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion, faces 14th seed Jiri Lehecka.

Alcaraz and Sinner have met in the final in the past five tournaments where they have both competed, including their clash at the US Open, where Alcaraz prevailed in four sets to reclaim the World No. 1 spot for the first time since 2023. The Spaniard now leads Sinner 10-5 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

The 2025 edition of the Rolex Paris Masters is the first in its new venue, La Défense Arena, which is Europe’s largest indoor sports venue. Main-draw action runs from 27 October – 2 November.

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Alcaraz arrives in Paris as new era gets underway at La Défense Arena

A new chapter of the Rolex Paris Masters has begun in its striking new home, and with it comes the arrival of the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Carlos Alcaraz touched down at La Défense Arena on Friday morning, gearing up for his first tour-level appearance since triumphing in Tokyo last month. Beanie on, buzz cut hidden from the brisk Paris air, the 22-year-old Spaniard surveyed the vast new venue before taking to the practice court alongside 2018 champion Karen Khachanov.

First practice in the new venue for Carlos Alcaraz and 2018 champion Karen Khachanov 🦾#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/tXSGE0soMb

— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) October 24, 2025

During his Tokyo title run, Alcaraz sustained a left-ankle injury and subsequently missed the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. Earlier this week, he was back in his home town of El Palmar, Spain, training with his team in preparation for a return to Tour. Now, with a 5-4 record in Paris, including his best showing in 2022 when he reached the quarter-finals, the World No. 1 arrives with unfinished business.

Could the move to Europe’s largest indoor sports venue ignite his first French crown? The centre court at La Défense Arena can accommodate 17,500 spectators, which makes it the second-biggest tennis court for year-round events, behind only Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open.

The Rolex Paris Masters remains just one of three ATP Masters 1000 titles missing from Alcaraz’s glittering resume. Over the coming week, he will look to cross it off and tighten his grip on a potential second ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF finish.

Already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, Alcaraz holds a lead of more than 2,000 points over rival Jannik Sinner atop the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Sinner is competing this week in Vienna, where he is into Friday’s quarter-finals.

Alcaraz boasts a Tour-leading 67 wins and eight titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. In Paris, he is returning to indoor action for the first time since February, when he won his first trophy in these conditions at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam.

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Zverev joins Alcaraz, Sinner & Djokovic, qualifies for Nitto ATP Finals

Two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev on Friday became the fourth singles player to qualify for the season finale when he advanced to the Vienna semi-finals with Tallon Griekspoor’s withdrawal.

Zverev, who has now qualified for the year-end championships eight times, joined Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic in the field at Inalpi Arena. The Nitto ATP Finals will take place from 9-16 November.

Zverev put himself in good position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin early in the year by making the Australian Open final, his third championship match at a Grand Slam tournament.

The Hamburg native triumphed on home soil in Munich for the 24th ATP Tour title of his career, and he has now claimed at least one tour-level trophy in nine of the past 10 seasons. Zverev also made the final in Stuttgart and advanced to ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals in Toronto and Cincinnati.

The German first qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017 and has earned his place at the prestigious event in eight of the past nine seasons. He earned the crown in 2018 and 2021, and also made the semi-finals in 2019 and 2024.

According to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Zverev owns a 17-10 record at the year-end championships. He is 9-3 since the event relocated to Turin in 2021 and two of those defeats have come in final-set tie-breaks.

When Zverev claimed glory at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time, in 2021, he became one of just two active singles players who has won the Nitto ATP Finals more than once, joining Djokovic.

Four singles places remain at the Nitto ATP Finals, with fifth-placed Fritz currently next in line to qualify.

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Auger-Aliassime retires against Munar in Basel, dents Turin hopes, Fonseca reaches SFs

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Nitto ATP Finals hopes suffered a setback on Friday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he was forced to retire against Jaume Munar after losing the first set.

The Canadian was trailing 3-6 when he walked to the net and ended proceedings after 45 minutes of his quarter-final match at the ATP 500.

Auger-Aliassime lifted the trophy in Brussels last week to move to ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 25-year-old, who married Nina Ghaibi last month, is 340 points behind eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti, who occupies the final qualification spot. Musetti is in quarter-final action against Cornetin Moutet in Vienna later on Friday.

Auger-Aliassime is hoping to make his second appearance at the prestigious year-end event, having competed in 2022. He holds a 43-21 record on the year, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index and is scheduled to compete at the Rolex Paris Masters next week.

Joao Fonseca followed Auger-Aliassime and Munar onto court and overcame Denis Shapovalov, who also retired. Fonseca led the Canadian 3-6, 6-3, 4-1 when Shapovalov approached the Brazilian to shake hands.

Fonseca is into his second tour-level semi-final of the year and first at ATP 500 level. The 19-year-old won his maiden tour-level crown in Buenos Aires earlier this year and is now 23-15 on the season. Fonseca is the second-youngest semi-finalist this century and will play Munar on Saturday.

Ugo Humbert continued his impressive week with a 7-6(0), 6-4 win against American Reilly Opelka.

The 27-year-old Frenchman has won a Tour-leading 22 matches indoors since the start of 2024, a tally that includes two title runs in Marseille. He also reached championship matches in Paris last November and Stockholm last week.

Humbert will next play eighth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. After the Spaniard took the opening set off Casper Ruud 7-6(1), the fourth-seeded Norwegian retired due to an ankle injury, sending Davidovich Fokina to his sixth semi-final of the season. Ruud was on a six-match winning streak, including a title run at last week’s ATP 250 in Stockholm.

Watch Extended Highlights from Friday in Basel:

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