Another ATP Tour season full of gripping storylines, magic moments and standout achievements is in the books… but which matches from 2023 will live longest in fans’ memories?

The Top 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings — Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner — were among those to play their part in some classic encounters this year. As part of of ATPTour.com’s annual season-in-review series, we count down the best matches on the ATP Tour this season. On Sunday, we will focus on the best Grand Slam matches of the year.

5) Indian Wells R16, Medvedev d Zverev 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5
Medvedev and Alexander Zverev reactivated their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry after 15 months away in style at the BNP Paribas Open in March. Medvedev clung on for a thrilling three, hour, 16-minute triumph in Indian Wells to extend his early-season winning streak to 17 matches, but that only told half the story of the fourth-round clash at the ATP Masters 1000.

Zverev was 8-7 for the year heading into the match and was still rebuilding confidence in his movement after missing the second half of 2022 with a serious right ankle injury. Yet the German came out strong against an opponent who was fresh from lifting consecutive trophies in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. It was only after Medvedev saved all 10 break points he faced in the second set, during which he also rolled heavily over his right ankle, that the then-World No. 6 was able to wear down the German and reach his first Indian Wells quarter-final.

“When I twisted [my ankle], I thought I was going to stand up just fine,” Medvedev said. “But then the pain started growing very fast, so I was like ‘That is not a good sign’… It was one of the first times in my life that the physio had taped my ankle, so I decided to give it a try. What was surprising was it was much easier to run than walk. So when I was walking I was limping and then I was running fine.”

4) Adelaide 1 F, Djokovic d Korda 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4
A blockbuster way to kick-start 2023 at the Adelaide International 1. Novak Djokovic had dispatched third seed Medvedev with ease in the semi-finals at the ATP 250 but was forced to battle back from the very brink to overhaul Sebastian Korda and seal his 92nd tour-level crown in the opening week of the season.

Korda’s fearless approach to an engrossing encounter that featured plenty of intense baseline exchanges earned him a championship point at 6-5, 30/40 on Djokovic’s serve in the second set. Yet the American was unable to find the decisive blow to clinch victory in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Serbian great. Djokovic kept his cool to force a tie-break before finding a late break of Korda’s serve in the decider to clinch victory. In a nod to his resilience throughout the match, the top seed tapped his temple with his finger after completing his win.

“I’d probably say that you were closer to victory today than I was,” Djokovic said to Korda during the trophy presentation. “It was decided in one or two shots, one or two points. Tough luck today, but the future is bright for you, so just keep going, and you’re an amazing player.”

Djokovic’s plaudits of Korda were further backed up a few weeks later, when the American reached his maiden major quarter-final in Melbourne. For the Serbian, victory in Adelaide laid the foundations for his run to a 10th Australian Open crown later that month, a triumph which drew him level with Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slam titles.

3) Miami SF, Sinner d Alcaraz 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2
One of the most intriguing Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalries of 2023 arguably hit its high point at March’s Miami Open presented by Itau, where Jannik Sinner notched a statement semi-final triumph against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Presented with the chance to avenge his semi-final loss to Alcaraz in Indian Wells from two weeks prior, Sinner prevailed in a match of the highest quality to end Alcaraz’s reign as World No. 1. The Italian led early in all three sets but had to save two break points at 3-4 in the second set to stall Alcaraz’s charge towards a straight-sets victory, before he put his foot down to storm past the physically struggling Spaniard in the decider.

The highlight of a stunning three-hour, two-minute spectacle was an all-court exchange at 4-2 in the opening set. Sinner emerged victorious in a contender for point of the year, one that showcased the breathtaking defensive and counter-punching skills of two of the ATP Tour’s brightest young starts.

“It means a lot. We both played a very, very high level of tennis again. I just tried my best,” said Sinner after his win. “In the third set I saw him struggle a little bit for a couple of games, so I tried to push there… We both tried to play very aggressive tennis and today it went my way, so I’m very happy.”

2) Nitto ATP Finals RR, Sinner d Djokovic 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2)
Sinner attributed being ‘really brave’ at key moments as the all-important factor as he snapped Djokovic’s six-match winning-streak at the Nitto ATP Finals in a group-stage thriller in November in Turin. Perhaps more significantly for the home favourite, it was his first victory against the World No. 1 in four Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.

“It means a lot to me,” said Sinner, who delivered a serving performance to match the Serbian and crushed the ball with his trademark power from the baseline throughout the three-hour, nine-minute encounter. “When you win against the World No. 1, who has won 24 Grand Slams, it’s obviously in the top [of my career results] … I felt like it was a really tactical match and I managed to win, so I’m very happy.”

Predictably, Sinner’s milestone win against Djokovic, which he sealed in front of a raucous home crowd, did not come easy. The Serbian had reclaimed a break immediately at 2-4 in the decider before forcing the Italian to hold his nerve in a third-set tie-break. The 22-year-old Sinner did just that, reeling off the first five points to assume control before clinching a match in which the players sent down 35 aces combined.

1) Cincinnati F, Djokovic d Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4)
An instant classic played out by the ATP Tour’s best two players in 2023, Djokovic and Alcaraz’s Western & Southern Open clash will live long in the memory. Djokovic saved championship point before prevailing in a three-hour, 49-minute epic, one he later described as “one of the toughest matches I’ve ever played in my life”, and which was the longest best-of-three final in ATP Tour history (since 1990).

With Djokovic struggling physically in the Cincinnati heat, Alcaraz seemed set to charge to victory when he led by a set and a break at the ATP Masters 1000. Yet the 36-year-old Djokovic raised his level in a staggering display of physical resilience and mental fortitude, saving a championship point at 5/6 in the second-set tie-break before overhauling his younger opponent to earn a record-extending 39th Masters 1000 crown.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Djokovic afterwards. “From the beginning until the end we’ve both been through so much. So many ups and downs, highs and lows, incredible points, poor games, heat strokes, coming back. Just overall, one of the toughest and most exciting matches I was ever part of and these are the kinds of moments and matches that I continue to work for day in day out.”

Alcaraz, who played his own significant part in one of the ATP Tour’s all-time great finals, was able to appreciate the occasion, even in defeat: ”It’s amazing playing against you, sharing the court with you, learning from you,” Alcaraz told his opponent during the trophy ceremony. “This match was really close, but I learned a lot from a champion like you.”

What makes Novak Djokovic tick?

Few people are better equipped to answer that question than leading tennis journalist Jon Wertheim and the acclaimed CBS news broadcast programme known for its signature stopwatch, 60 MINUTES.

Wertheim, who in January 2020 profiled Rafael Nadal for the American show, spent three days on the ground in Belgrade in early November. Djokovic, who recently claimed ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honours for a recording-extending eighth time at the age of 36, was first profiled on 60 MINUTES in 2011.

“That was 12 years and 20 majors ago,” Wertheim said. “We had already done the back story, so we approached this piece with the assumption that people already knew him. This time we really wanted to get into his mind. You’re not going to learn about his childhood like you did in the first one. We’re focused on the present and the future.”

Novak Djokovic is considered the greatest men’s tennis player of all time. 60 Minutes reports, Sunday. https://t.co/mEN4CWeXMW pic.twitter.com/YQCbV9VwNa

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) December 9, 2023

Djokovic spent many hours with Wertheim and the crew in Belgrade just three days after winning the Rolex Paris Masters and before leaving for Turin, where he would win a record-setting seventh Nitto ATP Finals crown.

“In the many times I’ve interviewed him I’ve never had long conversations like this,” Wertheim said. “I think it was meaningful to him and it was different, spending a whole day with him. It wasn’t done in a locker room or some hotel room. I got the feeling that he was happy to show off where he is from. He was very hospitable and a gracious host.

“He’s like no other athlete. He doesn’t think like any other athlete I’ve been around; he doesn’t conduct himself like any other athlete. He’s an incredible athlete physically, but with Novak you realise how mental tennis is. He’s been in so many tight matches, so many finals, played in front of booing crowds. You realise how much success builds success and confidence builds confidence.

“There’s a lot of self-belief when you’ve come through all that to win 24 majors and the other guy across the net is still looking for his first.”

Wertheim asked Djokovic if the current version of himself would beat the Novak Djokovic of 2011, a year in which he won three majors, five ATP Masters 1000s and 10 titles in all.

“He said that at 36 he would beat the 24-year-old Novak of 2011. He might be able to run faster, but experience and the confidence of having come through so many situations would enable him to beat the player who was 12 years younger.”

After Djokovic hoisted seven trophies this season, including three majors, two Masters 1000s and the Nitto ATP Finals crown, the 98-time tour-level titlist told Wertheim that retirement was nowhere in his immediate plans.

“He said something to the effect of, ‘When the young guys start kicking my butt it will be time to reassess, but that’s not happening yet.”

The story airs Sunday, December 10 at 7:30 PM, ET/PT after the football game on CBS. It will also stream on Paramount+.

Nick Kyrgios will not compete in the 2024 Australian Open.

The 28-year-old was not on the entry list for the season’s first major. He confirmed on Friday that he will not play his home Slam for the second consecutive year.

The only match Kyrgios played in 2023 came in Stuttgart, where he lost in straight sets to Wu Yibing.

“This is a very disappointing time for me, but I won’t be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open,” Kyrgios said on a social media platform.

“Obviously, heartbreaking. I’ve had so many amazing memories there, and I just want to really get back to playing at the top of my game and doing it right, and I need a little more time.”

In 2022, the Australian enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career. Kyrgios reached the Wimbledon final and won the Australian Open doubles title with close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis. His journey through the year was documented on Netflix’s Break Point.

ATPTour.com highlights five players who tasted success on the ATP Challenger Tour this season before shining at one of the four majors.

Christopher Eubanks
Coming into the season, the American was ranked outside the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings with just one major main-draw win. Closing 2022 by winning 11 of his final 14 Challenger-level matches was a sign of things to come for Eubanks. A quarter-final appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami led Eubanks to his Top 100 debut.

During a South Korean Challenger swing across April and May, Eubanks reached two quarter-finals and a semi-final. The former Georgia Tech University standout started his grass season at the Surbiton Challenger, suffering a second-round exit. Then his life changed.

The 27-year-old collected his maiden ATP Tour level title in Mallorca and completed a dream run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals. En route to the last eight at the All England Club, Eubanks ousted 15th seed Cameron Norrie and fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“My grass-court season got off to a bit of a rough start at the Surbiton Challenger. I began to question whether or not I could be good on the surface. I didn’t think that I could,” Eubanks said in July. “But my coach, Ruan Roelofse, and I, we put in a lot of work on the grass to try and understand the footing and the shots and everything that I would need to have in order to be successful.”

Dominic Stricker
Making Swiss tennis history isn’t easy. After all, 20-time major champion Roger Federer and former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka have etched their names into almost every record book for their home country. But the lefty Stricker managed to carve out a niche place in the record books by winning the Prague Challenger in May and become the only Swiss player to win five Challenger titles before his 21st birthday.

Stricker, who also won the Rovereto Challenger in February, enjoyed a breakthrough at the US Open, where he advanced through qualifying en route to a fourth-round appearance. In the second round, Stricker stunned Tsitsipas after firing 78 winners in a five-set thriller that lasted four hours, 10 minutes.

“I was down 3-5 and then I came back in the fourth set. I don’t know how, but I did it somehow and then I kept playing very high level tennis. I am a bit speechless,” Stricker said at the time.

His deep run at Flushing Meadows propelled him into the Top 100 for the first time on 11 September. The 21-year-old became the youngest Swiss to reach the milestone since 20-year-old Wawrinka did so in 2005.

Dominic Stricker triumphs at the Challenger 75 event in Rovereto, Italy.” />
^{Dominic Stricker celebrates winning the Rovereto Challenger. Credit: Felice Calabro}
Rinky Hijikata
The 22-year-old Australian partnered countryman Jason Kubler for the first time at their home Slam. The result? A fairytale run to their first Grand Slam title.

“I could never have imagined this, it is just unreal,” Hijikata said.

The dream start to the year continued for Hijikata, who did not drop a set en route to winning the Burnie Challenger, just eight days after winning the Australian Open doubles crown.

A wild card into the US Open, Hijikata reached the fourth round (l. Tiafoe), to earn his Top 100 debut. After the season’s final major, the former University of North Carolina star reached the Cary Challenger final and advanced to the last four at the Playford and Sydney Challengers.

“The Challenger Tour has been great for me. There’s so many quality players on the Challenger Tour and I honestly feel like the level isn’t too different between Challengers and ATP Tour events,” Hijikata said. “To make that transition is very important, to play Challengers and put yourself week in and week out against some quality players, just being able to back up good weeks week after week is hard to do and important.”

Sebastian Ofner
Not many players were more successful on the ATP Challenger Tour in the first half of the year than Ofner. The 27-year-old Austrian reached four Challenger finals before his career-best moment at Roland Garros.

Ofner qualified for the clay-court major and showed no signs of slowing down. After racing past Maxime Cressy and Sebastian Korda, Ofner survived his second career five-setter, against Fabio Fognini, before falling to fifth seed Tsitsipas in the fourth round.

Following his deep run in Paris, Ofner jumped 37 spots in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings to mark his Top 100 debut. He then reached the Ilkley Challenger final in June and won his fourth Challenger title in July in Salzburg. Ofner finished the season at a career-high No. 43.

Matteo Arnaldi
The 22-year-old was the only Italian to win a trio of ATP Challenger Tour titles in 2023, with triumphs in Tenerife, Murcia and Heilbronn. Arnaldi earned his first Top 10 victory by defeating World No. 4 Casper Ruud in Madrid, where he also secured his Top 100 breakthrough.

In New York, Arnaldi’s career hit new heights. The Sanremo native advanced to the fourth round, having defeated 16th seed Norrie along the way to an Arthur Ashe Stadium match against top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Arnaldi in straight sets.

After starting the season at No. 134, Arnaldi boasted a 16-5 Challenger-match record and hit a career-high No. 41 in October.