Cilic's comeback leads five Challenger moments to remember from 2025

  • Posted: Dec 16, 2025

From Marin Cilic’s record-breaking comeback to Emilio Nava’s dominant run and Mark Lajal’s emotional triumph, ATPTour.com highlights five moments to remember from the 2025 ATP Challenger season.

Cilic circles back to Challengers, becomes oldest grass-court champion
After undergoing two knee surgeries in the past two years, Cilic made an emphatic return to the ATP Challenger circuit. At the Girona Challenger in March, the Tour-veteran secured his first Challenger title since 2007, surpassing Andy Murray for the longest span (17 years, 10 months) in between Challenger trophies.

“You have to accept that I’m not Top 100, Top 50 anymore, so you can’t just pick and choose any tournament you want to play. It’s time to put the head down, work, get back to Challengers and grind it out,” the former No. 3 told ATPTour.com in April. “That was for me the first step and then afterwards, it’s putting the mindset in, still having motivation to battle it out with young guns, to compete and play well.”

Cilic again broke another record of Murray’s at the Nottingham Challenger. At 36 years and eight months, the 2017 Wimbledon finalist became the oldest grass-court Challenger titlist, a feat that Murray had achieved just two years earlier at the same tournament. The Croatian, who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, finished the year at No. 75 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Nava navigates month of dominance
For one entire month, Nava was unstoppable. The American built a 19-match winning streak and had won 35 consecutive sets, one shy of tying David Goffin’s Challenger record set in 2014. Nava had won three consecutive titles, triumphing on clay in Asuncion, Concepcion and Sarasota.

Nava reached the final of Tallahassee and held a one-set lead, inching closer at joining Guillermo Coria (2000) and Tallon Griekspoor (2021) as the only players to win four Challenger titles in as many consecutive tournaments, but Chris Rodesch spoiled Nava’s hopes with a three-set victory.

Lajal saves 5 MPs in Bloomfield Hills, dedicates title to late grandfather
The Estonian delivered a courageous performance to dramatically fend off five championship points to win the Bloomfield Hills Challenger and capture his second title at ATP Challenger level. That same day, thousands of miles away in Estonia, Lajal’s grandfather, Tõnu, was laid to rest.

Lajal wrote an Instagram post, dedicating his biggest career trophy to his grandfather, who was closely following the 22-year-old’s career. Lajal dispatched Andres Martin 6-7(7), 7-5, 7-6(9) in a three-hour, 22-minute final before lifting the trophy in the air and looking up to the sky.

“It was very nice to do it because they had a ‘sending away’ with our family in Estonia on the day of the final,” Lajal told ATPTour.com. “I think everything was perfect timing.”

With Nadal watching, Rincon completes full-circle triumph at Rafa Nadal Academy
Daniel Rincon was leading 2-0 in his second-round match at the ATP Challenger event held at Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, and he suddenly froze. The Spaniard spotted Rafael Nadal himself watching from the stands. “I saw him looking and I lost six games in a row,” Rincon said with a laugh. “I got a bit tight there.”

The nerves did not derail Rincon for long. The 22-year-old regrouped, won the match and went on to capture the trophy at the very place where he trained and graduated from in 2021. While competing in the final, Rincon again spotted the former World No. 1 Nadal watching, although the match was almost halfway over, so Rincon “didn’t have too much time to think about it”.

<img alt=”Daniel Rincon celebrates winning the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar.” style=”width:100%” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/17/21/32/rincon-manacorch-2025.jpg” />
Daniel Rincon wins the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar. Credit: Alvaro Diaz/Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar

Burruchaga survives seven-hour Sunday to claim Piracicaba crown
Roman Andres Burruchaga endured a marathon Sunday at the Piracicaba Challenger, where he spent nearly seven hours on court in one day, due to heavy rain all week postponing several matches.

Burruchaga won a three-hour, two-minute semi-final against home hope Gustavo Heide before returning to court and winning the second-longest Challenger final in history (three hours, 45 minutes). The Argentine saved a championship point, surviving countryman Facundo Mena 7-6(8), 6-7(6), 7-6(4) to lift the Brasil Tennis Challenger trophy.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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