'I saw a drone hit the US consulate' – Patten's escape from Dubai
Explosions, fighter jets and aborted border crossings – British doubles player Henry Patten on finally getting out of Dubai amid the Middle East conflict.
Explosions, fighter jets and aborted border crossings – British doubles player Henry Patten on finally getting out of Dubai amid the Middle East conflict.
A memorable moment in Kamil Majchrzak’s career came in 2022 at Wimbledon, where the Pole had the opportunity to train with his idol: Novak Djokovic. Majchrzak had watched the Serbian play countless matches and finally, he stood across the net from him.
“It was amazing to practise with Novak and to witness his ball and the quality of his shots, but also his attitude and also the general presence and the way he prepares for the practice,” Majchrzak told ATPTour.com. “The way he practises, how careful he is with any move he makes and how precise, everything is just top tier. I was trying to get as much as possible for myself out of this practice, and that’s what I’m going to do on Saturday as well.”
Saturday is when Majchrzak faces Djokovic in a match for the first time. They will open their Lexus ATP Head2Head series in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
“I’m actually really excited to play against Novak. He’s one of the greatest tennis players ever, and if you want to learn, you want to learn from the best,” Majchrzak said. “I never had a chance to play against Rafa or Roger, so I was really hoping at some point I could play against Novak to witness the highest possible level of anything. I’m really happy about that challenge.”
Djokovic is a record 40-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist and tied for the most Indian Wells triumphs with Roger Federer (5 each). What stands out the most about his game?
“His ball speed and ball quality are incredible. He can play any ball from any position,” Majchrzak said. “He’s moving very well. He’s just extremely precise and sometimes even robotic, like somebody plays PlayStation with him. So he was always extremely consistent. It is not easy to get the advantage against him.”
Majchrzak will take confidence into the match knowing he is World No. 57, just two places off his career-high No. 55 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The nine-time ATP Challenger Tour champion believed he has improved a lot of things, starting with his serve and playing more aggressively, especially in critical moments.
“My main focus in the practice [has been] to take more action into my hands and to play myself instead of letting the play go and just run and hit,” Majchrzak said. “Obviously, it goes up and down, but that’s the direction we set with my coach, and probably that’s one of the reasons I’m doing better and better.
“Normally, when it was getting close, I was letting the opponent decide and dictate the play. Now I’m trying to do the opposite, and many times it works, many times it doesn’t. But that’s our general target and goal: to be more aggressive.”
[NO 1 CLUB]Majchrzak began working with coach Christopher Kas in September 2024 when the Pole was well outside the Top 100. By focusing on not just understanding how to play in key situations but convincing Majchrzak to execute in those moments, Kas has helped his charge become a consistent presence on the ATP Tour, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon and the third round of the US Open last year.
Now Majchrzak will try to upset 101-time tour-level champion Djokovic in one of the biggest matches of his career.
“I’m really excited that normally I just watch his matches just to see the matches,” Majchrzak said. “Now I will watch it carefully to prepare the strategy and to prepare what to do on court, and I will do my best to give him a hard time and possibly win.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Jannik Sinner was relentless in his opening performance at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday, dispatching Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina 6-1, 6-1.
Seeking his first Indian Wells trophy, the second seed overwhelmed Svrcina with heavy ballstriking and imposing pace en route to a 64-minute victory.
“I feel mentally I’m in a good place,” said Sinner, who was competing for the first time since his Doha defeat to Jakub Mensik. “I’m calm, I’m relaxed. But I’m also very happy to compete. We did a lot of work. Many, many hours on court. Many hours in the gym. I’m trying to get a little bit stronger [physically]. We did double sessions, not many days off at all.”
Sinner’s best result in the California desert is a semi-final run in 2023 and 2024. Should the 24-year-old triumph this fortnight, he would complete the set of titles at all six hard-court ATP Masters 1000 events.
Sinner played tight to the baseline and forced Svrcina to take a deep court position, allowing the Italian opportunities to move forward and finish points at net. He converted 15 of his 17 net points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
From 1-1 in the opening set, Sinner tallied nine consecutive games before Svrcina won another game. The 24-time tour-level titlist, who is five victories shy of his 100th ATP Masters 1000 match win, improved to 8-2 this season.
The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings next faces 29th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who recently won the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro, or Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Marton Fucsovics earned just his second Top 5 win and first in nearly six years on Friday at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he stunned World No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-1.
Musetti was competing for the first time since he was forced to retire from his Australian Open quarter-final against Novak Djokovic with a psoas muscle injury when leading by two sets to love. Returning to the Tour in California, the 24-year-old committed 26 unforced errors and showed signs of rustiness against Fucsovics, who is into the third round in Indian Wells for the second time.
[NO 1 CLUB]The Hungarian played with high intensity and capitalised on a misfiring performance from the Italian to improve to 4-35 against Top 10 opponents, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Fucsovics’ previous Top 5 win came against Daniil Medvedev at Roland Garros in 2020, with this his first Top 10 victory on a hard court.
The No. 56 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Fucsovics will next meet Arthur Fils after the Frenchman advanced when Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic retired. Fils, who returned to Tour last month following a back injury, was leading 6-2, 3-2.
In other action, for a large period, eighth seed Ben Shelton appeared on course to join fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti in an early exit from the ATP Masters 1000 event. However, the 23-year-old American staged a comeback to secure a hard-fought 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-3 victory against Reilly Opelka.
Shelton came within two points of defeat when he trailed 4/5 in the second-set tie-break. Yet Opelka faltered at the crucial moment, losing both points on his serve to hand Shelton a lifeline. The lefty later took a tumble while serving for the match at 5-3 in the third set, slipping as he hit a volley. Nevertheless, Shelton quickly recovered, regained his composure and eventually sealed the win after two hours and 13 minutes.
The Top 10 star, who advanced to the quarter-finals in Indian Wells last year, will next face Learner Tien. The reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion leads Shelton 1-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Hungary’s Panna Udvardy says she was sent “disturbing” messages including a picture of a gun, warning her family would be harmed unless she lost a tennis match.
Learner Tien reached a major milestone on Friday at the BNP Paribas Open, becoming the youngest American since Andy Roddick to notch 50 tour-level victories. The 20-year-old lefty defeated Adam Walton 7-6(3), 7-6(8) to move into second place on the leaderboard behind Roddick.
Roddick, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, recorded his 50th tour-level win at the 2002 Australian Open at 19 years and four months. By securing his 50th victory at 20 years and three months, Tien now sits just behind Roddick on this exclusive list. Close friend Alex Michelsen ranks third, while Sam Querrey and 2022 Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz round out the top five.
“It is great. I also saw I was two months younger than Alex. I think it is cool,” Tien told ATPTour.com when reflecting on the achievement. “I feel like it has flown by. I still remember my first win so vividly and how much that meant to me. Obviously, 50 is a pretty big benchmark and now I am pushing for 100.”
Youngest Americans to reach 50 tour-level wins (since 2000)
| Player | Age Achieved | Event |
| Andy Roddick | 19Y, 4M | Aus Open, 2002 |
| Learner Tien | 20Y, 3M | Indian Wells, 2026 |
| Alex Michelsen | 20Y, 5M | Delray Beach, 2025 |
| Sam Querrey | 20Y, 10M | US Open, 2008 |
| Taylor Fritz | 20Y, 11M | Basel, 2018 |
Tien’s rise has been swift and impressive. He claimed his maiden tour-level victory in August 2024 in Winston-Salem, defeating Tristan Schoolkate en route to the quarter-finals at the ATP 250. Since then, he captured his first ATP Tour trophy in Metz last November and followed it up by clinching the Next Gen ATP Finals title in Jeddah. He also has five Top 10 wins.
“I was in qualies and I was playing on some really small court in the back and there was barely anyone there,” Tien said, remembering his first win in Winston-Salem. “I think I lost the first set and then I ended up winning in three and then I ended up winning a couple of [main draw] matches.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Emma Raducanu makes an impressive start at Indian Wells as the British number one records a straight-set victory over Russian Anastasia Zakharova.
The ATP Challenger YouTube channel is a new way to follow the stars of tomorrow.
Launched this week, the ATP Challenger page will showcase a range of content including match highlights, live streams, archived matches, features, engaging YouTube ‘Shorts’ and more.
The platform provides greater visibility of players making their rise in professional tennis and earning their breakthrough onto the ATP Tour — the heartbeat of the ATP Challenger circuit. With its extensive variety of content, the ATP Challenger channel will introduce a broader audience to the talent and stories emerging across the circuit.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini renewed their long-running rivalry on Friday at the BNP Paribas Open, where fourth seed Zverev produced a big-hitting display to reach the third round.
The German struck 19 winners to just 11 unforced errors and did not face a break point in the match, winning 82 per cent of his second serve points en route to a 6-3, 6-4 victory in Indian Wells.
Zverev leads Berrettini 5-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with this the World No. 4’s first win against the Italian since the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, an event Zverev won. Following his 71-minute triumph, the fourth seed will next meet Brandon Nakashima or Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
“I am very happy with the performance,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “Against Matteo, it is very difficult. I lost the past two matches against him. I have struggled in Indian Wells before, but I feel different this year. Hopefully, it is going to be a different result and it was a good start.”
Zverev is a seven-time ATP Masters 1000 champion but has never triumphed in Indian Wells. The 28-year-old’s best result in the Californian desert was quarter-final showings in 2021 and 2024, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Earlier this year, the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open.
“He is somebody that is extremely aggressive, massive forehand, massive serve,” Zverev said of Berrettini. “When you back off a little bit, it is very difficult against him, but today I thought I was the one pushing, I was the one being aggressive.”
[NO 1 CLUB]Zverev could face 15th seed Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round. The Italian moved past Miomir Kecmanovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to continue his red-hot recent run, having won his third tour-level title last week at the ATP 500 event in Acapulco.
Cobolli, competing at a career-high No. 15, dug deep after losing the first set and produced a brilliant serving display in the decider, winning 13 of his 14 first-serve points. The 23-year-old will play Frances Tiafoe or Jenson Brooksby in the third round. Cobolli has fond memories of playing Tiafoe after defeating the American in the recent Acapulco final.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]In May 2018, 16-year-old Jannik Sinner was playing the final tournament of his junior career in Milan when he faced Czech Jonas Forejtek in the third round. In the crowd that day was another Czech player, Dalibor Svrcina.
“He was playing good, but you wouldn’t say he was something so special. You could definitely see the potential, but he was still young, skinny, and making some errors,” Svrcina told ATPTour.com. “It’s definitely amazing to see the progress of Carlos and Jannik, because I knew both of them in the juniors and they really were not ahead so much.
“So it’s really, really great to see and motivation that if you are improving and doing the right things, you can improve in your own way.”
Svrcina will challenge Sinner for the first time Friday in the second round of the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year: the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
“He knows who I am. I know him, obviously, but we never practised,” Svrcina said. “We know each other from juniors a little bit. He didn’t play much juniors, but we saw each other. I’ve known him since he was maybe 15, 16, so we say hi to each other, but we never got to practise with each other.”
The 23-year-old will now stand across the net from the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time, having never previously clashed against a Top-10 opponent. Svrcina is well aware of the test he will face in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head showdown.
“I think he’s just so solid and playing so fast, taking the time away. He can do basically everything,” Svrcina said. “You can see that before, maybe one or two years ago, he didn’t have so much variation in shots, like maybe Carlos’ drop shots.
“But you can see he is trying to improve that. He is trying to play some drop shots. You can see that they are always working on something to improve. So, basically, I will see on Friday what’s so amazing about it, but let’s see. I am looking forward to it.”
The Czech has taken inspiration from watching Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz continue to reach new heights. Svrcina is currently finding a lot of joy in the knowledge that every day, he can find a way to improve.
“You can go to the gym, you can work on yourself, mentally, physically. This is the part of tennis that you don’t see much with the players because mostly you see how they practise, how they play matches,” Svrcina said. “But you don’t see the stuff they do at home or in everyday life. So I’m enjoying that a lot.”
[NO 1 CLUB]The World No. 109, who reached a career-high No. 86 in November, has recently begun playing bigger matches. Less than a year ago, he faced former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in Toronto before playing him again in Shanghai.
“Before that match in Toronto against Medvedev, I didn’t get to play a lot of matches like that against the top guys, and now I’ve played Medvedev twice,” Svrcina said. “I played Bublik. Now I’m going to play Sinner, so for me, it’s really, really good to gain these experiences.”
Svrcina traveled to the California desert from Acapulco with fitness coach Thiyagarajan Karunakaran. They flew from Acapulco to Tijuana, crossed the border from Mexico into the United States, and then, after spending one afternoon in San Diego, drove to Indian Wells.
The Ostrava-born righty likes spending time with friends in nature at home, particularly in the nearby mountains. So it is fitting that Svrcina marveled at the mountains during that drive and is preparing for the biggest match of his life with mountains in the backdrop of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
“I’m really liking it. The place is amazing,” Svrcina said. “The tournament is great, so I’m very happy to get through the qualifying and the first round. I’m very glad I’m playing well and to be able to play Jannik next round is amazing.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]