Tennis News

Zverev headed to doctor Sunday for toe test

Alexander Zverev will see a doctor Sunday in Shanghai to assess the right big toe he injured while serving out his opening-round win against Frenchman Valentin Royer today at the ATP Masters 1000.

On the first point of the final game of the match, Zverev hurt his toe during the follow-through of his serve. After winning the point, he limped to his courtside chair, removed his shoe and called the ATP physio on court for an initial assessment.

Zverev then returned to court to serve out the match to love. He stayed on court for his post-match interviews, signed autographs for fans and then again visited with the physio.

“I really don’t know what happened, so we’re going to check it out,” Zverev told ATPTour.com after the second physio visit. “There’s nothing with the bone, the physio told me. But we haven’t had a scan or anything like that. It might be a tear in a capsule or something like that, but we just don’t know.

“We’re going to talk to the doctors and see what we’re going to do. I hope it’s nothing serious and I can continue building on something without further injuries.

“It seems like I can’t catch a break this year. It’s been a rough year from a physical standpoint. We just talked about it in the locker room and the last time I played a tournament pain free was the Australian Open.”

Despite the discomfort, Zverev was able to make it through the final game, thanks to strong serving and quick points.

“Luckily I had a good serving day,” said the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “The serve kind of got me through that game. I don’t think running side to side would have helped me but I didn’t play any [long] points that game, so it was helpful to me.”

Zverev, 28, collected his 48th win on the year according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss index.

In the third round the 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters finalist will look to avenge a five-set loss to Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech earlier this year at Wimbledon in their lone Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

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Gauff thrashed by Anisimova in China Open semis

Defending champion Coco Gauff is thrashed 6-1 6-2 by Amanda Anisimova in their China Open semi-final.

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De Minaur sets personal milestone with Carabelli win in Shanghai

Alex de Minaur is treading new ground in 2025.

The No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Saturday eased past Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-4, 6-2 to kick-start his Rolex Shanghai Masters campaign. With his 88-minute victory against Argentine Carabelli, De Minaur registered a personal-best 48th tour-level win in a single season, making him the first Australian man to hit that tally since former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.

Best. Season. Ever 🙌@alexdeminaur notches up his 48th victory of the season, defeating Ugo Carabelli 6-4 6-2 to advance to round three.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/U324TSmVsB

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 4, 2025

“I’m happy with myself. It’s a great achievement to show the consistency,” said De Minaur after victory in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Carabelli. “I feel like I probably could have broken that record last year if I hadn’t gotten injured. To come back this year and just show that consistency week-in and week-out, I’m very proud of my efforts.

“Saying that, there’s still a lot of tennis to be played, so hopefully I can keep adding wins to that tally. Keep doing what I’m doing, keep my head down, keep working hard, keep showing up, and just keep the confidence and momentum going.”

De Minaur, who did not face a break point against Carabelli according to Infosys ATP Stats, now owns a Tour-leading 35 wins on hard courts in 2025, ahead of Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz (both on 34). The Auslralian’s next challenge in Shanghai will be a fourth-round meeting with Kamil Majchrzak, who defeated 29th seed Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-0 to advance.

In other early Saturday action, Felix Auger-Aliassime snapped the momentum of qualifier Alejandro Tabilo in commanding fashion with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph. The Canadian saved all seven break points he faced to sink Chengdu champion Tabilo and set a meeting with 17th seed Jakub Mensik or Jesper de Jong.

With their second-round wins, both De Minaur and Auger-Aliassime have boosted their Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes. De Minaur is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, just 325 points behind Ben Shelton, while Auger-Aliassime remains in 10th place but is just 590 points behind Lorenzo Musetti in the final qualification spot. Both De Minaur and Auger-Aliassime are chasing a second appearance at the prestigious season finale.

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Altmaier eyes Sinner disruption in Shanghai: 'I think I'm dangerous against the top guys'

Daniel Altmaier has built a reputation as a big-game player, and he has the arsenal to prove it.

On Saturday, he will once again test his flair for the upset when he takes on defending Rolex Shanghai Masters champion Jannik Sinner.

Altmaier toppled the Italian in their most recent meeting at Roland Garros in 2023, and one year before that, he pushed him to five sets at the US Open. For the 27-year-old German, these aren’t anomalies, they’re the blueprint of his game.

“I see myself that I can play tennis well against everyone on Tour. So that’s why I feel like I’m dangerous against those [top] guys,” Altmaier, the No. 49 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, told ATPTour.com in Shanghai. “I find my tactic, the way to play, the way to hurt people on the top level. So that’s where I’m also aiming to play constantly. I think that’s the thing: I can adapt my game, I can see the weaknesses and other opponents. That’s also what you play for.”

Altmaier’s numbers in 2025 back his conviction: He took down Taylor Fritz in the first round of Roland Garros — his fifth Top 10 victory — and produced a stirring five-set triumph over former World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open.

Two big stages, two scalps of heavyweights. Now, facing Sinner in the Italian’s opening match as defending champion in Shanghai, Altmaier arrives with the scent of another upset in the air.

“I really love these challenges, that’s what I play for,” said Altmaier, who is 1-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Sinner. “I played some brilliant matches this year already. Taylor Fritz, last week [Denis] Shapovalov… I put them all there [at the top] when they have a great day. They are really elite, they are the best players. I think that’s what I really look forward to and I think it’s going to be an exciting match.”

Much of Altmaier’s danger lies in his one-handed backhand, a shot that has both sting and subtlety. Against Sinner, he will need every ounce of that unpredictability to keep the World No. 2 unsettled. His deadly down-the-line backhand will make it risky for Sinner to give up too much court in the quest for inside-out forehands.

“I think he has the ability to also adjust his game,” Altmaier said of Sinner. “And well that’s one of the elements of my game… I have several different ones. I’m working a lot on the variety on the backhand side.

“I have the slice, I have the backhand that I can play flat, the one I can play a little bit more with topspin, I can switch direction. I think that one-handers do actually have a little bit more variety than two-handed backhands.”

After overcoming qualifier Tristan Schoolkate in his Shanghai opener, Altmaier improved his 2025 record to 17-23 record in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. It’s a steady rebound just four weeks after he was nursing a leg injury that forced him to retire from his third-round clash with Alex de Minaur in New York.

“Tokyo was my first tournament back after my little injury after the US Open, so I’m happy to have a two-set victory here playing some very good tennis,” Altmaier said. “I’m happy about the consistency I was getting recently. There were a lot of challenges throughout the season. The season is long and I’m getting to learn a lot from this year which is a crucial part in my career.”

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Medvedev at a crossroads: Navigating his 'adult career'

Daniil Medvedev has not lost his fire. He is just looking for another spark.

At age 29, the 20-time tour-level titlist is at a crossroads in his career, seeking to regain the confidence and consistency that helped him reach World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, among other accomplishments. Medvedev is doing so with new voices in his corner.

Having gone 50 tournaments without lifting a trophy since winning five titles in the first five months of 2023 through Rome, Medvedev recently split with longtime coach Gilles Cervara. He is now working with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke.

“It was not an easy decision,” the 2021 US Open champion told ATP Media at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he won the title in 2019. “But at the same time, I’m 29 years old, almost 30 soon, and [I wanted] to try something new in my adult career. Because even when we started with Gilles, I was too young, so it was with my parents a bit. The academy where I was going was designing [my team]… To do it by myself was something nice because it was something new in my life.”

Cervara had been a steady presence in Medvedev’s player’s box since he first broke onto the ATP Tour. But after winning just one match across the four majors this year, the 2022 US Open champion did not touch his racquet for two weeks and in that time, announced his split with Cervara. Medvedev embraced a fresh mindset during his coaching search.

“You look for different things when you’re 20 and when you’re 30,” Medvedev added, speaking exclusively with ATPTour.com. “Because when you’re 20, you’re still a young tennis player so you probably need someone to show you the way. When you are 30, you need someone not to show you the way, but to help you find the way again.”

Medvedev is clear about what he wants from his team.

“It needs to be someone that can listen to you. I think it’s very important in a coaching job,” he said. “Someone we need to get along with for sure. Right now what I found in Thomas and Rohan, it’s great. We have fun on the court, we have fun off the court at the same time. If they need to tell you something, they’re not scared to tell me.”

That blend of serious intensity and playful wit has long defined the unpredictable Medvedev. After his first-round loss at the US Open, Medvedev tossed six racquets to courtside fans after moments earlier destroying another from his courtside chair. It was a chaotic scene that was equally telling. Medvedev had reached a boiling point.

“It was just a little bit of desperation,” Medvedev recalled. “And at the same time I was like, ‘The fans are probably going to love it’. There was actually one racquet left in the bag and I didn’t know it. I was for sure disappointed with the result, disappointed with the way I felt on the court, with the way I acted on the court.

“I wanted to let out the frustration, probably not on the court, but I was cramping so I couldn’t stand up. It was for sure an act of desperation and a sign I needed a new start.”

Medvedev arrives in Shanghai following a semi-final run in China’s capital city, Beijing. He suffered cramps that forced him to retire against Learner Tien at the ATP 500, but Medvedev is excited to begin his campaign at his favourite tour-level event.

“Beijing was actually a big step and I need to take another step here in Shanghai. I absolutely love China as a country and I love coming here.

“It’s always been — since the first time I came here — the best tournament we have on Tour if we take out the Grand Slams,” said the 16th seed. “Of course it’s just my opinion, but it’s my favorite tournament on Tour. I love coming back here so you can ask me whatever. I’m going to tell you a lot of good things and I love the facilities, I love the courts, I love everything around this place.”

Medvedev opens his Shanghai campaign against Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina Saturday, last match on Grandstand 2, which this year boasts a new retractable roof.

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What are the ATP Bonus Pool standings?

Thanks to the impact of OneVision, the transformational strategic plan that came into effect in 2023, there is plenty of Bonus Pool money up for grabs for players on the ATP Tour.

ATP Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals Bonus Pool payments in 2025 will be awarded to the 30 players who earn the most PIF ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000 events and the Nitto ATP Finals this season, subject to participation.

The total of this Bonus Pool is $21 million, up from $11.5 million in 2022.

ATP Tour Masters 1000 & Nitto ATP Finals Bonus Pool Standings (following Cincinnati)

Players also have an opportunity to earn a share of $3 million in the ATP 500 Bonus Pool, which is distributed among the top six players in the standings (also subject to participation).

ATP 500 Bonus Pool (following Beijing and Tokyo)

Return to this page after every ATP Masters 1000 and ATP 500 event to see updated Bonus Pool standings.

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Murray: 'I know, I know, I'm terrible at golf'

Andy Murray has become a golf fanatic since his retirement, and is not too proud about poking fun at his own game.

Murray has been playing at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship alongside golf pros like Ryder Cup winners Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre, as well as Eddie Pepperell. On Friday, he nearly whiffed a shot in a bunker.

“I know I know I’m terrible at golf 🤣🤣,” Murray wrote on Instagram Stories, reposting the blooper.

Oh Andy 😅#DunhillLinks pic.twitter.com/MtT7ueCaVt

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 3, 2025

“It’s been great,” Murray said in a Golf Channel interview. “For an amateur golfer to get the chance to play alongside these guys, it’s an amazing experience for us and all the pros have been unbelievably patient and dealt with us really well. So it’s been amazing and delighted to be here.”

Other celebrities competing include hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, Piers Morgan and actor Bill Murray.

Fellow Scottish star MacIntyre said of the three-time major champion: “He’s looking good. He is looking good in the game. Overall he’s been solid.”

Despite his mishap in the bunker, Murray has shown some talent, too, making long putts despite tough conditions. More than a year since his retirement, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is certainly enjoying himself.

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Nadal receives honorary doctorate from the University of Salamanca

Throughout more than 20 seasons on the ATP Tour, Rafael Nadal forged a legendary career that included countless titles, records and landmark achievements. Now, off the court, the 22-time major champion continues to accumulate honours.

On Friday, Nadal was made doctor honoris causa by the University of Salamanca, becoming the first athlete the institution has bestowed the honour upon.

Donning a blue mortarboard, Nadal took an oath before the University Senate and received the medal that incorporates him into the Official Association of Doctoral Degrees of the University of Salamanca. The Spaniard gave a speech to the assembly hall in a ceremony that was attended by his wife Mery Perello, his parents Sebastian and Ana Maria, and his sister Maribel.

“It makes me so proud and grateful to receive the title of Honoris Causa from the oldest University in Spain and one of the oldest in the world; a place where, since the eighteenth century, humanism, critical thinking and intellectual freedom have illuminated the whole of humanity,” he began.

“As you all know, I did not follow a traditional academic education like most of you here; my education was different.

Nadal referred to his journey to becoming a professional tennis player. The Spaniard said: “My life was played out at tournaments and on tennis courts, travelling the five continents, competing and learning from the sport and from the experiences that came with all of that. Therefore, this recognition is not only a privilege for me, it is also a demonstration of respect for sport and what it represents to society.”

The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings set himself apart not only because of his competitive nature and ability to enjoy so much success throughout his professional career, but also because of his exemplary behaviour on and off the court. Nadal spoke of sport as a school of life.

“Ever since I was a boy, sport has been my own college and, in some ways, my own university. What I learned on the courts has always been with me, both in tennis and away from it. Sport taught me the value of discipline. You get nothing without daily hard work, without commitment and without taking care of the smaller details,” he said.

“Sport also taught me not to feel that I am better than anyone, because in competitions and in tournaments, as in life, nobody wins every time.”

Continuing with the theme of education, Nadal spoke of a lesson he learned when he was a boy: “In 2002, when I was still a teenager, I was very excited about a particular goal; to play in the junior Roland Garros tournament for the first time. At the time, I already had some ATP points, I’d played in international tournaments and I thought that event was a great chance to compete on one of the most emblematic stages in my sport. Imagine a 15-year-old’s excitement at playing in Paris.

“However, my parents told me I could not play, because it was during exam season. For me, at 15, it was very difficult to understand. Despite my disappointment, my parents were not to be moved and in the end, I didn’t play in the tournament. With time, I learned that the decision was a great lesson and now I thank them because they helped me finish my compulsory education and they taught me that no goal comes before values and education.”

Nadal’s visit to the city of Salamanca aroused great expectations from the early hours of the morning, when hundreds of people began to gather near the university in the hope of an opportunity to get a glimpse of the Spanish legend.

The honour granted by the University of Salamanca follows others to be bestowed upon the tennis icon, such as the Prince of Asturias Award for Sport in 2008, the Royal Order of Sports Merit, the Medal of Merit in Labour and the National Sports Award, which he has won several times.

Editor’s Note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.

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Djokovic serves aces & phrases: Shanghai crowd falls in love again

Novak Djokovic is not only a master on the tennis court, but also a master of personal connection. Whether it’s Italian in Rome, French in Paris, or Mandarin in Shanghai, the 38-year-old knows how to bring cultures together with a few heartfelt words.

After his opening-round win against Marin Cilic at the Rolex Paris Masters on Friday night, Djokovic won the crowd all over again. He had fans buzzing when he spoke to them in Chinese and signed the camera lens with a local character.

“Those are some of the phrases I’ve learned over the years, so I have to update my knowledge of the Chinese language,” said Djokovic, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “It’s always a pleasure to play in front of such passionate fans. People have been giving me lots of love and support over the years, so I try to give them back with good tennis, and also a basic knowledge of Chinese language with a few phrases.

“It was amazing to see the packed house tonight. I know it’s a national holiday and weekend, but for the first match, it’s incredible. It’s one of the most beautiful stadiums, and I totally enjoy myself.”

That mutual affection has been building for more than a decade. Djokovic is this week making his 11th appearance in Shanghai, where he has lifted the trophy a record four times. He even left his mark in 2008, winning the Nitto ATP Finals (then the Masters Tennis Cup) during its Shanghai chapter.

Djokovic wows Shanghai crowd with local character: 

This particular reunion, however, came with an extra challenge: the humidity. Djokovic found himself sweating through grips faster than usual, resorting to sawdust for traction.

“It’s crazy humid, to be honest. I don’t recall the weather being so humid in China,” Djokovic said. “I don’t remember the last time I played in humidity like this. It is what it is… It’s the same for me, my opponent, and every other player. You just have to accept it, deal with it. A lot of sweating. The laundry bills will be quite high this week, but that’s okay.”

Now, Djokovic shifts his focus to a third-round meeting with Yannick Hanfmann, who acclimated well to the conditions. The German has come through four matches, including qualifying, and will aim to unload his heavy hitting on Djokovic.

As well as taking a 1-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead into their clash, however, Djokovic will also take confidence from his own serving performance on Friday against Cilic. The Serbian saved all four break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and hit 10 aces to Cilic’s six.

“I think the serving performance was great. I aced him more than he aced me, which is not very common when you play somebody like Marin,” said Djokovic. “He has got one of the best serves in the world. He was very aggressive. When he feels the ball, he plays so flat, so deep.

“I dug myself out of trouble with the serve and some good shots. But it was a tough match for me, no doubt about it. It’s good sometimes to kick-start the tournament with such a match.”

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Djokovic 'suffered' during Shanghai win over Cilic

Novak Djokovic says he “suffered a lot” during a hard-fought victory over Marin Cilic in the second round of the Shanghai Masters.

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