Tennis News

Alcaraz wins 2025 ATP 500 Bonus Pool

Carlos Alcaraz is guaranteed to top the 2025 ATP 500 Bonus Pool, claiming at least $1 million in addition to the prize money he has already earned from those events.

Two ATP 500 events, in Basel and Vienna, remain this season. But by lifting the trophy in Tokyo, Alcaraz guaranteed that he will finish the season atop the list.

The Spaniard has earned 1,930 PIF ATP Rankings points at ATP 500 events this season, winning titles in Rotterdam, Queen’s Club and Tokyo. He also reached the final in Barcelona and the quarter-finals in Doha.

Players have an opportunity to claim a share of $3 million in the ATP 500 Bonus Pool, which will be distributed among the top six players in the standings subject to participation. To be fully eligible, a player must compete in five ATP 500 events throughout the 2025 season and fulfill swing commitments.

Last year, $1.34 million was distributed to five players with the most points earned in the ATP 500 category. Arthur Fils topped the Bonus Pool, earning an additional $615,000.

After Alcaraz, the standings in the 2025 ATP Bonus Pool are as follows: Alex de Minaur is in second place (1,230), Andrey Rublev is in third (1,030), Alexander Zverev is in fourth (1,000), Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is in fifth (910) and Daniil Medvedev is in sixth (880).

The Swiss Indoors Basel and the Erste Bank Open, the final two ATP 500 events of the season, will take place from 20-26 October.

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More Than The Score

Tennis legend Boris Becker talks of his regret of winning Wimbledon aged 17.

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Home favourite Shang earns opening win in Shanghai

Exactly a year to the day since his last ATP Masters 1000 match win, Chinese wild card Shang Juncheng earned another victory at the level on Thursday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he clawed past Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

The 20-year-old lefty was sidelined from January until August with a foot injury but returned to Tour in Toronto in July. After reaching the second round in Chengdu last month, Shang captured his biggest win since his return on home soil at the Masters 1000 event, where he struck 32 winners to eliminate Kovacevic in one hour and 57 minutes.

“This year has been the toughest so far in my life but it is not enough to knock me down,” Shang said. “But playing at home feels great, with a full crowd and everyone cheering as loud as they can for me, which gives me a lot of energy. As everyone says, if it doesn’t know you down, you are going to come back stronger and that is what I am trying to do.”

#NextGenATP Shang, who reached the semi-finals in Hong Kong at the start of the season, became the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour title on home soil last year in Chengdu. Aiming to re-find his best level this fortnight in Shanghai, the World No. 237 will next play ninth seed Karen Khachanov.

Earlier, American Jenson Brooksby continued his good form with a 7-6(2), 6-1 victory against James Trotter. The 24-year-old advanced to the semi-finals at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo last week and is now on the cusp of the Top 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Brooksby, who was unranked at the start of the year, will next play Tallon Griekspoor.

On Stadium Court, Benjamin Bonzi and Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina advanced. Bonzi overcame big-serving American Reilly Opelka 7-6(2), 6-4 to set a meeting with Gabriel Diallo, while Svrcina advanced after Chinese wild card Wu Yibing was forced to retire due to injury after losing the first set 5-7.

Kamil Majchrzak, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, beat Ethan Quinn 6-3, 6-4 to improve to 2-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and Jesper de Jong downed Chinese wild card Yi Zhou 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6(3). Argentines Francisco Comesana and Camilo Ugo Carabelli both advanced. Comesana eliminated Ugo Blanchet 6-4, 6-2 and Ugo Carabelli reached the second round when Cincinnati semi-finalist Terence Atmane was forced to retire at 4-4 in the first set.

Nuno Borges, Alejandro Tabilo and Arthur Cazaux advanced. Borges beat Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(5), 7-6(5) and Chengdu champ Tabilo defeated Marcos Giron 6-4, 6-3. Cazaux clawed past Pedro Martinez 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

Novak Djokovic begins his campaign on Friday against Marin Cilic, with Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton also in action.

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Defending champion Gauff into China Open last four

Defending champion Coco Gauff books a place in the China Open semi-finals with a straight-set win against Eva Leys.

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Djokovic on where he favours himself against Alcaraz & Sinner…

Novak Djokovic’s intergenerational rivalries with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has been one of the hottest talking points on the Tour in the past three years.

The Spaniard and Italian have split the past eight majors since Djokovic’s triumph at the US Open in 2023, but the Serbian has had his share of success, beating Alcaraz in the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal match and Sinner in the title decider at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals.

However, this season, the 38-year-old has struggled to find a way past the World No. 1 and No. 2, losing to Sinner in the semi-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and to Alcaraz in the last four at the US Open. Speaking ahead of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where Djokovic will compete for the first time since he fell to Alcaraz in New York, the former World No. 1 reflected on the state of his rivalry with both.

“I’m still working my hardest that I possibly can in the circumstances to challenge the guys or to challenge myself primarily and really see how I can do on all the tournaments that I take part in,” Djokovic said on Thursday during his pre-tournament press conference in Shanghai. “Of course, best-of-three, duration of the tournament, ideally seven days, that’s where I feel I have a better chance to win a trophy or to make a significant result.

“Other than those matches that I lost to these best two players in the world, I think I played really good tennis in Grand Slams and reached semi-finals in each one of them. So it speaks about the level and the consistency and so I’m pleased with that. But at the same time there’s a part of me that always is a winner, that, you know, wants to be the best. I’ve been fortunate to experience the greatest thing.”

Djokovic opens against Marin Cilic in Shanghai and is seeded to meet the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Sinner in the semi-finals. Sinner leads Djokovic 6-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and has won their past five meetings, dating back to Turin in 2023. However, Djokovic is not too disheartened despite his recent record.

“It is not ideal when you really are playing big matches and you’re losing against currently the best players in the world. But nevertheless, that’s not discouraging me to keep going,” Djokovic said. “I don’t play tennis only for the sake of making results and winning trophies, there’s several other reasons why I keep going.”

One of those reasons the 100-time tour-level titlist continues to compete is the opportunity to play in front of his son Stefan, daughter Tara and wife Jelena. Stefan and Tara have regularly been spotted watching their dad courtside, with Tara’s celebration dance with Djokovic a fun highlight of this year’s Wimbledon.

“My son, he plays tennis more and so he follows what’s going on. He was really insisting on traveling with me to China. He wants to travel with me everywhere, but he has to do school, and it’s not that simple,” Djokovic said. “But he’s really in love with tennis and the sport.

“My kids and my wife are my biggest supporters and when they are in the stadium you’ve seen them how they support, how passionately they care about and play with me every single point. So, of course, me seeing them on the stands it’s even more inspirational. I love to have them.”

Djokovic will not be joined by his family in Shanghai, where he is a record four-time titlist. The Serbian made his debut at the event in 2009 when the tournament was founded and enjoys his trips to China.

“I think it’s a very important tournament for promotion of our sport globally, but particularly in Asia, in China and Asia and this part of the world that maybe doesn’t necessarily follow certain tournaments that are played in some other continents,” said Djokovic, who holds a 39-6 tournament record according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“It’s important that there are big tournaments like this that promote tennis and attract more attention to the sport for young people in China. China is the biggest country in the world in terms of population, with India. Chinese people love racquet sports, we know that. So there’s a long history and tradition and culture of tennis and ping pong and the other racquet sports. You can see that there’s a lot of excitement for the tennis in Shanghai, but also in Beijing.”

Djokovic is 31-10 on the year and won his 100th tour-level title in Geneva. The 38-year-old is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and in good position to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 9-16 November.

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Sinner opens up in Shanghai: 'I'm not the only one who is changing…'

Jannik Sinner couldn’t have scripted a better response to the heartbreak of his US Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, which also cost him his World No. 1 spot.

Just three weeks later, the 24-year-old Italian stormed to his second crown at the ATP 500 in Beijing, and now arrives at the Rolex Shanghai Masters determined to successfully defend his title. After his New York setback, Sinner hinted at subtle changes in his game. Those tweaks, he says, are beginning to pay off, but he remains hungry for more.

“I’m not the only one who is changing,” Sinner said in his pre-tournament press conference in Shanghai. “If you ask every player, every player is changing stuff and trying to get better. Whatever we try to do, it’s not crazy steps, just trying to adjust a couple of things, trying to get better as a player, like everyone else does. Certain shots that worked slightly better than the months before, certain shots we can still improve.

”But it’s also normal, and I’m just looking forward to having as many matches as possible in every tournament. This gives me the chance to try as many things as possible. So, let’s see, but we are quite happy with the work we are doing.”

Prior to his title match in Beijing, in which he defeated #NextGenATP Learner Tien, Sinner confirmed he was struggling with a stomach bug, but that has passed and he is ready to roll at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000 event.

Sinner surged past Novak Djokovic in last year’s final, and he could once again meet the record four-time champion if they both reach the semi-finals. Yet the Italian, who has confirmed he will only have one practice session before his opening match, is focused from the outset.

“It feels great to be back here. It’s a very special tournament, obviously the last one we have in Asia,” said Sinner, who has won his past 27 opening-round matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. “Conditions are definitely different than Beijing, so I have only one practice session to get ready, but let’s see.

“It’s going to be a very, very difficult and tough challenge, especially the first round match. You never know what’s going to happen, so let’s see. But obviously I’m very happy to be back here and play in front of Shanghai fans.”

Sinner opens his title defence against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, with their Lexus ATP Head2Head series level at 1-1. Altmaier triumphed in five sets in their latest meeting at Roland Garros in 2023.

Having triumphed at the season finale last year, Sinner has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in 2025, but he will be eager to make pace on Alcaraz in their battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. He trails the Spaniard, who will not compete in Shanghai, by 2,580 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

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Salisbury/Skupski to make team debut at Nitto ATP Finals

Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski have become the fifth team to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

They are the second all-British duo to claim a place in Turin, where the season finale will take place from 9-16 November. Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool have also qualified.

Salisbury and Skupski, competing as a full-time duo for the first time this season, have both competed in the year-end championships before.

Salisbury played the event with Rajeev Ram in five consecutive years — from 2019 through 2023 — winning the title in 2022 and 2023. Skupski qualified in 2022 and 2023 with Wesley Koolhof. They advanced to the semi-finals in 2022, falling to Ram and Salisbury.

The Britons have shown great consistency at the world’s biggest events in 2025, reaching five finals, including two major championship matches.

Salisbury and Skupski made Slam finals at Roland Garros and the US Open, an ATP Masters 1000 final in Toronto, and they also played for ATP 500 trophies in Doha and Barcelona. The fifth team to qualify also reached Masters 1000 semi-finals in Rome and Cincinnati.

The other qualifiers are Cash/Glasspool, Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos, Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic and Harri Heliovaara/Henry Patten. Three places remain at Inalpi Arena in November.

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American psychological thriller starring Joel Edgerton

Simon and his wife, Robyn, move to LA, where they run into a former schoolmate of his.

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Why Djokovic's serve, not his return, has helped him stay near the top of the sport

Novak Djokovic has long been considered one of the best returners in tennis history. Although the Serbian is still performing well in that part of the game, he remains near the very top of the sport thanks to his improved serving.

According to an Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis, the Serbian has won a higher rate of service games in 2025 than he has in all but two seasons in his career.

World No. 4 Djokovic has finished inside the Top 3 of the year-end PIF ATP Rankings in 15 of the past 18 years, including earning a record eight ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. Only twice has he won a better percentage of service games than he has this season.

Novak Djokovic’s Serving Statistics

Djokovic’s best service games won percentage in his career came in 2015, when he ranked fifth on the ATP Tour at 89.5 per cent. In 2023, he ranked second — behind only Stefanos Tsitsipas — at 88.4 per cent. This year the Serbian is fourth at 88.3 per cent, only trailing Jannik Sinner (91.3%), Taylor Fritz (90%) and Reilly Opelka (88.7%).

Entering the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the 38-year-old is well ahead of his career average of 86.1 per cent. He has also outperformed his career averages in first-serve percentage (66.6% to 64.9%) and first-serve points won (76.4% to 74.2%), while remaining near level in second-serve points won (55.3% to 55.5%).

But the key trend is that three of his six best serving seasons in terms of service games won have come since the start of 2022.

Djokovic’s Best Serving Seasons (By Service Games Won)

Djokovic’s service surge is not limited to that one statistic, either. Before 2021, the 100-time tour-level titlist had never won more than 76 per cent of his first-serve points in a season. This year, he is on pace to do so for the fourth time.

The 40-time ATP Masters 1000 champion has averaged 5.5 aces per match in his career. This season, he has averaged 8.4 aces per match.

According to Fritz, Djokovic is able to combine his delivery itself with his baseline game to create a difficult puzzle to solve for opponents.

“I think what makes it tough is he serves well, he serves aggressive on second serves. It’s tough to take advantage of his serve for how well he also returns and just is [playing] from the baseline,” Fritz said before falling to Djokovic in this year’s US Open quarter-finals. “He backs it up incredibly well with the serve. So it’s tough to sometimes get on him the way that he’s, I guess, getting on you with the return.”

From 2010 through 2021, Djokovic was one of the top three players on the ATP Tour in return games won each year he qualified for the leaderboard. He never placed higher in service games won than return games won during those years.

But in 2022 he ranked fourth in both categories, before placing three spots higher in service games won in 2023 (second vs. fifth) and six places higher so far this year (fourth vs. 10th).

Djokovic’s return is still a force, but his serve is what stands out today.

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Marozsan downs Wawrinka; Cilic, Mannarino advance in Shanghai

Fabian Marozsan earned a career-best 24th tour-level win of the season on Wednesday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he defeated Swiss wild card Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the second round.

The Hungarian recorded 23 wins in 2024 but surpassed that mark with victory at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Marozsan won 83 per cent of his first serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and converted on his third match point to down the 40-year-old Wawrinka, who was aiming to become the oldest Masters 1000 match winner in the series history (since 1990).

Marozsan has fond memories in Shanghai, having advanced to the quarter-finals in 2023. Last week, the 25-year-old reached the quarter-finals in Beijing, falling to Jannik Sinner. His best result this year was a semi-final showing at the ATP 500 in Munich. Marozsan will meet Taylor Fritz in the second round.

Earlier, Adrian Mannarino overcame former World No. 6 Matteo Berrettini 7-5, 7-6(5) to reach the second round. The Frenchman has performed well on hard courts in recent months, reaching the fourth round at the US Open and in Cincinnati. He will next play Francisco Cerundolo.

Former semi-finalist Marin Cilic advanced, downing Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 7-6(5). Cilic, who reached the last four in Shanghai in 2017, broke a six-match losing streak dating back to Wimbledon with his win. Cilic meets Novak Djokovic in the second round. The Serbian leads the Croatian 19-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Sebastian Baez beat home favourite Zhang Zhizhen 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, while David Goffin overcame Alexandre Muller 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-1. Zhang reached the fourth round in Shanghai in 2023, the best performance from a Chinese man at the event.

Zizou Bergs beat American Sebastian Korda 6-4, 7-5, Daniel Altmaier defeated Tristan Schoolkate 6-3, 6-4 and Jordan Thompson eliminated Danish qualifier August Holmgren 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Altmaier will play Jannik Sinner in the second round. There were three-set wins for Jaume Munar and Luca Nardi. Munar defeated Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and Nardi clawed past Sebastian Ofner 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

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