As Day 1 action gets underway at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, Andy Murray finds himself back on familiar ground, both in terms of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and the hard courts of the Great White North.

In June, the Scotsman returned to the Top 50 for the first time since 2018, the year he underwent the first of his two hip surgeries. The former No. 1 is looking to continue that resurgence with a deep run in Canada, where he has raised the ATP Masters 1000 trophy on no fewer than three occasions, most recently in 2015. There’s plenty of incentive with the US Open looming and a chance to be among the 32 seeds at the year-end Grand Slam.

“It’s still possible to do it. I would just need to have a good run in Canada or Cincinnati,” said Murray, whose summer has included a final in Stuttgart and a quarter-final showing in Newport. “It’s pretty straightforward, if I was to make a quarter-final or a semi-final there. I do feel like if I play very well that I could do that.”

The 35-year-old wild card will have his work cut out for him in the opening round on Monday in a first-time encounter with rising American Taylor Fritz. At No. 13 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the baseliner is riding high after defeating Rafael Nadal to capture his maiden Masters 1000 title earlier this year in Indian Wells, and breaking through to his first major quarter-final last month at Wimbledon.

Fritz recalls, as a kid, watching Murray play in Indian Wells, just a few hours’ drive from his Rancho Santa Fe birthplace. (“They had him on, hard to believe, one of the side courts,” he said.) He even chased Murray down for an autograph. But this will be Fritz’s first tour-level meeting with the three-time major titlist. The American has yet to advance beyond the first round in Canada.

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The Court Central lineup on Day 1 in Montreal will also feature Stan Wawrinka vs. Emil Ruusuvuori, Diego Schwartzman vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and an intriguing head-to-head between Canadian Denis Shapovalov vs. Aussie Alex de Minaur.

Shapovalov hopes playing in front of his home fans will prove the spark he needs after a rough stretch that has, since defeating Nadal to reach the quarter-finals in Rome, seen him drop eight of nine matches. The World No. 22 would do well to revisit his career breakthrough win, which came on home soil at this same event in 2017. That’s the year the left-hander, then just 18, stunned then-World No. 2 Nadal to become the youngest-ever Masters 1000 semi-finalist.

Shapovalov is 0-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against De Minaur, who one week ago lifted the ATP 250 title in Atlanta for the second time.

Elsewhere, Francisco Cerundolo and Karen Khachanov will kick off the opening-round action on Court Rogers. Cerundolo is in the midst of a breakout campaign that has seen the 23-year-old Argentine crack the Top 100 and overcome countryman Sebastian Baez to capture his first ATP Tour crown in Bastad.

American Jenson Brooksby and Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik will meet for the first time in Montreal. Both players find themselves in top form, Brooksby having reached the trophy tilt in Atlanta (l. to De Minaur, 6-3, 6-3), and Bublik having pushed eventual titlist Maxime Cressy to the limit on grass in the Newport final, falling 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(3).

No. 14 seed Roberto Bautista Agut will take on former UCLA standout Marcos Giron of the United States, while Italy’s Fabio Fognini is set to face Denmark’s Holder Rune, who since reaching the Roland Garros quarter-finals has suffered opening-round defeats in six of his past seven events.

Nick Kyrgios left the Citi Open with two trophies on Sunday as he became the first man to sweep the singles and doubles titles in the 53-year history of the Washington event. The Aussie defeated Yoshihito Nishioka in the singles final before teaming with Jack Sock to win the doubles crown, both in straight sets and without dropping serve in either match.

“I’m extremely proud of myself and my team,” he said in his post-tournament press conference. “It was a really, really good week. It was hard-fought. [I] had some incredibly tough matches. Every practice was really good. I tried to be as professional as I could. I’m just happy to be sitting here, making history along the way.”

Kyrgios’ toughest test came in the singles quarter-finals, when he saved five match points against local favourite Frances Tiafoe before outlasting the American in the third set of a Friday evening thriller. It was the only singles set he dropped on the week as he improved to 11-1 in his past 12 matches dating back to his Wimbledon final run. Now a two-time singles champion in Washington (2019), Kyrgios has reached singles finals in consecutive tournaments for the first time.

“I think it’s a reflection of the last six months of how hard I have been working,” he added. “I’m just really happy to continue the form after Wimbledon. I think you have got a small window after a Grand Slam that people kind of fear you before they step out on the court. I feel like I made the most of it this week. I’m really happy with my performance.”

The 27-year-old credited a strong training block prior to the Australian Open with laying the foundation for his resurgent season.

“Before Oz Open, I decided that I really wanted to put in a good training block, and then things just started falling into place,” he explained, later noting the added motivation of providing for his girlfriend. “The rest of my life… just everything was really good. I had a great Australian Open. I felt like the tournaments after the Australian Open I was kind of reinventing myself a little bit on the court. I was incredibly intense, playing some really good matches, had some great results earlier in the year.

“[I] played a great grass-court season, made a couple semi-finals and was right there. I was always knocking on the door of a singles title. I was waiting for it. I felt like I was one of the best players in the world this year by far.”

Now up to 21st place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, Kyrgios has put himself within touching distance of a spot in the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals. If he can ride his red-hot form all the way to the title at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, the Aussie could move as high as ninth place, just outside of the eight qualifying places.

Game-changing. That is one way to describe the impact of the ATP since its inception nearly 50 years ago.

With the organisation’s 50th anniversary rapidly approaching — the ATP was launched as a players’ association at the 1972 US Open — ATPTour.com is looking back at a half-century of game-changing finals and comebacks, legends and entertainers, and plenty more, including looks at the evolution of fashion in the sport and the many locations the ATP has travelled to.

From the sport’s early rockstars, including Bjorn Borg, to the legends who are carrying the torch today, including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, the ATP has changed the game.

Learn more in the immersive longform features below. Check this page every Friday for the newest installation in the ATP 50 longform series.

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Rafael Nadal leads the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, but Carlos Alcaraz can make a significant dent in his countryman’s advantage this week in Montreal.

The 19-year-old Spaniard enters the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in second place in the Race as he tries to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. But with Nadal missing the year’s sixth ATP Masters 1000 event due to an abdominal injury, Alcaraz has an opportunity to close the gap on his countryman for the top spot.

If Alcaraz (4,270 points) claims his third Masters 1000 title of the season (also Miami, Madrid), he will claw to within 350 points of the 36-year-old (5,620). That would give Alcaraz an opportunity to pass Nadal in the Race in Cincinnati.

Fans can track the latest Race movements in real time this week following the launch of the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which updates after each completed match. The Race is now available in the ATP/WTA Live App, which for the first time also features the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings

Just 260 points behind Alcaraz is 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas (4,010). The Greek is trying to qualify for the season finale for the fourth straight year.

Montreal will be an opportunity for Italians Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner to move closer to a qualifying position. Twelfth-placed Berrettini (1,845) trails eighth-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime (2,475) by 630 points and 14th-placed Jannik Sinner (1,680) is 165 points behind his countryman. Both Italians competed at the Pala Alpitour last year, with Sinner replacing Berrettini, who was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Three-time Nitto ATP Finals qualifier Daniil Medvedev (2,825) further pressed his claim to a spot by winning the Abierto de Tenis Mifel, propelling him from sixth to fifth in the Race. The defending National Bank Open Presented by Rogers champion trails fourth-placed Casper Ruud (3,315) by 490 points.

The only player in the Top 8 in the Race who has not previously earned qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals is Auger-Aliassime (2,475), who currently holds the final qualifying spot in eighth. The Canadian, who will be playing in front of his home crowd this week in Montreal, owns a 370-point advantage over ninth-placed Taylor Fritz.

One of the most in-form players on the ATP Tour is Australian Nick Kyrgios. Having reached back-to-back singles finals for the first time in his career at Wimbledon and Washington, the 27-year-old arrives in Montreal with plenty of confidence. If he defeats Sebastian Baez in the first round, he will face Medvedev in a second-round blockbuster.

Kyrgios (1,195)  is up to 21st in the Race thanks to the 500 points he earned in Washington. If he claims his first Masters 1000 title in Canada, he can soar as high as ninth in the Race, depending on other results. That would put him straight into contention for a place for the season finale.

Daniil Medvedev will retain his No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings regardless of how he performs in Montreal this week. However, the ATP Masters 1000 event will play a crucial role in how the battle for World No. 1 develops.

Medvedev arrives in Canada in good form after winning his first title of the season at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel. But he has work to do if he is to prevent Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal from mounting a challenge to his hold on top spot in Cincinnati.

If Medvedev reaches the final of the Canadian event, he will retain World No. 1 through at least the US Open. If he falls before Sunday’s final, he will open the door for the Spaniards to put pressure on him in Cincinnati.

Alcaraz must reach the Montreal final to have a chance of climbing to World No. 1 after the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. If the 19-year-old wins his third Masters 1000 title of the season in Canada and Medvedev does not reach the championship match, the battle for World No. 1 will be live between the pair in Cincinnati. If Medvedev fails to reach the Round of 16 in Montreal, Alcaraz will have a shot at No. 1 in Cincinnati by reaching the final in Canada this week.

Nadal is not competing in Montreal due to an abdominal injury. However, if Medvedev loses before the quarter-finals, the 36-year-old will also have an opportunity in Cincinnati, where he would need to win the title to have a chance to reclaim No. 1 for the first time since January 2020.

Medvedev, who will begin his 12th week at World No. 1 on Monday, does not let the pressure of his position affect him.

“I know what I want to achieve. I know what I do for this, how I work hard for this and that’s what matters to me. I know the people around me support me and for sure I’m really happy as the World No. 1 to get this title,” Medvedev said after triumphing in Los Cabos. “I’m really happy about it, but 4,000 points are coming and I want to get the most possible and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

Alcaraz is currently at a career-high World No. 4 and while he can insert himself into the battle for No. 1, his sights will first be set on climbing to No. 3. If the 19-year-old reaches the final in Montreal, he will pass Nadal for that spot next Monday.

Nick Kyrgios has owned the spotlight at the 2022 Citi Open, and the Washington singles champion finished the week in style by claiming the doubles title with partner Jack Sock on Sunday evening.

The Aussie brought the event to a fitting conclusion as he served out a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek, firing the pair’s ninth ace of the contest on match point. With the victory, Kyrgios became the first player to sweep the singles and doubles titles in the 53-year history of the Citi Open.

“I’m really happy to take home both titles,” Kyrgios, who improved to 4-0 in tour-level doubles finals, said during the trophy ceremony. “Hopefully I can keep this momentum going.”

Kyrgios and Sock revelled in the evening atmosphere as they produced a series of show-stopping points to claim the title against this year’s Lyon champions and Roland Garros finalists. The fan-favourite duo claimed a late break in the opening set when a Kyrgios passing shot caught the edge of the baseline, then struck early in the second set on a Sock return winner — both breaks coming on a deciding point.

“We knew it was always going to be a tough match against you guys,” Sock said, addressing fourth seeds Dodig and Krajicek. “We had to definitely play our best today to have a chance.

“I’ve got to thank Nick for sticking it out. Most guys wouldn’t do that. It’s fairly hot and humid here in D.C. so I wasn’t expecting him to be too fresh for the doubles. He came out with full energy every time, which says a lot about what [he’s] doing on and off the court, prepping.”

Kyrgios spread the love on his end as well: “Sizzle, [you’re] probably my favourite guy to play with,” he told his partner, with apologies to Thanasi Kokkinakis, with whom he won the Australian Open title in January and the Atlanta title last week. “It’s been a hell of a week, singles and doubles. I probably would have pulled out of doubles earlier on if it wasn’t for Jack.”

Kyrgios/Sock improved to 19-4 as a team (4-1 in 2022) and claimed their second title after their 2018 triumph in Lyon. Their Washington title is Kyrgios’ fourth tour-level doubles crown and Sock’s 17th.

From the lows of his struggles with mental health this time one year ago, Nick Kyrgios has once again risen to become a champion on the ATP Tour. The Aussie claimed a well-deserved reward for arguably the most consistent season of his career by winning the Citi Open title against Yoshihito Nishioka on Sunday.

Playing in the singles final for the second straight event after his breakthrough Wimbledon run, Kyrgios outclassed his Japanese opponent in a 6-4, 6-3 victory, claiming his first title since his 2019 Washington triumph. In an efficient display, Kyrgios converted on his first two break chances to take an instant lead in both sets and broke again on his third match point to secure his seventh tour-level title.

“It’s just very emotional for me,” he said in a post-match interview. “To see where I was at last year to now, it’s just an incredible transformation. I just came out with great energy. I knew that I had experience on my side today. I love this court, I’ve played so many good matches here, so I’m just really happy with myself.

“I’ve been in some really dark places. Just to be able to turn it around… There are so many people who have helped me get there, but myself, I’ve shown some serious strength to just continue and persevere and get through all those times and be able to still perform and win tournaments like this one.”

The Aussie did not drop serve in the tournament and saved all 10 break points he faced, including one in the final. He saved five match points to get there, all coming in a quarter-final epic against local favourite Frances Tiafoe — the only of his six D.C. matches in which he dropped a set.  

Despite a 48 per cent first-serve percentage in the opening set, Kyrgios maintained his early advantage with strong all-court play and saved the only break point against him at 3-2 with a serve and volley on a heavy-kick second serve.

Kyrgios threatened to run away with the second set but could not find a second break until the very end. One of the points of the match came with Nishioka serving a 2-4, as Kyrgios tracked down a tough volley and ripped a forehand right at the body of his opponent, whose fast hands were up to the task. The exchange drew a smile from Nishioka, though the Aussie was unmoved with his eyes on the prize.

On the very next point, Kyrgios floated a perfect topspin lob. But despite feeling the effects of a gruelling week in the Washington heat, Nishioka stood firm to stay within touching distance. Undeterred, Kyrgios got on top of the rallies in his final return game, ultimately claiming victory when a blasted inside-out forehand return drew an error.

Kyrgios collapsed to the floor after his dominant victory, once again an ATP Tour champion three years on from his last taste of glory. He remains undefeated at 4-0 in his ATP Head2Head against Nishioka.

This week’s performance moved the Aussie up 24 places to No. 21 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, and up 26 places to No. 37 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Kyrgios has won 11 of his past 12 matches, losing only the Wimbledon final in four sets to Novak Djokovic.

He will now turn his attention to the D.C. doubles final, where he will team with Jack Sock against fourth seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek. Soon after, he’ll be off to Montreal, where he could face World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

Carlos Alcaraz is ready to break more ground at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers as he looks to build on his whirlwind year in Montreal.

The second-seeded Spaniard, who was ranked outside the Top 50 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last August, will be targeting a Tour-leading fifth title and third ATP Masters 1000 crown of a dream season on debut in Canada.

“I grew up so fast. To be the second seed at a Masters 1000 is amazing and I didn’t expect this at the beginning of the year. Honestly I still can’t believe it right now,” Alcaraz said during his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday. “It is something I wanted at the start of the year, when I was aiming to be at the top and be one of the favourites to win one of the most important tournaments.”

The 19-year-old, who will face Tommy Paul or Vasek Pospisil in his opening match in Quebec, has enjoyed a remarkable rise. Last month, he became the second-youngest player in the 21st century to crack the Top 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, with only countryman Rafael Nadal reaching the landmark faster.

Now, competing in his first hard-court event since he triumphed in Miami in April, Alcaraz will be looking to adjust to the conditions in Montreal as he plays on his third surface since July. The World No. 4 reached the fourth round on grass at Wimbledon last month, before he advanced to consecutive clay-court finals in Hamburg and Umag, leaving him 42-7 on the season.

“It is tough to change surfaces quickly. In two months, I have played on three surfaces and it is tough. But I consider myself a player who adjusts to a new surface very fast,” Alcaraz said. “The transition from clay to hard is tough, but I did specific work to adjust to hard court and I have come here a lot of days before to get used to this court. [I have been] playing points and sets with the best players.”

Alcaraz revealed he has been enjoying his time in Montreal since his arrival and has been excited by the support he has received from fans.

The 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion, who sits second in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin, is looking forward to competing in front of the crowds on his debut in Canada.

“I have felt so much love from the people,” Alcaraz said. “That is amazing for me. It is my first time and I didn’t expect that. There are lots of people and it is amazing to have the support and the love of the people here.”