2025 ATP General News

[kskate2]

Thinking about the Fonseca x Cerundolo final, it is clear that Cerundolo's nerves got to him. He is still a more developed player than Fonseca (who is growing up extremely fast). But you cannot give him an inch...

Cerundolo played two monster return games both times he kept Fonseca from serving out the match. Simply all his returns were high energy top spins pretty close to the base line, some returning first serves. Fonseca could have played better, yes, but against 95% of the field that would have been enough. Anyway, kid got his head in place and plays an amazing tie break, his only error was a very deep top spin which landed an inch wide, the rest was either perfect defense or unbelievable offense.

With Cuevas on his corner, Cerundolo will add variation to his game and might develop even more. As for Fonseca, he has time on his side. He is developing so fast that we might barely be able to see the existing flaws in his game for much longer.

Dangerous and Foki need to hire a sports shrink. This isn't their first rodeo w/ nerves. Players need to not be afraid to admit they need mental help. It could turn their whole career around. Look at Maddy Keys. She was a consummate choker. She finally went and talked to somebody in the off-season. The girl won a slam this year because she changed her entire mental approach to playing these tense matches.

 

[mrzz]

Dangerous and Foki need to hire a sports shrink

I will always agree with that.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) has tabled an offer in the region of $550 million to IMG, the current owners of the Madrid Open.Their aim is allegedly to acquire that week of the tour calendar so they can expand the length of the Rome Masters to 2 full weeks, which are currently awarded only to Grand Slams.
The FITP is said to have a 'dream' of hosting a fifth major which is very ambitious and unlikely.
( source Corinne Dubreuil)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Rio de Janeiro update,
OUT: Musetti
IN: Faria LL, will play against Barrios Vera.

 

[El Dude]

Fonseca is 16th in Tennis Abstract's Elo, between Casper Ruud and Holger Rune. What is particularly impressive about that is that he still hasn't played all that much, so chances are that even if he only continues at his current level, he'll still continue to rise.

Meaning, Elo tells us that he's a top 20 player already, and probably close to top 10.

 

[El Dude]

Boris being Boris:

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Boris being Boris:

View attachment 9969

I put that stat on the rankings thread yesterday, Fonseca, 4th youngest player after Kei, Nadal and Alcaraz, this century to win an ATP title

 

[Jelenafan]

Just a word of caution, QB ‘s takes a while to get the “book” on them in the NFL. So his game is still relatively unknown & raw; though I agree with El Dude and others he looks most likely a top player ( beat a top 10 seed at his first slam & just won his first tourney..wow) but that free swinging style… enjoy while he can the relatively tension free flow of his game, won’t last forever:

He seems like such a sweet kid

Ah youth, to be 19 again, hard to remember personally.

I think Pterodactyls-still flew overhead when i was that young & carefree… ; )

 

[Fiero425]

Dangerous and Foki need to hire a sports shrink. This isn't their first rodeo w/ nerves. Players need to not be afraid to admit they need mental help. It could turn their whole career around. Look at Maddy Keys. She was a consummate choker. She finally went and talked to somebody in the off-season. The girl won a slam this year because she changed her entire mental approach to playing these tense matches.

When it came to the tour players going up against the Big 3, I credit their consistency all the time, but their opposition made it easier by "not being able to finish!" That's the term I use when it came to describing the Lost & Lost II Gens. who just couldn't finish off Fedalovic when they were down & out; sometimes fighting off multiple MP's! Tsitsipas, Zverev, Medvedev, Cilic, & others have lost many a Major final when in a position to win! How embarrassing for us all who thought Sampras' 14 Majors would stand for a while! Roger overtook him in less than 9 yrs. IIRC! In awe we all have to be when it comes to these 3 guys who've set records that no one can possibly touch unless rules are drastically changed to make it easier to win multiple majors & Masters at a clip close to Djokovic!

 

[Jelenafan]

When it came to the tour players going up against the Big 3, I credit their consistency all the time, but their opposition made it easier by "not being able to finish!" That's the term I use when it came to describing the Lost & Lost II Gens. who just couldn't finish off Fedalovic when they were down & out; sometimes fighting off multiple MP's! Tsitsipas, Zverev, Medvedev, Cilic, & others have lost many a Major final when in a position to win! How embarrassing for us all who thought Sampras' 14 Majors would stand for a while! Roger overtook him in less than 9 yrs. IIRC! In awe we all have to be when it comes to these 3 guys who've set records that no one can possibly touch unless rules are drastically changed to make it easier to win multiple majors & Masters at a clip close to Djokovic!

Yet you do wonder if certain players would have benefitted from “outside” help. Zverev has worked hard from a potential career ending injury to claw back to #2 in the world, but alas the mental still seems lacking.

In hindsight, Maybe a shrink could not have helped Safin or Nalbandian because for all their natural gifts it seemed self discipline was anathema to them. : (

Cilic won one Slam while on fire, overpowering everyone including Federer, but while clearly injured in his 2nd Slam Final (W) mentally he seemed tapped out before a ball was tossed, and again his 3rd Slam final could not maintain consistency.

Del Potro it was morale deflating wrist injuries, wasn't it? .

The big question for me is whether Alcaraz, TPTBS, and say Fonseca (if he turns out to be the real thing) can stay near the top for 13-15 years, big 3 MO, but highly unusual outside of them.

As far as longevity, Tsitaipas seems past his peak after 6/7 years though surprisingly Zverev is approaching a 8-9 years of top 5 ranking, of course clearly there is a world of difference between top 10 rankings and actually winning multiple Slams like the Big 3. Its almost longevity-wise 3 Tom Bradys playing in the same era.

Well, I better stop Fiero or some will get their panties in a bunch that the forbidden speculative “ coulda/woulda/shoulda’s” are happening, LOL.

 

[mrzz]

Just a word of caution, QB ‘s takes a while to get the “book” on them in the NFL. So his game is still relatively unknown & raw; though I agree with El Dude and others he looks most likely a top player ( beat a top 10 seed at his first slam & just won his first tourney..wow) but that free swinging style… enjoy while he can the relatively tension free flow of his game, won’t last forever:

This is a far point and it holds in general. But there are some caveats in Fonseca's case.

Main one is that his style is extremely orthodox. That is, there is not much more to know about him, in a sense he is the typical aggressive tennis player, with a nice all around game, but still based on his forehand. The recipe to play against such a player is there since forever and a lot of players already follow it quite closely.

In the Argentina Open one small hole in his game was already explored extensively. His tendency to overshoot balls that bounced above shoulder height in the forehand. Coria did that all day (even if it is something he generally does), so did Navone (Who actually already played him a few times). Cerundolo tried it occasionally on the final, but it is way too much against his own style.

Again, the field could find a way around some intricate playing style (like what, to some extent, happened to Medvedev). But you cannot adapt against a 100 MPH forehand.

Having said that, do I believe it is a given that this kid will rise to the top spots? Surely not. Potential is one thing, actual results are another. Too many traps around there that I have no idea about...

But one can always hope for the best.

 

[El Dude]

Nothing is ever certain. On face value, just looking at results, it is too soon to say - he's only played 9 ATP level events, after all. But considering his age, ranking rise, and first title, the baseline is already very high for historical comps. On the list of youngest players to win titles since 1990, Nishikori is the worst - and he's already a good second tier type. Very few players with Fonseca's 18 1/2 year old resume become less than top 10 guys. But I think Fonseca will be a lot better than that.

But what sets him apart from the stat page is what we see on court - not just the talent, but a very advanced mentality that players like Nalbandian and Safin never showed, at least never with any consistency. Meaning, elite talent + elite mentality = a likely great player. I really think the only thing that will stop him is some kind of chronic injury, otherwise he's about as sure a thing to become a great player as I've seen.

Remember also, we were impressed with first glimmers of Alcaraz, but it wasn't until he won the 2022 Miami Masters (first big title) that we were like, holy crap. We're already having holy crap moments with Fonseca and he's barely played at all.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

In hindsight, Maybe a shrink could not have helped Safin or Nalbandian because for all their natural gifts it seemed self discipline was anathema to them. : (

Cilic won one Slam while on fire, overpowering everyone including Federer, but while clearly injured in his 2nd Slam Final (W) mentally he seemed tapped out before a ball was tossed, and again his 3rd Slam final could not maintain consistency.

Maybe Safin, but not Nalbandian. I think Nalbandian was already falling behind the curve by 2005, as Rafa surpassed him. Nalbandian was a very good player, but I don't know if he was ever going to reach an elite level like Safin or Hewitt (those players beat Pete at the US Open at 20). That said, Nalbandian should have had a Ferrer type career at the very minimum.

Cilic is Medvedev with better longevity. Side-by-side comparison of the two looks almost equal, except Cilic has 200 extra match wins. (Just think, if Federer never has that resurgence, Cilic likely has 3 slams and is in the same boat as Wawrinka.)

 

[El Dude]

The big question for me is whether Alcaraz, TPTBS, and say Fonseca (if he turns out to be the real thing) can stay near the top for 13-15 years, big 3 MO, but highly unusual outside of them.

Yes, it is a big question: whether the Big Three will end up being historical anomalies (in terms of maintaining elite level past 35) or whether they established a new norm that other players will follow. We won't know for another 10+ years, when Sinner and Alcaraz enter their 30s, as they're the only current players that are vaguely close to comparable in terms of peak form and potential greatness (plus, hopefully, Fonzie).

I've talked about this a lot, but in the broader arc of tennis history, the "youthful game" of the 80s to early 00s are actually more anomalous than the Big Three's longevity. Pre-Open Era greats Laver, Rosewall, and Gonzales all were able to play at a very high level deep into their 30s, and Gonzales even into his 40s. Also, Andres Gimeno with his late Slam. Of course somewhat lesser greats like Hoad, Emerson, and Santana weren't....Emerson was still a top 10 player for the first few years of the Open Era, but his amateur tour dominance didn't translate at all, plus was already 32 at the beginning of the Open Era. Hoad was always erratic and 34 in 1968, and Santana was on a lower level than the others.

But the tour got younger, especially by the time you get to Borg and McEnroe - and the greats of the 80s-90s mostly started declining in their late 20s. Agassi was an exception, and then Federer's longevity was somewhat similar.

Anyhow, I think advancements in med tech are a huge factor, but also--as many have discussed--the Big Three played off each other, and worked hard to stay competitive. Like physical wellness in general, you can remain very fit after 25, but it gets harder and harder and requires more discipline. I think the Big Three just represent what happens when you combine stratospheric talent with working really, really hard.

 

[kskate2]

Yet you do wonder if certain players would have benefitted from “outside” help. Zverev has worked hard from a potential career ending injury to claw back to #2 in the world, but alas the mental still seems lacking.

In hindsight, Maybe a shrink could not have helped Safin or Nalbandian because for all their natural gifts it seemed self discipline was anathema to them. : (

Cilic won one Slam while on fire, overpowering everyone including Federer, but while clearly injured in his 2nd Slam Final (W) mentally he seemed tapped out before a ball was tossed, and again his 3rd Slam final could not maintain consistency.

Del Potro it was morale deflating wrist injuries, wasn't it? .

The big question for me is whether Alcaraz, TPTBS, and say Fonseca (if he turns out to be the real thing) can stay near the top for 13-15 years, big 3 MO, but highly unusual outside of them.

As far as longevity, Tsitaipas seems past his peak after 6/7 years though surprisingly Zverev is approaching a 8-9 years of top 5 ranking, of course clearly there is a world of difference between top 10 rankings and actually winning multiple Slams like the Big 3. Its almost longevity-wise 3 Tom Bradys playing in the same era.

Well, I better stop Fiero or some will get their panties in a bunch that the forbidden speculative “ coulda/woulda/shoulda’s” are happening, LOL.

It's really hard to put a barometer on it. Even it helps them 1% mentally or emotionally, that's 1% more than they had before.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Berrettini defeated Djokovic 7-6, 6-2 in the first round of the Qatar Open.

 

[El Dude]

Cilic is Medvedev with better longevity. Side-by-side comparison of the two looks almost equal, except Cilic has 200 extra match wins. (Just think, if Federer never has that resurgence, Cilic likely has 3 slams and is in the same boat as Wawrinka.)

I don't really agree with this, both in terms of style and level. Medvedev was consistently going deep in Slams AND winning big titles for the last six years and actually reached #1. Cilic was more comparable to Berdych and Tsonga - top 10 types - but had one really great run (I actually think Tsonga was a bit better, but peaked during the height of the Big Four era, while Cilic reached his best form a tad later, in 2014-18ish). He also only won two big titles, a Slam and Masters, while Medvedev won a Slam, six Masters, and a Tour Finals. I actually see him as kind of a lesser version of Andy Murray.

Anyhow, Medvedev belongs among the better single Slam winners - with guys like Gerulaitis, Chang, Ivanisevic, Roddick, and Del Potro - all players who were either somewhat unlucky or erratic, but could have won more Slams in a different context. Cilic is more middle of the pack - a player who deserved his Slam, but it isn't like you're wondering, "Why didn't he win more?"

 

[Moxie]

OMG, Tsitsipas just lost to a guy who was cramping the entire 3rd set TB. Literally could only limp. Granted, Medjevkovic is trending these days, but this has to be a new low for the Greek.

 

[El Dude]

OMG, Tsitsipas just lost to a guy who was cramping the entire 3rd set TB. Literally could only limp. Granted, Medjevkovic is trending these days, but this has to be a new low for the Greek.

I opened this thread to post exactly that. Saw the footage. Tsitsipas barely acknowledged him at the net, at the end. Must of felt completely humiliated.

 

[El Dude]

Before this match, Tsitsipas was 19th in TA Elo. He might have dropped to 20th or lower now. I think that is an accurate illustration of his current level - barely top 20, if even that.