2025 ATP General News

[mrzz]

It was a good comeback after he lost his serve to win the match, then toughed it out in the TB, Bublik is a tricky opponent at the best of times

He lost his serve the win the first set (twice), but not in the second (there were no service breaks in the second). Fonseca saved the two breaks points he played, while Bublik saved 8! In most cases his serve bailed him out, apart from one possible occasion nothing to be ashamed from Fonseca on those BP´s.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I am listening to Gil Gross Podcast, which people can listen to on X ( formly Twitter) Gil has sat down with Fonseca and interviewed him on his recent challenger title. A great interview. Gil called all the matches the week of the Arizona Challenger.Gil wished him luck in his next tournament in Miami, I must say Fonseca comes over as a very mature and grounded young man.

 

[El Dude]

Male British Players - Big Titles in the Open Era:

20 Andy Murray
2 Greg Rusedski
1 Mark Cox, Tim Henman, Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper

I am always a bit surprised when I consider how weak British tennis has been in the Open Era. Andy Murray was the greatest Brit since Fred Perry, who and really since Fred Perry, who peaked in the 1930s. Draper should end up as the second best Brit of the Open Era - which isn't saying much, but is still something.

 

[mrzz]

Former del Potro coach Franco Davin will momentarily join Fonseca's team, at least for Miami. He will act as a consultant for his staff.

 

[Federberg]

Does anyone know what share the players get of revenue? Anything less than about 40% strikes me as inequitable. I believe for the NBA it's roughly 50%?

 

[El Dude]

Meanwhile, Bernard Tomic is playing a Challenger. The former hope of Lost Gen...lost on the challengers.

p.s. He lost today. In other Challenger sightings of has-beens, Marin Cilic beat Pablo Carreno-Busta, and Stan Wawrinka lost to Darderi. Another Lost Gen sighting in the Challengers: 34 year old Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Reached #36 in early 2019, never reached the QF of a Slam or Masters, or won a title.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Marat Safin will join Andrey Rublevs team for the clay season. Fernando Vicente will remain Rublev's main coach. The first joint tournament will be the Masters in Monte Carlo

 

[El Dude]

Marat Safin will join Andrey Rublevs team for the clay season. Fernando Vicente will remain Rublev's main coach. The first joint tournament will be the Masters in Monte Carlo

"Forget about wins and losses, Andrey. Its all about the pu$$y."

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

"Forget about wins and losses, Andrey. Its all about the pu$$y."

Well I intend to watch Rublev's matches Monte Carlo, just for the factor of seeing Marat again, he is a most handsome man, back in the day I would have colored my hair blonde of course those days have gone, I watched him live at the AO 2005 where he defeated Hewitt.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Felicano Lopez will stay on as the Davis Cup Final 8 tournament director through 2027, ITF announced.
Lopez a four time Davis Cup champion for Spain as a player, oversaw the event 2023-2024 in Malaga Spain
The Davis Cup final 8 will be held in Bologna, Italy 2025-2027.
This year's closing round is scheduled to be played from November 18-23.

 

[Moxie]

Meanwhile, Bernard Tomic is playing a Challenger. The former hope of Lost Gen...lost on the challengers.

p.s. He lost today. In other Challenger sightings of has-beens, Marin Cilic beat Pablo Carreno-Busta, and Stan Wawrinka lost to Darderi. Another Lost Gen sighting in the Challengers: 34 year old Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Reached #36 in early 2019, never reached the QF of a Slam or Masters, or won a title.

With nothing else going on this week, I noticed that Fabio Fognini has also been playing (and mostly losing) in Challengers, and also losing in quallies this year. He turns 38 next month, and he's fallen out of the top 100. How much longer will he keep going?

This also put me in mind of the comment you made in the Miami thread...that old Monfils is not just still hanging in there at 38, he's having some great wins. He played a couple of the best matches I saw in IW and Miami. That Dimitrov one at IW was the most fun match I've seen in ages.

 

[El Dude]

With nothing else going on this week, I noticed that Fabio Fognini has also been playing (and mostly losing) in Challengers, and also losing in quallies this year. He turns 38 next month, and he's fallen out of the top 100. How much longer will he keep going?

This also put me in mind of the comment you made in the Miami thread...that old Monfils is not just still hanging in there at 38, he's having some great wins. He played a couple of the best matches I saw in IW and Miami. That Dimitrov one at IW was the most fun match I've seen in ages.

Yeah, I think it is easy to look over what Monfils is doing because we're so distorted by the Big Three. Other than Novak and Gael, everyone else of that generation is gone - or outside the top 100.

But there are a bunch of guys born in 1980s still playing, in some form or fashion (including Stan, who just turned 40 a few days ago):

Top ranked players born in the 1980s in the top 200:

5. Novak Djokovic (1987)
42. Gael Monfils (1986)
52. Robert Bautista Agut (1988)
66. Kei Nishikori (1989)
99. Fabio Fognini (1987)
118. Marin Cilic (1988)
144. Adriano Mannarino (1988)
148. Richard Gasquet (1986)
160. Mikhail Kukushkin (1987)
161. Stan Wawrinka (1985)

So there are still some around, but obviously the great Djokodal Gen is finally almost gone. Let's hope Gael sticks around a bit longer!

 

[Moxie]

Yeah, I think it is easy to look over what Monfils is doing because we're so distorted by the Big Three. Other than Novak and Gael, everyone else of that generation is gone - or outside the top 100.

But there are a bunch of guys born in 1980s still playing, in some form or fashion (including Stan, who just turned 40 a few days ago):

Top ranked players born in the 1980s in the top 200:

5. Novak Djokovic (1987)
42. Gael Monfils (1986)
52. Robert Bautista Agut (1988)
66. Kei Nishikori (1989)
99. Fabio Fognini (1987)
118. Marin Cilic (1988)
144. Adriano Mannarino (1988)
148. Richard Gasquet (1986)
160. Mikhail Kukushkin (1987)
161. Stan Wawrinka (1985)

So there are still some around, but obviously the great Djokodal Gen is finally almost gone. Let's hope Gael sticks around a bit longer!

Oh, I reported Fognini as out of the top 100 because he is, in the live rankings. But thanks for this list.

I love where Monfils has been for the past few years. More grounded and dedicated. He's still really fast, too. I'm not one to attribute domestic happiness to a player's performance, but it's hard not to think that being married to a top tennis player, and getting to travel together often, doesn't help his focus and commitment. Well, whatever is working for him, I hope he keeps going as long as he's healthy and enjoying it, and giving us so much enjoyment of his tennis.

 

[mrzz]

Yeah, I think it is easy to look over what Monfils is doing because we're so distorted by the Big Three. Other than Novak and Gael, everyone else of that generation is gone - or outside the top 100.

But there are a bunch of guys born in 1980s still playing, in some form or fashion (including Stan, who just turned 40 a few days ago):

Top ranked players born in the 1980s in the top 200:

5. Novak Djokovic (1987)
42. Gael Monfils (1986)
52. Robert Bautista Agut (1988)
66. Kei Nishikori (1989)
99. Fabio Fognini (1987)
118. Marin Cilic (1988)
144. Adriano Mannarino (1988)
148. Richard Gasquet (1986)
160. Mikhail Kukushkin (1987)
161. Stan Wawrinka (1985)

So there are still some around, but obviously the great Djokodal Gen is finally almost gone. Let's hope Gael sticks around a bit longer!

I would say Cilic and Nishikori can still climb up the rankings if they manage to stay injury free. Not that far up, but maybe enough to get seeded at a major.

I gotta admit that I was expecting Wawrinka to have one final crazy run, but it really doesn't look that way.

 

[Moxie]

I would say Cilic and Nishikori can still climb up the rankings if they manage to stay injury free. Not that far up, but maybe enough to get seeded at a major.

I gotta admit that I was expecting Wawrinka to have one final crazy run, but it really doesn't look that way.

Of those, I'd give Cilic the most chance. I'm surprised you didn't give up on Stan sooner. His comeback hasn't amounted to anything for ages. Kei looked like he might, but at least Cilic is tall, with the serve, and sturdier.

 

[Kieran]

With nothing else going on this week, I noticed that Fabio Fognini has also been playing (and mostly losing) in Challengers, and also losing in quallies this year. He turns 38 next month, and he's fallen out of the top 100. How much longer will he keep going?

This also put me in mind of the comment you made in the Miami thread...that old Monfils is not just still hanging in there at 38, he's having some great wins. He played a couple of the best matches I saw in IW and Miami. That Dimitrov one at IW was the most fun match I've seen in ages.

Makes me wonder if he’s broke. I mean, why play challengers at that age? Okay, I get it that he probably likes to compete, he likes a challenge, but there comes a stage where it’s prolly better to face the obvious?

 

[Moxie]

Makes me wonder if he’s broke. I mean, why play challengers at that age? Okay, I get it that he probably likes to compete, he likes a challenge, but there comes a stage where it’s prolly better to face the obvious?

Can't be the money. On the ATP site it says he's made just over $16K this year so far. That barely covers the expenses. And I don't think Challengers pay appearance fees.

 

[mrzz]

Of those, I'd give Cilic the most chance. I'm surprised you didn't give up on Stan sooner. His comeback hasn't amounted to anything for ages. Kei looked like he might, but at least Cilic is tall, with the serve, and sturdier.

I gave Wawrinka a shot precisely because all the times he did something big, it was out of the blue. The runs, the wins in the finals... Nobody saw that coming. Even fucking Monte Carlo was out of the blue. Well, it is getting bluer...

 

[Moxie]

I gave Wawrinka a shot precisely because all the times he did something big, it was out of the blue. The runs, the wins in the finals... Nobody saw that coming. Even fucking Monte Carlo was out of the blue. Well, it is getting bluer...

Oh, I get that, and good point. Example, after he won the AO in 2014, he promptly lost at RG in the first round, but then he won RG the next year. Not your usual pattern. It's just that his comeback from knee surgery (s) was so long ago, now, and at least Cilic and Nishikori giving it a last go seems recent and still possible. (By which I do not mean any big titles, Major or MS 1000, just decent results a la Monfils.)

 

[Kieran]

Can't be the money. On the ATP site it says he's made just over $16K this year so far. That barely covers the expenses. And I don't think Challengers pay appearance fees.

16 kilos is a lot to a person who has nothing. I hope he’s not in financial difficulty, but he’s definitely wasting time there…