2025 ATP General News

[Fiero425]

I guess that is how Federer fans felt a few years ago. The hope was that he could snatch a couple of slams before packing it in!! I feel you mate.

Fed was "hanging on;" even on grass barely surviving early Rd. Wimbledon matches in 2021! His efforts were so poor he pretty much retired that Summer, only playing the Laver Cup as his good-bye to the tour! Novak is still doing more than "hanging in;" esp. after defeating Alcaraz "down under" & making Miami Masters final so far this season even w/ sketchy play overall! If Novak is flailing away at SW19, I'll relent!

 

[atttomole]

Fed was "hanging on;" even on grass barely surviving early Rd. Wimbledon matches in 2021! His efforts were so poor he pretty much retired that Summer, only playing the Laver Cup as his good-bye to the tour! Novak is still doing more than "hanging in;" esp. after defeating Alcaraz "down under" & making Miami Masters final so far this season even w/ sketchy play overall! If Novak is flailing away at SW19, I'll relent!

That was 2021, but you were telling us that he was washed up well before 2021. In 2021, he turned 40, so that wasn’t surprising at all. Novak is now 38. He will still be able to reach semis of slams, and with a bit of luck, he can still get 1 slam. If I were him, I would retire now, because the game is getting even more physical. I don’t want him to embarrass himself like Federer.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

36 yo Marin Cilic cruises past Mochizuki 62 63 to win the title in Nottingham
BTW,
36 years and 8 months old, Marin Cilic becomes the 'oldest grass court' Champion in Challenger History!

 

[Fiero425]

That was 2021, but you were telling us that he was washed up well before 2021. In 2021, he turned 40, so that wasn’t surprising at all. Novak is now 38. He will still be able to reach semis of slams, and with a bit of luck, he can still get 1 slam. If I were him, I would retire now, because the game is getting even more physical. I don’t want him to embarrass himself like Federer.

I don't think Novak'll allow himself to hang in there too long! The speed & stress of the game today will eventually push him out just like Roger!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

At this point, I think the best-case scenario for Rune is that he has a surge sometime in the next 5+ years and plays consistently well long enough to capture a Slam, even challenging for the top of the rankings if the context is right. If he has that surge, the confidence might give him a nice run of a year or three in which he's challenging the Sincaraz Dynasty.

He's still young enough that this scenario is a possibility, but my main point is that I think the dream of a new Big Three has faded to the point of oblivion. This has probably been clear for a while now, but now seems crystal. Or rather, he's no longer the main contestant - Fonseca is the guy we should dream on. And to be honest, I think Rune is more in a group of guys including Draper, Mensik, and maybe Musetti, Fils and Shelton, who are and/or will be the new "second tier" going forward. Rune has the physical gifts, but not the mental template, imo. I think he's got the highest upside of those guys, but that doesn't mean he'll have the best career.

So if we were to imagine the tour in June of 2027, two years from now, I think we'll have Sincaraz on top with Fonseca rising to join them--either as an equal or not far behind--and then a big step down to Rune, Mensik, Fils, Draper, Musetti, Shelton and maybe one or two others. That talented "second tier" group will be jostling for places in the top 5, spare Masters titles, and maybe the occasional Slam, with Next Gen fading in the rear-view.

And of course there's always the possibility of someone else emerging - which is always an inevitability, but just a matter of who and when. For the "post-Fonseca" group, so far Cina and Engel have caught my interest the most, though there are other names to stick a pin in (Dedura, Blanch, Hewitt, etc)...but we're a long ways away from knowing who among that group will emerge as a player to watch.

Thanks for your post, most importantly at present your thoughts regarding Rune
I said at the start of this year, it would be ' a telling year for Rune' we are half way through the tour this year and he remains a 'puzzle to me'
Yes Rune is talented but in todays game , talent only gets you so far, our game is 80% mental, and this is a glaring hole in Rune's game at present
Rune lacks discipline, patience, and also structure in his game, eg, shot selection, that was soo evident in his match against RBA in Queens yesterday, with a massive total of 63 UFE, though this isnt the first time in recent tournaments he has posted around those UFE.
I thought when he won the Barcelona tournament, where he played the tennis he is capable of, which was great to see, he had turned the page, not to be, also that was his first title since 2023.
Rune has to have more consistency in the tournaments he plays, his game relates to all surfaces, though until he fixes his point structure, discipline, and patience which goes hand in hand, I cant see him improving.
Rune is only 22, maybe he will be a 'late bloomer' in winning major tournaments, eg more Masters 1000.
I will wait till the end of 2025 and hopefully Rune can turn around the things in his game that is needed.

 

[kskate2]

Fed was "hanging on;" even on grass barely surviving early Rd. Wimbledon matches in 2021! His efforts were so poor he pretty much retired that Summer, only playing the Laver Cup as his good-bye to the tour! Novak is still doing more than "hanging in;" esp. after defeating Alcaraz "down under" & making Miami Masters final so far this season even w/ sketchy play overall! If Novak is flailing away at SW19, I'll relent!

I don't believe that for one second.

 

[kskate2]

I don't think Novak'll allow himself to hang in there too long! The speed & stress of the game today will eventually push him out just like Roger!

You have no idea. Someone hinting at staying around for the next OG which happen to be 3 years away isn't going anywhere soon.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

My tennis friend just texted me,
Medvedev 0-4 against Top 5 since Wimbledon 2024
0 Top 10 wins in 2025
0 Finals in 15 months
Then Alexanda Zverev Appeared

 

[kskate2]

My tennis friend just texted me,
Medvedev 0-4 against Top 5 since Wimbledon 2024
0 Top 10 wins in 2025
0 Finals in 15 months
Then Alexanda Zverev Appeared

he's turned into Zed's secondary krypto when Tay is unavailable to fulfill his duties.

 

[Jelenafan]

I want Novak to retire if he has nothing left! Many thought he was done last yr., but stole an OGM in the twilight of his career! Alcaraz's biggest disappointment is dropping that match to Djokovic in Paris last season! An early OGM w/ his Majors would have set Carlos apart; even from the Big 3 who needed time to win that much!

Hey Fiero, I notice sometimes fans wanting players to retire so not to “embarrass themselves” has very little to do with the actual player & more with the fandom not wanting to be embarrassed by their lackluster results.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Fed was "hanging on;" even on grass barely surviving early Rd. Wimbledon matches in 2021! His efforts were so poor he pretty much retired that Summer, only playing the Laver Cup as his good-bye to the tour! Novak is still doing more than "hanging in;" esp. after defeating Alcaraz "down under" & making Miami Masters final so far this season even w/ sketchy play overall! If Novak is flailing away at SW19, I'll relent!

The Roger that showed up at 2021 Wimbledon was different from the Roger of 2019 Wimbledon or even the 2020 AO. Prior to the injury at the 2020 AO, I thought Roger was a threat to win just about any tournament he entered (except for clay or the US Open). If not for the injury, I think he could have beaten Novak Djokovic and won the 2020 AO.

It was pretty clear that after the injury (and COVID messed things up) that Roger was just not the same player.

 

[Fiero425]

Hey Fiero, I notice sometimes fans wanting players to retire so not to “embarrass themselves” has very little to do with the actual player & more with the fandom not wanting to be embarrassed by their lackluster results.

Repeat rant! - I suppose there are many different sides/views to this retirement situation! I already said way back when & continue to believe Federer may have held onto the GOAT moniker if not for him embarrassing himself haunting the tour another 5+ yrs. B4 taking 2017 AO! IMO, taking those 3 extra Majors in '17 & '18 wasn't worth it! A long time ago, most thought his 17 Majors w/b insurmountable! It did him no good w/ both Nadal & Djokovic breezing past his 20! I think like Borg the Tennis Intelligentsia would have given him grace w/ a question on their lips, "what if?" He eliminated all doubt by hanging on thru '21 Wimbl. looking every bit as old as Connors when he limped out of the game "spent!"

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

I will always feel like COVID cheated us out of a dignified ending of Roger's career. If not for COVID and 2020 was a traditional year, Roger would have probably skipped the French Open anyway (especially with the injury he suffered at the AO), but I'll always wonder if he would have recovered in time for a hypothetical Wimbledon and/or Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2020.

Roger didn't really hang on. He was very competitive at 2019 Wimbledon and the 2020 AO (before the injury), at the same age Novak is now. He tried to make one more come back in 2021, after the pandemic, but it was clear that he wasn't the same player. Roger hanging on would be like if he had came back in 2023 and had a farewell tour.

 

[Moxie]

Repeat rant! - I suppose there are many different sides/views to this retirement situation! I already said way back when & continue to believe Federer may have held onto the GOAT moniker if not for him embarrassing himself haunting the tour another 5+ yrs. B4 taking 2017 AO! IMO, taking those 3 extra Majors in '17 & '18 wasn't worth it! A long time ago, most thought his 17 Majors w/b insurmountable! It did him no good w/ both Nadal & Djokovic breezing past his 20! I think like Borg the Tennis Intelligentsia would have given him grace w/ a question on their lips, "what if?" He eliminated all doubt by hanging on thru '21 Wimbl. looking every bit as old as Connors when he limped out of the game "spent!"

In what world is 20 Majors not better than 17? Your argument, then, is that if he'd retired at 31 or 32, after the 2012 Wimbledon, that the tennis world would have said he'd take a "Borg," retired too early, and have ignored everything that Rafa and Novak have done since, including 22 and 24 Majors respectively? That seems implausible, especially given that no one is giving Sampras a such a pass when he retired at 31. Oh, some have wondered if he bowed out too soon, but no one has called him the GOAT for many years now. And, let's point out, no one calls Borg the GOAT, either.

More importantly, you keep saying that he, (and maybe a few others) have "embarrassed" themselves by hanging in. Personally, I don't see anything embarrassing or undignified about Federer's resurgence in 2017, nor in any way how he finished his career. I agree with @Jelenafan that that's more about the disappointment/judgement of fans like you, but now about how it's perceived by the player. Or, really, most anyone else. Ask Roger, or his fans, if they regret that he hung in there long enough to beat Rafa in that epic 5-set final in Oz in 2017.

 

[Moxie]

he's turned into Zed's secondary krypto when Tay is unavailable to fulfill his duties.

Zverev thinks he can just play baseline rallies with Medvedev, and then Meddie outfoxes him. He is being a "dumb blonde" about their h2h. Anyway, I'm fine with that. I think the Medvedev v. Bublik final will be fun. Two Wackos going at it. My understanding is that if Bublik wins, he'll be seeded for Wimbledon. Otherwise, he's a very dangerous floater no one will want to see. Daniil could definitely use the confidence boost and a title, after a long time, so I'm inclined to root for him.

No such problem as to who to root for in Queen's. Not crazy about Lehecka. I think Carlos takes him in straights. He seems to have pulled his game together.

 

[Fiero425]

Zverev thinks he can just play baseline rallies with Medvedev, and then Meddie outfoxes him. He is being a "dumb blonde" about their h2h. Anyway, I'm fine with that. I think the Medvedev v. Bublik final will be fun. Two Wackos going at it. My understanding is that if Bublik wins, he'll be seeded for Wimbledon. Otherwise, he's a very dangerous floater no one will want to see. Daniil could definitely use the confidence boost and a title, after a long time, so I'm inclined to root for him.

No such problem as to who to root for in Queen's. Not crazy about Lehecka. I think Carlos takes him in straights. He seems to have pulled his game together.

I gave up on Sascha ages ago! We can always count on him not being able to "finish" off an opponent no matter their level when it comes down to the crunch; esp. in a Major final! He's allowed Novak, Rafa, & Thiem to come back from the on all surfaces! Zverev is good for something short & special like a Masters-1000, YEC, or Olympic Game; BO3! He can overpower the best of them, but he has no back up game; never has! The serve has got to be clicking & his UFE's limited! His problem continues to be his inconsistency! If brought into the net, he's literally a fish out of water! It's embarrassing that so many of today's players literally stink at the net, woefully unable to perform the simplest of volleys! If they win a point up there, it's usually already won w/ the approach shot!

 

[El Dude]

Fiero, you seem to really value how and when players go out and seem to think it takes away from their record unless they go out very near their peak (what must you think of Wilander? Connors?). Well, who did that? Pretty much only Borg. Even Sampras, despite winning a Slam in his last tournament, was a shadow of his former self. Actually, his 2002 US Open is arguably the most epic title in tennis history, considering the circumstances: old warrior limping to the finish line, but with one more big run and title. 2001-02 as comparatively brutal to what came before, but it paid off at the US Open.

I think several folks have given a accurate account of Roger's last few years, which illustrates how he didn't really hang out too much beyond his expiration date. As they've said, he was still a top 3 player in 2019 and into 2020; while that Wimbledon is the most painful loss for me as a Federer fan, it is still noteworthy how even at that point--him almost 38 years old and Novak a comparatively spry 32--just a hair separated him from victory. The edge was psychological, really. Novak had his number from 2011 on, but most of their matches were competitive...Novak's edge over him was never huge, which makes me wish we could have seen peak Roger vs. peak Novak, which we never really saw.

Anyhow, my point being that 2020 and the start of 2021 were lost due to the biggest injury of his career. There's no shame in him trying to give it one more go in 2021...but he just never recovered.

 

[Fiero425]

Fiero, you seem to really value how and when players go out and seem to think it takes away from their record unless they go out very near their peak (what must you think of Wilander? Connors?). Well, who did that? Pretty much only Borg. Even Sampras, despite winning a Slam in his last tournament, was a shadow of his former self. Actually, his 2002 US Open is arguably the most epic title in tennis history, considering the circumstances: old warrior limping to the finish line, but with one more big run and title. 2001-02 as comparatively brutal to what came before, but it paid off at the US Open.

I think several folks have given a accurate account of Roger's last few years, which illustrates how he didn't really hang out too much beyond his expiration date. As they've said, he was still a top 3 player in 2019 and into 2020; while that Wimbledon is the most painful loss for me as a Federer fan, it is still noteworthy how even at that point--him almost 38 years old and Novak a comparatively spry 32--just a hair separated him from victory. The edge was psychological, really. Novak had his number from 2011 on, but most of their matches were competitive...Novak's edge over him was never huge, which makes me wish we could have seen peak Roger vs. peak Novak, which we never really saw.

Anyhow, my point being that 2020 and the start of 2021 were lost due to the biggest injury of his career. There's no shame in him trying to give it one more go in 2021...but he just never recovered.

Borg did set a precedent in my head! I was a kid of the 70's, had his poster up on the wall! He had won 5 Wimb. & 6 FO w/ only 1 player limiting his winning ways! I was disgusted by both Wilander & Connors! Matts was so anonymous after a while, I had no idea he was still playing into the mid 90's! He got to #1 in 1988 & dropped like a rock in the ranking after that! His last hurrah was being upset by some kid in the 2nd Rd. of the 1989 USO! It was Peter Sampras, esq.! At least Pete went out on a winning note in 2002 though in a slump for the ages lasting 2 yrs.!

 

[Jelenafan]

Borg did set a precedent in my head! I was a kid of the 70's, had his poster up on the wall! He had won 5 Wimb. & 6 FO w/ only 1 player limiting his winning ways! I was disgusted by both Wilander & Connors! Matts was so anonymous after a while, I had no idea he was still playing into the mid 90's! He got to #1 in 1988 & dropped like a rock in the ranking after that! His last hurrah was being upset by some kid in the 2nd Rd. of the 1989 USO! It was Peter Sampras, esq.! At least Pete went out on a winning note in 2002 though in a slump for the ages lasting 2 yrs.!

be that as it may, his 2001 USO run in the midst of that "slump" will always be one of his most memorable tourneys to me. Seeded #10, Pete took out in successive rounds the last 3 USO champions , Patrick Rafter (#6) in the round of 16, Agassi (#2) in the Qtrs in that 4 tiebreak match with no service breaks, 6-7, 7-6,7-6,7-6 if I recall Pete did not even face service break point in the match when Agassi was the best service returner in the game, and then defeating the defending champ Marat Safin (#3) in straight sets in the Semis. Alas he was spent by the time he played Lleyton aka the Racist Hewitt in the finals.

ETA: As to Borg, who can forget his "comeback" attempt some 7-8 years down the line with wood rackets in Monte Carlo? Never won another singles match in various attempts IIRC.

 

[don_fabio]

No such problem as to who to root for in Queen's. Not crazy about Lehecka. I think Carlos takes him in straights. He seems to have pulled his game together.

I just counted Carlos match win/loss since Monte Carlo. He is 26/1, with only loss against Rune while playing injured for half a match.

He is a clear favorite to win Wimbledon again and grass really suits his overall game.