No. 32: Flavio Cobolli

In 2025, he will try to crack the top 30 for the first time, but he is going to have to add some more strokes. He did a few marathons, on the clay, and he was very close, but the top 20 players took him down. On the hardcourts, he must swing harder with his forehand, and the net.

No. 31: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

That was a surprising year, as the young Frenchman won Basel, Switzerland, in the fall, and also, he grabbed it in Lyon. Now he lost a lot, yet the 21-year-old wants to play all the time. He is strong, physically, but  he does need to some, patient shots.

No. 30: Francisco Cerundolo

The Argentine did slip this year, not so much, but a little bit. He did reach into the top 20, but after when he won in Umag, in July, we could barely win a match. Perhaps he was hurt, but if he wants to drive, stroke after stroke, then he would be able to attack, early and often.

No. 29: Felix Auger-Aliassime

He looked terrific in 2022, but this year, the Canadian began to be confused, where to go. He certainly can nail the ball, and be there when he is happy, but when he starts to miss a number of simple shots, he can ticked off. At least he went deep at Madrid and the Olympics, but be on that, he really struggled. He should re-set in 2025.

No. 28: Jiri Lehecka

That was a pretty decent year by the Czech,  winning Adelaide early in the year, and then in the last tournament, he won Antwerp, Belgium. He does look thoughtful, on the court, but he has yet to reach into the top 20, so he has to add with his backhand, and at the net, too. There are so many intense players, but being more knowledge, where the ball is going. He will have to, if he wants to raise even  higher.

No. 27: Sebastian Baez

Another Argentine really likes to go into the top 10, eventually, so to do it next year, he has to push himself. Moreover, he did very little over the past seven months, losing a lot, all the time. However, in February, he won Rio de Janeiro, and also in Santiago, Chile, on the clay. He is very steady, on the clay, but on the grass and the hardcourts, he is going to have to try to smash the ball, a lot more. He has to wake up, each week.

No. 26: Jordan Thompson

The veteran really like to play all the time, flying everywhere, and on the court, the Aussie can sit back and rally for a long time. In a hot summer, in Los Cabos, Mexico, he won it, upsetting Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud, two top 5 players. That was the best, ever. Yet after that, he did very little, so in 2025, he is going to have to try to bash his forehand and his backhand, again. Some new stuff.

Clearly, when Jannik Sinner won the 2024 Australia Open, that if he stayed on playing, month after  month, then he can almost be everything.

That is what happened, when not only did he grabbed it at the US Open, but at the ATP Finals in Italy. Sinner won five straight match, beating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the final. He hit some incredible strokes, and more than a few winners. The No. 1 was so locked in.

“I just tried to understand whatever works best for each opponent,” Sinner said. “It was a very high-level tournament from my side. At times, I couldn’t play better.”

Sinner also beat Fritz at the US Open final, and this week he beat him twice, as the American could not return well enough. He can certainly get it into the points, but he has to put it back, or deeper. Either way, the Italian is so solid now, with his powerful forehand, his backhand, and at the net, too.

In the last game, Sinner nailed his forehand, and he rose up, knowing he was about to win it. He did, and then he smiled, very satisfied. Sinner hit 28 winners, while the now No. 4 Fritz hit 19, not enough by the San Diegoan.  

“He served absolutely lights-out,” Fritz said. “So many lines. He placed the serve great. He took a lot of risk on the second serve as well. I think that was probably one of his main game plans, to not let me attack his second serve. He did a great job of not only mixing up the second but being very aggressive with it.”

This season, he also  won at Rotterdam, Miami,  Halle, Cincinnati and Shanghai. That is a lot.

Now, on the hardcourts, he has improved so much, but he still he has to add some new shots, on the clay, and the grass, to bend it down and put it away. Will he do it when he practices in December. That is hard to tell, but he will try to look even better, such at Novak Djokovic, and Rafa Nadal, who have won so many Grand Slams.

Next week, both Sinner and Fritz will play the Davis Cup finals, in Malaga, Spain.

Will Taylor Fritz make it into the semis in Turin? Perhaps, but Fritz has to beat Alex de Minaur, who has lost twice.

The Aussie has never come to play at the ATP Finals until now. So he wants to show the fans that he is really good. If so, he has to play terrific, and if he does not do it, then Fritz, will beat him, somewhat easily. Fritz beat Daniil Medvedev in the first match, and the Russian was very angry, smashing his racket. However, the former US Open champion recovered, and he beat de Minaur 6-2, 6-4, and he was pretty clean. 

With that, he turned off all the noise, and he was very focused. But this time, he has to do it again, even more, because he has to face versus the No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is winning all the time. He also took down with Fritz, and it was somewhat close, but the Italian served  certainly better, and he also hit his forehand very deep, and true. He will likely play at the semis, but maybe Sinner wants to win it again, three in a row. He has had a fascinating year, but he has to be strong, each day.  

After he loses, Fritz was a little bit irritable, because he missed a few key points, but if he can continue to improve, then maybe he can win either at the ATP Finals, or the Grand Slam, next year. 

Medvedev will have to play amazing to win against Sinner on Thursday. He might take it, but when he can lock in early, then he will have a legitimate change, with some long rallies, and deep, too.

Carlos Alcaraz was slow in the first match as he was sick, but he recovered, and on Wednesday, he beat Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(8), which was pretty close. He was more stylistic, and at the net, too. There were some long rallies, crosscourt, and down the line, but at the end, he edged him. Now, he has to beat Alexander Zverev, as the German won two matches, including when he defeated Casper Ruud  7-6(3), 6-3. The Spaniard Alcaraz wants to come into the semis, but to do that, he has to kick past Zverev. “I needed it and it gives me a lot of confidence for Friday, which will be tough. My chances of qualifying are still there, so we’re going to go all out.” 

Believe it or not, the 27-year-old Zverev wants to play for another decade, at least. He has won a number of events, but he hasn’t won a Slam. Maybe he will, some day, but at in Turin, he can grab it, again. “I still don’t feel old. I hope I have another solid 10 years ahead of me, but I think it’s a young group of guys,” Zverev. “There has been kind of a shift in tennis this year and I think it’s a good thing. They’re exciting new players [like the 20-year-old Alcaraz] and everybody loves watching them.” 

They are in Paris, but many people of the Frenchmen can be very nervous, on court, yet Ugo Humbert played terrific, upsetting Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 3-6, 7-5. He nailed his forehand and his backhand in the third set, and he also returned just fine. Alcaraz can mix it up a lot, and go for it it when he is set up, but at times, he over thinks it. Yet indoors, Humbert was able to lock in, deep in the match, and  then he grabbed it.

“I’m just super proud of myself that I did it,” said Humbert. “It was a crazy match, a crazy atmosphere. It was a really big match.” It’s the most beautiful victory in my career, and it’s the best moment I lived on a tennis court. It’s incredible. I train for that. I practice for that. I made some big shots.” 

He has yet to go into the top 10, but he is ranked No. 18, so eventually, he could have a chance to beat more of the top players, this year, and next year. Alcaraz beat him twice, so clearly, the Spaniard is better than he is, but this week, not much. Humbert can be very patient, and throw it all around. However, this season, he has lost early, so now he needs to become more consistent. The good thing is that he won in Marseille  and Dubai. He will face against Jordan Thompson.

The American men lost a couple of days ago, and while Taylor Fritz [who lost] will play at the ATP Finals in Italy, the top eight, but  Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and  Ben Shelton went down early in Paris. Those three won’t be able to play at the ATP Final in November, but in 2025, they badly want to do it. 

A few others want to win Paris, including Alexander Zverev, who can play darn good. He edged the other Frenchman, Arthur Fils, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. He is young, but he still needs to learn. As Fils said, “He’s very tall, so it comes from very high. It comes very strongly. So you try to anticipate a little bit, to understand what he’s doing, but obviously indoors it’s different than being on clay. If you’re not on the track of the ball, you can’t return it. If you’re on it, it’s difficult to control.”

 We know that Grigor Dimitrov wants to stay around and knock off everyone. He is ranked No. 10, so to jump in Italy, he is going to have to win each day. Good luck.

The same goes with Alex de Minaur, who is ranked No. 9, and he is winning much more than he used to be. He has a real shot to play the ATP Finals, but he still have to win this week, and maybe, next week.

With the women, before the WTA Finals at Saudi Arabia, Riyadh — we know that it is complicated —that this week, the top women aren’t playing there, yet there are some notable players such as Leylah Fernandez and Sofia Kenin, who won in Hong Kong.

On Saturday, they will started in Riyadh, with Aryna Sabalenka vs.  Zheng Qinwen, and Elena Rybakna vs. Jasmine Paolini. That will be super interesting, to be in a new place. How many people fans will attend? Who knows.

Ben Shelton had a very good run in Basel, but in the final, Giovani Mpetshi Perricard, another young player, won it, 6-4, 7-6(4). The Frenchman stayed very deep, and he also tried to smash it in the corners. The American Shelton can also attack, when he can set it up, and show where it is. He is quick, running, and he can spin it, or flatten it out. However, Mpetshi Perricard can also think about his directions, rather than doing the same thing. He won it, and now, he is in the top 31. He is rising.

“On this surface, of course my serve is a good weapon for me, but I try to be aggressive from the baseline and put some pressure on the opponent,”  Mpetshi Perricard said. “I’m very happy [because it was] a big part of my game this week.” 

Two years ago, Shelton looked good, but not great, yet. But his backhand and his serves are much better, and he is more consistent at the net. Next year, he could go into the top 10, and if he does, then he will be more conscious. 

In Vienna, Jack Draper won it, beating   Karen Khachanov 

 6-4, 7-5. Draper plays a lot, week after week, and sometimes he can lose, early, but when he starts to feeling very good, then he will be more real. This was the second time that he won an event, and he is more comfortable in the indoors. Or maybe not. 

Next week, it will be the ATP 1000 in  Paris, indoors, when it is cold outside. There should be some wild matches.

Over in Tokyo, Zheng Qinwen won it again, beating the American Sofia Kenin 7-6(5), 6-3. The Chinese is so fast, and she can nail it with her forehand and her backhand, crosscourt, and down the line. She can stay right in front of it, and slap it back. Two years ago, she was pretty good, but not tremendous yet, but now, she is ranked in No. 7, and in two weeks, she will likely go to the WTA Finals. Just only eight. She will be thrilled, in Riyadh.

A few years ago, Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open, but then gradually, she went down. Now, she  had a very good tournament, but this season, she was up and down, losing very early. She is trying hard though, and she can be much more focused. She is powerful, but she can become upset, when she isn’t playing well at all.  Really, the current No. 88 has to be much more calm, on the court. Everyone has to.

Each week, American Tommy Paul can focus when he has to, and when he has a real chance to win a title, he can explode on the court.

Paul grabbed it, beating the once No. 2 Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3  in Stockholm. He has now won three titles, and while he is 27 years old, he has improved a lot over the past two years. He is so consistent, and he likes to have long rallies. However, five years ago, he was decent but not fantastic. Now, if he can, he could reach into the top 10 for the first time. Currently, he is ranked No. 12. As he said, he realizes that the top 10 is very important, and he admitted that.

“I am not too focused on the ATP finals; I am trying to break into the top ten. That has been a goal for me this year, and, I am three spots away, and those three spots aren’t easy,” he said.“I am trying my best this week and the rest of the season. We have three or four more weeks, so if I can put together a good string of tournaments, who knows.”

He will have to try. He played very well on the grass, winning London, Queen, but after he lost at Wimbledon, he went down, but in Europe in the fall, he finally rose. He is not the hardest hitter, but he can mix it up. His first serve is effective, and it is OK on the net. Yet he can almost put it back, more profound, when he can. He can win a good amount, but he must go deep again to catch into the top eight with the ATP Finals.   

He will play next week in Vienna. Sprinting on the court will be tough physically, but he will be enthusiastic. When you win, you can smile.

They will be happening again, when in Beijing, the No. 1 Jannik Sinner was darn close to win it, but in the third tiebreaker, the Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz rose up so high. He won it 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3). He was down 0-3, and then he decided to try to put it away, when he had a chance to nail it. He sure did.

“I never lost hope,” said Alcaraz. “Honestly I knew that [when I started it] that every tiebreak Jannik plays is almost to his side. I thought that in the third set, I’m not going to lie, 3-love down, two mini breaks for him. So I didn’t lose hope, but I thought, ‘Okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close.’  I played great points just to make 3-all and after that I just thought to go for it. If I lost it, at least I went for it. So that’s all I thought in that moment.” 

There rivalries is tremendous now, as both of them have won the Grand Slams, and also, in the ATP 1000’s. In 2024, Sinner has won the Australian Open and the US Open, and Alcaraz won Roland Garros and Wimbledon. 

That know each other very well, so on the court, they can go for it, early, or to be patient.  On Wednesday, in the tiebreaker, he pushed himself, and mixed it up, close to the lines. Now it is in the fall, they can play  each other again, but it is hard to know. Or perhaps they can turn it around and show some amazing shots. 

Before that, in the semis this week,  Sinner beat Bu Yunchaokete 6-3 7-6(3), a pretty tough match, but the Italian cracked his forehand and his backhand in the tiebreaker, and he pushed him down. However, Yunchaokete is a coup, beating Andrey Rublev, Lorenzo Musetti , and Karen Khachanov, the top 15 players. He is young, and he is also very consistent.

Sinner recently won the 2024 US Open, and he is much more real, set after set. But he still wants to show that he is incredible, with his massive first serve, and his better return. Yet the No. 2 Alcaraz is also playing tremendous, also winning three Grand Slams. He is super smart, in the court. On Tuesday, in the semis, Alcaraz beat the former US Open  Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-3 — again. The Russian can play amazing, on the baselines, but he can also back up. Maybe Medvedev is lost, thinking about what he has to do, and recover.

Also in Beijing, there was a lot of the fans who wanted to see with Coco Gauff versus Naomi Osaka. Both of them have some terrific finals, and they can mash the ball, especially with there hard backhand. Yet they split, but then, Gauff won  the second set, 3-6, 6-4. The third set could be wonderful.However,  Osaka retired, as she felt sick. See you later. Ouch, although,  Osaka looked pretty good this week, but she has had a tough year.

 “I wasn’t sure if it was her hip or back, I just knew that towards the end she could barely jump on her serve,” Gauff said, “so I knew that it was something that, in the moment, was probably bad but hopefully it’s something that’s not a long-term thing.”

Gauff needs to win a title during the fall, as she hasn’t won a tournament since January. She really wants, too.

NOTES

That was an odd match, when Paula Badosa beat Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-0. The American must have been out of it…

In Tokyo, the Frenchman Arthur Fils won it all, beating Ugo Humbert in three long sets, and he was so in to it, and soon enough, next year, he will reach into the top 10. He is already No. 21, so he will move up the change…

The No.7 Zheng Qinwen keeps on chucking, still winning a lot. She just beat Amanda Anisimova in three sets, as she can rally for a while, and then when she gets a chance to smash the ball, she will. She will face against Badosa, which should be a few, wild points.

It is in the fall, with the players generally resting, as they have attended various events for over eight months. Those who win a lot and will go deep, their bodies can get sore, especially in the summer. It has happened for many, many years.

Right now, even if they pull out, they will be thrilled. Not forever, but darn close.

Next week, they will play at the Beijing, China Open, a big event. It is not a Grand Slam, but it is important, as many top players will go.

Last year, Iga Swiatek won Beijing, but the current No. 1 pulled out a couple of days ago. She could be hurt physically, or perhaps she wants to re-set it. At the US Open, she lost against Jessica Pegula.

The pullouts can be staggering. Beyond Swiatek, another four are hurt in China, including Maria Sakkari, Danielle Collins, Bianca Andreescu and Ons Jabeur.

The good news is that the 2024 US champion Aryna Sabalenka will play in Beijing, along with Jessica Pegula, when Sabalenka beat the American in the final two weeks ago. They could face off again. Or maybe Coco Gauff will win it, as she hasn’t won an event since January. She has to improve her up-and-down forehand. 

Right now in the Laver Cup, there are a lot of very good male players in Berlin. Will it survive year after year? It is hard to tell, but at least they are very enthusiastic. Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are playing from the Americans, with some excellent players like Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Francisco Cerundolo, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and others. Fritz did reach the final at the US Open, and he looked very good, but will he finish in the top 5? A huge challenge. 

They must play the Laver Cup as there is a massive amount of money. Gigantic.

After that, they can fly to the China Open and try to win it with the No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev. Sinner is way up with the ranking, but he could skid and not end in the year the top dog. He hopes.

In a sense, is that the players who reached the finals at the Grand Slams were satisfied. Or, if they lose, then they can be seriously disappointed?  Both Americans, Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula lost at the 2024 US Open finals when he went down versus Jannik Sinner in three sets,  and she lost against Aryna Sabalenka in two sets. It was somewhat close, but not close enough. 

Perhaps in 2025, the Americans will win a Slam for the first time, but you never know. They are not that young, and for sure, they have improved a lot, but each month, the players globally push themselves, and they improve a lot, such as the Italian Sinner and the Belarussian Sabalenka.

The 23-year-old Sinner has won two Grand Slams, and Sabalenka has won three. That is very impressive, on the top of the baseline, crushing it from their massive forehand and backhand. Right now, they are better players than Fritz and Pegula. 

In the third set, Fritz broke him, and he did have a chance to win the set, but Sinner attacked him again, very deep, and broke him. See ya. He won it 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Hello.

“I’d say he’s improved a little since I beat him in straight sets at Indian Wells in 2021. The biggest improvement by far is his serve,” Fritz said.

“I played last year in Indian Wells, and he had already improved his serve. I think he was very, very good at that point, and he had just been injured and pulled out of many tournaments when he was already deep into it. He was very close to improving now with confidence and winning, but I think he was very close to the level at that point; he had yet to show all the results. If I want to go to, like, the 2021 Indian Wells, yeah, the serve and the movement, massive improvements. Then it was also much easier to hurt him from the ground. So he’s much faster and a lot better out of the corners. His serve is really good now.”

It took Sinner a while, but as he said, gradually, he grew up on the court. He was much more solid, and also, a few years ago, he would get angry when he couldn’t put the balls in. Yet this year, he calmed down, and he tried again. 

Can Fritz finally win a Slam in 2025?  If he does, the last time the  American men won it at a Slam was in 2003, when Andy Roddick grabbed it.  That was a long time ago. It could be the No. 7 Fritz or someone else. But although he lost at the 2024 US Open, he feels good.

“I think that’s just extremely reassuring to me that I could get to this point, just playing solid tennis. I know there’s still much room for improvement,” Fritz said. “And something I’ve said throughout my entire career, whether it’s when I won my first ATP point or I won my first challenger, or I made my first round of 16 or whatever it is, I’ve always said once I do something once, I just feel a lot more confident in being able to do it again.  That’s something that’s always stuck with me. Sometimes, it’s taken me some time to get to a certain achievement, but I’ve always felt like once I’ve done something, I gain a lot of confidence that I can do it again.  So it is a great feeling to have gotten to this point, knowing that I’m playing well, but I’m playing very within myself, and I feel like it’s repeatable.”

How about the No. 3 Pegula, who is 30 years old?  She played terrific over the past six weeks, winning Toronto, reaching the final in Cincinnati against Sabalenka, and then,  another final at the US Open. However, Sabalenka beat her again. She is a better player. Not that much, but more.

However, Pegula could continue to hit the ball harder and serve better, too. Her second serve is so-so, but she has advanced at the net and to put it away.

“My movement and my serve has gotten a little bit better. So I think certain parts may be a little more consistent than they used to be,” Pegula said. “I’m sure there’s other days where maybe I’ve served better. But as far as a baseline, it’s not as much up and down throughout the weeks and through matches. I would say the same for my movement.  Not quite, but I think with those other things, maybe that’s why it may seem like I’m playing my best tennis.”

She is, but is it good enough? She did stun the No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and she also beat Karolina Muchova in the semis. Those were two terrific wins. Yet in the final at the US Open, Sabalenka hit some amazing winners at the end, mashing the ball. Pegula could beat her during the fall, or next year, or maybe with the other American, Coco Gauff will start to rise again. Maybe not soon, but soon enough.  Pegula is awake.

“I think maybe I handled the moment a little bit better this year, with just having maybe a different perspective of I had a rough start to the year, and I didn’t expect to be doing this well in the hard court swing, and I was able to kind of flip that script,” she said. “So I think when I came here, it was almost less pressure because I was just happy I was in another quarterfinal. My slam record this year was not great. So I think maybe that perspective helped me through that moment, and then I was able to have a great match in the semi, come from behind, and put myself in a chance to win a Grand Slam. I will take a lot of confidence from this.”

 Aryna Sabalenka over Emma Navarro

The rising American Navarro has had a fantastic tournament, and when she gets on the court, she may be calm and locked in. Yet Navarro has never played in the semis at the Grand Slam, and while she has gone deep this year, this is a new day.

However, the Belarus Sabalenka who won the  2024 Aussie Open, should be much more composed. She can crush her forehand and her backhand, and she can attack early and often.  Her serve has improved over the 12 months, and she can jump in the returns.

The former NCAA champion for the University of Virginia, Navarro, can also try to attack and control it. When she sees the ball in the middle, she puts it into the corners, from the left and the right. She is intense and earnest.  Navarro thinks that she can knock her down in the third set when they are playing, but Sabalenka understands what she will do. At Roland Garros, Sabalenka beat her 6-2, 6-3. She will do it again, this time on the hardcourts, to kick her down,  6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Jessica Pegula over Karolina Muchova

Finally, the 30-year-old Pegula reached the semis for the first time.  She has been working for so many years, and in the quarters, she couldn’t do it all four Grand Slams, but on Wednesday, she took down Iga Swiatek 6-2,6-4. That was massive because Swiatek messed up so many errors, and Pegular hit some terrific shots deep, crosscourt, and on the line.

The Czech Muchova has also had a terrific event, shutting them down. She has so much talent with her strokes and reads it daily. Yes, she can become exhausted when she can’t find the lines, but she can be steady if she wants to. Muchova is on the role again; now, her body is 100 percent. She can hit in all directions and also spin it flat, too. She has gone deep in the Slams, so she will be controlled on the court and go up into the net. When she does, she usually puts it away.

Pegula won’t push her around, and she will mix it up heavily. Over the past five weeks, Pegula began to find out where to go and bring it back. She truly knows where she can go and drive. Pegula finally made it into the semis, so now, she can reach the final. That would be almost stunning. Yet first, she has to play spectacularly. Why not? Pegular will win 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.