The History of Men's Tennis (Open Era)

…2023…

Players who were supposed to face each other in the semifinals a year before, Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios, withdrew from this year’s Wimbledon. Nadal’s absence was confirmed even before the French Open, while Kyrgios pulled out after the draw was made. If the ATP points had been given last year, Nadal would have been disappeared from the ranking now. Another potential quarterfinalist, Karen Khachanov, didn’t participate as he was expecting the birth of his second child. 36-year-old Jérémy Chardy (ranked 542nd, so not enough to even play main-level qualifying rounds), who did not play at all in 2022, used his protected ranking wisely this year. He chose only a few biggest events. In the first round in London, he found himself on Centre Court against the world’s top-ranked player, and he saw it as a good opportunity to ‘bid adieu’.
The first week of the event was quite challenging due to adverse weather conditions. Rain disrupted play on the second day, leading to a peculiar situation where two players advanced to the third round while several first-round matches didn’t even start.
Overall, it was a fascinating event showcasing a clash of three generations. The semifinals (both played indoors) featured the three distinctively best players of the season, each representing a different generation: Novak Đoković (born 1987), Daniil Medvedev (born 1996), and Carlos Alcaraz (born 2003). Jannik Sinner found himself in the best four at a major for the first time, benefiting from an easy draw. However, considering recent years, he deserved a favorable draw (four times had lost major quarterfinals, three times to the eventual champions). Đoković easily prevented what many believed could be the first chapter of a future rivalry on the biggest stages between Alcaraz and Sinner. Personally, I’m more skeptical about that and see Holger Rune (quarter-finalist this edition) as more gifted than Sinner, with a brighter future ahead for the Dane.
The final was an electrifying battle between two mental giants separated by 16 years, marking the second-largest age gap in the Open Era as far as the finals are concerned (Jimmy Connors destroyed 18 years older Ken Rosewall in two major finals in 1974). Alcaraz started the final in a worse fashion than anyone could have expected, but he then won all the crucial points, including a marathon game in the mid-3rd set, consisted of 13 deuces, which is the longest in Wimbledon finals. Alcaraz is a complete player, and I expect him to follow in the footsteps of Björn Borg, becoming the first man since the early ’80s to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in the same season a few times.
The event was also notable for Russian players, who were unable to compete the previous year due to political reasons. Three Russians reached the quarterfinals, including Roman Safiullin [92], who hadn’t even played an ATP final yet. Andrey Rublev lost at this stage for the eighth time, securing him an infamous record in this regard.

…1993…

Sergi Bruguera [5] played more clay-court matches than anyone else before Wimbledon ’93. After claiming his first major title, he made the decision to skip the grass-court season. As a result, he arrived in Swiss Alps feeling fresh and was not only the favorite to win the title, people expected him to do so without dropping a set. And that’s exactly what he did. His hunger for tennis and freshness were particularly evident on Sunday. Due to rain, his semifinal was suspended at 3-all in the first set. After the resumption, he won nine straight games and started the final an hour later with great energy. Similar to the previous year, he won the final in two sets (normally the finals of the event were in ‘best of five’ format until 2007). “I feel like I’m improving from year to year, and the win in Paris has significantly boosted my self-confidence,” said Bruguera. “The last five times we met, I beat him (Novacek) quite easily, so I guess he didn’t know how to handle me.” 8-0 in their H2H in the end.
In the Swedish summer resort of Båstad, players of lower rankings participated, compared to those who came to Switzerland that week. Despite having six Swedes seeded, none of them advanced to the final. The tournament concluded with the victory of Horst Skoff, ranked 82nd at the time, securing his fourth and final title. Although he was only 25 years old, Skoff was already past his prime, and two years later, he would lose his status of a main-level player. The runner-up, four years older Ronald Agénor, played eighth and last ATP final in his career, but he would enjoy a better year 1994 than Skoff. En route to the final Agénor scored a win over Lars Jönsson with the help of the longest deciding tie-break of the season (14/12)… Jan Gunnarsson [342, lucky loser], the Aussie Open ’89 semifinalist, struggling a few years with a knee injury, played his last ATP match at age of 31 losing in the second round.
In the last grass-court event of the season in Newport, where only three Top 100 players entered the draw, 19-year-old Greg Rusedski [151], lifted the trophy after a week of hard work. The left-handed Canadian showcased a lethal serve in his sixth main-level event, playing eight tie-breaks and registering a 5-3 record in them. His last two matches were closely contested, with both almost going the full distance in terms of the scoreline. In the semifinals, he won a no-break point match against Alex Antonitsch 7-6, 6-7, 7-6. In the second set of the all lefty final, he squandered two match points, and his opponent served for the match at 5:4 in the third set but failed to close it out. These dramatic matches became a recurring theme in Rusedski’s career, as he was regularly involved in similar encounters over the years (25-20 in deciding third-set tie-breaks towards the end of his career). This victory marked only the second time a Canadian won a main-level title, with the previous occurrence being Mike Belkin‘s triumph at St. Petersburg in 1971. Rusedski gained crucial confidence at Wimbledon ’93 where he faced one of the best grass-court specialists in history and narrowly lost in a tight four-set match. Top seeded, the double Newport defending champion Bryan Shelton was ousted in the first round.

…Finals 2023…

WIMBLEDON (£44.7M; grass semi-outdoors)
(1)🇪🇸Carlos Alcaraz d. (2)🇷🇸Novak Đoković 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4

…Finals 1993…

Gstaad ($375K; clay outdoors) – Week 27
(1)🇪🇸Sergi Bruguera d. (3)🇨🇿Karel Nováček 6-3, 6-4
Bastad ($235K; clay outdoors)
🇦🇹Horst Skoff d. 🇭🇹Ronald Agénor 7-5, 1-6, 6-0
Newport ($175K; grass outdoors)
🇨🇦Greg Rusedski d. (3)🇦🇷Javier Frana 7-5, 6-7(7), 7-6(5)

Richard Fromberg [40] emerged as the standout player that Davis Cup quarterfinal weekend (16-18.07… Week 28), winning two vital matches – as the only one – he did it without dropping a set. In the decisive rubber against Stefano Pescosolido in Florence, Italy, Fromberg secured a victory of 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 for Australia. The tall Aussie had played in the Davis Cup final already three years before. Meanwhile, there was a major upset in Fréjus (small city at Côte d’Azur), where Henri Leconte‘s poor performance due to back problems in the first two days, led the team captain to assign Rodolphe Gilbert (his lone Davis Cup appearance) to face the experienced Ramesh Krishnan [231] in the decisive rubber. The match was suspended due to darkness with a 4-all score on Sunday and resumed on Monday; in just 13 minutes, Krishnan sealed the victory with a scoreline of 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. “When we arrived here, we didn’t expect to be in this position,” Krishnan remarked. “France was a much stronger team, but it was an excellent opportunity for us.” Gilbert had had a 4:2* lead on Sunday before the match was halted, and he wasted two mini-match points on the following day.
In the Hague, the absence of the injured Jacco Eltingh proved detrimental to the Dutch team. Without him, they were unable to secure the expected point in doubles. Richard Krajicek also disappointed by losing in straight sets to Magnus Larsson, resulting in the tie being decided on Saturday. On the same day, Germany secured their place in the semifinals in the only grass court tie of the weekend (the other three were on clay). The clash of neighbours in Halle was highly entertaining, featuring 13 out of a possible 15 sets in the first two days, with five of them going to tie-breaks. Michael Stich defeated Karel Nováček in a rain-interrupted battle that was suspended at 3-all in the second set. Nováček was close to defaulting, had a 30/0 lead on Stich’s serve at 5-all in the deciding set but failed to break; frustrated by some line calls in that crucial game, he expressed his anger by throwing a towel towards the umpire during the last change of ends. Ultimately only a point was deducted from him.

Quarterfinals (host first)
Italy – Australia 2-3, France – India 2-3, Netherlands – Sweden 1-4, Germany – Czechia 4-1

…1993…

Wimbledon ’93: in my opinion the most significant major of the ’90s. Admittedly, Pete Sampras came to London as the No. 1 player in the world, but with only one Grand Slam triumph, which he captured three years earlier (US Open ’90). Sampras’ right shoulder had been bothering him before the tournament, almost forcing him to withdraw, and it reminded him of its presence a couple of times in the first few rounds (especially in the opening match when he was close to trailing 1-2 in sets against a much inferior player). However, ultimately, it wasn’t an obstacle for him to play nearly perfect tennis in the second week, having an antidote for different styles he faced: Sampras defeated Andre Agassi (the defending champion; an offensive baseliner), Boris Becker (a three-time former champion; a serve-and-volleyer), and Jim Courier (the best player of the past two years; a mix of both styles earlier mentioned) in back-to-back matches! It must have been a tremendous boost of self-confidence that allowed him to dominate at the All-England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club for the next seven years. Moreover, it halted Courier’s momentum in the early 90s. Admittedly, he was only 23, but he already achieved something that no one had done since 1969; he reached the major finals in Australia, France & England within a season (no one could repeat it until Roger Federer surpassed Courier by reaching all major finals in 2006). Besides he was the youngest man to play all four Slam finals. At the time, it was incomprehensible that “versatile” Courier wouldn’t play another Slam final, yet he did not reach one for another six years of his career.
At a lower level of American tennis, there was another significant encounter that year at Wimbledon which altered the paths of two careers. Todd Martin defeated David Wheaton in a dramatic five-set match in the fourth round. Subsequently, Martin thrived in the ’90s and ultimately became the fifth-best US player of that generation, something which Wheaton could have taken for granted as he triumphed in the most lucrative event of the 90s (Grand Slam Cup ’91). Martin won two five-setters against big servers in back-to-back matches when it seemed he was destined to lose in four sets. In the third round, he escaped from *2:4 (0/40) in the fourth set against Goran Ivanišević. Against Wheaton, Martin faced an arguably tougher situation as he trailed 0:3 with a double break down in the fourth set. Ivanišević fell victim to playing too many sets, having gone to the maximum of 15 sets in the first three rounds, barely winning the first two matches (he saved four mini-match points in the first round and a match point in the second round – with a second serve ace; both extremes occurred in fifth sets he won respectively 6-4 and 9-7). A similar fate awaited Michael Chang, who was not considered among the favorites, unlike Ivanišević. Chang, who had won two five-setters 6-4 in the fifth sets, lost 4-6 in the fifth set to Wheaton after 4 hours and 22 minutes, which remained the longest match of the event until the end of that edition.
Andrew Foster [332] became a second-rate hero of the event. The 21-year-old Brit, playing thanks to a wild card, advanced to the fourth round where he almost stole a set from Sampras (led *5:3 in a tie-break), giving joy to the local fans who were hopelessly awaiting their own representative in the quarterfinals of the years 1974-95. Foster finished his career with the highest ranking at 184 (only one Challenger final), which is extremely low for someone who reached the “sweet sixteen” at majors, but it was the reality of the first three decades of the Open Era: serve-and-volley players could compete on equal terms on grass against much higher-ranked opponents who were not familiar with this style of play. Foster was very fortunate in the third round because his opponent Andrey Olhovskiy (who’d caused the biggest sensation of 1992 by defeating Courier at Wimbledon) withdrew midway through their match, complaining of flu-like symptoms.
A few more words about the defending champion – Agassi. Since the late 80s known for some controversies, Agassi shocked that time with a new technique of his serve (shortened preparation with his arm, caused by wrist injury; he displayed it for the first time actually a few weeks earlier during his early upset in Halle) and an alleged relationship with Barbra Streisand, famous American actress & singer, 28 years his senior. She was sitting in a box during his matches along with his brother and the closest friend. “We are simply people who enjoy being around each other and we’ve been around each other in all circumstances,” he explained.

…2023…

The last two grass events prior to Wimbledon are of little importance. Only two Top 10 players decided to participate in them, and both were ousted in their opening matches. This created opportunities for lower-ranked players to enhance their modest collection of titles. Francisco Cerúndolo [19], who won in Eastbourne, captured his second title, while Christopher Eubanks [77], the best in Mallorca (these particular grass courts tend to lose their lush green appearance and become more bare and patchy already after a few days of playing), secured his maiden title. Cerúndolo’s victory marks the first time an Argentine has won an ATP title on grass since 1995 (Javier Frana in Nottingham). He made one of the best comebacks of the season in the semifinals, as he trailed Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 1:4 with a double break. Eubanks was on the verge of losing two matches: first in the second round, where he was two points away from defeat, and then in the semifinals, where he needed to save five match points (including a triple match point) against Lloyd Harris. “It just means the world, man,” Eubanks said. “[…] It’s just a testament to the hard work. Now I just want to keep working even harder to experience this feeling even more.” Eubanks, who was relatively unknown until the end of the previous season, showcased his potential to make an impact earlier this year in Miami when he advanced to the quarterfinals as a qualifier. He is the tallest player (201 cm) I’ve seen so far who operates with one-handed topspin backhand… 42-year-old Feliciano López [634] played his farewell tournament in Mallorca, advancing to the quarterfinal (the oldest ATP quarter-finalist since 43 y.o. Jimmy Connors in Halle ’95). The Spaniard retires with one interesting record which I assume will not be beaten – the most consecutive Slam appearances (79). He played his first main-level event in Barcelona ’98, the Slam record he manufactured between French Open ’02 and Australian Open ’22.

…Finals 1993…

WIMBLEDON ($3.5M; grass outdoors) – week 25/26
(1)🇺🇸Pete Sampras d. (2)🇺🇸Jim Courier 7-6(3), 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-3

…Finals 2023…

Eastbourne (ATP 250; grass outdoors)
(4)🇦🇷Francisco Cerúndolo d. (2)🇺🇸Tommy Paul 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
Mallorca (ATP 250; grass outdoors)
🇺🇸Christopher Eubanks d. (4)🇫🇷Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 6-4

…2023…

Westphalia: Alexander Bublik [48] possesses a pair of soft hands and one of the fastest serves on the tour. With these two attributes, a player can realistically aspire to achieve significant results on grass. Everything fell into place this week for the talented Russian, representing Kazakhstan, as he defeated four former or current ~Top 10 players. This marks the biggest title in the history of Kazakhstani tennis. However, thirteen years ago, Andrey Golubev also triumphed in a German event of the same level, held in Hamburg on clay. Golubev had to win six matches compared to Bublik’s five, but Bublik faced much tougher opposition in Halle. In the ultimate game, he committed three double faults within six points, but he didn’t let it affect his serving and fired a 220 kph second-serve ace on championship point. “It really means the world to me,” said Bublik. “I’ve been struggling for half a year and now having this a reward, I don’t take it for granted. It was hard work.” Andrey Rublev avenges that defeat in the Wimbledon ’23 fourth round after a dramatic five-setter. Another native Russian speaker with the name “Alexander“, who doesn’t represent Russia, is Zverev. He has dealt with his fair share of challenges. The German struggled after his comeback from a serious injury but managed to reach the semifinals in his last three events. As a result, he has climbed back to around the Top 20. During the French Open, dropping outside the Top 50 was a significant concern for him, but he won his third-round match under quite fortunate circumstances.
England (London): Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first title on grass. In his opening match, he was just three points away from a straight-sets defeat but managed to survive, improving his 3rd set (deciding) tie-break record to 7-0. He displayed impressive tennis in the subsequent rounds, leaving his opponents with no chance. “I want to look up to the best players on grass and their movement. On grass, Roger and Andy are the best players who move exceptionally well. I want to be the same, like them,” he said. I expected him to win Wimbledon already last year, and I will be surprised if he doesn’t capture a few Wimbledon titles in this decade…. Matteo Berrettini, the Wimbledon ’21 runner-up and back-to-back grass court title winner last year (Stuttgart, Queen’s Club), is currently facing a major crisis. He suffered a swift defeat in his first-round match in Stuttgart and subsequently withdrew from the title defense in London. Dark clouds also loom over Maxime Cressy. As the only serve-and-volleyer in the Top 100 (although I’d say “pseudo S/V” because he has achieved a few notable results mainly due to the chaos he creates by serving his second serves at the speed of his first serves), he has now lost 11 matches in a row, including 11 consecutive sets.

…1993…

First week of Wimbledon ’93: Only half of the possible number of seeded players managed to advance through the qualifying event, with none of the top 10 seeds making it. Among those who qualified were Patrick Rafter [178] and Greg Rusedski [155], who would face each other in the US Open final four years later. Due to bad weather, the third round was played as a “best of three” instead of “best of five” format. The official Wimbledon record for aces at the time was 37, set by Goran Ivanišević a year earlier in the final. However, during the first round of the qualifying event in ’93, a left-handed, blonde long-haired South African, Gary Muller, fired 54 aces (!) as he defeated Peter Lundgren 4-6, 7-6, 20-18. To this day, it remains an unofficial record for the most aces served in a three-set match. The official record for the most aces in a match is held by Ivo Karlović: 45 aces in Halle 2015 as he won his match 7-5, 6-7, 6-3.

…Finals 2023…

Halle (ATP 500; grass semi-outdoors)
🇰🇿Alexander Bublik d. (3)🇷🇺Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Queens Club (ATP 500; grass outdoors)
(1)🇪🇸Carlos Alcaraz d. (7)🇦🇺Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4

…2023…

It has been eight years since the pre-Wimbledon season on grass was extended from two to three weeks. In theory, to reach the Top 10, you should perform well in different conditions. From this perspective, Frances Tiafoe‘s advancement to the elite group this week makes sense. The 25-year-old American has reached finals on hard courts (both indoor and outdoor) as well as on clay in both Europe and the USA. Now, he has passed the test on grass by claiming his third title in his first grass-court final (Stuttgart). In that final, he saved a match point with a backhand winner down the line. The runner-up, Jan-Lennard Struff, is still deprived of an ATP title. His third failed attempt to raise the trophy must be very painful because he wasn’t broken in the final, fired 28 aces, and almost saved a third championship point for his opponent in exceptional circumstances (he responded to an overhead with a good passing shot, but Tiafoe’s lunge volley proved to be decisive). Richard Gasquet notched his 600th career win. Among active players, only three have won more matches. Gasquet expressed his happiness with this achievement in his on-court interview, saying, “It’s a big accomplishment for me. It’s incredible to achieve it. I’ve played 20 years on the Tour, and to win 600 matches is a big deal for me. I’m very happy with this milestone, and of course, I will try to win some more.”
In the Netherlands, the top-seeded players were eliminated in the first two rounds, which opened up an opportunity for lower-ranked players to capture their first grass-court title. Jordan Thompson, similarly to Struff, is seeking his maiden title and came close to achieving it. In his second final (previously in ‘s-Hertogenbosch too), he was just three points away from experiencing the moment of glory. However, Tallon Griekspoor [38] usually plays his better tennis in front of the home crowd, and it elevated his performance at crucial moments of the final.
The week marked the comebacks of three finalists of major events who had been out of the game for a long time: Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori (both sidelined for almost two years, disappeared from the ranking), and Nick Kyrgios (seven months of absence). Raonic, who reached the second round in Den Bosch, and Kyrgios, who was eliminated in the first round of Stuttgart, had early exits…

…while Nishikori had a much better comeback, but instead of participating in an ATP event, he chose a Challenger “75” in Puerto Rico which he won rather easily (appears in the newest ranking at 492). Andy Murray, the former world’s best player, wants to go far at Wimbledon this year. To increase his chances he needs to be seeded, thus he decided to skip the French Open and play two British “125” Challengers on grass (Surbiton, Nottingham). He won both tournaments without being seriously threatened, dropping just one set in the fortnight.

…1993…

The first edition of the Halle grass-court event, which is still held thirty years later, was marked by one day of suspension due to rain; the following year, the retractable roof was installed at the Gerry Weber Stadion (OWL Arena since 2021). Henri Leconte captured his ninth and last title, four years and eight months after his previous one in Brussels ’88. The 30-year-old left-handed Frenchman experienced a drastic drop in the ATP ranking from 65 to 141 after the French Open ’93 first round loss (the semifinalist in 1992). However, his title and fourth-round performance at Wimbledon allowed him to climb back to the Top 70 within three weeks. It turned out to be his ‘swan song’ as he would never play at the same stage in an ATP or Slam event again. In Halle, Leconte won four matches in deciding sets (two match points saved in the quarterfinal) before securing an emphatic final win over the eleven years younger Andrei Medvedev, who was gaining valuable experience on various surfaces (his professional debut on grass), solidifying his position of the potential future no. 1. It was his first lost final after collecting five titles.
Wally Masur lost back-to-back grass finals. In Manchester, he had no chance against fellow Australian Jason Stoltenberg [111]. Stoltenberg, once considered a prodigy, had to wait five years to clinch his maiden title. Earlier in 1993, frustrated with his results at the main level, Stoltenberg decided to play a few Challengers and won two of them (Indian Wells, Taipei – both on hardcourts), which certainly helped boost his self-confidence.
Those players who preferred clay over grass stayed in Italy, moving north from Tuscany to Liguria, and the field in Genoa was almost a copy of Florence’s event. The top three seeds remained the same in both tournaments, and the highest-ranked [15] Thomas Muster triumphed twice, dropping a set in each event against unseeded opponents. In the 1-hour 45-minute Genoa final, Muster fought off five set points in the opener. It was the third straight year that Muster spent two successive weeks in Italy, and the second year in a row he was easily defeated by an inferior player in the first round of Wimbledon (in 1991, he skipped the biggest grass event altogether).

…Finals 2023…

Stuttgart (ATP 250; grass outdoors)
(3)🇺🇸Frances Tiafoe d. 🇩🇪Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(8) – 1 m.p.
‘s-Hertogenbosch (ATP 250; grass outdoors)
(6)🇳🇱Tallon Griekspoor d. 🇦🇺Jordan Thompson 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3

…Finals 1993…

Halle ($350K; grass outdoors)
🇫🇷Henri Leconte d. (1)🇺🇦Andrei Medvedev 6-2, 6-3
Manchester ($275K; grass outdoors)
🇦🇺Jason Stoltenberg d. (4)🇦🇺Wally Masur 6-1, 6-3
Genoa ($275K; clay outdoors)
(1)🇦🇹Thomas Muster d. (3)🇸🇪Magnus Gustafsson 7-6(3), 6-4

…2023…

Since 2017, the last two clay-court events before the most significant one on this specific surface are Geneva and Lyon (replacing Nice). These tournaments take place in two different countries but within the same francophone sphere of influence. Geneva: Casper Ruud, the two-time defending champion, lost in the quarterfinals after winning 17 consecutive matches on clay in Switzerland. The Norwegian, who came close to becoming the world’s top-ranked player last year, is currently going through a challenging period where he has to defend a significant number of ranking points. If he continues to struggle with his form, he may finish the year 2023 outside the Top 10. On the other hand, Nicolás Jarry [54], who secured his second ATP title on clay this year, exhibits a very solid and uncompromising style of tennis. He defeated three current or former Top 10 players consecutively (coming close to losing to Ruud) and rises to the Top 35 for the first time in his career. Had the draw for Paris been made following the last two events, he would have been seeded. With his powerful game, I believe Jarry has the potential to reach the Top 20 this year and achieve good results on hardcourts as well. Jarry expressed his happiness about his successful year, stating: “I feel amazing. It has been a great year. After all the work with my team and family, we are having a great year, and I am very happy for that. It is very special. Two finals, one title here. I am very happy.” This almost two-meter tall Chilean with a French surname, had two match points in the Geneva final four years ago.
Arthur Fils [112] becomes the first man born in 2004 to win an ATP title. His success in Lyon came under quite specific circumstances. He did not play a full set in the second round and quarterfinals combined because Mikael Ymer furiously destroyed his racquet by hitting the umpire’s chair when trailing 5:6 in the opener and must have been disqualified. In the following round, Fils received a walkover from a top-seeded player. In the semifinals, Fils celebrated his victory twice: first at 5:4* in the third set (the ball called ‘out’ was deemed good), and then as he led *6:5 in the deciding tie-break. Fils only needed five ATP events to claim his maiden title, with four of them being held in France. Thanks to this victory, he climbs into the Top 100 and, starting from Roland Garros next week, will regularly compete at the main level for the remainder of the season.

…1993…

First week of the French Open ’93. A few young players appeared in the qualifying rounds who would go on to achieve significant successes in their careers: Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the future world No. 1, successfully qualified for the main draw, while Patrick Rafter, another future no. 1, made it to the third round of the qualifiers. Jonas Björkman, a future top 10 player and major semifinalist, was eliminated in the first round while another future Top 10er and major semifinalist, Karol Kučera qualified for the main draw of a Slam for the first time just like Kafelnikov – they met in the first round and the Russian won 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. All of these players were born in 1972 or 1974. Additionally, Christian Ruud, the father of Casper Ruud, who was also born in 1972, competed in the qualifying event too, losing a dramatic opener.

…Finals 2023…

Geneva (ATP 250, clay outdoors)
🇨🇱Nicolás Jarry d. (4,WC)🇧🇬Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(1), 6-1
Lyon (ATP 250, clay outdoors)
(WC)🇫🇷Arthur Fils d. (4)🇦🇷Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 7-5

…2023…

The ten-time champion of the “Internazionali d’Italia”, Rafael Nadal, who is almost 37 years old, has decided to skip yet another big tournament. He didn’t show up in Rome, and tennis fans around the world were wondering if he would finally participate in the French Open. On May 18th, he called a press conference and announced that his season was over, and it is likely that he will return in 2024 for a farewell tour, competing in events that have been the most meaningful to him throughout his illustrious career. “I have been working as hard as possible every single day for the past four months. It has been a challenging period because we were unable to find a solution to the issue I had in Australia,” Nadal stated, referring to his last appearance in January ’23.
During the first two-week edition of the Italian Open, the weather was terrible, with daily rain and temperatures around 20 degrees. Many matches were suspended, and some had to be completed the following day as retractable roofs, like the ones in Madrid, are not available. Two unexpected Germans reached the quarterfinals in Madrid, and in Rome, Yannick Hanfmann [101] followed suit. The 31-year-old German, as a qualifier, eliminated two Top 10 players and achieved his career-best result. Another revelation of the tournament was Hungary’s Fábián Marozsán [135]. He advanced to the fourth round, stunning the new world number one, Carlos Alcaraz. The 23-year-old Hungarian qualified for his first main-level event. Just over a year ago, he was more associated with the Futures level, as his ranking hovered around 400.
Daniil Medvedev, who claimed the title, had never won a match in Rome before 2023. He has been exceptional this season, particularly in his ability to win tight sets. Among the 25 sets he has played this year when the score reached 5-all, he has won them on twenty occasions. “I always want to believe in myself, and I always aim to win the biggest tournaments in the world,” said Medvedev, who dropped just one set en route to the title. “However, I never thought I could win a Masters 1000 on clay in my career because I usually hated it. I didn’t feel comfortable playing on it, and nothing seemed to work.” In the Race Ranking, he now holds an 845-point advantage over the player ranked number two.

Unfortunately, when compared to the four other Challengers “175” held this year, Turin seems to be of lower caliber. Here is a comparison of the rankings of players seeded at number 8 in Phoenix, Aix-en-Provence, Cagliari, and Bordeaux: 59-59-97-67. In contrast, in Turin, the 97th-ranked player in the world was seeded at number 3, making this event more akin to a Challenger 125 (where typically three players of the Top 100 participate). Jiří Lehečka [39] could have somewhat salvaged the prestige of the Italian Challenger, but under peculiar circumstances, he entered the qualifying event instead of being seeded at number 1, and eventually retired after losing just four games to an unknown Ukrainian player. Federico Gaio, a 31-year-old Italian, achieved arguably the best result of his career by reaching the final, where he was defeated by Dominik Koepfer [149], a left-handed German who appeared to be a Top 100 player a few years ago. Because of bad weather he had to play his last two matches the same day… In the second round in Bordeaux, for only the second time in history, two former Grand Slam champions faced each other (38 y.o. Stan Wawrinka defeated 36 y.o. Andy Murray 6-3, 6-0); previously, this occurred in San Remo 1981, when Ilie Năstase defeated Jan Kodeš in a first-round encounter between 35-year-old players. The title in Southwestern France went to Ugo Humbert [50], who as a teenager had little interest in accumulating points in Challengers on clay, making this surface his weakest at the main level. Humbert has secured two significant Challenger clay-court titles this year, earning him 350 points, roughly equivalent to a Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. Humbert has collaborated with Jérémy Chardy [591] this year, a 36-year-old Frenchman who is still actively competing. It is possible that Chardy has influenced Humbert to exhibit more patience during baseline rallies and has contributed to his physical strength development. Another veteran, 37 y.o. Richard Gasquet won the longest tie-break in his career, 16/14 after an 87-minute set (vs Mikael Ymer… 56-52 total points). A few days later, Ymer avenges that loss beating Gasquet in the first round of Lyon (ATP).

…1993…

The big clay-court event in the Italian capital created a unique situation where as many as three Americans advanced to the semifinals. The all-American final didn’t take place because Goran Ivanišević rather surprisingly eliminated Pete Sampras in a duel between two of the best servers of the 90s. The Croat was less eager to attack the net on clay, which proved to be an efficient tactic in their only meeting on the red surface (they faced each other 18 times; this was their 6th match). Jim Courier defended his title, being more persuasive than the year before with his unparalleled forehand spin, and it seemed that only 18-year-old Andrei Medvedev could prevent him from capturing his third successive French Open title. “This has been a perfect preparation for the Paris,” Courier said. “This is no guarantee as to how I’ll play. But I couldn’t be feeling much better than I’m feeling now.”
Florida hosted the fourth and final event of the season on green American clay, with two serve-and-volley players making it to the final, just like two weeks prior in Georgia. This was not shocking at the time, as there were plenty of serve-and-volleyers in the Top 100, and American clay was somewhere in between European clay and hardcourts in terms of the court speed. 22-year-old Todd Martin claimed his maiden title, but it was expected from him after he showed great potential at the end of 1992 when he lost tight matches to his best compatriots, Courier and Sampras, in Indianapolis and the US Open. 33-year-old Andrés Gómez [WC, 229] – French Open ’90 champion – played his last ATP match losing 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 in the first round.
The 16th edition of the “World Team Cup” in Düsseldorf was won by the United States, their fourth title. Sampras and Michael Chang represented the US, with Chang winning all four of his singles matches and Sampras winning three out of four. In doubles, Richey Reneberg and Patrick McEnroe finished the event with a perfect 4-0 record (8-0 in sets).
The title of a small event in the Emilia-Romagna region went to Jordi Burillo [161], a 20-year-old Spaniard with very aggressive baseline shots and an over-reliance on dropshots. He became the second qualifier to win an ATP Tour event in 1993, having defeated three Italians in the qualifying rounds and another two in the main draw. Burillo’s last match was exceptionally long (given a “6-1” set), it lasted 3 hours and 17 minutes – the longest ‘2-1’ final of the 90s, but Andrey Cherkasov was among a group of players involved in the longest matches in the first half of the 90s… Richard Krajicek won an exhibition event in Paris with six participants. John McEnroe, who had retired half a year before, took part in the event but quickly lost both his matches.

…Finals 2023…

Rome (Masters 1K, clay outdoors) – week 19/20
(3)🇷🇺Daniil Medvedev d. (7)🇩🇰Holger Rune 7-5, 7-5

Bordeaux (Challenger 175; clay outdoors) – week 20
(5)🇫🇷Ugo Humbert vs. (7)🇦🇷Tomás M. Etcheverry 7-6(3), 6-4
Turin (Challenger 175; clay outdoors)
🇩🇪Dominik Koepfer vs. (q)🇮🇹Federico Gaio 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-0

…Finals 1993…

Rome ($1.5M, clay outdoors) – week 19
(2)🇺🇸Jim Courier d. (4)🇭🇷Goran Ivanišević 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
Coral Springs ($275K, green clay outdoors)
(3)🇺🇸Todd Martin d. (2)🇺🇸David Wheaton 6-3, 6-4

“World Team Cup” (8 teams, clay outdoors) – week 20
USA d. Germany 3-0
Bologna ($235K, clay outdoors)
(q)🇪🇸Jordi Burillo d. (4)🇷🇺Andrey Cherkasov 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 6-1

…2023…

Madrid had its first-ever two-week event this year with four rounds, and a 96-player draw where the first round began on Wednesday. The tournament also saw the implementation of the hawk-eye system for the first time. The system had already been activated on clay in Estoril earlier this year. Unfortunately, multiple champions of the “Mutua Madrid Open,” Rafael Nadal (five titles, four on clay) and Novak Đoković (three), withdrew from the tournament along with Jannik Sinner, who had suffered an injury in Barcelona a week before.
Sebastian Korda, one of the hottest players in January, returned to the tour after almost a three-month break but lost his opening match in two tie-breaks (5/7, 7/9) despite trailing 0:4 and 0:5, respectively. During the fortnight, two amazing teenagers, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune, turned 20 years old. I counted on their semifinal, but the Dane lost a dramatic third round match after midnight being three points away to become the first man of the Open Era winning three consecutive matches facing match points (main-level).
It was a fairy tale tournament for Jan-Lennard Struff [65], the 33-year-old German who was the best active player born in the 90s without an ATP title, in my mind, already some time ago. He had lost his qualifying round but then managed to win six consecutive matches, five of which were decided in the final set, including a semifinal win over his earlier Madrid suppressor Aslan Karatsev. Before Struff, only two ‘lucky losers’ had advanced to the semifinals at this level (Thomas Johansson in Toronto ’04 and Lucas Pouille in Rome ’16). Struff’s final victory over the local favorite Alcaraz could be perceived as a miracle. Struff had a break point at 1-all in the deciding set, and the ball was in play, but he missed his shot and was broken in the following game.
Struff’s compatriot Daniel Altmaier advanced to the quarterfinals as a ‘lucky loser’ too, which meant it was the first time in a Masters 1K event that two lucky losers had advanced to the quarterfinals. Besides Struff, Altmaier, and Karatsev, Zhizhen Zhang [99] also shocked the spectators by becoming the first Chinese man to advance to the Masters 1K quarterfinals. It’s worth mentioning that Zhang defeated three opponents in a row with deciding set tie-breaks, among them he ousted two much higher-ranked players after almost the same scoreline (7-6, 7-6 after quickly lost first sets). In terms of trivia, Alexander Bublik won the longest tie-break of the season so far (17/15) saving seven set points, and Stefanos Tsitsipas landed 39 consecutive first serves inside the service boxes.

Challengers are an important part of the professional tennis tour, offering a platform for up-and-coming players to gain experience and earn ranking points allowing advancement to the Top 100. Recently, the Challenger logo was updated during the Madrid tournament to reflect the improved structure of this second-tier level of competition, which sits below the main-level consisting of Grand Slam and ATP tournaments.
From 2009 to 2022, the Challenger Tour was divided into five categories, ranging from 80 to 125 points available for the winner. However, the structure has been modified for the 2023 season to feature five new categories with point maximums of 50, 75, 100, 125, and 175. The Challenger Tour “175” features five events in the 2023 season, with two of them (Aix-en-Provence and Cagliari) held during Week 18, both 28-draw.
After being eliminated in the first week of the Madrid tournament, many top 100 players decided to participate in the smaller tournaments featuring the highest Challenger tier. Something similar should happen with the “175” events in Bordeaux and Turin, which will take place in two weeks. With the Canadian Open and Cincinnati, Masters 1K tournaments being expanded to two weeks next year, we can expect to see more “175” events added to the tennis calendar. Ugo Humbert [77], a skilled left-handed ball-striker with a saga of fitness issues, survived one of the longest 2-1 matches in history that lasted 4 hours and 13 minutes (total points: 142-142) against Taro Daniel in Sardinia. Humbert fought hard, being dirty from clay, surviving three match points & cramps, to secure a 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 quarterfinal victory. In the final he needed “only” three hours, saving a double mini-match point in the 2nd set, and two break points trailing 1:3 in the decider. Andy Murray [52], who triumphed in France, waited almost 18 years for his third Challenger title (two titles come from USA 2005 when he was a teenager). Murray entered the event with a 0-8 record in sets at the main-level.

…1993…

Stefan Edberg claimed his third and final clay court title, in Madrid, marking the last ATP event won by a pure net-rushing style on European clay. It’s even more impressive that he defeated three Spanish clay-courters from the quarterfinals onwards, including the future French Open champion, Sergi Bruguera, in the final. Bruguera may have been exhausted, as he had won the Monte Carlo final on Monday evening and had to play his first-round match in Madrid just two days later. The event featured an enormous number of one-sided encounters, with only one tie-break in 31 matches.
In late April and early May, there were two specific (always chilly weather) clay-court events in Germany (venues: “Iphitos” & “Am Rothenbaum”), where local favorite Michael Stich reached the finals in both. In München (BMW Open), he succumbed to Ivan Lendl, but improved his performance in Hamburg five days later, beating Lendl in the quarterfinals after losing to him in their previous six meetings. Stich, just like Edberg, was a regular net visitor behind the first serve on clay, but in contrast to the Swede, the German could obtain many cheap points directly behind the serves; behind the second serve as well as receiving, Stich was often constructing points from the baseline possessing more reliable forehand. Due to knee injury, Guy Forget played his last match for almost a year in Hamburg. None of three great American players entered the event in Northern Germany (the overtired Bruguera withdrew after playing almost day-by-day for two weeks).
There were also two events on American clay, the most significant was Mats Wilander‘s comeback after almost a two-year break (he disappeared from the ranking already after the French Open ’92). The best player in the world of 1988, was badly beaten in the second round and decided to practice a few more months before returning to the full ATP schedule in August 1993. Pete Sampras suffered an unexpected loss in the Atlanta semifinal, snapping his 19-match winning streak. The bigger surprise was that he lost to fellow serve-and-volleyer Jacco Eltingh [87], who went through the entire event without dropping a set. Eltingh lost in the first round in Florida a few days later after his triumph in Georgia. Bryan Shelton (b. 1965), the father of Ben Shelton (b. 2002, semifinalist in Cagliari this week), advanced to the semifinals in Tampa the following week after losing the Atlanta final, making one of the best recoveries of the season during a hard-fought 1-6, 7-6(11), 6-2 victory over Derrick Rostagno. Shelton trailed *2:4 in the 2nd set in which he withstood two match points in the tie-break.

…Finals 2023…

Madrid (Masters 1K, clay semi-outdoors) –  week 17/18
(1)🇪🇸Carlos Alcaraz d. (LL)🇩🇪Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

Aix-en-Provence (Challenger 175; clay outdoors) – week 18
(1, WC)🇺🇸Tommy Paul vs. (5, WC)🇬🇧Andy Murray 6-2, 1-6, 2-6
Cagliari (Challenger 175; clay outdoors)
(6)🇫🇷Ugo Humbert vs. (4)🇷🇸Laslo Đere 4-6, 7-5, 6-4

…Finals 1993…

Madrid ($775K, clay outdoors) – week 17
(1)🇸🇪Stefan Edberg d. (3)🇪🇸Sergi Bruguera 6-3, 6-3, 6-2
Munich ($275K, clay outdoors)
(2)🇺🇸Ivan Lendl d. (3)🇩🇪Michael Stich 7-6(2), 6-3
Atlanta ($275K, green clay outdoors)
🇳🇱Jacco Eltingh d. 🇺🇸Bryan Shelton 7-6(1), 6-2

Hamburg ($1,450M, clay outdoors) – week 18
(6)🇩🇪Michael Stich d. 🇷🇺Andrey Chesnokov 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(7), 6-4
Tampa ($235K, green clay outdoors)
(6)🇵🇪Jaime Yzaga d. 🇦🇺Richard Fromberg 6-4, 6-2

…2023…

Carlos Alcaraz [2], the biggest young tennis star from Murcia, chose to skip Monte Carlo to rest and compete in Catalonia. He delighted the crowd and successfully defended a title for the first time in his career, winning the Barcelona Open without dropping a set (he was two points away from it in the quarterfinal). After the final, Alcaraz expressed his delight: “It’s incredible to feel this energy and lift the trophy in Barcelona in front of my family, friends, and most members of my team who are here as well. Playing at this level and lifting the trophy in front of them is a great feeling for me.” He has played five events this year, four times reaching the final, and once being five points away from another final (Miami).
Holger Rune [7], the other teenage star born in 2003 (six days older than Alcaraz), successfully defended his title at the Bavarian Championship by defeating Botic van de Zandschulp in the final. The Dutchman had retired in their previous Bavarian final a year earlier after just seven games (chest pain). Rune’s victory was hard-fought and impressive, as he faced challenging circumstances in the decider. Rune trailed 2:5* (15/40) as his opponent began to get frustrated with his own errors sensing his maiden title to be potentially evaporated. Additionally, Rune had been indicating problems with his left shoulder throughout the set and then slightly twisted his right ankle when the score was 4:5 (40/30). Despite these challenges, the Dane fought back to save a double match point on his return again at 5:6 before ultimately prevailing in the ensuing tie-break with domination during baseline rallies. The win was a testament to Rune’s resilience and determination on the court. After the match, he talked about his fatigue: “I was feeling really exhausted, but I was fighting until the end and tried everything I could to come back into the match. I think for the crowd, it was the perfect final. We really pushed each other to the limit, and I am super happy I defended the title today.” With many points to defend in the upcoming five months only during the French Open ’23, Rune has a real chance to finish the season in the Top 5.
The first edition of the Srpska Open was held in Bosnia and Herzegovina, not in Serbia. The 32-year-old Dušan Lajović [70], who reached the Monte Carlo final a few years ago, experienced a week of his tennis life. He defeated the legendary Novak Đoković in a gruelling two-set quarterfinal (his longest 2-0 win; 2 hours 29 minutes), then notched two dramatic 2-1 victories in the semifinal and final; against Andrey Rublev, Lajović was leading 5:1* (30/15) in the 3rd set, but Rublev, who lately wins “lost” matches more often than anyone else, improved to 4:5* (deuce). However, Lajović managed to hold his nerve, deliberately got a warning for time-violation (photo), and captured his second ATP title with a forehand winner after which he celebrated crouching. He expressed his relief and joy: “Honestly, it was probably the toughest match I have had in the past six months. I felt drained. From 5:1 in the third, I could not feel my legs and felt a bit dizzy. I knew he was going to fight, but somehow I managed to pull it out in the last game. I wasn’t even thinking in the last game. I was just playing automatically and tried to take the ball early on the forehand. I am thrilled and overwhelmed that I did it this week.” Only Slavic native speakers advanced to the quarterfinals.

…1993…

30 years ago, the Monte Carlo tournament was played one week later than this year. Sergi Bruguera won that event for the second time in his career, with his biggest challenge coming in the semifinals against Thomas Muster. Bruguera saved three match points, but Muster would go on to win their nine following meetings. Cédric Pioline, who was an unexpected finalist, proved his skills in the future, becoming one of the most memorable players of the 90s. At the time of the Monaco final, he was already 24 y.o. and many thought it would be his biggest result. The final was postponed due to rain and held on Monday, with the format shortened from “best of five” to “best of three”. Bruguera raced to a 5:0 lead, but needed a tie-break to win the opener. In the second set, he again led 5:0, but that time left Pioline [29] no chance to return.
The event also featured a unique run by Ulf Stenlund, a 26-year-old Scandinavian who was among many blonde Swedes who invaded the circuit in the mid-80s. Injuries forced him to suspend his career, and he didn’t play at all in 1989-90. In the years 1991-94, he was trying to rebuild his career by drifting between Satellites and Challengers. In Monte Carlo ’93, as a player ranked 313, he managed to win three qualifying matches, then in the main draw he stunned two left-handed players, dropping just seven games before losing badly in the third round to his compatriot Jonas Svensson (always dangerous in French-speaking cities). It was Stenlund’s swan song. Another qualifier, 19-year-old Àlex Corretja [92], advanced to the quarterfinals and would go on to become one of the best clay-courters in the 90s.
The fourth leg of the Asian tour in South Korea did not attract big names. Seeded No. 1, Brett Steven was ranked 52. It was one of those events that created a great opportunity to get a maiden title, and Chuck Adams [90] took his chance. In 1992, he was more of a Challenger player, and the title in Seoul helped him enhance his status. In the years 1993-94, he would regularly play at the main level.

…Finals 2023…

Barcelona (ATP 500, clay outdoors)
(1)🇪🇸Carlos Alcaraz d. (2)🇬🇷Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4
Munich (ATP 250, clay outdoors)
(1)🇩🇰Holger Rune d. (4)🇳🇱Botic van de ZandSchulp 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(3) – 4 m.p.
Banja Luka (ATP 250, clay outdoors)
🇷🇸Dušan Lajović d. (2)🇷🇺Andrey Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4

…Finals 1993…

Monte Carlo ($1.4M, clay outdoors)
(11)🇪🇸Sergi Bruguera d. 🇫🇷Cédric Pioline 7-6(2), 6-0
Seoul ($175K, hard outdoors)
(8)🇺🇸Chuck Adams d. (5)🇦🇺Todd Woodbridge 6-4, 6-4

…2023…

After his early exit from the Aussie Open, the 11-time Monaco champion Rafael Nadal had announced that he would return to the tour within 6-8 weeks, leading many to speculate that Miami was a realistic option. However, Nadal did not appear in the United States and also skipped another Masters 1K event – his second favorite after Roland Garros. Along with Nadal, two other big names, Carlos Alcaraz (spine) and Félix Auger-Aliassime (left knee), were also missing from the Monte Carlo entry list… Novak Đoković returned to action, having not played officially in March due to being unvaccinated and unable to go to the USA; he lost a dramatic, rain-interrupted third round match to Lorenzo Musetti, who entered it having won 19 straight games… Andrey Rublev, an elite player since 2020, has finally captured a prestigious title. Although he had won many “ATP 500” titles, he had never conquered a Masters 1K event or advanced to a Grand Slam semifinal. In a dramatic final against Holger Rune, whom Rublev had defeated in a thrilling contest during this year’s Australian Open, Rublev came back from a point to avoid a double break in the deciding set. “I have tears,” Rublev said. “I don’t know what to say to be honest. I don’t know. I am just happy, finally. [I have] been struggling so much to win this freaking Masters 1000 tournament. Finally losing 1:4, Love-30, saving break point, thinking there is no chance to win, and somehow I did it.”
Rublev was not known for winning tight matches frequently, but he has had luck on his side since he overcame his compatriot Daniil Medvedev at ATP World Finals last year. Since then, he has won five matches when close to defeat, including three matches where he was down match points, and has not lost once when he put himself in a position to win the match. Additionally, his tie-break ratio has been excellent lately, with a record of 10-1.

…1993…

Mark-Kevin Goellner [95] was a new revelation of the season in southern France. The 22-year-old German (not spelled “Göllner” as he was born in Brazil) was virtually unknown prior to that week. He managed to reach his first ATP semifinal as a qualifier, and could be very happy facing one of the best players in the world, Stefan Edberg. Goellner had other ideas, though. He not only defeated Edberg but also shocked another legend of the game, Ivan Lendl, in the final, despite initially trailing 1-6, *1:2 (0/30). Goellner had a powerful serve, modern top-spin forehand, and nice variety in his game-style. He would notch another valuable results on clay soon, and many people thought of him as an upcoming star of the tour. However, it didn’t happen, as the year 1993 remained his best, despite playing professional tennis for another ten years.
It was an ideal scenario for tennis fans that just a week after the change of guards at the peak of men’s tennis, the two best players faced each other in the final to confirm or deny the new status. The freshly crowned Pete Sampras needed 2 hours 51 minutes to struggle past Jim Courier in Hong Kong. Despite almost three hours of play, there was just one break of serve which Sampras gained as he led 3:2 in the 1st set  (he didn’t face a break point). Courier saved a match point in the 12th game of the final set with a serve-and-volley action, but Sampras easily won the ensuing tie-break racing to a 4:0 lead. “I’ll be taking off a week now,” said the exhausted Sampras. “I’ll hang up the racket for a couple of days. I’m supposed to play in Atlanta on clay in eight days, but we’ll see how I feel.” Sampras also had a very tough match in the semifinal, he trailed *5:6 (0/30) in the 3rd set before overcoming the unpredictable Amos Mansdorf 2-6, 7-6, 7-6 (there were four breaks in the decider).
The first out of four clay-court events on American clay was won in North Carolina by Horacio de la Peña [140], who trailed *3:4 (15/40) in the deciding set of the final against another South American player. It was the fourth and last ATP title for the 27-year-old left-handed Argentinian, who would finish his career one year later. In the semifinal (7-6, 7-5), De la Peña fended off five set points in a 14/12 tie-break against Claudio Mezzadri – it lasted 1 hour 21 minutes, the longest tie-break set on the tour in the first half of the season that year.

…Finals 2023…

Monte Carlo (Masters 1K, clay outdoors)
(5)🇷🇺Andrey Rublev d. (6)🇩🇰Holger Rune 5-7, 6-2, 7-5

…Finals 1993…

Nice ($275K, clay outdoors)
(q)🇩🇪Mark-Kevin Goellner d. (5)🇺🇸Ivan Lendl 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
Hong Kong ($275K, hard outdoors)
(2)🇺🇸Pete Sampras d. (1)🇺🇸Jim Courier 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(2)
Charlotte ($275K, green clay outdoors)
🇦🇷Horacio de la Peña d. (3)🇵🇪Jaime Yzaga 3-6, 6-3, 6-4