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Hamad Hammers Home in Jeddah: Tennis Insights

Hamad Hammers Home in Jeddah: Tennis Insights

(November 26th - December 2nd Recap)

Courtside Tennis & Emmanuel Okosun
December 03, 2023

Question for you…

New Videos‼

What did you think about the whole drama surrounding the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin? Who were the biggest winners and losers? A couple of days back, we uploaded a video on what we thought about the tournament and everyone including the organizers. But it’s never complete without your input, so here’s the video.

Let us know what you think.

What Happened Last Week?

Next Gen ATP Finals

Top seed Arthur Fils, 2nd seed Luca Van Assche, 3rd seed Dominic Stricker, and 6th seed Hamad Medjedovic all made it out of the group stage. Stricker retired against Medjedovic in the first semi-final while Fils overcame Van Assche in 4 sets. Hamad Medjedovic then became the sixth champion at the 21-and-under event, capping off a remarkable breakthrough season. The Serbian ranked outside the top 100 defeated 36th-ranked Arthur Fils in a five-set thriller in front of a packed crowd in King Abdullah Sports City to lift the trophy in Jeddah.

The 20-year-old played aggressively, taking large cuts at the ball, and won 88% (61/69) of points on his first delivery and was able to convert his third match point after two hours and 11 minutes. Medjedovic’s victory was of national significance for Serbia taking into account that his compatriot, Novak Djokovic also had a great season before he clinched a record seventh Nitto ATP Finals crown in Turin earlier. Medjedovic took home a tournament-record $514,000 in prize money.

Ranking Update: The Biggest Movers Of The Week

The season is already over, so there are no changes in the ranking. The Next Gen Finals does not distribute ranking points for the players who took part in the tournament because the ATP doesn’t recognize it as an official Tour tournament. However, the matches do count towards the official win–loss season record. So despite winning the ATP Next Gen finals over 36th-ranked Arthur Fils, Hamad Medjedovic remains outside the top 100.

Major Tournament Updates

Saudi Exhibition

It’s a wrap for the year but luckily we don’t have to wait too long for more action. With Saudi Arabia broadening its inroads into professional tennis, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are set to play exhibition matches in Riyadh on December 27th while Aryna Sabalenka will face Ons Jabeur as part of Riyadh Season, a giant festival organized by the country’s General Entertainment Authority. But not every tennis fan is buying the idea of taking the sport to the country thought by some to be burnishing its public image with sports.

All players came under criticism for accepting the deal. Fans have an issue with the kingdom’s repressive rule. However, Alcaraz said he would not have any issue with playing there while Djokovic had previously stated that he welcomed Saudi Arabia’s investment in the sport. But what are your thoughts?

2024 Calendar

Meanwhile, the first week of 2024 will see the United Cup take place in Sydney, Australia. Also, two 250 events will be held at the Hong Kong Open and Brisbane International. We are particularly excited about the Brisbane International where Rafael Nadal will be looking to make his comeback. Holger Rune, Ben Shelton, Andy Murray, and Grigor Dimitrov are also set to compete at the event.

HOT TAKES

It is very unlikely that Rafael Nadal will be a contender for majors after spending a year away from the circuit. It just looks like a big ask from the Spaniard considering how much the field has changed and how the quality of play has increased. But there’s just one thing… We are talking about Rafa here; you just cannot count him out completely, especially on clay, so a Clay Masters title or one final Roland Garros title is still some possibility.

I’d also wager that Carlos Alcaraz’s recent string of losses will make him a much better player rather than the opposite. Some fans believe that players are starting to figure out the Spaniard’s game but I think that Carlitos will be even more motivated to work harder next year. The best is yet to come from the 20-year-old.

Holger Rune also admitted that he wants to force Novak into retirement by beating him more often. Other pundits believe that if the Next Gen can improve their quality and take more slams out of Djokovic’s reach, he might be forced into retirement. But I don’t think so.

Do you agree with these takes?

Watch Out For These Guys

Hamad Medjedovic

Inspired by Djokovic and coached by former world number 12 Viktor Troicki, Hamad Medjedovic is aiming to be the next Serbian star. The world number 110 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is the lowest-ranked champion in the tournament’s history. Medjedovic won three ATP Challenger Tour trophies this year and also reached tour-level semi-finals in Gstaad and Astana, so we expect that he will be beaming with a lot of confidence going into 2024. We all know that he is brutal on serve and attack but it will be interesting to see how he fares against players that can move him around the court a bit more. Here’s a tweet about Novak’s role in the youngster’s progress.

Arthur Fils

You get the feeling that Arthur Fils was not on his best level at the ATP Next Gen Finals final but there’s no doubt about the season he has had. Fils started 2023 without a tour-level win at 251 but finished at a career-high world number 36, which makes him one of the most improved players of the year. He also won his maiden tour-level title in Lyon in May and also reached the Antwerp final. 19-year-old Fils becomes the first French teenager to finish the season inside the Top 50 since then-19-year-olds Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils in 2005.

Off The Court

Krygios’ Interview With Piers Morgan

When not playing video games, you are likely to find Nick Krygios running commentaries or doing lots of interviews these days. But the biggest of them came when he jumped on the Piers Morgan Uncensored show that lasted almost an hour. We saw both parties settle their beef and share more insights into their personal lives. You can watch it here.

Fils Answers Rafa’s Call

The 19-year-old runner-up at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM in Jeddah, will remain in the Middle East for a practice week with Rafael Nadal at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Kuwait. Fils said in his post-match press conference that he was very excited to practice with one of the greatest players of all time and that he was looking forward to enjoying it.

The 2023 ATP Awards Nominees Announced

Who do you think wins the Comeback of the Year, Most Improved Player, Newcomer of the Year, Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, and Coach of the Year? Check out the full list of nominees here.

Trivia Of The Week

Did You Know?

Medjedovic hit a total of 69 aces during the ATP Next Gen Finals presented by NEOM. No player in tournament history has hit more aces at the event than the Serbian. Knowing that Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Stefanos Tsitsipas all won this tournament makes this achievement even more impressive.

Before we go, we’ll leave you with some of the best highlights of the week.