Defending champion Joao Fonseca in strong position as race to Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah heats up
ATP
With the 2025 ATP season past it's mid-point, the rising stars on Tour are starting to build momentum as the year-ending Next Gen ATP Finals looms.
Hosted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Next Gen ATP Finals will pit eight young, rising ATP stars against each other in a unique, fast-paced environment as they compete for the prestigious title. Previous champions have gone on to make a name for themselves on the ATP Tour, with the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz all prevailing in previous editions of the event.
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Mensik in pole position as season turns to North America
With only eight positions available, rising stars on Tour will have to showcase their best performances in order to acquire a spot at the end of the season. Czech star Jakub Mensik currently sits in first place with 1,880 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. The 19-year old reached the third round at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, falling to Italian Flavio Cobolli in straight sets.
Sitting in second place with 975 points is Brazilian wonderkid Joao Fonseca, who lifted the trophy at last year's event. The 18-year old has been one of the breakout stars of the season, and reached a career-best third round at last week's SW19 Grand Slam event.
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American Learner Tien is third with 600 points, after winning his first match at Wimbledon two weeks ago. Croatian Dino Prizmic and Belgian Alexander Blockx round out the top five, holding 272 and 259 points respectively. Both have reached finals on the ATP Challenger Tour in the past two weeks, with Prizmic lifting the title in Milan whereas Blockx finished runner-up at the ATP Challenger event in Winnipeg.
Rising young star Nishesh Basavareddy, who competed at last year's event, is in contention for a spot as he sits at sixth place. The American is competing at the ATP-level Los Cabos event this week, alongside Mexican Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, who also hopes to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah this year.
Teenage dream at just 18 🇧🇷
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2025
Joao Fonseca becomes the youngest man to reach the third round since 2011#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/R6HkrEHFVY
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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mandoist06-11-2026 - Enough of her bullshit. Go marry someone.
mandoist06-11-2026 - Don't you just love this young lady!? We fans often expect athletes to be supermen and superwomen, often forgetting that they WILL GET TIRED! I love Alex's perspective. Tiredness for an athlete should never be viewed as a negative, especially if you are healthy, taking care of your body and mental health and putting in the work. What a mature perspective. Good for you, Alex!Rapunzel05-11-2026
- Jess is absolutely correct! But the disrespect is a trait I have noticed in most of the Russian players. Mirra is good but very immature and lacks humility. Conceivable needs to get a handle on that!Rapunzel05-11-2026
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mandoist05-11-2026 - Okay... someone with a camera was EAVESDROPPING on a private conversation. Shouldn't that be the point of discussion here? Regardless of the sensationalist crap by media, Pegula (and anyone) has a right to an opinion. There used to be an expectation that private conversations were respected, regardless of 'stardom' and whatever other defensive excuses media tries to shove in our faces. Boo-hoo if feelings are hurt. BTW: Having been employed at various tourney venues, etc., I can't tell you how nasty and offensive players can be when discussing their opponents and colleagues... in "private". Well, I could, but won't. I also challenge anyone to deny what Jessica said is false.
mandoist05-11-2026 - Vacherot is Mongasque, rather than Swiss. The tournament was Swiss :DTrwd7702-11-2026
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mandoist31-10-2026 - Osaka's mental state apparently does not allow her to reach any more Quarter Finals? I mean, she doesn't really have the time for tennis with all the pre-planning that must go into her 12 year-old "fashion" goals.
mandoist29-10-2026 - With her money one would think she could afford a better team of Psychiatrists?
mandoist29-10-2026









