Breakthroughs

ATP

One to Watch

With Murray and Nadal’s generation winding down, the next crop of young hopefuls are rising up, including young Frenchman Arthur Fils. The 20 year old has quietly and quickly climbed the rankings to reach a career-high of 20 in the world.

His recent triumph at the Hamburg Open, where he outplayed 2023 champion Alexander Zverev, marked his first ATP 500 title. Fils is now the third man this century to win Hamburg before turning 21, joining the pretty boy club of Roger Federer and Lorenzo Musetti.

You’re going to see a lot more of Fils in the coming years, so let’s get to know him a bit better:

👔 Likes the fashion of Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton. Takes inspiration from him.

👨🏽 Coached by former pros Sebastian Grosjean and Sergi Bruguera

Fun Fact: Bruguera has winning records against both Pete Sampras and Roger Federer

🇫🇷 Enjoys spending time in Paris, where he recommends visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysees and the Louvre (never heard of ‘em).

Trivia

The names Court, Laver, Lenglen, and Armstrong all have what in common? They all:

A. Have tournaments named after them

B. Have grand slam stadiums named after them

C. Have trophies named after them

D. Have drinks at grand slams named after them

Find out at the bottom!

In Case You Missed It

A statistician and airport employee walk into Wimbledon

It’s 2016 and you’re on the sidelines at Wimbledon, working as a Statistician. You’re buzzin’ off of a Pimm’s cup (because why not?), with a soft grin on your face as you enjoy the world’s best compete. Fast forward eight years, and you’re lifting a trophy above your head as a Grand Slam champion.

Minus the drinking on the job, this is the story of Henry Patten, who together with Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, won this year’s Wimbledon Men’s Doubles title. The pair won 7-6(7), 6-7(8), 7-6(9) in a dramatic final, saving three championship points along the way. Their cinderella run also included wins over this year’s French Open champions, and last year’s Wimbledon winners.

If you’re wondering, Patten didn’t just trade in his laptop for a racket after the 2016 Wimbledon. He was a standout Division 1 player for UNC Asheville, where he compiled a 60-9 singles record, and was a three-time Big South Player of the Year. That said, this was his first Wimbledon ever.

Heliovaara has an equally astounding story. The Fin stopped playing tennis 11 years ago due to an injury. He then earned a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree from Aalton University in a bit less than four years and worked at Helsinki Airport at 5 a.m. each morning to serve as a passenger guide. He made his comeback to the ATP tour 2017 and has since won seven tour-level doubles titles.

This short highlight video doesn’t do the drama of the final match justice, but is worth the watch.

Around the Net

More News, Memes and Throwbacks

• Olympic Squad (W): Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro and Desirae Krawczyk will represent Team USA

• Olympic Squad (M): Taylor Fritz, Christopher Eubanks, Marcos Giron, Tommy Paul, Austin Krajicek and their chaperone Rajeev Ram will represent Team USA

• Andy Murray announced that he will retire after playing in the Olympics. This will be the fifth Olympic Games for the two time gold medalist.

• After watching what Alcaraz could already do at age 13, it’s no wonder the kid has already been No. 1 in the world

• After taking a fall, Quentin Halys hit a ridiculous shot from the ground in what was easily the shot of the week.

Answer

B. Have grand slam stadiums named after them

The Beautiful Game

In this new section, I’ll feature the most beautiful tennis courts around the world! If you have any photos that you’d like to be featured, you can send them to this email or text it to (425) 463-9820. This week we’re in Italy 🇮🇹

Il San Pietro di Positano (Amalfi Coast, Italy)

Better bring more than one can of balls. One shank over the fence and you’re toast.