This week, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) will monopolize the spotlight of world tennis with the celebration of the Next Gen ATP Finals 2025, the last tournament of the tennis season in which eight of the greatest talents in the king of racket sports They will fight for a title that Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas already won in their day.
Last year, Joao Fonseca He became the champion with the lowest ranking in the history of the tournament, winning all his matches, which are played in the best of five sets to four games each set. The groups for this edition have already been drawn, and the eight tennis players, all of them under 20 years old, will try to establish themselves as the biggest diamond in the rough in the world of world tennis. These will be the protagonists in Saudi lands:
1. Learner Tien
The American tennis player He is the great favorite to win the test being the only one capable of winning qualifying rounds in Grand Slams and having, despite his young age, with 66 matches behind him on the ATP circuit.
He was runner-up in the Next Gen Finals in 2024 and this year he broke down the door, achieving his first professional title in the ATP 250 in Metza tournament that was held under the same conditions as the one in Jeddah (covered hard court). Anything other than seeing him lift the title would be a surprise, since it has already broken the barrier of the top 30 in the ranking (it is currently 28th).
2. Alexander Blockx
The Belgian, former junior number one and champion of the Australian Open in that category in 2023, will be the first representative of his country in the history of the event. With his 1.93 meters tallstands out for his aerial power and his relationship with sports is genetic, since his father was an athlete specialized in hurdle races and his mother was a swimmer. This 2025, he has achieved two titles on the Challenger circuit and his first victory in a Masters 1,000, specifically in Paris against Marcos Girón. Currently, it is 116th in the world.
3. Dino Prizmic
The Croatian, who made himself known to the world at the 2024 Australian Open against Novak Djokovic, has also managed to bite the bullet twice this season on the Challenger circuit. Known among young promises for being the junior Roland Garros champion in 2023this season he has signed a 4-4 record on the professional circuit. It achieved its best ranking last September, when he reached 115th in the world after reaching the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 in Umagbut currently occupies position 128.
4. Martin Landaluce
One of the great promises of Spanish tennis who will debut this week at the Next Gen Finals after being a reserve last year. He will do it after having trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy with the intention of playing metalas his coach declared Oscar Burrieza in an interview for ATP.
He was US Open junior champion in 2022number one in the world in the aforementioned category a year later and arrives at the tournament after passing the qualifying phase of the Australian Open, reaching the second round of the Cincinnati Masters 1,000 and conquering the Orleans Challenger. Currently, he is 134th in the world ranking.
5. Nicolai Budkov
The young Norwegian, who has received the tutelage of his compatriot Casper Ruud on numerous occasionsarrives in Jeddah after having a remarkable 2025 in which he has won four Challenger titles. He was junior Wimbledon champion in 2024 and this year he made his debut with his country in the group stage of the Davis Cupsecuring two victories in the group stage against Chinese Taipei. Land on Saudi lands like the 136º of the world.
6. Nishesh Basavareddy
The American will repeat his presence in these Finals after not being able to get past the group stage in 2024. This year, he reached the semifinals of the ATP 250 in Auckland and managed to rise to 99th position in the ranking in June (he is currently 167th). Arrive at the appointment under the guidance of Gilles Cervara, who was Daniil Medvedev’s coach for eight seasons.
7. Rafael Jodar
The other promise of Spanish tennis, champion of the US Open junior in 2024, won the ticket at the last minute after a course in which he has won three Challenger titles while he combines his career with the racket at the University of Virginia (USA).
Settled in the top 200 (he is 168th) and in the Grand Slam previews, he will make his debut in the tournament alongside Landaluce, with whom he grew up training at the Chamartín Tennis Club. Awarded the AS Promesa Award last year, the man from Madrid recently recognized this medium that no goal is set for the future“just enjoy tennis.”
8. Justin Engel
The German, known for his striking daily diet of a giant pot of porridge and between eight and ten scrambled eggs, He arrives at the event after having the best season of his short career. He lifted the Hamburg Challenger, reached the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 in Stuttgart and became the second youngest tennis player in history to achieve a victory on all three surfaces at 17 years and 8 months old. only surpassed by Rafa Nadal.
The one from Nuremberg, who also frequently plays basketball and practices kickboxing, He will go to Jeddah as the lowest ranked player (187th) occupying the place of Jakub Mensikwho fell out of the test for “medical reasons.”
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