Category: Articles

Jasmine Paolini was once again Italy’s shining star as she led her country to back-to-back Billie Jean King Cup Finals — sealing a significant paycheck as a result.

Having beaten Slovakia to lift the title in 2024, Italy has become the first country since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its crown, dispatching the United States 2-0 to triumph inside the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center.

Having battled past hosts China and then Ukraine in tight quarter-final and semi-final ties, Italy could not have wished for a better start in this year’s final.

World No 91 Elisabetta Cocciaretto produced a stirring display to stun world No 18 Emma Navarro in the opening rubber, sealing a 6-4, 6-4 victory in fine style.

And, once again, it was Paolini who proved to be her nation’s anchorwoman, with the world No 8 defeating Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-2 to seal a memorable triumph in Shenzhen.

The two-time Grand Slam finalist, who has won all four of her rubbers in Shenzhen this week, joins Cocciaretto, Sara Errani, Lucia Bronzetti, Tyra Caterina Grant, and captain Tathiana Garbin in reigning supreme.

Victory is a sixth Billie Jean King Cup title for Italy, moving them to outright fourth in the all-time standings, ahead of Spain and Russia (five titles), and only behind the United States, Czechia, and Australia.

Despite having the greatest strength and depth in the women’s game, America’s wait for a record-extending 19th title continues, with no victory since 2017.

Tennis News

Katie Boulter remains ‘motivated’ as Great Britain crashes out of Billie Jean King Cup to the USA

Team Europe stunned as Carlos Alcaraz reacts to shock Taylor Fritz defeat at Laver Cup

Here, we look at what prize money was on offer for the likes of Paolini, Pegula, and the eight competing nations competing in the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals this year.

What prize money was on offer in Shenzhen?

According to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals website, a total prize money pool of $7,000,000 was available in Shenzhen this year.

That is down from the $9,600,000 that was on offer in 2024, though there were 12 teams at the Finals in 2024, compared to the eight this year.

However, the prize money for Italy is down from their 2024 triumph, when they were awarded $2,400,00 for their triumph.

This year, the team will split $2,000,000 among each member of the team, with no official ruling on how much each player should receive.

Having reached their first final since 2018, the United States team will split $1,300,000, down from the $1,400,000 2024 runners-up Slovakia earned.

The US team consisted of Pegula, Navarro, Hailey Baptiste, McCartney Kessler, Taylor Townsend, and captain Lindsay Davenport.

Semi-finalists Ukraine and Great Britain will split $850,000 between each member of their squad, while the four quarter-finalists — China, Kazakhstan, Japan, and Spain — will split $500,000 for reaching Shenzhen.

Champion: $2,000,000
Runner up: $1,300,000
Semi-finalists: $850,000
Quarter-finalists: $500,000
Total Finals prize money: $7,000,000

Read Next: Korea Open prize money & ranking points won by Swiatek, Alexandrova, Raducanu & co revealed

The post 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals prize money revealed after Italy’s historic triumph appeared first on Tennis365.

The Korea Open came to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday, with Iga Swiatek beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in a thrilling championship match to lift her third WTA Tour title of 2025.

Things were far from straightforward in a week greatly affected by rain disruptions, though action inside the Seoul Olympic Park National Tennis Centre was consistently high in quality, with a strong final to bring action to a close.

With the dust beginning to settle on the first notable tournament of this year’s Asian swing, we look at the prize money and ranking points won by the likes of Swiatek, Alexandrova, and the tournament’s other biggest names this week.

What prize money was won?

For her impressive run to the title, Swiatek takes home a staggering $164,000 for her efforts.

Meanwhile, runner-up Alexandrova is still taking home a significant chunk of prize money, with this year’s beaten finalist receiving $101,000.

Unseeded Maya Joint and qualifier Katerina Siniakova both defied the odds to impressively reach the semi-final of the event, and will be well-rewarded with $59,000 in winnings from the tournament.

Players beaten in the quarter-finals this year, including two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova and third seed Clara Tauson, have sealed a prize money payout of $28,695.

After spurning three match points in her second-round exit to Krejcikova, eighth seed Emma Raducanu saw her campaign come to an early end.

The Brit took home just $15,700 for her campaign, while players beaten in round one took home just $11,300 for falling at the first hurdle.

Champion: $164,000
Runner-up: $101,000
Semi-finalists: $59,000
Quarter-finalists: $28,695
Round 2: $15,700
Round 1: $11,300

Tennis News

Emma Raducanu set to play two additional tournaments on Asian swing

Victoria Mboko eyes Grand Slams as ‘the sky’s the limit’ after Canadian Open fairytale

What ranking points were won?

As WTA 500 event, there were unsurprisingly 500 ranking points available for whoever triumphed in Seoul this week.

For Swiatek, that will move her up to 8,433 points in the WTA Rankings, and closer to Aryna Sabalenka amid their battle for the world No 1 ranking.

Alexandrova takes home 325 ranking points, meaning she will remain at world No 11 with 3,258 points when the rankings update on Monday.

For their semi-final runs, Joint and Siniakova earn 195 ranking points, and will seal significant moves up the WTA Rankings as a result.

Joint is projected to rise 10 spots to a new career high of world No 36, while Siniakova is set to move up 15 places to world No 62.

Quarter-finalists Krejcikova, Tauson, Suzan Lamens, and Ella Seidel all take home 108 points for reaching the last eight in Korean capital.

That is particularly significant for qualifier Seidel, who is set to rise up 10 places to world No 95 in the WTA Rankings — the first time she has ever broken the top 100 — while Lamens is set to reach a new high of world No 57.

For her loss in the second round, Raducanu and every player beaten at that stage pick up 60 points in the WTA Rankings.

That is down from the 108 points the Brit won for reaching the quarter-final last season, though she will still rise one place to world No 32 on Monday.

Players beaten in round one pick up a solitary ranking point.

Champion: 500 points
Runner-up: 325 points
Semi-finalists: 195 points
Quarter-finalists: 108 points
Round 2: 60 points
Round 1: 1 point

Read Next: China Open: When is the draw? Prize money and points on offer for the likes of Swiatek, Gauff, Mboko, Raducanu

The post Korea Open prize money & ranking points won by Swiatek, Alexandrova, Raducanu & co revealed appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he was unable to produce the match he “expected” as a surprise loss to Taylor Fritz compiled a nightmare day for Team Europe at the Laver Cup.

World No 1 Alcaraz fell to a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 defeat to world No 5 Fritz inside the Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday, a first loss in four meetings against the American for the six-time Grand Slam champion.

After a successful doubles rubber alongside Jakub Mensik on Friday night, expectations were high for Alcaraz’s first singles match of this year’s Laver Cup, though his shock defeat — and the one-sided manner of it — added to Europe’s struggles on a day where Team World took full control.

Team World won all four rubbers contested on Saturday to move into a commanding 9-3 lead overall, starting with Alex de Minaur’s dominant win over Alexander Zverev to start the afternoon session.

That was followed by a straight-sets win for Francisco Cerundolo over Holger Rune in the second afternoon session match, before Alcaraz’s stunning loss to Fritz started night session action.

The day concluded with Team World finishing a perfect day, with Alex Michelsen and de Minaur defeating Rune and Casper Ruud in the concluding doubles.

On paper, Team World were underdogs in all three singles rubbers, though Fritz’s win over Alcaraz was undoubtedly the biggest story of the day.

And, speaking after the match, the Spaniard conceded that his opponent had played a more complete match when it came down to it.

Tennis News

John McEnroe heaps praise on Carlos Alcaraz: ‘Never seen a player this good at this age’

Joao Fonseca backed to do ‘incredible’ things by former world No 1 and Grand Slam champion

“It wasn’t the match I expected, but I must look at it a bit because I think he played great tennis,” said Alcaraz.

“I just wasn’t as solid as I wanted in the match, and these conditions are quite slow. The balls are very big, so I had to be solid, and I didn’t play that match today.

“I talked to Taylor, who played a great match, very solid, playing aggressively when he could. Everything went well for him, so I had to congratulate him and tell him that he played much better than me.

“He was more inside the court than me. The first or second shot of the exchange was very important, and he did much better than me. That was the key because in these conditions, the first shots are very important.

“When you defend, when you run on the court, it is very difficult to reverse the situation. Going on the attack is very complicated due to the balls and the conditions, which are very slow. He was more aggressive than me. He did the first shots much better than me, and I ran more than him.”

Laver Cup action this week is the first time Alcaraz has played since he returned to world No 1, following his US Open triumph two weeks ago.

Twelve months ago, Alcaraz was the standout performer of the Laver Cup in Berlin, winning an array of ties to help Team Europe regain their title — just weeks after losing in the US Open in round two.

Despite suggestions that his deep US Open run and the pressure of the world No 1 ranking may have impacted him, Alcaraz claimed that he only felt pressure because of Team Europe’s losses early in the day.

He added: “Today I felt I had to win the point because of how the day was going, so with the two losses, I felt I had to win my match.

“There was a bit of extra pressure because of how the tie was going, but not because I’m the world number one. The ranking is just a number.

“It shouldn’t give you the pressure to have to win everything. With the two losses, I felt a bit of extra pressure.”

Team Europe’s nightmare second day means that they will need to win all four rubbers on Sunday if they want to successfully defend their title.

Trailing 9-3, with three points available in every rubber, a victory in every clash is the only way in which they can top the 13 points required to triumph.

In contrast, Team World needs just two victories to reach 13 points, though the tournament could end with a 12-12 draw if World wins just one rubber and Europe wins the remaining three.

Alcaraz is currently set to play twice on Sunday, starting with a doubles tie alongside Ruud, the European duo taking on Michelsen and Reilly Opelka.

If Team Europe have not already secured victory, he will then return in the third match of the day to take on Cerundolo.

Read Next: Carlos Alcaraz set to destroy Novak Djokovic record in predicted $300m career prize money total

The post Team Europe stunned as Carlos Alcaraz reacts to shock Taylor Fritz defeat at Laver Cup appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu is set for an extended stay in Asia as she has added two more tournaments to her schedule with her name featuring on the entry list for the Ningbo Open and the Pan Pacific Open.

The British No 1 was initially only confirmed for the three events as she kicked off her campaign with the Korea Open this week before moving to China for the two WTA 1000 events, the China Open and the Wuhan Open.

The 22-year-old had 108 points to defend in Seoul as she reached the quarter-final last year, but she lost in the second round against two-time Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova as the Czech saved three match points in the second set before winning the deciding set.

Despite her failure to replicate her success from 12 months ago, the damage in the WTA Rankings is not too big as she has moved up one place in the Live Rankings to No 32 and there is further good news.

Raducanu didn’t play in Beijing and Wuhan last year so she doesn’t have any points to defend, while she will also be seeded at the China Open, giving her a bye into the second and helping her to avoid other seeds in the second round.

With only the top 16 players seeded in the 56-player Wuhan Open, Raducanu won’t have that protection at the second WTA 1000 event, but she will once again have a “free hit” with no points to defend.

That will also be the case at her next two tournaments, the Ningbo Open and the Pan Pacific Open.

Raducanu was due to play in the WTA 500 Ningbo event last year, but withdrew after picking up a foot injury and she also withdrew from the Guangzhou Open and Hong Kong Open.

But she is now set to make her debut in Ningbo with the tournament running from October 13-19 before heading to Tokyo, Japan, for the Pan Pacific Open from October 20-26 with her name added to the entry list on the organisers’ official website.

WTA News

China Open entry list: Who is top seed with Aryna Sabalenka out? Is Emma Raducanu seeded? Will Alex Eala play?

Points being defended by Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Raducanu & co in rest of 2025

A couple of deep runs at the four tournaments and Raducanu could well finish the 2025 WTA Tour inside the top 25 of the WTA Rankings, which will lead to her being seeded at the 2026 Australian Open.

Getting a lot of matches under her belt before the end of the year will also do her well, according to her former coach Mark Petchey.

Raducanu is set for her most productive season in terms of tournaments and matches as the Korea Open was her 19th event of the year with her win-loss record 27–19.

If she plays in Beijing, Wuhan, Ningbo and Tokyo, she will finish on 23 tournaments with her previous best for a season 18.

“She’s of the opinion that playing matches is a good thing and her body’s held up well this year. She’s in great nick,” Petchey told tennis betting site BetVictor. “That has obviously been a concern in the past and she’s over that hump.

“For me, I’m a big believer in playing matches. I just think that the more you play, the more you lose any kind of sense of fear of going out in the first round all the time.

“You get so much data for the practice courts. That’s what she’s needed at this stage, and that’s what she’s gained this year.

“This year my goal was always to try and get her to play as much as possible and get those wins, get herself to understand where she needs to work.

“There’ll be a time when she can shave the schedule and not play as many tournaments again. But to be fair, the schedule doesn’t really allow you to, you need to be able to work on your game on the tour.”

The post Emma Raducanu set to play two additional tournaments on Asian swing appeared first on Tennis365.

The 2025 China Open marks the penultimate WTA 1000 event on the 2025 tennis calendar and Coco Gauff will return to defend her title, but she will not be the top seed in Beijing.

The China Open – which will be staged for a 26th time on the WTA Tour – will take place from September 24 until October 4 at the National Tennis Center, which hosted the tennis event during the 2008 Beijing Games, with the 15,000-seater Diamond Court the main showcourt.

With world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka absent due to injury, world No 2 Swiatek will be the top seed with Gauff seeded second. The top 32 players in the draw will be seeded and they will all have a bye into the second round of the 96-player main draw event.

The China Open is the penultimate WTA 1000 event of the 2025 WTA Tour calendar with the Wuhan Open the 10th and final event.

Five of the six 2025 WTA 1000 champions will be in action with Amanda Anisimova (Qatar), Mirra Andreeva (Dubai and Indian Wells), Jasmine Paolini (Rome), Victoria Mboko (Canada) and Swiatek (Cincinnati) will be seeded. Sabalenka won in Miami and Madrid.

As for former champions, Gauff (2024), Swiatek (2023) and Naomi Osaka (2019) have won the tournament.

When is the draw for the China Open?

The main draw is set for Monday, September 22, before first-round action gets underway two days later with the final set for Saturday, October 4.

Points on offer at the China Open

There are a lot of points on offer available at WTA 1000 points with only the four Grand Slams and season-ending WTA Finals offering more points to those competing.

Of course, players will drop/defend points from the corresponding period in 2024 as the WTA uses a rolling 52-week, cumulative system to determine the WTA Rankings.

WTA News

Aryna Sabalenka v Iga Swiatek battle No 1 spot in WTA Rankings: Could Pole return to top after Asian swing?

The youngest players to win WTA titles in 2025: Teenagers 7-0 in finals as Andreeva and Mboko feature

Example: Gauff is the defending champion so she will drop the points she earned last year at the start of the tournament, but will then earn ranking points for every win at the 2025 edition.

Full points breakdown:
First round: 10 points
Second round: 35 points
Third round: 65 points
Round of 16: 120 points
Quarter-finalists: 215 points
Semi-finalists: 390 points
Runner-up: 650 points
Champion: 1,000 points

Prize money at the China Open

Gauff walked away with a cheque of $1,100,000 when she won the 2024 China Open while runner-up Karolina Muchova earned $585,000.

The prize money for the 2025 tournament has increased at all levels and the women will once again earn more than the men, who will play at the ATP China Open at the same time, as their event is only an ATP 500 tournament.

The WTA champion will receive $1,124,380 with the runner-up earning $597,890.

Full prize money breakdown:
First round: $23,760
Second round: $35,260
Third round: $60,400
Round of 16: $103,225
Quarter-finalists: $189,075
Semi-finalists: $332,160
Runner-up: $597,890
Champion: $1,124,380

The post China Open: When is the draw? Prize money and points on offer for the likes of Swiatek, Gauff, Mboko, Raducanu appeared first on Tennis365.

Aryna Sabalenka’s withdrawal from the China Open has opened the door for Iga Swiatek to return to No 1, but she faces an uphill battle during the Asian swing.

Following the successful title defence at the US Open at the start of September, Sabalenka maintained her dominant lead at the top of the WTA Rankings as she finished the North American hard-court campaign with a 3,292-point lead over Swiatek with Coco Gauff another 59 points adrift in third place.

With only two WTA 1000 events remaining on the calendar, Sabalenka looked set to keep the No 1 ranking until the season-ending WTA Finals, but the four-time Grand Slam winner then announced her withdrawal from the China Open to add a slight twist to the plot.

WTA Rankings Before Asian Swing

1. Sabalenka – 11,225
2. Swiatek – 7,933
3. Gauff – 7,874

With Swiatek in action at the Korea Open, there is an opportunity for her to replace Sabalenka at the top at the end of the current swing, but her chances are pretty slim as she needs a perfect record.

The reigning Wimbledon champion’s hopes are also boosted by the fact that she doesn’t have any points to defend up until the WTA Finals she missed last year’s Asian campaign due to her suspension, while Sabalenka will drop 215 points after the China Open following her withdrawal.

WTA News

China Open entry list: Who is top seed with Aryna Sabalenka out? Is Emma Raducanu seeded? Will Alex Eala play?

How Olympic exploits of Iga Swiatek’s father are inspiring Korea Open campaign

The Belarusian is also the defending champion at the Wuhan Open so will drop another 1,000 points, but of course she will have a chance to earn points again with each win at the tournament.

Sabalenka – who has been top since October last year – will effectively be on 10,010 points at the start of the Wuhan Open once the 215 and 1,000 points drop so that is the minimum target for Swiatek.

Can Swiatek get there?

The short answer is yes, it is mathematically possible, but the long answer is that it is highly unlikely she will finish ahead of Sabalenka as she will need to have a near-perfect record in her next three tournaments.

Swiatek is currently in action at the WTA 500 Korea Open and will then compete at the WTA 1000 China Open and WTA 1000 Wuhan Open. She needs to win at least three tournaments and reach the latter stages of a third.

If Swiatek wins the two WTA 1000 events she will be on 9,993 and will then need to make it to the quarter-final in Korea for 108 points to move to 10,041. If she wins the Seoul title and one WTA 1000 event, she will need to reach the final of the second WTA 1000 tournament.

For now, Sabalenka is the clear favourite to head to the WTA Finals as the No 1 where both players have 400 points to defend.

There is also a chance that the WTA’s controversial WTA 500 rule could have an impact as neither Sabalenka and Swiatek has entered a mandatory six WTA 500 events this year.

Players who fail to adhere to the rule will lose ranking points and you can read the full explainer here…

The post Aryna Sabalenka v Iga Swiatek battle No 1 spot in WTA Rankings: Could Pole return to top after Asian swing? appeared first on Tennis365.

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ participation in the upcoming Six Kings Slam is reportedly “uncertain” after he underwent hernia surgery on Thursday.

The Greek was himself a late replacement after Jack Draper withdrew from injury but now the substitute is also in doubt, with local publication Tennis24 saying he had surgery which could keep him out for up to six weeks.

The Greek website reports that Tsitsipas “underwent lower back surgery to address the problem that had been troubling him recently,” one which “was causing him severe pain and difficulties in matches and training.”

Tsitsipas recently pulled out of the China Open, which made his appearance at the Saudi Arabian exhibition tournament a surprise, although Tennis24 suggests he is not certain to miss it.

The surgery has a recovery time of two to six weeks, with the tournament set to begin on October 15. The report suggested his presence was “uncertain” but “it is not out of the question that the 27-year-old ace will make his comeback at this major event.”

The non-ATP sanctioned event has enticed the world’s best players, all with the promise of a guaranteed $1.5m just for taking part. The winner receives $4.5m, meaning the likes of Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner could earn a significant prize pot for a relatively small number of matches.

MORE NEWS ON T365

Why ‘faster’ Jannik Sinner is ‘the biggest example’ of key change from Nadal, Federer and Djokovic era

Roger Federer names which two tennis legends helped save the Laver Cup

Last year, Sinner won £4.8 million for playing just three matches as he defeated Alcaraz in the final. Those two, alongside Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz, will take part in the 2025 edition set to run from October 15 to 18. Should Tsitsipas be forced to withdraw, it remains to be seen who the tournament organisers plan to replace him with.

Earlier this month, US streaming giant Netflix announced they had acquired the rights to the tournament, offering ‘unparalleled access with over 20 cutting-edge cameras.’

The tournament, though, has been criticised by many voices who point to Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, in particular surrounding gender inequality, while Andy Murray has been one of the few players to have negative comments about it.

Following a trailer that teased last year’s tournament with the players dressed up in costumes, Murray responded to fellow player Liam Broady’s claim that he “would watch this movie. 10/10” by saying: “Except it’s not a movie and you won’t watch it because it’s an exhibition tennis event that nobody cares about.”

Read next: Carlos Alcaraz set to destroy Novak Djokovic record in predicted $300m career prize money total

The post 6 Kings Slam player ‘out for up to six weeks’ and could miss tournament after surgery appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz is on course to obliterate Novak Djokovic’s prize money record and could earn over $150m more than the Serbian great.

Djokovic is the all-time top earner in men’s tennis history, with his 22 years on the ATP Tour so far having earned him $190,194,053, almost $60m more than second-place Rafa Nadal.

But, as inflation continues, the new generation are earning more and more, with the likes of Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev ahead of all-time greats in the form of Pete Sampras.

However, there are two indications of who are set to surpass the record and then some, and in this piece, we will be focusing on the recently crowned 2025 US Open champion – Carlos Alcaraz.

How we worked out Carlos Alcaraz’s predicted earnings

While we are not (yet) able to predict the future with 100% accuracy, there are some clues we can take when it comes to predicting Alcaraz’s future.

If we look at his career so far, the Spaniard has earned $53,486,628 during a career which is coming up to the end of its sixth season on the tour.

In that time, he has won 23 ATP Tour singles titles, which means he earned approximately $2,325,505 per title. But of course, players come into their peaks later on, so if we take only since Alcaraz won his first Slam in 2022, that figure becomes $2,331,314 per title or $12,822,229 per season.

Now, with the past sorted, it is time to look forward, and there is a reasonable expectation that Alcaraz could play at this level for over a decade. If we look at the careers of Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic, all three were winning Slams at a consistent rate up until the age of 35, when there was an inevitable slowing down.

Of course, the reason behind that slowing down differs—from injury in the case of Nadal and Federer to the rise of two generational talents for Djokovic.

So if we use the Big Three as an example, we could expect Alcaraz to continue at a similar rate from now until he is 35, which would be the 2039 season.

Next, we come to inflation, which has a huge influence on tennis prize money. An example of this is Zverev, who has never won a Grand Slam, having earned $11,412,170 more than Sampras, who is fourth in the all-time Slam record.

Predicting inflation is tricky and something best left for people far smarter than us, so to give us a best guess, we have used the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which provides inflation predictions in the UK. According to them, inflation is set to be around 2.1% in 2026 and at 2% for every year beyond that.

Again, it is worth stressing that these are predictions, and aspects like the war in Ukraine or the COVID pandemic have shown how hard it is to predict these things. But, without a crystal ball, we can use the OBR’s data to guide us.

How much will Carlos Alcaraz earn in his entire career?

Using all that data and making assumptions that Alcaraz’s career will continue as it is now and he will be saved from a major injury or a drop in form, if he played until the 2042 season, when he would be 38, by the end of his career he would have earned $312,933,532.

That figure would see him easily beat Djokovic and, as things stand, it is $122,739,479 more than the Serbian.

His most profitable years would come towards the end of his career, when inflation means he could be earning on average $16m per season.

Of course, this number could go up or down depending on Alcaraz’s form, but even if there was a sharp drop-off, it is hard to see how he does not overtake all of the Big Three at some point.

When will Carlos Alcaraz overtake each of the Big Three?

As to when he overtakes each player, that can also be predicted.

Roger Federer ended his career on a total of $130,594,339, which, by our calculations, Alcaraz could reach towards the end of the 2031 season when he would be just 27 years old.

Next would be Nadal, who ended on $134,946,100. By our calculations, Alcaraz will also overtake his fellow Spaniard in 2031 and is estimated to end that year on $135,586,261.

Djokovic, though, would take a few more years. The Serbian’s current tally of $190,194,053 would be reached by Alcaraz midway through the 2035 season, when he would be 31 years old.

MORE ON CARLOS ALCARAZ ON T365

Carlos Alcaraz handed enticing doubles partner as he stars on opening day of Laver Cup

Japan Open entry list: Carlos Alcaraz the favourite, draw date, prize money and ranking points on offer

Carlos Alcaraz set for record-breaking career

There are a number of things going in Alcaraz’s favour when it comes to catching the impressive record of the Big Three, and it would take quite the drop-off for him to fail to match their tallies.

For starters, he has time on his side at 22, and the US Open win was his sixth Slam. Federer, at the age of 23, had only won three major Slams, and only Nadal and Bjorn Borg had six titles before the age of 23.

Alcaraz also has inflation on his side, as every title he wins is more valuable financially than the Big Three’s were.

There is also the two-horse race factor, in that while Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer were taking titles off each other, at the moment it looks like Sinner and Alcaraz will be sharing the Slams for years to come.

All of this suggests that Alcaraz looks a sure bet to surpass the Big Three in terms of prize money, the only question is: will he also beat his Italian rival?

Read next: Rising star at Rafa Nadal Academy reveals support from Rafael Nadal

The post Carlos Alcaraz set to destroy Novak Djokovic record in predicted $300m career prize money total appeared first on Tennis365.

World No.67 Pedro Martinez believes tennis has become much more “direct” and said that Jannik Sinner was the “biggest example” of how the sport has changed since the era of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

The so-called ‘Big Three’ dominated tennis for decades, winning 66 of 83 Grand Slam titles between 2003 and 2023, but with just Djokovic left, the game has moved on a lot since they were on the court.

The next generation is being led by Sinner and his rival Carlos Alcaraz but ATP Tour player Martinez believes the sport itself has changed, with play being a lot more “flat” and “direct.”

“I think everything is going faster,” Martinez exclusively told Tennis365.com. “Most of the players, they play good with the backhand, with the forehand, and they play flat, normally direct tennis.

“You don’t see as many rallies or a lot of changes in the speed of the ball. You don’t see that much the slice. Players are going much more to the net so it’s becoming more fast and then it’s flat. Within four or five shots, and the point is done.”

On this new style, Martinez believes that Sinner is the biggest example of a player looking to end a point early with power and pace.

“So you see Sinner, that’s the biggest example of the modern style,” he said.

“So you have to be prepared for that and to be ready to be fast on the first balls. I think that’s the most important thing.

“Before you could see like more tactics. People were building more points, opening the court, playing high to the backhand and to the other, then stepping in.

“Now it’s so fast. That’s the biggest change. Myself I like to play more like before.”

MORE ON SINNER ON T365

Bjorn Borg’s verdict on Jannik Sinner drug test scandal as he discusses doping in tennis
Roger Federer identifies the moment Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner started their own era
Shocking Jannik Sinner statistics confirm he is outside top 50 in key rankings

Players are also asked to feature in an increasing number of tournaments but Martinez believes they can also be smart about choosing which ones to play in.

“I play a lot of tournaments, but I didn’t play a lot of matches,” he said. “So I think it’s something that you have to choose.

“Maybe if you play well in one tournament and you play five matches, it’s more in one week than maybe you play five tournaments and you don’t play well, and in five weeks you play six matches. So it’s not that much at all.

“But now with the two-week Masters 1000, the calendar is longer. More days in the tournaments but I mean you can choose if you want to play or not. You can prepare for some tournaments. You can practice. It’s something that you have to choose.

“There are some mandatory tournaments you have to go. Maybe you can skip one or two of them, you get some penalties, but then it’s in your hands to choose which 500 you want to play.”

Read next: Roger Federer admits he is ‘surprised’ by the staggering scale of his biggest business deal

The post Why ‘faster’ Jannik Sinner is ‘the biggest example’ of key change from Nadal, Federer and Djokovic era appeared first on Tennis365.

The 2025 China Open marks the penultimate WTA 1000 event on the 2025 tennis calendar and Coco Gauff will return to defend her title, but she will not be the top seed in Beijing.

This year marks the 26th edition of the China Open on the WTA Tour calendar with Serena Williams winning the inaugural 2004 edition when it was still a Tier II event while in 2009 it was upgraded to a WTA Premier Mandatory with Svetlana Kuznetsova lifting the trophy.

Following the WTA tournament rebranding in 2020, the China Open and other WTA Premier Mandatory events were renamed WTA 1000 events, but the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it only returned in 2023 with Iga Swiatek crowned champion.

The WTA event will be staged from September 24 until October 4 at the National Tennis Center in Beijing – with the main showcourt the Diamond Court holding 15,000 fans – and here we give you all the other important information about the players.

How many players will feature at the China Open?

The WTA 1000 event is a 96-player singles draw event with the top-32 entrants receiving seeded status.

Eight players have received wildcards, four players have entered using their protected ranking, 12 gain entry via the qualifying tournament while the rest enter through their position in the WTA Rankings.

All eight wildcards have gone to Chinese players with Yuan Yue – No 102 – the highest-ranked player, while Bianca Andreescu and Caty McNally are among the players to use their protected ranking to enter.

WTA News

Emma Raducanu spurns major Korea Open opportunity as star misses match points in loss

Aryna Sabalenka makes shock withdrawal as world No 1 battle set to heat up

Any withdrawals and replacements?

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka is the biggest name to withdraw from the event as she is struggling with a minor injury and she has been replaced by Alex Eala in the main draw.

Danielle Collins and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are also out with Iva Jovic – who won her maiden tournament recently at the Guadalajara Open – and Solana Sierra their replacements.

Who are the top seeds?

With Sabalenka not playing, world No 2 Swiatek will go into P1 in the draw with defending champion Coco Gauff headlining the bottom half of the draw as the second seed.

The top two are followed by Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Zheng Qinwen, Elena Rybakina and Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Is Emma Raducanu seeded?

The answer is yes.

Raducanu currently sits at No 33 in the WTA Rankings, but Sabalenka’s withdrawal means she moves up one place to No 32 and earn the final seeding position.

2025 China Open entry list

1. Iga Swiatek (2​)
2. Coco Gauff (3)
3. Amanda Anisimova (4)
4. Mirra Andreeva (5)
5. Madison Keys (6)
6. Jessica Pegula (7)
7. Jasmine Paolini (8)
8. Zheng Qinwen (9)
9. Elena Rybakina (10)
10. Ekaterina Alexandrova (11)
11. Clara Tauson (12)
12. Elina Svitolina (13)
13. Naomi Osaka (14)
14. Karolina Muchova (15)
15. Daria Kasatkina (16)
16. Belinda Bencic (17)
17. Emma Navarro (18)
18. Diana Shnaider (19)
19. Paula Badosa (20)
20. Liudmila Samsonova (21)
21. Elise Mertens (22)
22. Victoria Mboko (23)
23. Jeļena Ostapenko (24)
24. Beatriz Haddad Maia (25)
25. Marta Kostyuk (26)
26. Veronika Kudermetova (27)
27. Leylah Fernandez (28)
28. Linda Nosková (29)
29. Sofia Kenin (30)
30. Anna Kalinskaya (31)
31. Dayana Yastremska (32)
33. Emma Raducanu (34)
Magdalena Frech
Xinyu Wang
Rebecca Sramkova
Magda Linette
Ashlyn Krueger
Olga Danilovic
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Mccartney Kessler
Tatjana Maria
Maya Joint
Marie Bouzkova
Lois Boisson
Hailey Baptiste
Katie Boulter
Donna Vekic
Jaqueline Cristian
Sonay Kartal
Laura Siegemund
Anastasia Potapova
Peyton Stearns
Yulia Putintseva
Alycia Parks
Lucia Bronzetti
Ann Li
Eva Lys
Marketa Vondrousova
Barbora Krejcikova
Camila Osorio
Maria Sakkari
Kamilla Rakhimova
Suzan Lamens
Polina Kudermetova
Yuliia Starodubtseva
Antonia Ruzic
Elena-gabriela Ruse
Sorana Cirstea
Viktorija Golubic
Iva Jovic
Solana Sierra
Alex Eala

Protected Rankings
Bianca Andreescu (PR)
Anastasija Sevastova (PR)
Caty Mcnally (PR)
Yafan Wang (PR)

Wildcards
Guo Hanyu
Shi Han
Wang Xiyu
Wei Sijia
Yuan Yue
Zhang Ruien
Zhang Shuai
Zhu Lin

The post China Open entry list: Who is top seed with Aryna Sabalenka out? Is Emma Raducanu seeded? Will Alex Eala play? appeared first on Tennis365.