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Elena Rybakina has revealed that no players have offered her any support over the ban of her controversial coach Stefano Vukov.

It was revealed at the start of the year that the WTA had provisionally suspended Vukov pending an investigation into a breach of their code of conduct.

This came following Rybakina‘s announcement that Vukov would re-join her team just months after parting ways with the Croatian prior to last year’s US Open. The Russian-born Kazakh was coached by Vukov from February 2019 to August 2024.

The WTA confirmed last week that Vukov will remain suspended from coaching Rybakina in an official capacity, with The Athletic reporting it is a one-year ban.

In a statement, the WTA said: “The WTA confirms that the independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA Code of Conduct by Stefano Vukov has concluded.

“Following this process, the suspension remains in place. To protect the confidentiality and integrity of the investigation and its findings, the WTA will not provide further details.

“We remain committed to ensuring that all matters are handled in a fair and objective manner in accordance with the WTA Code of Conduct.”

The Athletic has also reported shocking details of the “mental abuse” Rybakina was subjected to from Vukov and revealed the pair’s relationship was described as “toxic” by the WTA’s chief executive Portia Archer.

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The 25-year-old has repeatedly said that Vukov “has never mistreated” her since the news of the investigation broke last month.

Rybakina is currently in action at the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai, where she defeated world No 62 Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 6-2 in her opening match.

Speaking in her press conference after her victory, Rybakina reiterated that she is not happy with the situation as she addressed whether any of her fellow players had reached out to her.

“It’s very disappointing the way it’s been handled, just the outcome,” the world No 7 said.

“No one offered any support. Honestly don’t need [it]. There is couple players I’m in touch [with] more. But to say that I have very, very close friends on tour, it’s I think not true just because we competing against each other. Everybody’s surrounded by their teams.

“I have a couple of good friends, let’s say. But again, it’s all depends on time, how much you can spend outside or not.”

The 2022 Wimbledon winner added: “I need to focus on my tournament. It’s what I’m trying to do. Yeah, hopefully I can just keep on playing, keep on winning.”

READ NEXT: Elena Rybakina, Stefano Vukov saga: The shocking details of coach’s behaviour leading to ban

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Jannik Sinner will miss the next three months of action on the ATP Tour and it could have a big impact on his status as the world No 1.

The three-time Grand Slam winner has been top of the ATP Rankings since June last year as he replaced all-time great Novak Djokovic after the French Open.

Sinner is currently in his 37th consecutive week at No 1 and that total will grow over the next few weeks due to his massive points advantage at the top.

After the latest rankings update in which he dropped 500 points from last year’s Rotterdam Open title run, Sinner finds himself on 11,330 points with Alexander Zverev on 8,135 and Carlos Alcaraz third on 7,410.

With the Italian’s ban running from 9 February until 4 May, he is expected to miss six ATP Tour events (Qatar Open, Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, Monte Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open and Madrid Open).

After reaching an agreement with Sinner’s legal representatives, the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that they won’t strip him of any points or prize money earned during the 2024 season despite the failed dope tests.

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“Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome. As previously stated, WADA did not seek a disqualification of any results, save that which was previously imposed by the tribunal of first instance,” a statement read.

The good news is that he will only drop another 1,600 points from his results from the previous year.

The Miami Open (1,000), Monte Carlo Masters (400) and Madrid Open (200) are the tournaments where he had points to defend. He reached the semi-final in Indian Wells last year, but those points have already been deducted following the initial ruling from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in August last year.

That effectively puts the 23-year-old on 9,730 points (11,330 minus 1,600) before he returns, meaning Zverev has to make 1,596 points to get past Sinner by the time the Italian Open takes place in mid-May while Alcaraz has a 2,321-point deficit to overcome.

But things will get a little more complicated for the world No 1’s two rivals as they will also drop points in the coming months.

Zverev has 850 points to defend until the ATP Masters tournament in Rome while Alcaraz will drop 1,400 points.

So in total, Zverev has to earn 2,446 points (1,596 plus 850) between now and the Italian Open while Alcaraz has a 3,721-point mountain to climb (2,321 plus 1,400).

Of course it is not impossible for either as they both have several tournaments between now and then.

Zverev is set to compete at the Mexican Open (500), Indian Wells Open (1,000), Miami Open (1,000), Monte Carlo Masters (1,000), Bavarian Championships (500) and Madrid Open (1,000) so there is a maximum of 5,000 points to win.

Theoretically, the German could replace Sinner at the top by mid-April if he wins the Sunshine Doule and the Monte Carlo Masters.

Zverev is currently sitting at a career-high No 2 in the ATP Rankings and he would become only the second German men’s world No 1 after Boris Becker while Alcaraz has previously spent 36 weeks at the top of the rankings.

Alcaraz will play at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid while his other two events are the Qatar Open (also 500) and Barcelona Open (500).

If Alcaraz wins four ATP Masters tournaments in a row (Indian Wells to Madrid) then he will pick up 4,000 points.

But even if Zverev or Alcaraz do the impossible, Sinner will get an opportunity to return to the top again at the Italian Open (1,000) as he doesn’t have any points to defend at the tournament.

They will then head to Roland Garros where Alcaraz will drop 2,000 points as the defending champion and Zverev 1,300 after finishing runner-up last year. Sinner, meanwhile, lost in the semi-final so will drop 800 points.

The post Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz’s battle to replace Jannik Sinner as world No 1 appeared first on Tennis365.

It is very unlikely that Jannik Sinner took a banned substance deliberately, but the outcome of the “agreement” with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has left Patrick Mouratoglou aghast.

Having twice tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol last March, Sinner was provisionally suspended before being given permission to continue playing pending an investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

Five months later he was cleared of any wrongdoing by the ITIA as they accepted his explanation that his positive tests came after accidental contamination via one of his team members.

He was stripped of his ranking points and prize money for the Indian Wells Open, the tournament where he returned the positive samples.

However, that was not the end of the matter as WADA announced they had appealed the decision not to ban him as they demanded he be suspended for a minimum of between one and two years.

The was case set to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in April, but last week WADA announced they had reached a settlement with Sinner and he would serve a three-month ban.

The tennis community, though, has reacted with outrage respected coach Mouratoglou taking to Instagram to share his views, stating: “I think this Sinner case is a huge scandal. It’s not about him being guilty or not, the question is more about how the anti-doping dealt with the situation. Everyone feels that there is a double standard, which there is, clearly.

“It’s very unlikely he [purposefully] did doping, first of all – and this is a personal statement – I don’t think this is his mindset at all, I don’t think that is his mentality to do doping. Second, when you find such low levels of a forbidden product in someone, in 90 percent of the cases – if not more – it is a contamination. So, the player is then a victim, and that’s why I think he is innocent.”

The Frenchman believes the Sinner case was initially “covered up” as the public was only informed of his positive tests in August last year.

He added: “When a player is controlled positive, in 100 percent of the case, it is the anti-doping [agencies] that make a public statement. As soon as this statement is out, the player is provisionally suspended which means he is not allowed to play anymore – until the case is finished and there is a decision as to whether he is guilty to not.

“In Sinner’s case, the ITIA, which is the anti-doping [agency], have decided to cover it [up], they didn’t make it public that he has been controlled positive, they didn’t say anything [they didn’t say] that he has been suspended, provisionally, like every other player would have been. So, this is clearly a double standard.

“We want a clean sport, and there is no clean sport is there is a double standard, depending on who the player is. It should be only about ‘did this player do doping? Yes or no?’”

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The ITIA initially stated that they found Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” as he was deemed not guilty, something that has upset Mouratoglou.

He continued: “Second, after five months, they decided to make it public that he had been control positive five months before, it was also said at the same time that he is not guilty. But, in other cases, the player is supposedly guilty because there is a public statement saying that he was control positive, so for five, six months, maybe one year, two years in some cases, for everyone, this player is doing doping and – for that period of time, that player cannot compete anymore.

“Which means he cannot get points, he cannot get money, but, more than anything he gets out of competition for such a long period that, in some cases, his career is over, so they’re destroying the career of a player. In Sinner’s case, again, no statement, and when they did five months later, it is to say that he is not guilty.”

The timing of the three-month ban has certainly raised eyebrows and as the suspension will run from 9 February until 4 March.

Mouratoglou feels it was “an arrangement” so that Sinner could play at the Australian Open before returning for his home ATP Masters 1000 event, the Italian Open, with the French Open set to follow two weeks later.

“During the Australian Open, we learnt that Sinner will be auditioned by WADA in April, so we think it’s going to be like a real tribunal, that will assess the case and decide whether he’s guilty or not,” he added.

“Right after the Australian Open, six weeks before when he was supposed to have been auditioned, they decide to take a decision after negotiating with him for a three-month ban. No audition, no review of the case, and a decision that is ideal for him because he could play the Australian Open – and win it – and is going to be safe to play the next Grand Slam, which is at the end of May-start of June at Roland Garros.

“So, it looks like they make an arrangement to make it look like that banned him a little bit, but not too much so he can play the Grand Slams, and, if you look at it, he’s going to be able to come back and play Rome just before Roland Garros – being Italian – so it looks even more like a set-up. It looks like a parody of justice, I understand that other players feel ‘where is the justice then?’”

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Novak Djokovic has revealed most players he has spoken to about Jannik Sinner’s doping ban are “not satisfied” and “believe there was favouritism.”

The Serbian legend branded the tennis anti-doping system “inconsistent” and “very unfair” as he called for change.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) revealed on Saturday that Sinner had been suspended from tennis for three months for failing two doping tests in March 2024.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that Sinner would not face a ban as he carried “no fault or negligence” after testing positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol during and after last year’s Indian Wells Masters.

An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had entered his body when receiving a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.

However, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the verdict in September as they sought to impose a ban of between one and two years on the world No 1.

The appeal was set to be heard at CAS in April, but WADA confirmed it had reached an agreement with Sinner’s legal team for the Italian to serve a suspension from February 9 to May 4.

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The three-time major was forced to withdraw from this week’s Qatar Open ATP 500 event, and he will also miss Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid.

The 23-year-old will not, however, miss any Grand Slams, and he will be able to compete at the Italian Open, which begins three days after his ban expires.

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), a players’ union founded by Djokovic, responded to Sinner’s ban with a strongly-worded message and asserted that there is “unacceptable bias” in the sport.

Speaking in his pre-tournament press conference at the Qatar Open, Djokovic spoke for the first time since Sinner’s case was resolved.

“I spoke with several players in the locker room, not only in the last few days but also in the previous months,” the world No 7 divulged. “Most of them are not satisfied with how the whole process has gone, and they don’t think it’s fair.

“Many of them believe there was favouritism. It almost seems like you can influence the result if you are a top player, and if you have access to top lawyers and so on.

“Sinner and [Iga] Swiatek are innocent, it has been proven. Sinner will have a three-month suspension due to some mistakes and negligence of some members of his team, who are working on the tour. This is also something that I personally and many other players find strange.”

The 37-year-old continued: “We have seen the cases of Simona Halep and Tara Moore, and other players perhaps less known, who have had difficulties for years to resolve their cases, or who have been suspended for a long time.

“I think it is really time to do something and address the system, because it is clear that the structure does not work like this.

“So yes, it is inconsistent and it seems very unfair to me, and that is all I have to say about it.

“We will see what happens in the near future, if the whole case will attract more attention and can shed light on other cases of lower-level players. And we have to keep in mind that Sinner and Swiatek, at the time, were number 1 in the world.”

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic returns from injury with 48-minute doubles win alongside retiring ATP star

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Alexander Zverev has described the “whole process” of Jannik Sinner’s doping case and the length of the Italian’s ban as “strange.”

Sinner has been suspended from tennis for three months, with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announcing on Saturday that it had agreed a settlement with the Italian’s representatives.

The Italian tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol twice in March 2024 — during and after the Indian Wells Masters.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed in August that the world No 1 would not be banned from playing after an independent tribunal ruled he bore “no fault or negligence.”

The tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that clostebol had entered his body by accidental contamination when he received a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.

However, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the ITIA’s ruling in September, seeking to impose a suspension of between one and two years on Sinner.

The case was scheduled to be heard at the CAS from April 16-17, but Sinner avoided the prospect of a longer ban by agreeing a deal with WADA.

The three-time Grand Slam champion’s suspension period runs from February 9 until May 4 (his ban also includes four days previously served while he was under a provisional suspension).

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Speaking at his pre-tournament press conference at the Rio Open, Zverev weighed in on the resolution to the Sinner saga.

“It’s a strange situation because obviously it’s been a very long process where first he was exonerated, then WADA wanted to take a second look and things like that,” the world No 2 said.

“For me, I think there are two options. Either you are not guilty and you should not receive any suspension. Because if you are not guilty, then you are not guilty. You should not be punished.

“But if you are guilty, then I think that for taking steroids, three months is not a suspension.

“So for me, you have to decide whether it was his fault or not. If it’s not his fault, then he shouldn’t get a three-month suspension, but if it is his fault, then this is strange in a way.

“The whole process, the whole situation that has existed for the last year, has been almost strange.”

Lorenzo Musetti, who is also playing in Rio, gave his thoughts on his Italian compatriot’s ban.

“Everyone is free to have their own opinion. I don’t really know the facts, so it’s difficult to judge,” the world No 17 said.

“But of course I trust the organisation and all the committees that have been behind the process. So if that decision is the three-month suspension, for us I don’t think it will have changed much.”

Asked if he had spoken to Sinner since the deal was announced, Musetti added: “No, I haven’t been in contact with him, but I’ll probably see him in Monte Carlo. Because he’s not supposed to play, but of course he’ll be there.”

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic’s PTPA makes strong statement on Jannik Sinner’s doping ban

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Novak Djokovic dropped just two games and needed only 48 minutes as he made his return to action with a dominant doubles victory at the Qatar Open.

The 37-year-old Serbian legend is partnering Fernando Verdasco in Doha at what is the 41-year-old Spanish veteran’s final tournament before his retirement.

Djokovic and Verdasco, who are competing as a wildcard pairing, demolished Karen Khachanov and Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-1 in their opening round match at the ATP 500 event.

The duo broke five times and did not drop serve as they won 51 of the 81 points played in a one-sided contest.

In an on-court interview, Verdasco joked: “I have to say, maybe after this match I shouldn’t play the second round. I should just go and retire by winning 6-1, 6-1.

“It’s the best feeling ever, thank you so much for coming today, and see you on Wednesday.”

Verdasco, who reached a career-high ranking of world No 7 in 2009, has won seven ATP singles titles and eight doubles titles in a distinguished career.

The Spaniard will, perhaps, be remembered most for his inspired performance in the epic five-set semi-final he lost to Rafael Nadal at the 2009 Australian Open.

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Ahead of his farewell in Doha, where he lives, Verdasco expressed his gratitude to Djokovic for accepting his doubles offer.

“After so many incredible years on the ATP Tour, the time has come for my final tournament at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2025,” Verdasco wrote on Instagram.

“And what better way to finish than playing doubles with my friend Novak Djokovic, a true legend of our sport and one of the best athletes of all time

“@djokernole, thank you so much for saying yes since the first moment I told you.

“I’m going to enjoy every moment and give it my all one last time. Thank you everyone that has been there for me during all my career in the good and in the bad times.

“Let’s make this week unforgettable. THANK YOU.”

Verdasco and Djokovic will face Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, the second seeds and reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open doubles champions, in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic is playing for the first time since a hamstring tear forced him to retire from his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev last month.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner, who is the current world No 7, will face Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Qatar Open singles event.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz takes advantage of Jannik Sinner’s ban, Novak Djokovic falls flat – Qatar Open predictions

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There was no Jannik Sinner in the draw for the 2025 Qatar Open due to his ban, but there are still several big names competing in Doha with Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev featuring.

The Sinner bombshell dropped shortly before the draw of the ATP Tour 500 tournament on Saturday, in fact, they had to delay the ceremony as it was confirmed that the top seed would not take part after being banned for three months due to his two failed dope tests in March last year.

That meant Carlos Alcaraz earned the top seed status while the rest of the top players also moved up one place each. Jack Draper ended up being another beneficiary of Sinner’s withdrawal as he became the eighth seed while Roman Safiullin replaced the Italian in the draw.

Top half nightmare

Sinner’s withdrawal has not exactly made life easier for many players as Alcaraz, Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov and Draper are all in the top half of the draw.

Alcaraz, fresh from winning his 17th career title at the Rotterdam Open, will face Marin Cilic first up while he could face Dimitrov in the quarter-final and Djokovic in the semi-final.

It is definitely not an easy draw, but you will fancy him to come through and reach the final from this section.

Djokovic, on the other hand, has a bit of a nightmare path with several potential banana skins. First up is Matteo Berrettini (he struggled against the big-serving Reilly Opelka in Brisbane when he lost) and he could face Draper in the quarters before a possible match against Alcaraz.

The left-handed Draper is another big server and let’s not forget that the Brit has defeated the likes of Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last 12 months.

There are just too many hurdles for Djokovic to clear and his wait for title No 100 will continue.

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Bottom half route

Alex de Minaur is the second seed and his path looks a lot easier than the top seed’s. He has Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas as the other seeds.

The Australian starts against Safiullin and is projected to meet Rublev in the quarter-final and Medvedev in the semi-final.

But Medvedev has a horror draw as he opens against defending champion Karen Khachanov while he could face sixth seed Tsitsipas or man of the moment Hamad Medjedovic in the quarters.

Tsitsipas and Medjedovic – who finished runner-up at the Open 13 on Sunday – face each other in the first round while the winner will likely take on Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Given Medvedev’s current form, it is difficult to see him overcome so many top players before the semi-final.

It could be De Minaur against one of Medvedev/Khachanov/Tsitsipas/Auger-Aliassime with the Australian favourite.

Prediction: De Minaur to reach the final by virtue of having an easier route.

Final: Carlos Alcaraz to get his second title of the year with another win over Alex de Minaur.

The post Carlos Alcaraz takes advantage of Jannik Sinner’s ban, Novak Djokovic falls flat – Qatar Open predictions appeared first on Tennis365.

Joao Fonseca made history at the Buenos Aires Open as he became the youngest South American to win an ATP Tour title singles title.

Aged 18 years, five months and 26 days, Fonseca defeated home favourite Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) in his first Tour-level to rewrite the history books.

He is not only the youngest Brazilian to win a trophy since the inception of the ATP Tour in 1990, but also the youngest man from the South American continent to win a title.

The teenager is also the seventh youngest in ATP Tour history to win a title with the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz ahead of him on the list.

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And the 18-year-old made a big statement after his emotional win as he stated his world No 1 and Grand Slam ambitions.

“Unbelievable week, even in Argentina there are some Brazilians cheering for me,” he said. “That’s just amazing. Every Brazilian, everyone from their country wants this support from your own country. For me, this [moment] that I’m living is just unbelievable.

“I want to thank my family, my friends and my sponsors for just helping me achieve my dream, which is to play tennis. Of course I want to be No 1, of course I want to win Slams, titles, but my dream is just to play tennis, and I’m living it.”

Fonseca was at No 145 at the start of the 2025 season – a big leap from the No 730 just 12 months ago – and he surged another 31 places on Monday to a career-high No 68.

Points Earned

The teenager had 409 points on 1 January, but he then won the ATP Challenger event in Canberra and also reached the second round of the Australian Open and was on 600 points before his Argentina event.

The Buenos Aires Open is an ATP 250 tournament so 250 points were on offer for the winner and 165 for the runner-up and Fonseca earned the maximum so now sits on 850 points.

Money Earned

Prize money for an ATP 250 event is a lot lower than for Grand Slams or ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, but Fonseca won’t complain as it is about the title.

The Brazilian – who earned $125,653 for reaching the second round in Australia – added $100,160 to his bank account for winning the title while Cerundolo $58,420 picked up.

That is pale in comparison to the cool $526,480 for winning the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals.

Fonseca is now on $251,440 for earnings to date in 2025 while his career earnings surpassed the $1m mark as he sits on $1,070,146.

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The top 10 in the WTA Rankings remains unchanged, but Aryna Sabalenka was a big winner as she has extended her points lead over Iga Swiatek while Amanda Anisimova has reached a new career high.

Sabalenka started last week with a 186-point advantage over second-place Swiatek in the rankings and, although the world No 1 lost in the second round of the Qatar Open, there was a big points swing after the Pole failed to defend her title.

Swiatek was beaten in the semi-final and thus “lost” 610 points, meaning the gap to Sabalenka is now 806 points ahead of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Sabalenka started her 26th week at No 1 on Monday to move up to joint-16th with Dinara Safina in the all-time list for most weeks spent at the top of the rankings. She is assured of moving ahead of Safina next week as Swiatek can’t overtake her after the Dubai WTA 1000 event.

With third-placed Coco Gauff and fourth-placed Jasmine Paolini also losing early in Doha, there was no real change behind the top two.

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Jessic Pegula in fifth place did earn 215 points for reaching the quarter-final while last year’s runner-up Elena Rybakina dropped 435 points after reaching the quarter-final this time around.

Outside of the top 10, Mirra Andreeva is up one place to a new career-high of No 14 while there is a new entrant in the top 20 as Qatar Open champion Anisimova surged 23 places to No 18.

The American won her third WTA singles title, but the biggest one of her career when she beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-3 in the final and the result was a big jump from her previous best of 22.

Anisimova started the year at No 36, but took her record for the season to 9-2 with her title run.

Former world No 5 and 2017 French Open winner Ostapenko, who defeated Swiatek in straight sets in the semi-final to take her head-to-head record with the Pole to 5-0, is up 11 spots to No 26.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reached the semi-final in Qatar last year, but lost in the second round in 2025 and thus dropped 11 places to No 36 while Naomi Osaka – a quarter-finalist in 2024 – is down 10 places to No 54 as she didn’t compete this season.

Sofia Kenin surged 17 places to No 56 after reaching the third round and Alycia Parks is up 16 to No 74 after winning two matches.

Former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova has dropped out of the top 100 as she is down 63 spots to No 132.

WTA Rankings Top 20

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 8,966 points
2. Iga Swiatek Poland – 8,160
3. Coco Gauff United States – 6,538
4. Jasmine Paolini Italy – 5,398
5. Jessica Pegula United States – 5,076
6. Madison Keys United States – 4,680
7. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 4,153
8. Zheng Qinwen China – 3,985
9. Emma Navarro United States – 3,649
10. Paula Badosa Spain – 3,588
11. Daria Kasatkina – 3,116
12. Danielle Collins United States – 2,877
13. Diana Shnaider – 2,853
14. Mirra Andreeva – 2,730
15. Barbora Krejcikova Czech Republic – 2,675
16. Beatriz Hadid Maia Brazil – 2,369
17. Karolina Muchova Czech Republic – 2,344
18. Amanda Anisimova United States – 2,316
19. Anna Kalinskaya – 2,304
20. Donna Vekic Croatia – 2,273

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The ATP 500 in Rio is filled with intriguing storylines, from Alexander Zverev’s attempt to get closer to Jannik Sinner’s world No 1 status to Joao Fonseca’s rapid rise in form.

Last year, it was an all-Argentinian singles final with Sebastian Baez dominating Mariano Navone 6-2, 6-1 to lift the biggest title of his career.

Past winners include Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, and Carlos Alcaraz.

Alexander Zverev

The German is currently 3695 points behind world No 1 Jannik Sinner, but has a doable path to the top spot. Sinner accepted a 3-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency for failing two doping tests in March 2024, meaning he cannot compete professionally until the Rome Masters in May – a prime chance for Zverev.

The two-time Grand Slam finalist reached the championship match at the 2025 Australian Open, losing in straight-sets against the Italian, before losing from a set-and-a-break up against Francisco Cerundolo in Buenos Aires.

In the first round of Rio, the world No 2 will face Yunchaokete Bu. The 23-year-old has won three matches in 2025, reaching the quarter-finals in Montpellier. However, Bu has not played a match on clay on the professional tour, having only previously done so in qualification rounds and challenger events.

Moving on to the second round, Zverev would face wildcard Felipe Meligeni Alves or, more likely, Alexander Shevchenko. The Kazakh may not have much clay court pedigree, but has a win over Jiri Lehecka on the surface, and, outside of the clay, possesses wins over Holger Rune and Taylor Fritz – showing he can compete with the world’s best.

In the last eight, Zverev is projected to face Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean performs best on the clay, most prominently reaching the Rome Masters final in 2024 after beating the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tommy Paul – also victorious against Carlos Alcaraz in Buenos Aires that same season.

Unfortunately for Jarry, it was the German who he faced in the Rome final, losing 6-4, 7-5, and extending the head-to-head deficit to 5-2 in Zverev’s favour. However, given Zverev’s uncertain form, mixed with the Chilean’s clay court prowess, this hypothetical quarter-final could be a must-watch.

In the semi-finals, Zverev would have his work cut out for him, protected to come up against either Francisco Cerundolo, who slayed the German in the week prior to Rio, or Tomas Martin Etcheverry. However, as if these clay court specialists weren’t enough, the in-form Joao Fonseca is also a potential opponent for the world No 2 in the final four.

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Lorenzo Musetti

Second seed Musetti is seeking his first title since 2022, despite having a career-best year in 2024 – where he made the final of Queen’s and Umag, as well as capturing a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and reaching the last four of Wimbledon.

In 2025, the Italian lost a tight third-round match against Ben Shelton at the Australian Open before withdrawing from his match in Buenos Aires against Pedro Martinez, due to a calf injury.

Musetti took to X after the withdrawal, stating: “Last night, during my match against [Corentin] Moutet in the second set, I felt some discomfort in my calf but I managed to finish the match,” going on to say “This morning, the pain was still there, and after some tests, I was diagnosed with a soleus injury. In the coming days, I will meet with my team to assess the situation and whether I will be able to play in Rio.”

The world No 16 has only played one match in Rio, having lost to Nicolas Jarry in 2023.

If the Italian does play in Rio, he will play a qualifier in his opening match, before facing Jaume Munar or Thiago Seyboth Wild – two grinders who love playing on the red dust surface – in the last 16.

Looking ahead to a hypothetical quarter-final, Musetti is projected to face Martinez – the same opponent who he withdrew against in Buenos Aires – before playing either Sebastian Baez or Alejandro Tabilo in the semi-finals. The world No 16 has a 1-1 head-to-head with Baez, having never faced the Chilean on the professional tour.

If the Italian is fit enough, the draw may just allow him to go deep in the tournament and contend for the title.

Joao Fonseca

The 18-year-old Brazilian became the youngest South American ATP Finalist since 2001, after reaching the final in Buenos Aires.

Fonseca has already shown his impressive form this season, with a straight-sets win over Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open, and a comeback from 5-3 down in the deciding set against Mariano Navone.

In Rio, the young superstar will open against Alexandre Muller, before facing either Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Corentin Moutet in the last 16. A rematch of the Buenos Aires final against Francisco Cerundolo looms in the quarter-finals, with Hugo Gaston and Luciano Darderi other options.

From there, should he make the last four, Fonseca would likely face his toughest task of his young career – facing Zverev, who, by ranking, is by far the best player he would have played against.

The ATP 500 in Rio will take place from February 17^th – February 23^rd 2025.

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