The kid from Belgrade who practised through the 1999 bombing, on courts his coach picked by where the shells had already fallen, grew into the most decorated man the sport has produced. 24 Grand Slam singles titles is the outright men's record, and the rest of the ledger is just as hard to touch: a record 428 weeks at world No. 1, a record eight year-end finishes on top, and a record forty Masters 1000 crowns. He turned the Australian Open into a private garden, winning it ten times, more than anyone has won any major.
The game is built on elastic defence, the best return of serve tennis has seen and a flexibility that leaves him almost impossible to ace, turning power back on its owner from positions no one else reaches. He was the third of the Big Three and then outlasted both, leading the two most-played rivalries of the era against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. At Paris 2024 he beat a younger champion for the Olympic gold that finally completed his career Golden Slam. Still active, with 102 career titles behind him, he keeps arriving at the last rounds of the majors.
Thirty. That is how many places Luca Van Assche gained after winning the Estoril title, from No. 78 to a career-best No. 48 in the ATP rankings. He was one of two Frenchmen with a tour-level title this week: Quentin Halys won Kitzbuhel and rose 31 places to No. 52. Neither result stirred the top of the list, where Jannik Sinner stayed unmoved at No. 1.
Ranking taleSeventy-eight. That is how many places Arthur Fery climbed in the ATP rankings this week, from 114 to 36, and every one of them came out of a single fortnight at Wimbledon. Above him the other big move was a return: Alexander Zverev, who beat Fery in the semi-final and lost the final, is back at No. 2, the highest he has ever been ranked.
Ranking tale