On Sunday, Andrey Rublev clinched the ATP tournament in Marseille. In the final, he upset Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) to win his first ATP Tour title since March 2021.
Rublev's mental fortitude was on display in the match. The Russian came back from a set down in the first set, rebounded from missing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set. Afterwards, he averted a set point on his sharp serve in the second set to triumph in one hour and 57 minutes.
Auger-Aliassime jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a fast start. Rublev, on the other hand, swiftly found his range by stepping inside the baseline and pinning the Canadian far behind the baseline. The Russian, who had seven aces in the first set, then elevated his game at the end of the first set. He rallied for a 6-5 lead before holding service to close off the first set.
The second set was a nail-biter, with both players trading blows from the baseline. Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, showed indications of exhaustion after his hectic current calendar. From 2-2, three breaks were traded in succession, with Rublev gaining two of them. With Auger-Aliassime tugging Rublev from edge to edge as he broke back to love, the Russian failed to serve out the match at 5-4. However, the Russian swiftly regained his composure, preserving a set point on service at 5-6, before winning the tie-break with a strong and aggressive performance. Thus, he was able to secure his victory.
The Russian, who advanced to the final of the ATP 250 event in Marseille after defeating three Frenchmen, has now won nine tour-level titles. Also, the 24-year-old won the doubles final, accompanied by Denys Molchanov. Thus, he became the third player in the tournament's 30-year history to win both the singles and doubles titles in the same session.
ATP Tour records: Most titles in tennis career (men's)
ATP tour is basically a global top-tier tennis tour organised for male tennis players by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Here are the male players with the most titles in tennis history.
ATP Tour is basically a global top-tier tennis tour organised for male tennis players by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
The 2025 season is the 35th year and 56th edition of the ATP, organising the global circuit of men's tennis. Jimmy Connors has the record of winning the ATP Tour titles in his career.
ATP Tour tournaments
The ATP tour tournaments are - ATP Masters 1000, ATP 500, ATP 250 and the United Cup.
ATP Challenger Tour, a level below the ATP Tour, and the ATP Champions Tour for seniors, the Grand Slam tournaments, the Olympic tennis tournament, and the Davis Cup also come under the ATP Tour. However, these tournaments are not governed by the ATP.
Most titles in tennis career (men's)
Here are the male tennis players who have won the most titles in tennis history and created ATP Tour records.
1. Jimmy Connors | 109 titles
Jimmy Connors is the man with the most ATP singles titles in history. The American has won 109 ATP singles titles. He also holds the record for most ATP matches played and most ATP matches won.
Connors, in his career, has won eight Grand Slam titles, which include one Australian Open, two Wimbledons and a joint-record five US Open titles.
He was the World No.1 for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks and a total of 268 weeks in his career.
2. Roger Federer | 103 titles
Federer with his last Grand Slam title - Australian Open in 2018. Image | AO on X
Rodger Federer is the second topper in the list of ATP tour singles titles of the modern era with 103 ATP titles. He is also the record holder for most singles titles at the age of 24.
The former tennis player also has a record 6 ATP finals. Moreover, he was the world's No. 1 tennis player in the ATP rankings for a total of 310 weeks. These 310 weeks include a record 237 consecutive weeks.
Federer has also finished as the year-end No. 1 with a bang 6 times. He clearly dominated the world of tennis in his era with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He also has20 Grand Slam titles.
The "Big Titles" of the modern ATP tour consist of four Grand Slam tournaments, all 9 ATP Masters events, and the ATP finals. Djokovic is the only player to win all the "Big Titles".
Ivan Lendl is often referred to as the ‘Father of modern tennis’.
The Czech-American has won eight Grand Slam titles in his career, which includes two Australian Open titles, three French Open titles and three US Open titles.
Lendl occupied the World No. 1 position for a total of 270 weeks. In his entire career, the former World No. 1 won 94 ATP singles titles.
After his retirement, Lendl went into coaching. He helped Andy Murray win three Grand Slam titles.
5. Rafael Nadal | 92 titles
Nadal with his record 14th Roland Garros title. Image | Roland Garros on X
Rafael Nadal is also present on this prestigious list with 92 ATP tour titles.
He was also the world's No. 1-ranked tennis player for a consecutive 209 weeks. In 2008, Nadal became the No. 1 player for the 1st time after his first-ever massive victory against Federer. He also concluded as the No. 1 in the year-end 8 times.
In the history of the ATP Tour, he was one of the most successful teenagers. He became the No. 2 in the world at age 19 and won 16 titles, including his very 1st French Open and also 6 Masters events.
He has won 22 Grand Slam titles in his career before retiring. Nadal is one of the very few players to achieve the "Career Golden Slam".
Novak Djokovic holds the most ATP Masters titles in tennis history with 40 titles. Here are the players with the most ATP Masters titles in tennis history.
ATP Masters 1000 features the nine tennis tournaments' best men's tennis players on the annual ATP Tour calendar. It started with the name ATP Masters Series in 1990.
Novak Djokovic currently holds the most ATP Masters titles in tennis history. Let's have a look at the top tennis players with the most titles in the ATP Masters since the Series began in 1990.
1. Novak Djokovic | 40
Novak Djokovic with the Paris Masters 2023 title. Image | Paris Masters
Novak Djokovic is the record holder of the most ATP Masters titles with 40 titles.
Novak also completed the set of all nine Masters singles titles in 2018 and became the only tennis player to claim the prestigious Career Golden Masters. He completed his Career Double Golden Masters in the year 2020.
Also, he broke Federer's long-held record in August 2019 after winning his 379th Masters 1000 victory during the Coupe Rogers.
Nadal after winning the Rome Masters 2021. Image | French Open
With 36 titles, Rafael Nadal has the second-most position in the ATP Masters since 1990.
He surpassed Roger Federer in this battle among Masters 1000 match win leaders, by moving ahead at the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters. He sits just behind Novak and has reached 52 finals and a record 75 semifinals.
Nadal's supremacy on clay surfaces started with the Monte Carlo Masters win in 2005, which later on got transferred to the French Open as well. He also won his last ATP Singles title on clay in the Rome Masters 2021.
Roger Federer with the Miami Masters 2019 title. Image | ATP Tour
Sitting in the 3rd position, Roger Federer won 28 titles in this series in the entire tennis.
Federer won 103 ATP singles titles, including 20 Grand Slam singles titles and a record six ATP Finals. Roger started by winning the Hamburg Masters in 2002 and then continued his reign on the ATP tour.
The former World No.1 won his last ATP Singles titles in 2019 when he defeated John Isner in the Miami Masters final.
Rafael Nadal pulls out from Monte Carlo Masters, may return in French Open
Nadal's return after an 11-month sabbatical has not gone according to plan, and missing the start of the clay season is another blow he will have to overcome if he is to prove he is still one of the greatest tennis players in the game.
The former world number one has not participated in an ATP Tour tournament since returning to the court in Brisbane in January. Nadal returned with a lot of promise earlier this year and his performances in Australia raised questions about whether the 37-year-old could compete for the trophy.
Injuries could be a concern for Nadal
Injuries remain a matter of serious concern for Rafael Nadal. After withdrawing from the Australian Open, Qatar Open and Indian Wells, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has now confirmed that he will be unable to compete at the Monte Carlo Masters next week. Nadal's return after an 11-month sabbatical has not gone according to plan, and missing the start of the clay season is another blow he will have to overcome if he is to prove he is still one of the greatest players in the game.
Nadal Got injured in Australian Open
Rafael Nadal suffered a hip injury in last year's Australian Open, which forced him to sit out the rest of the season. He returned this year at the Brisbane International, but lost to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals. Nadal has not played any tour-level matches since then. However, he did compete against Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition bout in Las Vegas last month. Former world No. 1 has fallen to 649th in the current ATP rankings.
Nadal has six weeks to get himself fit for French Open
The recurring setbacks will be a major hurdle in Rafael Nadal's season plans, putting his goal of winning the French Open, which he has won 14 times, in jeopardy. He has six weeks to get himself in peak condition for the Grand Slam, and a great performance could allow him to compete at the Paris Olympics 2024 at Roland Garros.
India's Anirudh Chandrasekar and Vijay Prashanth make place in the quarterfinals of US Men's Clay Court Championship
The Indian pair defeated American wild cards Michael Mmoh and Frances Tiafoe. Now they will face fourth seeds M Purcell and J Thompson of Australia in the US Men's Clay Court Championship quarterfinals.
Indian pair of Anirudh Chandrasekar and Vijay Prashanth reached the doubles quarterfinals of the US Men's Clay Court Championship on the ATP Tour in Houston on Monday.
The Indian pair defeated American wild cards Michael Mmoh and Frances Tiafoe by 6-3, 6-4 in one hour 19 minutes match. Now they will face fourth seeds M Purcell and J Thompson of Australia in the US Men's Clay Court Championship quarterfinals. Prashanth is currently at 101st and Chandrasekar at 113th in the doubles ranking.
A few other Indians are also in the fray in the doubles competition of the US Men's Clay Court Championship. Arjun Kadhe and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan play against the pair of Marcus Daniell of New Zealand and Luis Martinez of Venezuela in the pre-quarterfinals while N Balaji and his German partner Andre Begemann face top seeds Americans Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek in another round of 16 match.
Earlier, Anirudh and Vijay defeated second-seeded N Lammons and J Withrow 6-4, 7-6(2) to register the biggest win of their career at ATP Dallas 250 in February. 27-year-old Anirudh entered the top 100 rankings last year. In January this year, Anirudh and Vijay played their first-ever Grand Slam event at the Australian Open last month after they received a wildcard entry.
'I can't lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans.' - Rafael Nadal withdraws from 2024 Paribas Open
Nadal will be replaced by Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal, who bowed out to South Korea's Hong Seong-chan in a tough match during the final qualifying round.
Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal withdrew his name before the first round match of 2024 Paribas Open aka Indian Wells on Thursday. Nadal says he is 'not ready to play at the highest level'.
Sumit Nagal will take part in 2024 Paribas Open in place of Nadal. Image- Free Press Journal
The 37-year-old player had also withdrawn from the ATP 250 event held in Doha in late February, but recently he was seen playing against another Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz in the Netflix Slam exhibition match.
Three-time champion reached the final in 2022 on his last visit to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, would have been making his second appearance of the year. 22 Grand Slam champion missed almost a year with a hip flexor injury and returned to action in Brisbane in January, where he won two matches. After that, he suffered a micro tear to a muscle near his left hip during a quarterfinal loss to Jordan Thompson in his last contested ATP match. As a result, he missed this years' Australian Open.
"It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament. Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here at Indian Wells. That's also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready." Nadal tweeted.
"I have been working hard and practicing and you all know I took a test this weekend but I don't find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event. It is not an easy decision, it's a tough one as a matter of fact but I can't lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans. I will miss you all and I am sure the tournament will be a great success," he added.
Nadal traveled to California to compete in 2024 Paribas Open and also practiced in front of fans on Tuesday evening but will not play against Milos Raonic in the opening round. Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal will take part in this match in place of Nadal, who bowed out to South Korea's Hong Seong-chan in a tough match during the final qualifying round.
The main draw of the 2024 Paribas Open begins on Thursday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Follow Us/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CC_Express_20220212_1339330-696x392.jpg)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/fwFUBsYOlsXBjJITSn5B.jpg)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/yEXqJmxBYT3qNXgHpx1M.jpg)
/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/d4ecb23af12c57e852e0677e955f1262cc5aa9aff09c99099139df871af3c7a1.jpeg)
