The ATP and Tennis Knowledge Improvements (TDI) will ship unprecedented insights on the 2023 Subsequent Gen ATP Finals offered by NEOM. Utilizing state-of-the-art monitoring metrics, the insights will assess the bodily capability required to compete on the highest skilled degree of our sport.

Learn extra to find out about Tuesday’s matchups in Jeddah.

Arthur Fills vs. Luca Nardi

The 2023 season was a breakout 12 months for Arthur Fils, profitable his first profession ATP250 title in Lyon, serving to springboard him to a profession excessive rating of No. 36 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Fils is an aggressive baseliner, trying to dictate play along with his serve and forehand. He likes to maintain the factors quick and on his phrases.

Coming into the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals offered by NEOM, Fils performed one in all his most bodily matches of the 12 months towards Tommy Paul in Shanghai. He confirmed on this match that he was capable of deal with the quantity and depth of essentially the most bodily matches performed within the final two years on the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals. In that match Tommy Paul compelled Arthur Fils into performing 41 per cent extra excessive pace distance (meters).

Luca Nardi is coming into the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals with a profession excessive rating of No. 115 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He performed nearly all of his matches on the ATP Challenger degree, profitable two Challenger Tour occasions. Nardi is a strong baseliner, who additionally likes to dictate play along with his forehand off the bottom. He additionally has the power to increase the rallies along with his pace, forcing his opponents to hit one further ball. One factor to look at over the course of this occasion are the variety of explosive actions Nardi should carry out, in comparison with his opponents.

Keys to the Match
Excessive Velocity Distance – Which participant can pressure the opposite to cowl extra excessive pace distance? Each gamers prefer to play with their forehand from the advert courtroom, making it tougher for his or her opponents to search out their backhand. Whoever can management the center of the courtroom with their forehand, and make the opposite need to defend the backhand will put themselves in the perfect place attainable to win the match.

Dominic Stricker vs. Flavio Cobolli

Stricker has one benefit that the opposite gamers won’t have and that’s competing within the 2022 Subsequent Gen ATP Finals. Final 12 months, Stricker made it out of the group play, going 3-0. He additionally performed one of the vital electrical matches in final years occasion, towards present World No. 27, Lorenzo Musetti. This was the 2nd most bodily match from the 2022 Subsequent Gen ATP Finals.

On common, Stricker runs much less distance and has the bottom work load per minute within the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals. His reliance on enjoying first strike tennis requires him to maneuver at an all-around decrease fee than the opposite NextGen gamers. The serve and forehand is what units up the benefit, permitting him to assault his opponent from contained in the baseline.

Flavio Cobolli is a strong baseliner, who’s a powerful mover from the baseline. He covers essentially the most distance and high-speed distance per minute of all of the Subsequent Gen gamers at this match. He has the power to show his protection into offense, by utilizing his pace to get behind extra balls in a balanced place.

Keys to the Match
Stricker has been pushed to his limits and has proven he can deal with the quantity and depth required to win a five-set Subsequent Gen ATP Finals battle. So can Flavio Cobolli pressure Dominic Stricker to run extra and work tougher over the course of the match- forcing him to defend extra with the backhand.

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Luca Van Assche vs. Abdullah Shelbayh

Luca Van Assche performed essentially the most bodily ATP match this 12 months of any participant within the draw, when he fell to Diego Schwarzman in three units. This better of three match is one in all two that he has performed in 2023 that was harder than any match performed within the 2021 and 2022 Subsequent Gen ATP Finals. Van Assche additionally recorded a ten on the Physicality Index scale when he outlasted three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka; he backed this up with a 9.5 PI within the subsequent spherical, pushing Novak Djokovic to a deciding set. Recording a better Physicality Index than his opponents in over 70 per cent of his matches on tour this season, Van Assche has confirmed that he’s ready for a bodily battle each time he steps on courtroom.

Van Assche’s gamestyle requires him to work for each level. His lack of a giant weapon off the bottom is made up by his skill to deal with excessive quantity and excessive depth actions. His common physicality index score is 12 per cent larger than his opponent Abdullah Shelbayh. The upper PI score is coming from the full quantity output (distance and work load). On common Van Assche is transferring per cent extra distance per match and has a 35 per cent larger work load than Shelbayh.

Dealing with one of many fitter gamers on Tour, Abdullah Shelbayh will look to be aggressive and keep away from lengthy sequences of prolonged factors. Whereas he has demonstrated a capability to carry out at excessive ranges of depth, Shelbayh has superior in eight totally different tournaments this 12 months when preserving his PI beneath a 7.

Key to the Match
Regardless that on common Van Assche covers extra distance, has a better work load, and executes extra explosive actions per match, Shelbayh has the capability to match the quantity and depth of Van Assche. Who’s going to have the ability to deliver larger depth and keep it deeper into the later a part of the match?

Alex Michelson vs. Hamad Medjedovic

The 19-year-old American, Alex Michelson comes into the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals profitable 9 of his previous ten matches, pushing him into the High 100 for the primary time in his profession. The 2023 season was a breakout 12 months for Michelson, reaching his first profession tour-level remaining in Newport and profitable two ATP Challenger occasions. Michelson will tackle the 20-year-old Serbian, Hamad Medjedovic, who has additionally had a breakout 12 months. Medjedovic gained three ATP Challenger occasions and certified for the primary draw of two of the Grand Slams, making it via the qualifying rounds.

Each of those gamers have confirmed that they can go deep into occasions, a number of weeks in a row, proving they’ve the bodily capability to compete on the highest ranges of this sport week in and week out. Each gamers have comparable gamestyles. They’ll play from the center of the courtroom with each their forehand and backhands. The largest distinction of their types of play is that Medjedovic goes to look to play extra from the offensive, with Michelson trying to counter-attack.

Keys to the Match
You must see a whole lot of the rallies ending from the backcourt, with not a whole lot of play transitioning ahead. This match goes to return all the way down to who will be capable to preserve the higher courtroom place and make the opposite participant transfer out and in of the corners of the courtroom. The participant who could make their opponent accumulate the upper variety of explosive actions and run essentially the most excessive pace distance ought to have the benefit on this match-up.