They have arrived on the large stage, however they’re solely simply getting began: Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Alex Michelsen, Dominic Stricker and Luca Van Assche are nominees for the Newcomer of the Year within the 2023 ATP Awards, to be introduced later this month.
Selected by gamers, the award goes to the #NextGenATP participant who entered the Top 100 for the primary time in 2023 and made the largest impression on the ATP Tour this season.
| Player | Age | Career-High (Date) |
| Flavio Cobolli | 21 | No. 95 (23 October) |
| Arthur Fils | 19 | No. 36 (30 October) |
| Alex Michelsen | 19 | No. 94 (20 November) |
| Dominic Stricker | 21 | No. 88 (2 October) |
| Luca Van Assche | 19 | No. 63 (23 October) |
Flavio Cobolli, 21
“I wish to be in the way forward for tennis, I don’t wish to cease,” Cobolli informed ATPTour.com after making his Top 100 breakthrough in October.
The Italian earned his second profession ATP Challenger Tour title in Lisbon and reached the ultimate in Olbia two weeks later, turning into certainly one of seven gamers to win a minimum of 40 Challenger-level matches in 2023 (40-26).
“It was of course special, because this year I worked a lot,” Cobolli mentioned of his Lisbon trophy run. “I played 36 weeks, a lot. I was tired but I think that title means a lot for me and for the season. But I don’t want to stop now. I want to push more for the goals of 2024.”
Cobolli certified for main main-draw debut at Roland Garros, the place he fell to then World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. The 21-year-old was additionally a quarter-finalist on the ATP 250 occasion in Munich.
Arthur Fils, 19
The youngest champion on the ATP Tour this yr? The heavy-hitting Fils, who triumphed on residence soil in May on the ATP 250 occasion in Lyon.
“I will remember this forever,” Fils mentioned after profitable the title. Following that dream run, Fils rose into the Top 100 for the primary time. He didn’t cease there.
Despite having zero tour-level wins getting into the yr, the 19-year-old reached the semi-finals at one ATP 500 and 4 ATP 250 tournaments in 2023. Fils peaked at World No. 36 in October after reaching the ultimate in Antwerp, the place he downed Stefanos Tsitsipas within the final 4. The Frenchman closed the season with a finalist end on the Next Gen ATP Finals introduced by NEOM.
“It was a nice year for sure. I started at 250 but finished at 36, so that’s pretty good,” Fils mentioned. “It nonetheless may have been higher. I misplaced some shut matches, like I did [Saturday] nevertheless it’s simply expertise and I’ll attempt to do higher subsequent yr.”
Fils’ breakthrough season began from day one. He received his first 9 matches of the yr, together with a title run on the Oeiras Challenger. In February, he made essentially the most of alternatives to play at residence, reaching the tour-level semi-finals in Montpellier and Marseille.
Alex Michelsen, 19
If you appeared on the Top 600 at first of January, you wouldn’t discover the American’s title till the ultimate spot: 600.
Michelsen has risen greater than 500 spots this yr, with a shock finalist end in Newport highlighting his season. “I feel I’m going to wish a month [to process this],” mentioned Michelsen, who didn’t have an ATP Tour main-draw win earlier than that week. The teen arrived on the grass-court match off the again of his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Chicago.
Michelsen introduced in August that he would forego his school eligibility, having beforehand dedicated to the University of Georgia. Instead the California native would flip professional and win his first major-main draw match on the US Open earlier than embarking on a late-season surge, profitable 9 consecutive matches in November with a title run on the Knoxville Challenger adopted by a runner-up end in Champaign.
“If you informed me in January, after I was ranked 600 that I’d be Top 100 by November, I’d name you loopy,” Michelsen mentioned. “I didn’t suppose it could occur that rapidly. I had a sense after the Newport run. I bought to No. 140 and I believed I may do it by the tip of the yr, however I nonetheless was like, ‘Oh, Top 100 remains to be type of far-off.’ Now that I’ve accomplished it, it feels nice.”
Alex Michelsen on the Next Gen ATP Finals introduced by NEOM. Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Dominic Stricker, 21
New heights had been reached in New York.
Stricker superior via US Open qualifying en path to a fourth-round look on the season’s last main. The Swiss surprised Stefanos Tsitsipas after firing 78 winners in a five-set, second-round thriller that lasted 4 hours, 10 minutes.
“I used to be down 3-5 after which I got here again within the fourth set. I do not know the way, however I did it someway after which I saved taking part in very excessive stage tennis. I’m a bit speechless,” Stricker mentioned on the time.
With two ATP Challenger Tour titles to his title in 2023 (Rovereto, Prague), it was the deep run at Flushing Meadows that propelled Stricker into the Top 100 for the primary time on 11 September. The 21-year-old grew to become the youngest Swiss to succeed in the milestone since 20-year-old Stan Wawrinka did so in 2005.
“I really feel higher on courtroom than I did final yr. I really feel like my sport has improved once more,” Stricker informed ATPTour.com in August. “I’m additionally getting fitter body-wise, in order that helps for positive. I feel off courtroom all the things bought a bit extra critical. I’m additionally working possibly a bit of bit tougher than I did earlier than. I feel all the things is extra skilled than it was and that helps me for positive.”
The lefty earned one other Top 10 victory in October, with this triumph coming in entrance of Stricker’s residence crowd, upsetting Casper Ruud in Basel. Stricker closed the season with a second consecutive semi-final look on the Next Gen ATP Finals introduced by NEOM.
Luca Van Assche, 19
The last week of the 2022 season was prophetic for the Frenchman, who received his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Maia to shut the yr.
Van Assche constructed upon his momentum, profitable two consecutive Challenger titles spanning from February to March, each equally memorable. In Pau, {the teenager} saved two championship factors to defeat countryman Ugo Humbert within the longest Challenger last in historical past (three hours, 56 minutes). Van Assche then prolonged his profitable streak to 10, triumphing on the Sanremo Challenger to make his Top 100 debut.
“Two years in the past, I used to be like 1,000-something so I don’t suppose I’d’ve anticipated to be Top 100 now,” Van Assche mentioned in April. “Last yr, I used to be like 400. I used to be not anticipating this possibly a yr or two in the past. It was very quick. Of course I used to be dreaming about it. I’m very proud and I simply wish to be even higher now.”
The Brussels-born participant continued his breakthrough on the subsequent stage, incomes his maiden tour-level win in Estoril and attending to the second spherical of his residence Slam, Roland Garros, the place he received the 2021 boys’ singles crown. 1 / 4-finalist in Hamburg and Metz, Van Assche was a semi-finalist on the Next Gen ATP Finals.
Luca Van Assche celebrates profitable the longest ATP Challenger Tour last in Pau. Credit: Terega Open Pau Pyrenes
Source web site: www.atptour.com
