The ATP Tennis Radio Podcast · ATP Media

PODCAST - NextGen ATP Finals Preview

·43 min·4 clips

The Next Gen ATP Finals moves to Saudi Arabia, testing innovations that could reshape professional tennis.

This episode previews the Next Gen ATP Finals, a tournament for the top 21-and-under men's tennis players, hosted by Seb Lozier. It features interviews with tournament director Adam Hogg, players' peers, and regional journalists to profile the competitors. The event is being held for the first time in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, marking the first professional tennis tournament in the kingdom. Adam Hogg explains the event's dual purpose is to promote upcoming players and test innovations for the ATP Tour. He cites electronic line calling, first trialed at this event, as an innovation later adopted tour-wide due to COVID-19. This year's experimental rules include no on-court warm-ups and an eight-second serve clock between first and second serves. Hogg states the goal is to increase ball-in-play time for viewers within a one-hour viewing window. The tournament's partnership is with the Saudi Tennis Federation, whose president is the first female to lead a sports body in Saudi Arabia. French veteran Édouard Roger-Vasselin provides insights on his young compatriots Arthur Fils and Luca Van Assche. He predicts Fils has the potential to be a top-10 player, comparing his character and ability to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Roger-Vasselin describes Van Assche as more shy and solid, with the potential to reach the top 20. Italian journalist Lorenzo Ercoli profiles his country's entrants, Flavio Cobolli and Luca Nardi. He describes Cobolli as a hard worker and fan favorite, while Nardi is portrayed as a naturally gifted player adjusting to the professional mindset. Serbian journalist Nebojša Visković shares an anecdote about Hamad Medjedović's dedication, recalling the player would run eight kilometers before training sessions as a 12-year-old. Visković states Medjedović, coached by Viktor Troicki, aims to be world number one and has top-10 potential if he improves his movement. Jordanian wildcard Abdullah Shelbayh discusses training at the Rafa Nadal Academy and finding inspiration in Arab trailblazers like Ons Jabeur. The other competitors are Dominic Stricker, Alex Michelsen, and the 2022 champion Brandon Nakashima is noted as a precedent for success. A surprising claim is that seven of the eight players in the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals are alumni of the Next Gen ATP Finals. An interesting insight is the event's role as a laboratory, where rules like the shot clock were first tested before broader adoption. The discussion on Novak Djokovic's influence in Serbia reveals a paradoxical effect, where his success raises expectations so high that other top-50 Serbian players are still overshadowed. The move to Saudi Arabia is framed as an opportunity to engage a young demographic in a new market. The tone is informational and promotional, blending journalism with official ATP perspectives. The style is conversational, built around interview clips and host narration to build anticipation for the tournament. Tennis fans interested in the sport's future stars and its global expansion will appreciate this episode. Listeners seeking in-depth match analysis or critical discussion of the Saudi hosting decision might find it less engaging.

As heard by us

A thoughtful preview that treats the Next Gen Finals as both a tournament and a development story.

ATP Tennis Radio Podcast treats the Next Gen ATP Finals as more than a year-end showcase, linking the Jeddah move to the event's place in the sport's next stage of growth.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the Next Gen Finals preview with real context, not filler.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The ATP Tennis Radio Podcast