The ever-steady Francisco Cerundolo is off to another strong start thanks to a home-grounds win at the IEB+ Argentina Open. 

In our ‘Rock Steady’ issue: 
🎙️ Exclusive Q&A with Francisco Cerundolo
🙏 Zachary Svajda’s grief and gratitude 
🎫 TODAY ONLY: Laver Cup presale for Insiders

‘HE’S A FIGHTER, HE NEVER WAVERS’

The nicknames came easy.

Francisco Cerundolo, after all, was making his second Laver Cup appearance, this time in a bayside city that bore his canonized name: San Francisco. St. Francis. San Fran Cerundolo. The Frisco Kid. But newly minted Team World captain Andre Agassi had his own ideas.

“This guy is just the Rock of Gibraltar right here,” Agassi told the Chase Center crowd moments after Cerundolo put the finishing touches on Team Europe foe Holger Rune, a 6-3, 7-6(5) victory that put the eventual champs in front for good. “He’s a fighter. He never wavers.”

That steadiness, that baseline doggedness, has been Cerundolo’s calling card ever since he rocketed from No. 127 to No. 24 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2022, the year he reached the Miami Open semis in his ATP Masters 1000 main-draw debut and captured his first tour-level trophy in Bastad.

The timing was exquisite. His beloved countryman Juan Martin del Potro had played his last official match earlier that same year, famously draping his headband over the net in an emotional display at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club. Cerundolo, along with fellow Argentines Diego Schwartzman, Sebastian Baez, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, even his younger brother, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, were charged with filling a considerable void left by the now-retired 2009 US Open champion.

Cerundolo, 27, has since cracked the Top 20, and earlier this month captured the fourth ATP singles title of his career, fittingly, at the IEB+ Argentina Open, held at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club. Finally prevailing in his third appearance in the title match in his hometown, the multi-surface threat would call it “probably the best moment of my career so far”.

So far. As the Hall of Famer Agassi observed, by any nickname, the Latin American No. 1 is a fighter. And if his continued ascendance is any sign — marquee wins over Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, etc., a career-best run to the Round of 16 earlier this year at the Australian Open — there are plenty more of those ‘best moments’ to come. 🎾 — By Richard Osborn

WE’RE HEADING BACK INTO THE SUNSHINE DOUBLE OF INDIAN WELLS AND MIAMI. THAT WAS SUCH A PRODUCTIVE PART OF YOUR SEASON LAST YEAR WITH A COUPLE TOP 10 WINS, BACK-TO-BACK QUARTER-FINALS. WHAT CAME TOGETHER FOR YOU AND WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT THAT STRETCH?
I really like both of those tournaments. The facilities at Indian Wells are amazing. Life is super chill there. You have a lot of time to spend with your team, to relax. It’s like two opposites. Then you have Miami, with lots of life in the city, so many different things to do. You’re more in a rush because you want to do everything. It’s a good combination. They’re really different, but I like them both. Hopefully, I’ll have a good run again like last year.

SINCE CRACKING THE TOP 30 IN 2022, YOU’VE BEEN A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY IN THE RANKINGS. TALK ABOUT THE PRIDE YOU TAKE IN THAT ABILITY TO BE STEADY WEEK-IN/WEEK-OUT, YEAR-IN/YEAR-OUT?
It’s super tough to stay inside the Top 30 for four or five years. It’s a lot of work that I put in every single day. I’ll try to keep improving, to keep going. I want to compete and be in the final rounds of the biggest events.

YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE AROUND ANDRE AGASSI IN SAN FRANCISCO LAST YEAR DURING THE LAVER CUP. ANDRE SEES THE GAME LIKE FEW OTHERS. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO HAVE HIM AS A CAPTAIN, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM HIM?
Andre’s a legend, a really nice guy. It was the first time that I met him. I was a little bit nervous and shy. I didn’t know what to expect. But he showed that he’s super open. He was really helpful with me. He was there at every practice, giving me advice, tips. He noticed some details about my game that we worked on. I could see his capabilities, how he sees the game, how he can figure things out.

EXCLUSIVE PRESALE ACCESS: Experience Tennis Unrivaled when the ninth edition of the Laver Cup returns to The O2 in London, September 25–27, 2026. Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz respectively headline Captain Yannick Noah’s Team Europe and Captain Andre Agassi’s Team World. And just announced, joining them are Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Australian ace Alex de Minaur.

ATP Tour Insiders enjoy exclusive presale access to Full Tournament Ticket Packages on Thursday, 26 February, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. GMT. To access the presale click here

Disclaimer: The appearance of any specific player is not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice.

Matteo Berrettini was full-on balletic in Rio, where he fooled (un)lucky loser Tomas Barrios Vera with this pirouette-flick in the opening round. 

It wasn’t easy for Zachary Svajda to return to his hometown of San Diego in late January for an ATP Challenger event.

Understandably, he was still coming to terms with the loss of his father, Tom, to cancer only three months earlier; a man who had played such an integral role in his life, who had introduced him to the sport in his teaching-pro days at the Pacific Beach Tennis Club.

“He taught me everything because I was homeschooled my whole life, so I was with him 24/7 on the tennis court and at home,” says Svajda. “He really taught me commitment and making the right decisions and also sacrifices.”

It was his father’s voice that ultimately convinced Zachary to play. He knew deep down that Tom would want him to move forward on the tennis court. That’s what made him the happiest. And it’s a good thing he did: Svajda, 23, would reel off five straight victories, including a clutch 6-4, 7-6(5) upset of compatriot Sebastian Korda in the San Diego final.

Credit the Hulk for Flavio Cobolli's superhero mindset! The Italian celebrated his first ATP Tour win since 4 January by showing off his new tattoo to the crowd at the Delray Beach Open.

"In Davis Cup [last year], you remember I [ripped] my t-shirt, so now I have Hulk,” said Cobolli. “It’s fresh, like two weeks old. I felt like Hulk on the court [then], so now I have to be like him!”

🔄 GRIGOR’S RESET: Grigor Dimitrov has joined forces with David Nalbandian, adding the former World No. 3 to a coaching team that already includes some elite expertise in Xavier Malisse.

🌴 DESERT DOUBLES: The BNP Paribas Open doubles draw always brings out top-flight singles firepower. Among the teams we’ll see: Daniil Medvedev/Learner Tien, Felix Auger-Aliassime/Sebastian Korda, and Alex de Minaur/John Peers.

🙌 O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! Joao Fonseca was reunited with Team World captain and Hall of Famer Andre Agassi at the Rio Open presented by Claro. “He was everyone’s idol,” said Fonseca, who made his Laver Cup debut last year.

🔙 FABIO’S RETURN: Nine-time ATP Tour titlist and “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Fabio Fognini paused his retirement to make an appearance at an ATP Challenger event in Tenerife, sharing laughs during an exhibition match.

📚 CONTINUING EDUCATION: Former TCU star Jack Pinnington Jones is embracing the grind in his first full season on the tour, learning to adjust as his career takes him from Australia to Egypt and beyond. “It’s all a journey,” he said.

🎾 SERVE NOTICE: Cast your vote for the ATP Perfect Serve brought to you by Stella Artois — a three-way battle between Hubert Hurkacz, Jakub Mensik and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, all of whom racked up the aces in January.

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