Alex de Minaur Advances to Semifinals at ATP Finals

Alex de Minaur is moving on…

The 26-year-old Uruguayan-Spanish Australian tennis player beat Taylor Fritz 7-6 (3), 6-3 at the ATP Finals for his first victory in six matches at the tournament, following his debut last year.

Alex de MinaurThe victory sends de Minaur through to the semifinals after he earlier claimed his first ATP Finals victory.

“I finally won here in Torino,” said De Minaur, who needed a straight-set win to stay in contention for a semifinal spot.

De Minaur never looked back after dominating the tiebreaker and had a chance to seal victory on Fritz’s serve when he moved to match point, but the American held.

De Minaur kept his nerve on serve to triumph.

The seventh seed will face Jannik Sinner in the final four.

Carlos Alcaraz Clinches Year-End No. 1 Ranking with ATP Finals Win Over Lorenzo Musetti

Carlos Alcaraz is ended the year on top…

The 22-year-old Spanish tennis star needed less than 90 minutes to secure the year-ending No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis during his latest match at the ATP Finals..

Carlos AlcarazAlcaraz needed one more win to beat Jannik Sinner to the No. 1 spot, and he eased to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Italian Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday to sweep his group at the season-ending event for the top eight players.

“It means the world to me, to be honest,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “The year No. 1 is always a goal. To be honest, at the beginning of the year, I saw that the No. 1 [was] really, really far away, with Jannik there, winning almost every tournament he plays.

“From the middle of the season till now, I put the goal for the No. 1 because I thought it was there … and finally, I got it. For me, it means everything, the work that we put every day during the whole season, up and downs … so I’m really proud about my team and myself.”

It’s the second time in his career that Alcaraz has ended the year at the top of the rankings.

Alcaraz became the youngest player to finish a year at No. 1 in 2022, when he achieved the feat as a 19-year-old.

Alcaraz had to win three of his matches at the ATP Finals to finish No. 1, while Sinner had to go undefeated to defend his title to have a chance.

Alcaraz – who admitted he was feeling nervous at the beginning of the match –

didn’t give Sinner that chance as he swept aside Musetti despite a partisan home crowd, sealing the result on his third match point.

That was his third win in the Jimmy Connors group, and Alcaraz will face the winner of Friday’s match between Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime in Saturday’s semifinal.

Rafael Nadal & Carlos Alcaraz to Headline Netflix’s Live Tennis Event “The Netflix Slam”

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are heading to Netflix for a special slam…

The 37-year-old Spanish tennis superstar and the 20-year-old Spanish tennis phenom will headline The Netflix Slam, the streaming services tennis match.

Rafael Nadal, Carlos AlcarazNadal and Alcaraz will take part in the event on Sunday, March 3, 2024, as it streams live from Las Vegas, where it will take place at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

It’s the latest live event for the company after The Netflix Cup, a live golf event featuring folks froms Drive to Survive and Full Swing.

The Netflix Slam will be produced by Full Day Productions. Full Day produced The Netflix Cup.

The event will stream live as a dual broadcast for English and Spanish audiences.

There will be additional games as well as the Alcaraz and Nadal matchup.

“I’m honored and so happy to be sharing the court with Rafa in Las Vegas,” Alcaraz said. “He’s an all-time great, of course, and his records and achievements speak for themselves.”

“I’m very excited for my first visit to Las Vegas,” Nadal added. “I’m also very excited to be playing with my fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz. I am sure it will be a fantastic night of tennis.”

Selena Gomez’s Wondermind Developing “Behind the Racquet” Mental Health Docuseries with Venus Williams

Selena Gomez is making a racquet about the mental health of tennis player.

Wondermind, co-founded by the 31-year-old Mexican American actress/singer, Mandy Teefey and Daniella Pierson, will join forces with Venus Williams for Behind The Racquet.

Selena Gomez

The docuseries, currently in development, will address the mental health challenges faced by athletes in tennis.

It aims to raise awareness and destigmatize conversations about the challenges athletes face on and off the court, exploring mental health in tennis through the lens of those who live it.

Shot and directed by Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated director and cinematographer Rex Miller, each one-hour episode will contain three player vignettes, giving viewers a 360-degree view of the sport.

Through candid conversations with recreational players to pros at the top of their field, the series explores themes such as grief, anxiety, disability, body image, disordered eating, family, and sexuality.

Williams, Isha Price, Noah Rubin, Teefey, Katelyn Afshar and Zach Mitchell executive produce.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the production team for Behind The Racquet as it will tackle some of the hardest mental health conversations athletes have in tennis,” said EP and tennis champion Williams. “By exploring and sharing how athletes cope with their mental health and other off-court challenges, we’re able to address and normalize the many different layers of how mental health contributes to player performance and beyond.”

By giving an exclusive look at the triumphs and struggles both on and off the court, the docuseries is Wondermind’s cinematic expansion of a widely acclaimed social media community and platform – also called Behind the Racquet – where tennis players share their mental health journeys online. The community was founded by professional tennis player Noah Rubin, who is an executive producer of the docuseries.

“The connection between players’ mental health and performance as athletes has often been discussed in the world of sports, but never explored so intimately in the world of tennis as it will in ‘Behind The Racquet,’” said Teefey, Co-founder & CEO of Wondermind and executive producer of the project. “Wondermind is dedicated to telling deep, character-rich stories that showcase universal narratives about mental health from diverse perspectives. We’re thrilled to have excellent production partners in Venus, Isha, Noah and team to achieve this.”

Behind The Racquet is the first docuseries produced by Wondermind, which creates content in film, TV, editorial, podcast, and other forums to normalize and advance mental health topics with authentic, first-hand stories and expert-backed reporting.