Son, Stricker, Van Assche and Shelbayh: find out who are the eight players aged 21 or under taking part in the NextGen ATP Finals

Already qualified for the “big ones” Masters, won by Novak Djokovic in mid-November in Turin, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and the Dane Holger Rune are not in the game. No more than the third and fourth in this specific ranking. American Ben Shelton prematurely ended his season after his defeat in the first round of the Masters 1000 in Paris. Officially, he would like to heal and rest for next season. As for the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who took part in the last two editions of the NextGen ATP Finals, he is withdrawn for personal reasons.

If you have been following, the first qualifier is therefore the fifth in the Race. This is Arthur Son. The 19-year-old Frenchman will be accompanied by his compatriot Luca Van Assche, the Swiss Dominic Stricker, the American Alex Michelsen, the Serbian Hamad Medjedovic as well as the Italians Flavio Cobolli and Luca Nardi. The eighth and final place was awarded by invitation to Abdullah Shelbayh. A decision that makes sense, the player being from Jordan, a neighboring nation to Saudi Arabia. The choice of this country, which buys many sports competitions with petrodollars, has also raised eyebrows. But that’s another debate… Here is a portrait in a few lines of each participant.

Arthur Fils (19 years old) – France

This is called exploding. In 2023, Arthur Fils has completed stages four by four. Winner in Lyon, the very first ATP 250 of his career, finalist in Antwerp but also semi-finalist in Montpellier, Marseille and Hamburg, the Frenchman went from 251st place at the start of the season to 39th place in the world. And if he failed in his quest to secure top seed status at the upcoming Australian Open, he is sure to be one of the attractions at these NextGen ATP Finals. This ambitious, hard-hitting man dreams of becoming world number one and winning a Grand Slam title.

Luca Van Assche (19 ans) – France

Another Frenchman born in 2004, and therefore from a promising generation. Luca Van Assche, as his last name suggests, has Belgian blood running through his veins. Born in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert to a Belgian father and an Italian mother, Luca emigrated to France at the age of three. Winner of the Roland-Garros juniors in 2021, the right-hander is chasing his first trophy on the ATP circuit. And that won’t be long in coming, given the qualities of this player with a blocker profile who is solid on the court. Currently ranked 66th in the world, this Roger Federer fan won two Challenger tournaments at the start of the year. During the second round of the ATP 250 in Banja Luka in April, he won the first set against Novak Djokovic before losing. Van Assche dreams of the Paris Olympic Games.

Dominic Stricker (21 ans) – Suisse

Semi-finalist of the 2022 edition, organized in Milan, Dominic Stricker will take part in his second NextGen ATP Finals. The 21-year-old entered the top 100 for the first time following his round of 16 performance at the US Open in August this year. In New York, the Swiss lost to the American Taylor Fritz (62-7, 4-6, 4-6). An offensive player, Stricker is a left-handed player who plays his backhand with both hands. Since April, he has chosen to train with Dieter Kindlmann. A former 130th in the world who had his finest coaching feats on the women’s circuit. He notably coached Maria Sharapova, Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka.

Alex Michelsen (19 years old) – United States

This is undoubtedly the surprise of this 2023 edition. Alex Michelsen, like his compatriot Ben Shelton until the start of this year, plays almost exclusively on the American circuit. It is also in the United States that he obtained his qualification for the NextGen ATP Finals, achieving a success and a final during his two Challenger tournaments organized in recent weeks. Two performances which allowed him to enter the top 100 for the first time. Having gone through the university sector, the man who is now 94th in the world decided to stop his studies to launch himself as a professional on the circuit. Standing at 1.93 meters tall, the 19-year-old Californian can count on his powerful serve. Last year, alongside Sebastian Gorzny, Michelsen won Wimbledon in the junior doubles.

Flavio Cobolli (21 years old) – Italy

Having become a professional during the confinement linked to Covid-19, Flavio Cobolli is a clay court specialist. It is also on this surface that the 100th in the world won his first $15,000, in Antalya, in 2021. Two other titles, on the Challenger Tour, will follow, in Zadar in 2022 and Lisbon last October. Alongside Dominic Stricker, the 21-year-old won the doubles at the 2020 edition of the French Open juniors.

Luca Nardi (20 years old) – Italy

Arriving in the world of the little yellow ball after seeing his brother Niccolo play at the age of seven, Luca Nardi progressed quickly. In 2017, he took part in the Petits As tournament, a sort of unofficial world championship dedicated to 12-14 year olds and organized in Tarbes (France). Still looking for a first ATP title, the Italian is nonetheless a solid player on the Challenger Tour. His record includes five, including two obtained this season in Porto and Matsuyama. He is currently ranked 115th in the world.

Hamad Medjedovic (20 years old) – Serbia

Present in Malaga with his national team which was playing in the final phase of the Davis Cup, Hamad Medjedovic arrived last in Jeddah. Having become the fourth Serbian to win several titles on the Challenger Tour in 2022, the 20-year-old made his debut on the ATP Tour this season. He took the opportunity to taste his first Grand Slam lifts, coming out of qualifying at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. A clay court specialist, he notably reached the semi-final in Gstaad in July, losing to the Argentinian Pedro Cachin (6-3, 6-1). Victorious in three Challenger tournaments this year, the Serbian is currently at the gates of the Top 100.

Abdullah Shelbayh (20 years old) – Jordan

Trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy, Abdullah Shelbayh burst onto the scene in 2023. Spotted by Toni Nadal in 2017, the young player left his mark on the history of his country. The first Jordanian to win a Challenger match, he also won his very first success on the ATP circuit after getting out of qualifying in Banja Luka (Bosnia-Herzegovina). It was last April, in front of the Swede Elias Ymer (6-1, 7-5). To punctuate his exceptional season, at the beginning of October, he won the title at the Challenger in Charleston (USA). Now ranked 185th in the rankings, his best ranking, Shelbayh obtained an invitation to participate in the NextGen ATP Finals.