Elina Svitolina fought back from a set down to beat Emma Raducanu 6-7 (5) 7-6 (3) 6-1 on her return from injury in the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland.

The former British world number one defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round – following operations on both her wrists and ankle – and took a first-set lead over the second seed before Svitolina fought back to take victory and advance into the third round.

She will face Marie Bouzkova in the quarter-finals of the tournament as she continues preparations for the upcoming Australian Open.

Raducanu looked like she would ease into a one-set lead when she went 5-1 ahead, but a determined Svitolina fought back to force an unlikely tie-break where Raducanu would eventually get the job done.

The Ukrainian broke Raducanu early in the second set as she looked the level matters but the 2021 US Open champion broke back and her service game was immaculate as the game entered a tie-break for a second time.

The Brit broke Svitolina twice early in the tie-break to gain the upper hand but the world number 25 refused to be beaten as she fought back with six straight points to eventually take the game into a deciding set.

The final set proved too much for the 21-year-old as she was broken early in the third and Svitolina took control of proceedings by winning the next three games before heading into a 5-0 lead.

Raducanu dodged the bagel with a hold of serve in the sixth but Svitolina soon after wrapped up a comfortable win.

After the game, Svitolina said on court: “It was a great match from both of us. Emma played a great match and it was really difficult, physically.

“I hope I will recover for tomorrow, be ready and you guys can give me some support.

“Two great matches and now against Emma, they played really well. I am happy with the way I handled pressure moments and just a really great way to start the year.”

Novak Djokovic is confident he can recover from a wrist injury in time for his Australian Open title defence.

The world number one struggled with a problem with his right wrist and was not at his best in a straight-sets defeat to Alex de Minuar in the United Cup in Perth.

Djokovic, bidding for a record-extending 11th men’s Australian Open singles title, lost 6-4 6-4 to world number 12 De Minaur as Australia beat Serbia 2-0 in their quarter-final in the mixed team event.

“Congrats to De Minaur, he was very solid from the beginning, just played a great match and deserved to win,” Djokovic said in a post-match interview.

“I was not at my level, but it was just one of these days where you didn’t feel your best on the court and your opponent played very well, that’s all I can say.

“I have enough time to get myself in the right shape for the Australian Open and that’s what matters the most at this point.

“I think I’ll be OK, to be honest, but it did have quite an impact, particularly on the forehand and serve.

“But, again, I don’t want to be too much time talking about it and taking away credit for the victory from De Minaur, he was just very solid as he always is.

“Congrats to him and to the Australian team. It is what it is for us I guess and I move on with my thoughts in Melbourne.”

Djokovic will find out his first-round opponent at Melbourne Park when the singles draw for the first grand slam of the year takes place on Sunday.

The 36-year-old needed a medical time-out for his wrist problem in his previous United Cup match against the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka, which he won in three sets on Tuesday.

Against De Minaur he twice needed treatment, first after holding serve to lead 4-3 in the opening set and again after he had been broken to trail 5-4.

“I knew I was probably not going to be at 100 per cent physically, emotionally, mentally game-wise in the opening week of the season,” Djokovic added.

“Neither did I expect that or want that to be honest. It’s all a part of the build-up for the Australian Open.”

Despite Djokovic’s fitness concerns, De Minaur produced an impressive performance to seal one of the biggest wins of his career in just over an hour-and-a-half.

Ajla Tomljanovic followed De Minaur’s win by beating Serbia’s Natalija Stevanovic 6-1 6-1 to clinch Australia’s semi-final place.

Novak Djokovic’s preparations for his Australian Open title defence were dealt a blow in an injury-affected defeat to Alex de Minaur in the United Cup in Perth.

Djokovic lost 6-4 6-4 to world number 12 De Minaur as Australia took a 1-0 lead in their quarter-final against Serbia in the mixed team event before sealing a 2-0 victory.

Djokovic was below his best and struggled with an on-going problem with his right wrist, twice requiring treatment from the physio.

The world number one needed a medical time-out for the issue in his previous United Cup match against the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka, which he won in three sets on Tuesday.

The Serbian was treated after holding serve to lead 4-3 in the opening set and again after De Minaur had broken to edge 5-4 up.

Despite Djokovic’s fitness concerns, De Minaur produced an impressive performance to seal one of the biggest wins of his career in just over an hour-and-a-half.

De Minaur said in his on-court interview after the match: “It’s extra special. Novak is an unbelievable competitor and what he’s done for the sport is pretty special.

“When you go up against Novak you have to go out and enjoy it and back yourself and no matter what keep fighting until the end. Today was my day and I’m happy that I was able to get the win.”

Ajla Tomljanovic followed De Minaur’s win by beating Serbia’s Natalija Stevanovic 6-1 6-1 to clinch Australia’s semi-final place.

Emma Raducanu has earned direct entry into the main draw at the Australian Open following a number of late withdrawals.

The 2021 US Open champion made a winning return to the court at the ASB Classic in Auckland on Tuesday after being sidelined since April following operations on both her wrists and one ankle.

It appeared that Raducanu was going to be required to go through qualifying for the Australian Open due to her protected ranking – given to players who have been sidelined long term – not being high enough.

However, the Australian Open announced in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday that the 21-year-old would take the place of American Lauren Davis in the main draw after the American withdrew due to a shoulder injury.

Davis joins French Open finalist Karolina Muchova, Irina-Camelia Begu and Caty McNally on the withdrawal list.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has also withdrawn from the tournament after announcing she is pregnant with her first child.

Naomi Osaka’s first tournament appearance in more than two years has ended with a second-round defeat to 16th seed Karolina Pliskova at the Brisbane International.

Following an opening-round win over Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch on Monday, Osaka looked to keep her momentum going against the Czech world number 39 but was ultimately outlasted 3-6 7-6 (4) 6-4.

In a battle of two former world number ones, Osaka exploded out of the gates to claim the first set before Pliskova began to find her footing in the second.

After surviving an early break point, Pliskova capitalised on her serve to take control of the match, going on to win 92 percent of her first service points in the set.

Osaka continued to threaten throughout the final set, but was unable to make the most of her remaining opportunities in the narrow loss.

Osaka returned to the court on Monday for the first time since withdrawing from the Pan Pacific Trophy with a knee injury in September 2021. She became a mother for the first time in July.

Elsewhere, Australia’s Daria Saville came agonisingly close to upsetting 11th seed Anastasia Potapova in a 6-4 3-6 6-4 defeat.

The world number 176 dropped the first set but battled back to convincingly claim the second in front of a raucous home crowd.

However Potapova showed plenty of her own fight in the decider, eventually wrapping up the result in two hours and 52 minutes.

Meanwhile, sixth seed Veronika Kudermetova cruised to a 6-2 6-3 win over world number 73 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Rafael Nadal returned from his year-long injury absence with a bang by winning an engrossing first-round battle with Dominic Thiem at the Brisbane International.

The 22-time grand slam champion had not played since damaging his hip during a second-round match at the 2023 Australian Open.

But, with this year’s Melbourne major on the horizon, he gave a timely reminder of his talents with a box-office performance en route to an impressive 7-5 6-1 success in an hour and 29 minutes.

“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career without a doubt,” Nadal said on court following the victory.

“To have the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play at a very positive level is something that probably makes us feel proud – myself, all the team, family that have been there every single day during the last year.

“I missed being healthy, I missed feeling myself competitive and playing in front of full crowds like this.

“Things went well and I’m excited to be back again tomorrow.”

Ahead of his long-awaited comeback, Nadal said it was “impossible” for him to contemplate winning tournaments.

There was little between the pair in the opening set before the Spaniard sealed a decisive break of serve by capitalising on his fourth set point.

Austrian Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion, had barely put a foot wrong at that stage but was quickly facing an early exit.

Nadal backed up seizing the initiative by asserting his authority on the contest with another break of serve early in the second set.

The 37-year-old, who underwent hip surgery last summer, then won four of the next five games to secure a statement victory at the end of his lengthy spell on the sidelines.

He will face either Russian eighth seed Aslan Karatsev or Australian wildcard Jason Kubler in round two.

“The support is super important, especially in the low moments,” added Nadal.

“I had the chance to receive thousands of messages during all of this year and having great people next to me every single day makes the difference without a doubt.

“I don’t have a real test about how the level was, I have been too long outside. The first set was very equal, both us serving very well.

“Then I was able to have that break at 6-5, so that makes the difference.

“I know Dominic has been going through some hard times with injuries too so I’m happy to see him on court and I wish him all the very best for the season.”

Emma Raducanu celebrated her long-awaited return from injury with a gutsy three-set win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round of the ASB Classic in Auckland.

The former British number one, who was playing her first match since April following operations on both her wrists and one ankle, held off a fightback from the Romanian qualifier to progress 6-3 4-6 7-5.

Her preparations for the upcoming Australian Open will continue with a tough last-16 tie against second seed Elina Svitolina.

Tournament wild card Raducanu, who had dropped to 301st in the world rankings, resumed her stalled career claiming to feel “reborn” and freed from the weight of her headline-grabbing US Open triumph in 2021.

Having managed only nine matches in 2023, she initially showed few signs of rustiness as she wrapped up the opening set in 37 minutes after capitalising on her third break point in game eight.

Yet any hopes of straightforward progression were quickly dashed as Ruse responded.

The world number 134 doggedly saved three break points in an 11-minute opening game of the second set before winning two of Raducanu’s next three service games to shift the momentum.

At 5-2 down, Raducanu demonstrated resilience to return the match to serve but then failed to hold as it went to a decider.

The 21-year-old showed flashes of her best throughout the contest, including a delightful backhand slice winner, and would not be denied, despite the best efforts of the determined Ruse.

She blew a 5-2 lead in the final set and failed to capitalise on two match points on her opponent’s serve before digging in to ensure eight months on the sidelines culminated in an encouraging comeback victory.

Andy Murray’s preparations for the Australian Open suffered a setback following a frustrating first-round loss to second seed Grigor Dimitrov at the Brisbane International.

The unseeded Scot was on course to advance after taking the opening set of a tense battle between two former tournament champions on Pat Rafter Arena.

But Dimitrov hit back to progress 4-6 7-5 6-2 and inflict another early exit on Murray following his second-round victory when the pair met at last year’s US Open.

The world number 14 will face either Australian qualifier Li Tu or Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in round two.

Murray was playing his first competitive singles match since a first-round loss to Alex de Minaur at the Paris Masters in late October after a shoulder injury ruled him out of representing Great Britain in the Davis Cup finals.

The 36-year-old initially impressed during a tight encounter which remained on serve until he capitalised on an error-strewn 10th game from his opponent to clinch the opening set.

But Dimitrov calmly responded to force a decider by edging a more chaotic second set which ended with both players struggling to hold serve.

The Bulgarian’s efforts to level were aided by saving a crucial break point with a stunning baseline smash while playing with a broken string.

Three-time grand slam champion Murray was visibly annoyed by the momentum shift and offered little resistance in a relatively one-sided final set as Dimitrov won in just under two-and-a-half hours.

Naomi Osaka made a winning return to tennis as she beat Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch 6-3 7-6 in the first round of the Brisbane International.

The former world number one has not played since withdrawing from the Pan Pacific Trophy with a knee injury in September 2021. She became a mother for the first time in July.

She returned to the court in style, breaking Korpatsch to love in the first game and did not face a break point as she clinched the first set in 39 minutes.

Osaka looked set for a routine victory when she broke for a 5-3 lead in the second set, but Korpatsch fought back to take it into a tie break – Osaka winning 11-9 on her third match point.

“The last couple of years that I played before I had my daughter, I didn’t return as much love as I was given,” Osaka said on court after the match. “I feel like that’s what I want to do in this chapter.

“I just really appreciate people coming out and knowing me and cheering for me because I feel like there was a time I was just a little kid trying to watch my role models play.

“So it feels really surreal sometimes to be playing on these courts.”

The former US Open and Australian Open will meet Karolina Pliskova, another former world number one and a three-time champion in Brisbane, in the second round.

Great Britain were beaten 2-1 by the United States at the United Cup despite Katie Boulter sealing the biggest win of her career against world number five Jessica Pegula in Perth.

The second edition of the mixed international team competition is a slimmed-down version, with ties comprising two singles matches and one doubles.

British number one Boulter, 51 places below Pegula in the world rankings, defeated the American 5-7 6-4 6-4 in the first match on Sunday, but defeat for Cameron Norrie, and then for Boulter and Neal Skupski in the mixed doubles, saw the defending champions prevail.

Victory for Britain would have secured their place in the quarter-finals, but all three teams in Group C still stand a chance of progressing ahead of the final pool match between the US and hosts Australia on Monday.

Pegula looked on course to open the Americans’ title defence with victory, taking six straight games to go a set and 3-0 up.

But Boulter hit back to record her first win over a top-five opponent at the seventh attempt. Her previous best was beating then-world number seven Karolina Pliskova at Eastbourne and Wimbledon in 2022.

She said: “I felt like I played some really good stuff. I get a lot of confidence from it, I’ve done the work during pre-season and I was very happy with it. I feel like a different player than I was a year ago. I wanted to get some wins by rankings.”

Norrie lost to Taylor Fritz in the second singles match to send the best-of-three tie to the deciding doubles.

Fritz triumphed 7-6 (5) 6-4, serving 14 aces to only three by the Briton, who managed just 54 per cent of his first serves.

Boulter and Skupski then got off to a solid start when they faced Pegula and Fritz in the mixed doubles, but the American pair emerged 1-6 7-6 (4) 10-7 victors.

Mathieu Griffith and Ashley Howell both rode off with two brand new scooters for Christmas after winning the men and women’s titles respectively in the recently concluded Keith ‘Grell’ Griffith Road Tennis Classic.

While Griffith registered a straightforward 21-16, 21-14 victory over Darnell Clarke, the relatively unknown Howell created a major upset by defeating the island’s number three ranked female Rachel Smith 17-21, 21-17, 21-17, at the Parkinson Field Courts over the weekend.

Clarke and Smith each won a bicycle compliments Pinelands Creative Workshop and $150.

It proved to be a double delight for the Howell family, as Ashley’s daughter Sarah took home the Under-11 girls’ title and a new laptop by overcoming arch rival Jakarta Archer 21-19, 21-11.

In the Under-11 boys’ final, Taquan Forde beat Devonte Gill 21-17, 21-17, while Zion Moore claimed the Under-14 boys’ title with a 21-17, 21-11 win over Rasha Browne.

Raquan Clarke was pushed all the way by Omari Savoury before eventually capturing the Under-17 boys’ title 17-21, 21-13, 21-17.

Organizer Brommel Griffith revealed that one of the major goals was to raise funds to purchase a prosthetic leg for Keith Griffith, after whom the competition was named.

He told Barbados Today that $7000 was raised and Griffith received his prosthetic on Thursday.

Emma Raducanu is feeling “reborn” and freed of the weight of her US Open triumph as she prepares to make her comeback in Auckland.

The 21-year-old will face a qualifier in the opening round of the ASB Classic, her first match since April following operations on both her wrists and one ankle.

Raducanu looked relaxed and happy as she spoke to the media in New Zealand, saying: “I feel reborn in a way, I feel fresh, I feel ready, I feel happy, I feel excited.

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“Overall I’m feeling very positive and lighter. I think for two years after the US Open I felt maybe a bit more weight on my shoulders but now I feel completely fresh.”

The former British number one had hoped to make her comeback last autumn but her recovery was not a smooth process and she was forced to delay until the start of the new season.

She has been building back up to full fitness on and off court at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton under the guidance of Lawn Tennis Association staff.

For her final week working in London she turned to childhood coach Nick Cavaday while accompanying her in Auckland is mentor Jane O’Donoghue, a former coach who left the LTA to pursue a career in finance.

Raducanu has not had a permanent coach since splitting from Sebastian Sachs at the beginning of June.

O’Donoghue also helped out Raducanu at Wimbledon in 2022 when she was between coaches, and the former US Open champion said: “It’s really nice and refreshing to have her around, I know she has my best interests at heart and it’s just nice to have a familiar face.”

While it is likely to take time for Raducanu to find her feet on the match court again, she believes she is returning to the tour a better player and hungry to succeed.

“It’s going to be fun, I think, going out there competing again, having the competitive juices flowing,” she said.

“I’ve been training really well in practice so overall I’m feeling really good about my game. I think tennis wise I’m better than I was a year ago today, it’s just playing a match it’s going to be different.

“I got to spend a lot of time just thinking how I feel and I definitely got that hunger back just to be on the court competing, training, sweating. I think you really appreciate the time you have when you’re healthy and on court.”

While Raducanu received a wild card in Auckland, she is still waiting to see whether the same will apply for the Australian Open.

Her protected ranking given to players who have been sidelined long term is 103, which appears unlikely to be high enough to secure direct entry in Melbourne.

Currently that would mean going through qualifying at a grand slam for the first time since her remarkable New York triumph in 2021, and she said: “Qualifying doesn’t faze me.

“Right now I’m approaching it like I am in qualifying because I am. I’ve done pretty well in qualifying before so I’ll just see how it goes.”

Preparing to make his 2024 debut across the Tasman Sea at the Brisbane International is Andy Murray, who will take on second seed Grigor Dimitrov in his opening match.

Most of the focus at the tournament is on the returning Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka, and Murray faced the Spaniard in a practice session on Saturday.

Nadal has been sidelined for a year by a hip problem, and Murray said: “It’s great to have him back playing. He’s obviously working extremely hard, like always. He looked physically good, was playing well.”

Both men would need to make it to the semi-finals to meet in anger, and Murray cited renewing his long-time rivalries with Nadal and Novak Djokovic as a goal.

“If I get the opportunity to practise with them, I still really, really enjoy that,” said the Scot. “It does bring back some good memories. But ideally I’d want to be doing that in the tournaments, not in the first rounds. I’d like to be doing it
in the latter stages, if I can.”

Cameron Norrie began the new season with a timely return to form as Great Britain clinched victory over hosts Australia at the United Cup.

The second edition of the mixed international team competition is a slimmed-down version, with ties comprising two singles matches and one doubles.

Britain only needed the singles contests to seal the win in Perth, with Norrie defeating Alex De Minaur for the second year in a row 6-4 2-6 7-6 (2) before Katie Boulter powered to a 6-2 6-4 win against Ajla Tomljanovic.

Norrie won all three of his matches at the United Cup a year ago, including in straight sets against De Minaur, but struggled during the second half of the 2023 season and ended it by losing nine of his last 11 matches.

The 28-year-old admitted he felt a little burned out after maintaining an intense schedule but the off-season has allowed him to reset and his win over De Minaur is his first against a top-20 player since March.

Norrie took advantage of a slow start by De Minaur, breaking serve in the opening game and keeping his opponent at arm’s length during the first set.

The Australian, ranked six places higher than Norrie at world number 12, raised his level markedly in the second set and looked the better player throughout most of the decider.

But Norrie dug in well, saving a break point in the sixth game, and played a brilliant tie-break, seizing the initiative and drawing a double fault from De Minaur on the first match point.

Speaking on court, Norrie said: “I really had to dig deep and play very brave in that third set. He came out at the end of the second set, he was firing and I couldn’t match his level and I had to really play to win in that tie-break.

“I found good depth on my forehand in the tie-break. It’s always tough playing Alex, he’s a good friend of mine. It was a good match and a great way to start the year.”

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Much of the attention ahead of the tie had been on De Minaur being up against his girlfriend Boulter, but the British number one ensured Australia would have no second chances with a strong display.

Tomljanovic is a former top-40 player but she missed most of last season following knee surgery and is currently ranked down at 290.

Boulter, sitting at 56 in the rankings, stormed into a 4-0 lead in the opening set and, although it was closer thereafter, she held her nerve to claim victory.

Britain need to beat reigning champions USA in their final group match on Sunday to ensure they reach the quarter-finals.

Rafael Nadal believes it is “impossible” for him to think about winning tournaments as he prepares to make his comeback from a year on the sidelines.

The former world number one has not played a match since injuring his hip during a second-round contest at the Australian Open in January but will take his place in the draw at the Brisbane International, which begins on Sunday.

Speaking at an appearance at Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall, Nadal said: “I am feeling good. I can’t complain. I’m feeling much better today than what I expected a month ago.

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“For me, it’s impossible to think about winning tournaments. But what’s really possible is to try to enjoy the comeback to the courts. I don’t expect much. Honestly, the only thing that I expect is to be able to go on court, to feel competitive and to give my best.

“It’s going to be a tough process at the beginning. At the end, it’s one year without being on the tennis court and I just have been practising for the last month in a very good intensity. I don’t say that nothing is impossible, but just to be here is a victory.”

In May, Nadal admitted that he was staring at the end of his career as attempts to recover from the injury failed and that he hoped to be able to play a final year on tour in 2024.

He had surgery in June and, although recent weeks have been encouraging, the 37-year-old is not looking too far ahead.

The 22-time grand slam champion said he would not be setting “super long-term goals, because I don’t see myself playing for a super long time”.

He added: “(I want to) try to give myself the opportunity to be more and more competitive as the season goes on. I am not the player that that tries to predict what kind of things can happen in the short term, and it’s even tougher in a medium period of time.

“How I need to approach this process is accepting the adversity and that things aren’t going to be perfect at the beginning. I just have to stay with the right attitude and the working spirit every day.”

Also making her comeback in Brisbane is four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka, who will play her first match since September 2022.

The Japanese star gave birth to daughter Shai in July, and she told reporters: “Being a mum has changed my life a lot. I think it changed my perspective on a lot of things.

“Giving birth was one of the most painful things I’ve ever gone through. It’s definitely made me feel like physically I can handle a lot.

“I want to show Shai that she’s capable of everything, so that’s one of my main purposes and main reasons why I want to be back out here.”

Cameron Norrie is raring to go for the new season as he looks to put burn-out and a disappointing run of form behind him.

The British number one slipped from eighth in the rankings last October to 18th at the end of the 2023 season, losing nine of his last 11 matches.

Norrie started the year in fine fashion, beating Rafael Nadal, Taylor Fritz and Alex De Minaur at the United Cup before winning his fifth ATP Tour title in Rio, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

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But that good form tailed off dramatically, and Norrie told the PA news agency: “It was still a great year but I was disappointed with the end of it.

“I played well in South America then I lost a lot of close matches towards the end of the year and the confidence dropped a little bit. I think that’s tennis. You drop slightly and that’s the difference between being ranked eight and being ranked 18. But I can’t wait for next season.

“I was winning every big match at the beginning of the year – every three-setter, every tough moment I was coming through and I was doing the right thing. It’s a good lesson there to hold onto that confidence and don’t take it for granted.”

Norrie, who is an ambassador for Lexus, is justifiably proud of the work ethic and dedication that has been a huge part of his rise to the top of the game.

But he also acknowledges that his efforts took their toll at the end of the season, with the 28-year-old taking two weeks off after a second-round defeat to Alexander Zverev in Vienna in October before returning for the Davis Cup Finals last month.

Norrie’s loss to Novak Djokovic ended Great Britain’s campaign in the quarter-finals but it was a performance that offered him encouragement for 2024.

“Next year for sure I’m going to look at the schedule and maybe take one or two weeks to really give myself another week’s rest or another week’s preparation to play well at the biggest tournaments,” said Norrie, who has added Australian Stephen Huss to his coaching team.

“It’s a tough one because you never know when you’re going to be burned out, what you can take. We played quite a lot but I was ready for every single week. I think I played more matches than anyone else in the last three years on tour.

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“That can add up but I was feeling pretty good throughout the whole year and just a little bit towards the end when I was in Asia I think it just caught up with me a little bit and I just needed a small break. I took two weeks off and I came back and I was so pumped to hit the ball, so clear what to do.”

Norrie has been training at his home in Monte-Carlo, including trekking into the mountains with fitness trainer Vasek Jursik, and will begin his 2024 season on Friday when he teams up with Katie Boulter at the United Cup in Perth, where Britain will take on hosts Australia and the USA.

Reaching the top 10 may already have exceeded most people’s expectations for him but Norrie certainly does not believe he has peaked yet and, with Novak Djokovic turning 37 in May, he hopes he can be one of the players to take advantage of a forthcoming new era in the sport.

He said: “I want to win big tournaments. I just need to look at how to prepare for those, and I need to be playing my best for those.

“I need to stay very patient with myself. My team’s been excellent, I’ve got all the tools, so it’s just about preparing as well as I can and be ready to play well in the weeks where I have opportunities.

“There’s always going to be guys dominating, maybe (Carlos) Alcaraz, possibly (Jannik) Sinner, so there’s always going to be those top guys to beat, but it’s definitely an exciting time in the history of tennis and nice for me to be playing in it.

“I don’t see any reason why (I can’t be a contender). I’ve had wins over Alcaraz and some other top players. Everyone’s improving so it just gets tougher but I’m feeling good.”