{"id":360900,"date":"2025-12-20T18:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T18:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/360900\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T18:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T18:00:08","slug":"learner-tien-alexander-blockx-reveal-how-the-next-gen-atp-finals-format-is-testing-their-campaigns-atp-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/360900\/","title":{"rendered":"Learner Tien & Alexander Blockx reveal how the Next Gen ATP Finals format is testing their campaigns | ATP Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Next Gen ATP Finals
\n Tien & Blockx reveal how the Next Gen ATP Finals format is testing their campaigns<\/p>\n

Top seeds speak to ATPTour.com about the innovative format in Jeddah<\/p>\n

December 20, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Learner<\/p>\n

Corinne Dubreuil\/ATP Tour<\/p>\n

Learner Tien and Alexander Blockx are the top two seeds at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.
\n By Jerome Coombe<\/p>\n

There is no easing your way into a match at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sets fly to four, points come thick and fast, and before players can even towel off, momentum has already shifted. It\u2019s tennis stripped of its safety nets, and as we have seen so far, this format rewards sharp starts, brave decisions and an unwavering focus from first ball to last.<\/p>\n

Top seed Learner Tien<\/a>, who let slip four match points in a bitter opening defeat to Rafael Jodar<\/a>, has felt just how quickly control can slip away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not sure if it’s the format and it might just be me, but I feel like this week I’ve been struggling to focus in some of these matches,\u201d Tien told ATPTour.com after notching his first win over Martin Landaluce<\/a>. \u201cMy mind just kind of goes in and out, especially when I get up in the score, and with this format, momentum can change really quick.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get up and then I take a few points off and suddenly we’re in a no-Ad point and momentum just shifts so quickly that suddenly you can lose a set off of one game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<aLearner Tien, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer<\/a>” style=”width:100%;” src=”https:\/\/www.atptour.com\/-\/media\/images\/news\/2025\/12\/20\/13\/20\/in-arena-stats-jeddah-2025.jpg?w=100%25″>Live in-arena statistics are available to players, coaches and fans. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil\/ATP Tour<\/p>\n

That razor-thin margin is magnified by sudden-death Deuce. For Belgium\u2019s Alexander Blockx<\/a>, those moments have been opportunities rather than obstacles. The 20-year-old has thrived when matches tighten, a big reason why he completed a perfect 3-0 sweep of his group.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing a loss of serve could be costly for a set or having more break opportunities with the sudden-death Deuce comes into my head, but this week I feel I have played those big points well,\u201d said Blockx, who saved 86 per cent (19\/22) of break points across the group stage, according to Infosys ATP Stats. \u201cI focus more when it\u2019s a deciding point. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think too much about the pressure of those points, I just play full out and I think how I have handled the big moments has been important to why I made a good start here and qualified for the semi-finals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<aAlexander Blockx” style=”width:100%;” src=”https:\/\/www.atptour.com\/-\/media\/images\/news\/2025\/12\/20\/13\/17\/blockx-forehand-format-feature-jeddah-2025.jpg”>Alexander Blockx<\/a> won all three of his group-stage matches. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil\/ATP Tour<\/p>\n

By crushing 76 winners across his first three group matches, Blockx offers a perfect example of how to expertly utilise aggression in this fast-paced format. That attacking mindset is reinforced in real time, with in-arena analytics giving players, coaches and fans insights into who is dictating points, how shots are performing across every stroke, and which player is winning the battle when on the front foot \u2014 or scrambling in defence.<\/p>\n

Read the rules and innovations here<\/a><\/p>\n

Fast starts have been another recurring theme throughout the week. With sets to four, falling behind early can be costly. Croatia\u2019s Dino Prizmic<\/a> experienced that the hard way in his opening defeat to Nishesh Basavareddy<\/a>, but struck back with a sharp opening against Justin Engel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first set, it is very important to have a fast start but matches are long, needing to win three sets,\u201d Prizmic said after his four-set win over Engel. \u201cA fast start is important and you have to adapt quickly, but if you can make a fast start you can take a lot of control quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The physical rhythm of the match is also altered by the lack of a changeover after the first game of a set For Prizmic, there is no room to hide and settle in easily. Instead, you have to be locked in and ready for battle from the get-go.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me it is better not to change every first game. Sometimes I sit down in matches after one game and I am a little bit cold, and then I need to find some rhythm and get warm again,\u201d explained the 20-year-old. \u201cHere it’s good because we can play three games in a row to start and you get warm straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Next<\/p>\n

Layered on top of the on-court intensity is a round-robin format that offers both pressure and opportunity. Every match matters, but one loss doesn\u2019t spell the end, a dynamic that mirrors the challenge of life on Tour.<\/p>\n

Tien, for example, rebounded from his opening heartbreak to top his group, while Jodar was eliminated despite also finishing with a positive 2-1 record.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a very tough but good experience,\u201d Prizmic said of the format. \u201cEvery win is very important and you have to stay balanced after a group defeat as you can come back. Everyone is also inside the Top 200, so you are straight into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That, ultimately, is the magic of the Next Gen ATP Finals. It rewards boldness, punishes hesitation and accelerates development. A high-octane proving ground where the future of men\u2019s tennis learns to live on the edge.<\/p>\n

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