Player Features
It all adds up for Khachanov: Top 10 goals and the rivalry that ‘started everything’
World No. 12 speaks exclusively to ATPTour.com
August 13, 2025
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It all adds up for Karen Khachanov.
By ATP Staff
Karen Khachanov‘s big hitting has brought him to the brink of a Top 10 return this North American summer.
After reaching his second ATP Masters 1000 championship match in Toronto, the 29-year-old is now into the quarter-finals at the Cincinnati Open. where he will take on Alexander Zverev on Wednesday. Should Khachanov triumph, he will take another major step towards returning to the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since June 2023, something he told ATPTour.com has been one of his biggest goals.
A seven-time tour-level titlist, Khachanov also broke down his favourite tennis rivalry in history and revealed how he pushed through adversity early in his career.
What is your favourite ATP Tour tournament to play and why?
I would say Monte-Carlo is one of my favourites. The site, the hotel, the event, clay courts in spring. The only thing is sometimes we miss good weather there. Then Paris-Bercy, of course. [Winning the title] there was one of the greatest memories in my career. The centre court in the old arena was one of the nicest. The atmosphere was one of the best indoors.
What is your favourite tennis rivalry?
Definitely Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer]. Everything started from them. Then Novak [Djokovic] stepped inside this duo and started to have crazy rivalries with both of them, but I think everything started from [Roger and Rafa]. I remember those matches in Rome and Madrid on clay, at Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Some really epic matches.
Who’s your greatest rival?
With Novak I’ve played quite a few matches and managed to beat him one time in this match in Paris when he was No. 1. I would also say [Daniil] Medvedev. We played this year a couple of times already and had good matches in the past. Always exciting, tough matches.
What is the biggest thing you’ve been chasing?
My biggest goal is to try and be back in the Top 10, where I was able to break through two years ago before getting injured. Just right at the moment I got injured, and that affected me after I couldn’t go out and compete for three and a half months. But that is not an excuse, it’s a reality, and I think I’m motivated, I’m pumped to achieve my goals. I keep chasing.
With regards to events, definitely it is a dream to win a Grand Slam. I still want to win a Masters 1000 one more time. But at the end of the day, if you put it in perspective, if you are in the Top 10 or even higher, you have definitely had good results in the bigger tournaments, so that is all connected.
It All Adds Up: Every moment means everything:Â
What is the greatest difficult or adversity you have overcome?
I would say having a little bit of success early. When I was 22, I won a Masters 1000, one of the biggest titles, against Novak, and I felt like, ‘Whoa, I’m there’. Even though I’m mentally strong in a way, I felt like the following year at the beginning of the year was not what I was hoping or thinking it would be. That pushed me away a little bit and showed me that I needed to settle, to keep working towards my goals and that not everything would just come from the sky.
This moment was one of the toughest: to understand, to grow up, to be more mature and understand myself and tennis more. Even after that, it took me a few more years to get really good results in Grand Slams and at the Olympics.
What is the coolest thing you’ve been able to do off the court purely because you’re a tennis player?
I would say just travelling. The Tour forces us to travel, which I’m not complaining about. Tournaments in different cities and countries around the world. I would not travel as much if I wasn’t doing what I am doing now.
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