![\"Matej](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dodig-bratislavach-2025.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Challenger
\n #NextGenATP Matej Dodig: Aiming for Jeddah after years watching from afar<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old won his first Challenger title in July<\/p>\n
August 07, 2025<\/p>\n
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Bratislava Open<\/p>\n
Matej Dodig is No. 255 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
\n By Grant Thompson<\/p>\n
Since first tuning in as a 12-year-old, Matej Dodig<\/a> has followed the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF<\/a> with admiration and ambition. From watching Hyeon Chung<\/a>\u2019s breakthrough in the inaugural edition to seeing stars such as Jannik Sinner<\/a> and Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> win the title, the Croatian has dreamed of stepping onto that same stage.<\/p>\n Now 20 years old and forging his own path on the ATP Challenger Tour, Dodig is aiming to qualify for the very event he has spent years watching on TV.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would really mean a lot to me if I make it,\u201d said Dodig, who is 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and will need to make up ground to grab one of the eight qualifying spots. \u201cI\u2019ve watched it every year when it came out. I watch it every year. It would be really nice to go there and play.\u201d<\/p>\n Dodig fondly remembers his countryman Borna Coric<\/a> reaching the semi-finals of the event in 2017 and a year later, Coric propelled to a career-high No. 12. The 20-and-under event, formerly 21-and-under, has routinely showcased young talent making a splash in their early years of stardom, such as Joao Fonseca<\/a>, who won the Jeddah event last year and is now a Top 50 player.<\/p>\n Alcaraz won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF<\/a> in 2021, a year removed from when he won his first Challenger in Trieste, Italy, where fittingly, Dodig earned his maiden title at that level in July.<\/p>\n \u201cI watched him on YouTube win Trieste and now I did the same,\u201d Dodig said with a smile. \u201cThat\u2019s what I said in my trophy ceremony speech after the final.\u201d<\/p>\n Dodig began playing tennis aged five, after a football club turned him away for being \u201ctoo small\u201d. \u201cThey didn\u2019t have a group for that small of kids,\u201d he added. Eager to use his youthful energy in sports, Dodig started playing at a tennis club instead.<\/p>\n Around age 15, Dodig began training at the Ljubicic Tennis Academy, which was founded by former No. 3 and fellow Croatian Ivan Ljubicic<\/a>. Dodig trained there for two years, alongside his longtime friend Dino Prizmic<\/a>, the 19-year-old Croatian who is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time [Ivan] came to the academy, me and Dino were mostly there. He was always trying to help young players,\u201d Dodig said. \u201cOf course, you will remember everything that Ljubicic tells you.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans might wonder if World No. 255 Matej Dodig<\/a> is related to former doubles World No. 2 Ivan Dodig<\/a> \u2014 who also achieved a Top 30 singles ranking \u2014 but despite sharing a surname and Croatian roots, the two are not related, or at least they do not believe so.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost everybody asks me that question,\u201d Dodig said, cracking a laugh. \u201cAnd now he started to tell me that it also happens for him. My grandfather comes from the same place as him, but we don\u2019t know if there is some [relation]. Maybe some far relatives.\u201d<\/p>\n Croatia has claimed the third-most Challenger titles by country this season (9), trailing only much-larger France and the United States (both at 14). It is an impressive feat for a small country, yet rich in tennis history. Coric has claimed four of those titles, including three trophies in as many weeks spanning February to March.<\/p>\n The 36-year-old Marin Cilic<\/a> continued his comeback from injury by competing at a handful of Challenger events, and the Tour-veteran made history in the process. Cilic, who lifted two titles at that level as an 18-year-old in 2007, set the record for the longest gap in between ATP Challenger Tour titles (17 years, 10 months) with his triumph in Girona. He then returned to the winner’s circle at the grass-court Nottingham Challenger in June.<\/p>\n Then there are the #NextGenATP youngsters, Dodig and Prizmic, proudly taking the baton for their home country. Prizmic won the Zagreb and Bratislava Challengers, and reached two additional finals. Dodig celebrated his milestone moment on the clay courts of Trieste, where he advanced through en route to the title.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything just clicked that one week,\u201d Dodig said. \u201cThis year I was not playing so good, was not so confident. I finished last year with a shoulder injury and I felt like last year I was closer to a title, playing more consistent. This year was more of a surprise for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8 Matej Dodig<\/a>\u2019s breakthrough moment \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n The 19-year-old defeats Tirante 6-3, 6-4 to capture his first Challenger trophy in Trieste! \ud83c\udfc6#OnTheRise<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TGJVcDITfo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 13, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"It](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1754548208_683_it-all-adds-up-banner.jpg\"\/)
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