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When Mackenzie McDonald was 12 years old, he competed in Delray Beach at a junior clay-court tournament. Little did he know that just more than a decade later, he’d be playing on Stadium Court in the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

“I didn’t know about the pro tournament at the time, but I definitely had pro aspirations when I was super young,” McDonald. “I’m living out my dream now, so it’s pretty cool.”

Much of the attention on the young Americans has gone to three 21-year-olds: defending champion Frances Tiafoe, 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Taylor Fritz and last week’s New York Open titlist Reilly Opelka. McDonald followed a different path than his compatriots, attending UCLA for three years and winning the 2016 NCAA Singles Tournament before turning professional. On Tuesday afternoon, McDonald defeated Fritz, his good friend, to reach the second round in Florida. And on Friday evening, McDonald earned his first Top 10 win by defeating Juan Martin del Potro to advance to his maiden ATP Tour semi-final.

“They’re ranked higher than me and they’ve had some great results. I’ve had my fair share, too. But Taylor’s played this tournament four times. This is my first time, so I have some catching up to do,” McDonald said. “I’ll make my mark. I still consider myself pretty young. I know I’m not the youngest, but wins like that help prove that I’m at their level, maybe better and I just have to keep doing my job.”

McDonald first broke out on the international scene at last year’s Australian Open. After qualifying in Melbourne and beating Swede Elias Ymer in the first round of the main draw, McDonald pushed 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov to the limit. The American extended Dimitrov to a fifth set, with the Bulgarian ultimately winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 8-6.

“I was happy I got a couple matches before playing on that big stage in my first Grand Slam draw off of qualifying, not a wild card,” McDonald said. “That match was massive for me, showed me what I could do, showed me my top level in a way.”

The California native maintained his momentum, reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon. Later in the season, he qualified for the Rolex Shanghai Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 event, and beat former World No. 3 Milos Raonic. McDonald may not be as young as some of his fellow Americans, but he’s improving his level just the same.

“It’s really only his third year on the ATP Tour after winning NCAAs. He started off playing the Futures circuit and had the success there and went to Challengers, had success there and really broke through last year at Wimbledon, and that’s when people really started talking about him,” said one of McDonald’s coaches, Michael Russell. “He’s had some great wins and he’s a player to contend with and we’ve been working really hard to make him believe that and [give him] the mindset that he could be a Top 50 player.

“That’s a lot of it with most of these players. All of these guys are so talented and such great athletes, but it’s having that belief and the confidence when you go out there that you are the best player on the court. Having the player buy into that and really believing that is super important.”

McDonald brings an interesting game to the court. While he stands just 5’10”, McDonald is plenty aggressive.

“I play flat and fast. I like to come in and volley, I have good returns and I’m really quick,” McDonald said. “I think some of those long points [I play] are fun to watch.”

“He’s a great ball-striker, an excellent returner, very quick and he uses his speed to take time away from his opponents,” Russell said. “He continues to look for opportunities to come to net and force the issue.”

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McDonald has shown his potential, but he only advanced to one ATP Tour quarter-final, in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last June, before this week. The World No. 84 earned the biggest win of his career against Del Potro, and he is determined to keep working hard daily to improve his game, and with it, his results.

“Tennis is such a weird sport. You’ve just got to keep fighting every day. That’s the thing. When I first started, it was really tough at first but I was not going to give up, I just kept fighting and trying to find a way, because that’s all I could do,” McDonald said. “I really want to be good at this sport… when you keep working hard, good things happen.

“Now I’m in the Top 100, so it’s just chasing those little goals and gains and trying to make the most out of it.”

Editor's Note: This story was originally published on 20 February, and updated with current results from the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

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#NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime continued to create new milestones in his young career on Friday at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Two days after reaching his first 500-level quarter-final, the wild card defeated Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-3 for his first ATP Tour semi-final in Rio de Janeiro.

“This is what I work for every day. It’s what I get up for every morning,” said Auger-Aliassime. “As soon as I walked on court, I felt the energy from the crowd and felt like I couldn’t get tired. The tournament isn’t over yet, but this feels great.”

The Canadian was undaunted by the occasion on Quadra Guga Kuerten and sprinted to a 4-1 lead in the first set. Munar began to sink his teeth into the lengthy baseline rallies, but the deficit proved too much and Auger-Aliassime grabbed the early advantage.

It appeared the 18-year-old would coast to victory after breaking Munar in the opening game of the second set, but the Spaniard hung tough and earned the break back at 2-3 with the help of a net cord. Munar reached 40/0 on his serve in the next game, but Auger-Aliassime found a new gear and dominated the remainder of the contest. A forehand winner on his first match point ended play after one hour and 38 minutes.

Auger-Aliassime finished with 32 winners and 34 errors, compared to seven winners and 18 errors for Munar. The wild card’s baseline aggression allowed to him accumulate 10 break points and convert on four of them.

The World No. 104 in the ATP Rankings started the week by recording his first Top 15 win over second seed Fabio Fognini of Italy. Auger-Aliassime is guaranteed to make his Top 100 debut on Monday and land at least inside the Top 80. He will crack the Top 50 if he can win the title on Sunday.

Awaiting Auger-Aliassime in the next round is Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, who held off a mid-match surge from Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain to prevail 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and 30 minutes. The 2016 champion improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head over Ramos-Vinolas to 7-1 and has won their past six matches. 

Cuevas has been in the top form, having reached the semi-finals at the Cordoba Open (l. to Pella) and quarter-finals at the Argentina Open (l. to Thiem). Four of his six ATP Tour singles titles have come during the Golden Swing.

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Laslo Djere of Serbia continued to back up his first-round upset over top seed and 2017 champion Dominic Thiem by defeating #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-4, 7-5. Djere trailed 2-5, 0/30 against the qualifier in the second set, but rallied to win 20 of the final 28 points. The 23-year-old will look to reach his first ATP Tour final on Saturday.

Standing between him and that achievement is Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, who fought back to defeat qualifier Hugo Dellien of Bolivia 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Little separated the two players, who saw 10 of their 27 games reach deuce, but Bedene controlled the tempo in the latter stages to prevail in two hours and 23 minutes.

Wild cards Thomaz Bellucci and Rogerio Dutra Silva continued their top form on Friday at the Rio Open presented by Claro, The Brazilians hung tough to reach the final in Rio de Janeiro with a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over Andres Molteni and Roman Jebavy.

This marks the first time an all-Brazilian duo has reached the final in tournament history. It's also the first 500-level final for Bellucci or Dutra Silva. Bellucci seeks his first ATP Tour doubles title since winning the MercedesCup (when it was a clay-court event) in July 2013 (w/Bagnis), while Dutra Silva’s lone doubles title came two years ago at the Brasil Open (w/Sa).

They’ll play Maximo Gonzalez and Nicolas Jarry for the title after the pair defeated second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 3-6, 7-5, 10-7. Gonzalez has won five ATP Tour doubles titles, including last week at the Argentina Open (w/Zeballos), while Jarry prevailed last year in Quito (w/Podlipnik-Castillo).

At the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, third seeds Ben McLachlan and Matwe Middelkoop outlasted Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Oswald 3-6, 7-5, 10-7 to reach the final. They’ll play the winner of the other semi-final featuring Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin against Sander Arends and Tristan-Samuel Weissborn.

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Novak Djokovic wouldn't have returned to the peak of the ATP Rankings last season without his all-time great backhand, but more importantly, without the support of his wife, Jelena.

Djokovic, who received the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award earlier this week, spoke with CNN on how big of a role Jelena has played in his comeback, which included his historic rise from No. 22 to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings and becoming the first player to achieve the Career Golden Masters by winning all nine ATP Masters 1000 events.

“Her support was crucial in the times when I was facing adversity and had obstacles that seemed at times too challenging. Without her support, it would be very difficult for me to play competitive tennis at such a high level,” he said.

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Djokovic missed the final five months of the 2017 season and underwent elbow surgery shortly after losing in the fourth round of the 2018 Australian Open. “Twelve months ago, I was on the surgery table. I did question everything about my career, how I wanted to go about my life in the future,” Djokovic said.

The decision to do surgery, Jelena said, went against her husband's “core values” and he contemplated quitting the sport. “It was really huge. It was like he buried one part of him with that decision. He said, 'I'm done. I'm not playing tennis anymore. I lost this. I'm not having fun anymore. This is it,'” she said.

Fortunately for tennis fans, the Serbian has more than just kept playing tennis. His title at the Australian Open last month marked his 15th Grand Slam, one more than his boyhood hero, American Pete Sampras.

“I think the transformational journey really started three years ago at [Roland Garros] 2016, when I held all four Slams at the same time. [It's] the ultimate achievement in tennis, but I didn't feel fulfilled, I just felt like something was missing," Djokovic said.

Click Here To Watch The Full CNN Interview

Second seed John Isner remained untouchable on serve on Friday at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com. The American fired 24 aces and stormed into the semi-finals with a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory over eighth seed Adrian Mannarino of France.

“I thought Adrian was playing well today. Those three break points I saved in the first set felt like set points,” said Isner. “I was able to get the one break in the second set and sometimes that’s all you need.”

Isner saved three break points at 3-4 in the first set and secured the lone break of the match at 2-2 in the second set to wrap up the win in one hour and 33 minutes. He improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head against Mannarino to 7-1 and has won their past six matches.

The American has held in all 31 of his service games this week and hasn't dropped a set. He’s into his fourth Delray Beach semi-final (2012-2014, 2019), but is looking for his final. Should Isner take the title, it would mark the 400th match win of his career.

Next up for the American is British qualifier Daniel Evans, who continued his top form with a 6-4, 6-4 win over sixth seed Andreas Seppi. Evans raced to a 5-1 lead in the first set and maintained control of the baseline rallies to move into his first ATP Tour semi-final since the 2017 Sydney International.

"I played pretty well today and thought it was a clean match. My game style matches up well to his," said Evans. "Playing in the qualifying this week definitely helped me. I'm not there yet, though, and there's still plenty of work to do."

The World No. 148 has jumped nearly 45 spots in the ATP Rankings since the start of 2019. He opened this season by qualifying for the Australian Open and advancing to the second round, then finished runner-up earlier this month at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Quimper. The Brit recorded the first big upset of the week in Delray Beach by defeating third seed Frances Tiafoe in the opening round.

One month after making his maiden Grand Slam semi-final in the Melbourne heat, Stefanos Tsitsipas is finding his footing on the European indoor courts as well.

Greece's #NextGenATP star advanced to his second semi-final of the season on Friday, beating Ukrainian lucky loser Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 6-3 at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille.

“It was a good match from beginning to end. I played smart, held my nerves,” Tsitsipas said.

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The 20-year-old World No. 12 had been 1-2 indoors this season, losing in the quarter-finals of the Sofia Open and in the first round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. But the top seed has found close to his best level in Marseille. Tsitsipas hasn't faced a break point or dropped a set through two matches.

“I know that I can play well, but the biggest challenge is to play even better, match by match,” he said.

Tsitsipas will face a familiar opponent for a place in the ATP 250 final in David Goffin, who beat sixth seed and home favourite Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-4. Tsitsipas and Goffin split their four FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, with Goffin winning most recently in August at the Western & Southern Open, an ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.

Goffin pressured Simon's serve throughout their quarter-final, converting three of his 10 break points while not facing a single break point on his own serve. "I felt well and had a good intensity. I served well too and played a very good first set. Gilles kept fighting, and it was a tough second set. I'm happy that I was able to win in two sets. I felt better and better the longer the match went on," Goffin said.

The Belgian is through to his first tour-level semi-final since Cincinnati last August, when he beat Tsitsipas in the first round. "[Tsitsipas] serves well, and he's confident at the moment. He's the top seed and the favourite in every match," Goffin said. "I like to be the outsider, and I've already beaten him. It will be a nice semi-final for the tournament."

China will host a new ATP Tour event in September, with the city of Zhuhai serving as host for the Zhuhai Open from 23-29 September.

The 250-level event, offering US $1,000,000 in prize money, will be held at the custom-designed, state-of-the-art Hengqin Tennis Center. It will be played the week before the China Open in Beijing and joins the Chengdu Open as the opening stops of the three-week Asian swing held in September and October.

“On behalf of the ATP, we welcome the city of Zhuhai to the ATP Tour in 2019,” said Alison Lee, ATP International Executive Vice President. “I am sure the players will enjoy their time in the city and playing at the magnificent Hengqin Tennis Center.”

Zhuhai has held an ATP Challenger Tour event in March for the past three years at the Hengqin Tennis Center. The Challenger had an initial total prize money of $50,000 in 2016, which was upgraded last year to $75,000.

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Zhuhai is located on the southern coast of China, at the heart of the Greater Bay Area and near Hong Kong and Macau. It has been selected as “China’s Most Livable City” by the Chinese Academy of Social Services since 2015. The Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge was opened in October 2018, making Zhuhai directly and easily accessible by road from Hong Kong.

"With the opening of the new Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, it is easier for players traveling from Hong Kong to Zhuhau," said Tournament Director Leon Sun. "As the only ATP Tour tournament in Southern China, we warmly welcome all the fans, including from Hong Kong and Macau, to enjoy great tennis in this new and modern venue. We look forward to seeing you there in September."

"Huafa Sports is excited to present a first-class ATP Tour event, providing high-quality services to players, officials, sponsors and tennis fans locally and afar. A grand and colourful tennis carnival will be staged in Zhuhai in September," said Peter LV, Executive Director of Huafa Sports, the tournament promoter and operator. "Since 2015, Zhuhai has started its endeavour in promoting tennis both at the professional and amateur level...and has garnered a stellar reputation in event operation and management, with strong support from the local government and local tournament promoter Huafa Group. The Zhuhai Open will become a new boost for local tennis development and undoubtedly a highlight on the ATP Tour."

Juan Martin del Potro helped a worthy cause and thousands of his biggest fans earlier this month when he hosted an open practice in his hometown of Tandil, Argentina. The 6'6” “Tower of Tandil”, as he's affectionately known, welcomed anyone and everyone, so long as they brought one non-perishable food item for the Tandil food bank.

“We collected 730 [kilograms] for the Tandil kids, and I'm very proud to help the people... We made a big event. I'm so happy we did it,” said Del Potro, who held a similar event in December 2017.

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The No. 4 player in the ATP Rankings made time for the fans after his practice, signing autographs, giving away his headband and bringing kids to tears with his generosity.

Del Potro is making his 2019 debut this week at the Delray Beach Open. On Friday night, he will face American Mackenzie McDonald for a place in the semi-finals at the ATP 250 event.

Disfruté mucho compartir el entrenamiento con todos ustedes y a la vez poder ayudar. GRACIAS TANDIL

Five days on from winning his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title, and with family members watching in the Marseille stands, #NextGenATP Ugo Humbert is through to his first ATP Tour semi-final.

The French wild card lost only three first-service points to overcome German qualifier Matthias Bachinger 6-3, 6-3 in 80 minutes on Wednesday at the Open 13 Provence.

“The match went very well,” said 20-year-old Humbert. “I prepared well and watched some videos. I'm very happy with my level. I didn't let him play and was aggressive. I watched him against [Fernando] Verdasco yesterday. I served well, [although] I haven't checked the percentage yet. My family is here as well, I don't see them very often, so I'm very happy that they can be here with me.”

Looking ahead to his clash against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin, Humbert said, “I warmed up with him this morning. I was surprised, he has quite a special backhand. I will have to prepare well and move well.”

Last week, Humbert beat Steve Darcis in the Challenger Cherbourg - La Manche final, then travelled to Marseille to knock out former champion Ernests Gulbis and second seed Borna Coric.

Earlier in the day, Kukushkin swept past Andrey Rublev of Russia 6-4, 6-1 in 65 minutes, winning six straight games from 6-5 in the first set to 5-0 in the second set. Kukushkin is through to his first ATP Tour semi-final since October 2018 at the Erste Bank Open 500 (l. to Nishikori). The World No. 50 also beat Rublev 7-6(4), 6-4 in the second round of the same Vienna tournament.

View Marseille Singles Draw

McLachlan/Middelkoop Reach Doubles Final
Third seeds Ben McLachlan and Matwe Middelkoop advanced to their first ATP Tour team final by defeating Austrian’s Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Oswald 3-6, 7-5, 10-7 in 77 minutes. They await the winners of Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin, and Sander Arends and Tristan-Samuel Weissborn.

Watch highlights as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Pablo Cuevas, Aljaz Bedene and Laslo Djere reach the semi-finals at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com. Photo: Rio Open/FotoJump

Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, reflect on his journey back to the top of the men's game. Video courtesy CNN. Watch full clip here: https://cnn.it/2BIl6N9

Pablo Cuevas discusses what he expects from the #NextGenATP Canadian after winning his quarter-final match against Albert Ramos-Vinolas at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com.

Juan Martin del Potro makes thousands of people happy by hosting a charity event in his hometown of Tandil, Argentina.

Watch highlights as #NextGenATP player Casper Ruud and Pablo Cuevas move into the quarter-finals at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com. Photo: Rio Open/FotoJump

#NextGenATP Canadian Felix-Auger Aliassime had plenty of reason to be happy after reaching his first ATP Tour semi-final at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com.

Laslo Diere talks about reaching his fourth ATP Tour semi-final on clay at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com.

Aljaz Bedene discusses hia quarter-final win over Hugo Dellien at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com.

Watch Hot Shot as Hugo Dellien's volley spins back towards the net at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com. Photo: Rio Open/FotoJump

#NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime reflects on his success at the Rio Open presented by Claro and why he feels so comfortable playing on clay. Watch live tennis streams at http://www.tennistv.com.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, an ATP 500 tennis tournament, has a long history of welcoming some of the top players in the game. Among its champions, the tournament counts former World No. 1s Juan Carlos Ferrero, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Federer, who holds the tournament record for most titles, most match wins, and as the oldest singles champion, returns in 2019 with hopes of claiming his 100th tour-level title.  

Here's all you need to know about Dubai tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who won and more. 

Established: 1993

Tournament Dates: 25 February - 2 March 2019

Tournament Director: Salah Tahlak

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 23 February at 1pm

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday at 11am, Sunday at 12pm
* Main draw: Monday - Wednesday at 2pm and 7pm, Thursday at 3pm and 7pm, Friday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
* Doubles final: Saturday, 23 February at 5pm
* Singles final: Saturday, 23 February not before 7pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV  

Venue: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium
Main Court Seating: 5,500

Prize Money: USD $ 2,736,845 (Total Financial Commitment: USD $ 2,887,895) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Roger Federer (7)
Most Titles, Doubles: Mahesh Bhupathi (5)
Oldest Champion: Roger Federer, 33, in 2015
Youngest Champion: Rafael Nadal, 19, in 2006
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 61 Jerome Golmard in 1999
Most Match Wins: Roger Federer (48) 

2018 Finals
Singles: [3] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) d [2] Lucas Pouille (FRA) 63 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: [2] Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) / Horia Tecau (ROU) d [WC] James Cerretani (USA) / Leander Paes (IND) 62 76(2)  Read More

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Social
Hashtag: #DDFTennis
Facebook: @ddftennis
Twitter: @DDFTennis
Instagram: @ddftennis

Did You Know... In 2005, Federer and Andre Agassi had a friendly hit high above Dubai, on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab. "This was an absolutely amazing experience," Agassi told ATPTour.com. "When you first get over how high you are and start playing, it’s an absolute joy and it was a great time. I had no issues with the height as long as I didn’t have to bungee jump off the side."

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