Tennis week in preview: Novak Djokovic to compete at the Tel Aviv open, Casper Ruud headlines the field in Seoul | September 26-October 2, 2022
It's set to be a busy week of tennis as five tournaments are scheduled across the ATP and WTA tours. 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is the most high-profile name in action this week. He'll be participating in the Tel Aviv Open, which marks the return of tennis to Israel after two decades.
World No. 2 Casper Ruud leads the field in Seoul where the Korea Open is taking place. He's joined by fellow top-10 player Cameron Norrie, along with 2022 Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz. Jannik Sinner is the top seed at the Sofia Open, where he's seeking a third straight title.
World No. 4 Anett Kontaveit is the star attraction at the Tallinn Open, which is being held in her native Estonia. World No. 7 Maria Sakkari headlines the pack at the Parma Ladies Open.
Here's a preview of all the action happening this week:
Tel Aviv Open (ATP 250)
After a couple of months on the sidelines, fans finally got to see Novak Djokovic in action at the Laver Cup. He'll now continue his season at the Tel Aviv Open. The Serb is gunning for his third title of the year, following wins at Wimbledon and the Italian Open.
2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, along with Diego Schwartzman and Maxime Cressy, are some of the other top players in contention here. Dominic Thiem was also given a wildcard to compete.
Korea Open (ATP 250)
Casper Ruud is having a great season so far, highlighted by runner-up finishes at the French Open and the US Open. He has also won three titles, but all of them have been on clay. Along with the Norwegian, Cameron Norrie is another top-10 player competing in Seoul.
Taylor Fritz was having a pretty good year, but injuries have halted his momentum recently. The American is also in the mix here, along with Denis Shapovalov, Dan Evans, Jenson Brooksby and Borna Coric.
Sofia Open (ATP 250)
Jannik Sinner won his maiden ATP title at the Sofia Open in 2020 and followed it up with another title the following year. The Italian youngster has returned to the Bulgarian capital once again with an eye on a third consecutive title.
Home favorite Grigor Dimitrov, in addition to young talents Holger Rune, Lorenzo Musetti and Jack Draper, are also set to compete here. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka was in the draw as well, but had to withdraw due to an injury he sustained at last week's Moselle Open.
Tallinn Open (WTA 250)
The Tallinn Open is a new addition to the women's tour and is the first WTA tournament to be held in Estonia. Anett Kontaveit and Kaia Kanepi's success over the years has been a major factor in the country hosting the tournament.
For its debut edition, the tournament has assembled a rather competitive field. Grand Slam champions Barbora Krejcikova and Jelena Ostapenko, along with top-20 players Madison Keys, Belinda Bencic and Beatriz Haddad Maia, are all in the mix as well.
Other notable names in the draw include Ajla Tomljanovic, Shelby Rogers and Zhang Shuai.
Parma Ladies Open (WTA 250)
World No. 7 Maria Sakkari took a last-minute wildcard to compete at the Parma Ladies Open, mainly to further boost her odds of qualifying for the WTA Finals. It is the only tournament to be held on clay towards the end of the season.
2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, 2022 French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan and 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Jule Niemeier are some of the other big names in the draw.
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