Ben Shelton drew attention by going straight from a US Open final appearance into Davis Cup duty. After losing in four sets to Alexander Zverev in New York, the American travelled to the Czech Republic to join the United States for its tie in Prague.

His first match there did not go his way. Shelton fell 6-4, 6-4 to Jiri Lehecka at the Prague Arena, leaving the contest level at one win each after Learner Tien defeated Jakub Mensik.

Asked in his post-match press conference why he chose to play Davis Cup so soon after his first Grand Slam final, Shelton made clear that the decision was never in doubt. “I’m just happy to be representing the USA here. I think it’s an honour to be able to play,” said the American about playing the Davis Cup.

He also explained the personal context behind the choice. “I missed the tie we played against Czech last year post- US Open because I was injured. I wasn’t going to miss this one no matter what happened at the US Open. No, I’m not feeling tired, and super excited for Day 2 to try and put this match away tomorrow.”

Shelton will not, however, follow that commitment into the Laver Cup the next week, even though he had previously signed up for the team event. He was due to be part of Andre Agassi’s Team World at The O2 Arena in London, but a crowded schedule has forced him out. Brandon Nakashima will take his place alongside Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, and Alexander Bublik.

His next expected stop is the Japan Open, which begins on September 30th. Shelton will enter as the second seed behind Carlos Alcaraz and arrives as a former champion, having won the tournament in 2023. He did not play it last season, so he carries no ranking points to defend.

That gives Shelton room to keep pressing Alcaraz in the ATP Tour rankings. The gap between them is 880 points after the US Open, leaving Shelton with a real opportunity to close in during the final stretch of the season.

Novak Djokovic is still competing with a new wave on the ATP Tour, a testament to the longevity of the 24-time Grand Slam champion. For two decades, he sat at the summit of the sport alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but since their retirements, his results have been more uneven.

The Serbian has found life tougher against Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, and he has not lifted a Grand Slam trophy since the 2023 US Open. Even so, Djokovic remains a major presence on the ATP Tour, and Grigor Dimitrov has suggested that the former world No. 1 has clear opinions about where the men’s game stands now.

Speaking to SpilXperten while representing Bulgaria at the Davis Cup, Dimitrov said: “I’ll be honest with you now. The past years I have kind of distanced myself from the ATP Tour.

“Of course, I am on the Tour, but I have distanced myself from keeping up with certain trends or whatever.” My life has always just been about tennis. In a way, age is just a number, but in our sport the gap increases a lot. You can definitely see that, and it`s not only on the court things have changed. It is also just about interactions. I don`t even know everyone on the Tour now. We can laugh about it, but it’s a bit sad.”

Dimitrov also said Djokovic shares his view of the current landscape.

“I feel the same as Novak,” explained the Bulgarian. “A part of me left with Roger and Rafa. Absolutely. We actually had that talk with Novak, where we talked about the challenges and the obstacles back in the day, you know that era of tennis…

“Without disrespecting any players, that era will always be the most challenging that I have ever had to face. I was not only the chaser, but I was trying to conquer the most massive players all the time. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to fulfill the older you get. It sucks.”

Djokovic is close to forty, but retirement does not appear imminent. He is due back at the China Open at the end of September, his first appearance at the ATP 500 event since 2015. The tournament has been one of his strongest, with six titles and no defeats there.

Joao Fonseca was reduced to tears after completing a comeback win against Switzerland’s Dominic Stricker in Rio de Janeiro in Davis Cup action.

The 20-year-old had not reached the tie at full strength, having withdrawn from the US Open because of an abdominal injury. That problem had already been aggravated during his victory over Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening round in Cincinnati.

In his hometown, Fonseca again looked less than comfortable at times in singles. He dropped the opening set 6-4 to the world No 263 before finding his rhythm and turning the match around for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. The emotion came quickly once the job was done, with the Brazilian overwhelmed on Friday after sealing the result.

On social media, some pointed to the pressure Brazilians place on him as a possible reason for the reaction. Fonseca, though, focused on a season he described as “difficult”.

After the match, the world No 28 told reporters, “It was a difficult year. I suffered from a lack of self-confidence and a few injuries.

“I didn’t come here at 100%, I couldn’t even guarantee that I could play, but this moment, playing Davis Cup for Brazil, means a lot to me. I gave my best and it’s a very important win for me and the team.”

Fonseca’s rise has already included his first ATP Tour title in Buenos Aires as an 18-year-old in early 2025, followed later that year by a maiden 500 crown at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. At the French Open, he also produced one of the best wins of his career by coming from two sets down to beat 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.

Even so, this victory appeared to matter more to him than those previous milestones. He said, “Without a doubt, this victory can give me a lot of confidence, but also a lot of maturity. Not just for the rest of the year, but for the rest of my career.”

Brazil now lead 2-0 heading into Saturday after world No 123 Gustavo Heide defeated three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka in three sets.

Fonseca will be hoping for a cleaner run with his fitness from here. He has been billed as one of the sport’s next major names, but injuries have interrupted his progress this year. If he can stay healthy, he may yet resume the climb that has marked him out as a player to watch.