Andy Schooler’s latest Futureproof column looks ahead to the ATP Tour Indoor Season, which begins next week. Read his exclusive preview, below for kwiff.
ATP Tour Indoor Season Preview 2025
Six weeks remain in the men’s tennis season and the action will all take place indoors, mainly in Europe. It used to be the case that the courts played fast when they had a roof above them but punters now need to look more carefully into surface speeds which, as was seen in Shanghai recently, can change from year to year.
The ATP Finals in Turin and the Paris Masters have tended to live up to tradition in recent seasons with Stockholm arguably towards the slower end of the scale in terms of indoor conditions. An extra issue this year is that two new venues have been added. The European Open moves from Antwerp to Brussels (although the same GreenSet medium-fast courts are due to be used), while Belgrade has been replaced by Athens.
ATP Tour Indoor Season: Felix Auger-Aliassime
With that bit of housekeeping done, let’s take a look at some players ready to shine at this time of year. The obvious candidate for success in the coming weeks to me is Felix Auger-Aliassime. The recently married star certainly seems to be enjoying a honeymoon period in Shanghai at time of writing, playing some fine tennis.
A lot of his best results have come indoors where his big first serve isn’t affected by the elements. You only have to think back to 2022 to remember him winning three weeks in a row on the tour during this indoor period.
He’s since won two more indoor ATP titles, including Montpellier earlier this season, which means that six of his seven tour-level crowns have been won with a roof over his head. He’s also finished runner-up at four others.
Throw in the fact that Auger-Aliassime has the motivation of chasing a place in the ATP Finals in Turin and I’m expecting good things from him in Brussels, Basel and Paris in the coming weeks.
ATP Tour Indoor Season: Ugo Humbert
Another player who loves it indoors is Ugo Humbert. Four of his seven ATP titles have been won in such conditions, the latest coming in Marseille in February. Humbert is also a former champion in Antwerp and Metz – he’s due to end his 2025 season at the latter event. Admittedly, Humbert has struggled for wins of late so you may find you get a decent price in some his matches and if that propensity for indoor tennis shines through again, then you could be in business.
Humbert’s fellow Frenchmen, Arthur Rinderknech and Adrian Mannarino, are both in good form and have the potential to rack up more wins in this period of the campaign. Notably, seven of Mannarino’s 15 career ATP finals have come in the post-US Open part of the season. However, as things stand, he’s due to come in at the qualifying stage in both Basel and Paris so chances to get with the veteran may be at a premium. That’s also the case for Rinderknech, although he is due to play the main draw in Metz.
ATP Tour Indoor Season: Raphael Collignon
For a more left-field choice, it may be worth considering Raphael Collignon in some match bets in the coming weeks. The Belgian has been one of the stars of the ‘second division’ Challenger Tour this season, particularly indoors. He made two finals, winning one, back in February, and since returning indoors a few weeks ago, he’s finished runner-up and made the semi-finals of two tournaments in France. Of course, translating such results to the main tour is easier said than done but that process is beginning to happen for Collignon.
He upset Casper Ruud at the US Open and then toppled Alex de Minaur last month as Belgium claimed a stunning Davis Cup win in Australia. Such victories tend to give upcoming players real belief and I’m certainly keen to see how Collignon performs at his home event in Brussels next week. Moving on to the opposite side of the coin, how about those worth opposing? It’s certainly a tricky time of year for many, especially those will plenty of tennis in their legs after the lengthy season.
ATP Tour Indoor Season: Akexabder Bublik
One such player is Alexander Bublik. He’s one I’d normally expect to shine in this period – he’s won three ATP indoor titles – but the Kazakh has been showing signs of fatigue of late following the best season of his career. Bublik lost his opening match in both Beijing and Shanghai and the fact he’s now pulled out of his home event in Almaty says much. He is due in Vienna, Paris and Metz where he could be worth taking on.
I’d also have concerns about backing Andrey Rublev around this time. He’s surely got too much to do to qualify for the ATP Finals for a sixth successive year and arrives back in Europe having lost his last four matches. I suspect both player and (relatively) new coach Marat Safin are looking forward to a reset and working on new things in the off-season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Russian end with something of a whimper.
ATP Tour Indoor Season: Futureproof Update
Finally, let’s take a look at the players mentioned in the last Futureproof column, which previewed the summer hardcourt season… Frances Tiafoe – Having highlighted his strong record across the period in previous seasons, the American disappointed. Did win matches but never contended for titles.
Taylor Fritz – I suggested he was the closest to the ‘Big 2’ going into the hardcourt campaign but I was slightly out. Lost to Novak Djokovic in a close quarter-final at the US Open.
Ben Shelton – Justified his mention as an American ready to shine by winning the biggest title of his career at the Toronto Masters.
Brandon Nakashima – Failed to add to the top-25 wins I’d mentioned in what was a disappointing swing during which he won back-to-back matches only once.
Gabriel Diallo – Failed to shine in some quick conditions which should have favoured his game style but, to be fair, he got some tough draws with Jannik Sinner, Fritz and Shelton all second-round opponents.
Daniil Medvedev – Opposing the Russian was fully justified. He went just 3-4 in the hardcourt swing and left the US Open after almost causing a riot with his US Open antics!
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