Djokovic qualifies for the year-end finals, tying Federer; Rune shares injury details hoping for a swift return, Zhu Lin withdraws from Guangzhou Open

Three minutes a day to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Monday, October 20, 2025. Welcome to the midday news update provided by "Tennis Home."

Let's start by looking at Serbian tennis king Novak Djokovic. Last night Beijing time, the ATP confirmed Djokovic's official qualification for this year's ATP Finals. This marks the 18th time in his career he has earned a spot in the Finals, tying Swiss legend Federer for the most qualifications in history. However, Djokovic previously stated that he has not included the year-end finals in his season schedule, so it remains uncertain whether he will participate.

Next, let's turn to Denmark's top player Rune. After withdrawing due to injury yesterday, medical examinations confirmed an injury to his left foot. Subsequently, Rune shared details on his personal social media, expressing hope for a quick comeback: “I will need some time before I can step back on court, which is very tough. I felt immense joy playing in Stockholm, and thinking about not being able to experience that energy for now is hard to bear. My Achilles tendon is completely ruptured at the proximal part, meaning I will need surgery next week followed by rehabilitation. Thank you all for your continuous support; without you, everything would be different. I hope to see you all soon.”

Seeing the words “completely ruptured” deeply saddened Rune's fans. A full Achilles tendon rupture means that even after recovery, returning to former levels is difficult, and sustaining intense physical activity may no longer be possible. This undoubtedly poses a serious challenge to Rune’s career. Some fans are pessimistic, saying maintaining a TOP100 ranking would be an achievement and Grand Slam success might be out of reach. Yet others believe Rune is young with strong self-healing abilities and might fully recover without impact. Let’s hope for a miracle!

Back to the courts. Last night Beijing time, three ATP250 indoor hard court tournaments concluded last Wednesday. At the Almaty event, second seed Medvedev defeated eighth seed Moutet 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to claim his 21st career title, ending a 29-month championship drought since the 2023 Rome event and breaking a six-match losing streak in finals. Interestingly, all 21 of Medvedev’s titles have come from 21 different cities, setting a record.

In Brussels, second seed and Canadian star Auger-Aliassime beat third seed Czech player Lehečka 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-2 to win his eighth career title.

At the Stockholm tournament, second seed and Norway’s Ruud defeated fourth seed Frenchman Humbert 6-2, 6-3, leveling their head-to-head record at 3-3 and securing his 14th career title.

Now turning to the women’s circuit. Last night Beijing time, the WTA500 Ningbo Open wrapped up. In the singles final, third seed Kazakhstan’s Rybakina came from behind to defeat fourth seed Aleksandrova 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, claiming her 10th career title and fifth at the 500-level. Next, Rybakina will compete in Tokyo, where reaching the semifinals would push Russia’s Musina out and secure the last spot for the year-end WTA Finals.

In doubles, Melichar and Samsonova overturned the fourth seeds Babos and Stephens 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 to win their second title as a team.

At the WTA250 Osaka event, fourth seed Canadian Fernandez defeated 18-year-old Czech rising star Valentova 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 to capture her fifth career title.

Looking ahead to this week’s tournaments, last night Beijing time, the main draw for the WTA250 Guangzhou International Women’s Tennis Open was announced. Manero, Ann Li, Maria, and Iga are the top four seeds. Four Chinese players will compete in the first round with the following matchups: Wang Yafan vs Laksimova, Guo Hanyu vs Bondar, Zhang Shuai vs Zakharova, and Wang Xiyu vs Jones.

However, Zhu Lin, who was originally scheduled to play, announced her withdrawal before the tournament: “Friends in Guangzhou, unfortunately I experienced some physical issues during the Ningbo tournament. After arriving here and consulting with my team and doctors, I decided to withdraw from this event to allow my body more time to recover. Guangzhou has always been my home and a place I love, so it’s very disappointing not to play in front of you this year. Hope to see you next year.”

Finally, let’s do a guessing game. The photo below shows a player taking a selfie during training. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

Last time’s guess was correctly answered by tennis fan “Liu Yang” from Shanghai. That’s right, the person in the picture is China’s young talent Guo Hanyu.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)