A renowned coach lists the prerequisites for Djokovic to win another Grand Slam, praises Sinner highly, and reports Nadal's surgery.

Three minutes daily to keep up with all tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Saturday, December 13, 2025. Welcome to the news midday report brought to you by Tennis Home.

Recently, Rick Macci, a famous coach who has trained the American Williams sisters, Roddick, and Russian Sharapova, stated in an interview that Serbian tennis star Djokovic still has a chance to claim his 25th Grand Slam in 2026, but there are conditions. "Djokovic can win a Grand Slam in 2026, but two prerequisites must be met: first, either Alcaraz or Sinner must suffer an injury or face difficulties; second, he must avoid exhausting five-set matches that hamper recovery. Of course, he is capable of winning, as he has already proven."

Some fans believe Djokovic’s last hope for his 25th Grand Slam is not next year’s Australian Open but Wimbledon. Given the current dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner on hard courts and the presence of many other strong hard-court players, it is very challenging for Djokovic to reach the final or win there. However, on grass, the situation is entirely different—very few players can challenge Djokovic effectively, which helps conserve his energy. Even if he meets Alcaraz or Sinner in the semifinals, his chances of winning increase. Naturally, Djokovic’s real opportunity to win arises only if these two young leaders encounter injuries or unexpected setbacks.

Let’s turn to other news. Recently, Argentine star F. Cerundolo shared his latest thoughts on Sinner in an interview: “He has no weaknesses, truly none. I played him on the indoor courts in Paris, and he was flawless—I didn’t know how to respond. His serve and return are outstanding, and when hitting winners from the baseline, his shots are so powerful you have no time to react. Two years ago, his physical condition might not have been at its peak, and he might have made a few more errors in longer matches, but now it’s completely different—he rarely makes mistakes.”

Fans agree with Cerundolo’s personal experience that Sinner currently has an extremely low error rate and terrifying consistency, reaching peak form in both offense and defense. Among active players, whoever tries to beat Sinner now faces a very tough challenge, especially on hard courts.

Next, let’s look at the ATP 2025 annual awards. After a week of voting, all results were announced last night Beijing time. Italy’s top player Sinner won the ATP Most Popular Singles Player award for the third consecutive year.

The full list of award winners is as follows:

Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award: Rublev

Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: Alcaraz

Most Popular Doubles Team: Berrettini / Vavassori

Most Popular Singles Player: Sinner

Breakthrough Player of the Year: Vacherot

Coach of the Year: Ferrero, Samuel Lopez (Alcaraz)

Best ATP1000 Tournament: Cincinnati Masters (USA)

Best ATP500 Tournament: Qatar Open (Doha)

Best ATP250 Tournament: Bastad Open (Sweden)

This year, ATP also selected the best ATP Challenger tournaments, with winners as follows:

CH175: Bordeaux (France)

CH125: Manama (Bahrain)

CH100: Bloomfield Hills (USA)

CH75: Curitiba (Brazil)

CH50: Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia)

Now, let’s focus on the King of Clay, Nadal. Last night Beijing time, Nadal posted a photo on his personal social media, announcing he just underwent surgery on his right hand, joking, “Looks like I won’t be able to play the Australian Open next year!”

After 23 years competing in tennis, Nadal has reluctantly retired due to severe injuries. He has suffered from problems in his foot, hand, and shoulder, especially persistent foot pain. Now, his hand injury has become serious enough to affect daily life, forcing him to opt for surgery.

Next, two updates: First, Alcaraz and Mboko were named Canada’s Male and Female Tennis Players of the Year 2025; second, German player Altmaier and his fiancée Paulina Nieto held their wedding ceremony in Morelos, Mexico, officially tying the knot. Congratulations to them!

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The picture below shows a player shouting in victory. He has retired. Can you identify who he is?

Last time, no fans guessed correctly. Actually, the person in the picture is retired Estonian star Kontaveit.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)