It rained heavily on Tuesday in Geneva. But the essentials were preserved for the Gonet Geneva Open, as all the first-round matches were completed. Arthur Rinderknech, Hubert Hurkacz, and Fabian Marozsan won decisively, slipping through the rain to reach the round of 16. The Gonet Geneva Open is therefore still on schedule.

Hubert Hurkacz certainly had time to make an impression. The Pole defeated Arthur Cazaux 6–3, 6–4 and will face another French player on Wednesday, Arthur Rinderknech. Currently ranked 31st in the ATP rankings, but as high as No. 6 last August, Hubert Hurkacz has paid a heavy price in recent months due to knee and back injuries. A quarterfinalist last week in Rome, he seems capable of making a strong run in his first appearance at the Gonet Geneva Open.

The last player to defeat Roger Federer in an official match, in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2021, Hubert Hurkacz could indeed shake up the top of the draw, with a potential quarterfinal clash against top seed Taylor Fritz. It’s already mouthwatering.

Novak Djokovic is seeking to rebuild his confidence as he approaches the Gonet Geneva Open.

“It’s not an ideal situation,” admitted the Serbian, the No. 2 seed in the draw, on the eve of his debut against Marton Fucsovics, the 2018 tournament winner.

“This is a different chapter of my career that I’m trying to navigate. I’m not really used to these circumstances, with early-round defeats piling up. Even though I knew it would eventually happen,” said the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who is still waiting to win his first clay-court match this year after first-round exits in Monte Carlo and Madrid.

“I’m proud of everything I’ve achieved in my career, but I still have the desire to do everything I can to reach my best level, to win Grand Slam titles and beat the best players in the world,” he continued. “That’s why I’m here at the Gonet Geneva Open.”

Novak Djokovic — who arrived at his press conference more than four hours early — knows that his window of opportunity is narrowing. The coming weeks and months could be decisive in his dual quest for a 100th ATP title and a 25th Grand Slam trophy.

“I hope to win at least one match here in Geneva,” he said. But everything suggests he’s aiming to make a real statement this week on the courts of TC Genève.

Dominic Stricker (ATP 233) was unable to defy the odds. The Bernese player lost to former world No. 8 Cameron Norrie (ATP 90) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 in a match interrupted by the tournament’s first rain shower—one that will leave him with plenty of regrets.
Indeed, Dominic Stricker served for the first set at 5-4. Unfortunately, he let the opportunity slip before poorly managing the start of the tiebreak. After a difficult beginning, Cameron Norrie found his rhythm and was never truly threatened again in this left-handed duel. On Wednesday, the Brit will face last year’s finalist Tomas Machac (ATP 21).

Earlier in the day, Kei Nishikori (ATP 62) showed the Gonet Geneva Open crowd that the fire still burns strong in him at 35 years old. The Japanese player emerged victorious from a great match against American teenager Learner Tien (ATP 67). Winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, he’ll be back on court Tuesday for a promising round of 16 clash against Karen Khachanov—especially if Nishikori plays as he did in the third set.

The show continued on Court No. 1. Last year’s Gstaad finalist, Quentin Halys (ATP 50), defeated Jaume Munar (ATP 58) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in a clash that came down to the wire. Likely decided by a forehand strike as desperate as it was brilliant from Halys, while the Spaniard was just two points from victory at 5-4, 30-30 in a breathtaking third set. On Wednesday, the Frenchman will try to shake things up against top seed Taylor Fritz. Yes, the Gonet Geneva Open has started with a bang—and what’s coming promises to be even crazier…

The first two matches of the main draw went as expected. The two favorites, Alexei Popyrin and Nuno Borges, claimed victory and could well go far in the 2025 Gonet Geneva Open.

Ranked 25th in the world, Alexei Popyrin won 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 against the 2023 tournament winner, Nicolas Jarry (ATP 53). Everything came down to the final game, in which Jarry committed three costly errors.

As for Nuno Borges (ATP 40), who enjoyed strong support from the many Portuguese fans in attendance, he defeated American Alex Michelsen (ATP 32) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The man who beat Rafael Nadal last year in the final at the Bastad tournament—“That day I was the bad guy of the entire tennis world, since everyone wanted Nadal to win,” he smiled—hopes to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot João Sousa, a finalist at the Gonet Geneva Open in 2015 and 2022.

Dominic Stricker will be the only Swiss player in the main draw of the Gonet Geneva Open. Kilian Feldbausch (ATP 514) and Remy Bertola (ATP 297) came close to pulling off an upset in the second and final round of qualifying.

On Court No. 1, in front of a supportive crowd, Kilian Feldbausch lost 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 to Russian Ivan Gakhov (ATP 317). The Geneva native may have some regrets, having come back from two breaks down in the third set. But at 5-5, 15-0, he lost four straight points, allowing the Russian to regain control.

On Court No. 2, Remy Bertola also fell in three sets. Defeated 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Brazilian Karue Sell (ATP 299), the Ticino native conceded the decisive break in the seventh game of the third set. Like Kilian Feldbausch, he was just a few points away from turning the match in his favor.

He returned to Parc des Eaux-Vives with a certain emotion. “This is where I won my first match in an ATP Tour tournament four years ago,” he explains. “Seeing this TC Genève club again really brings back great memories.” Daniel Stricker wants to believe that this return to the Gonet Geneva Open, four years after reaching the quarterfinals, will be extremely beneficial for him.

Ranked 258th in the world, the left-hander from Bern hopes to win his first-round match against a qualifier to secure a ranking that will allow him to appear in the Wimbledon qualifying draw. “I believe grass is my best surface,” he says with a smile. He’s on a mission in Geneva. “I’ve gone through some tough times in recent months,” he says. “But today, my back injury is just a distant memory. I’m happy to have received a wild card here in Geneva. The draw gave me a qualifier for the first round in the person of Cameron Norrie. On paper, a good draw—except that my opponent won two matches on Saturday and Sunday.” And that he was ranked No. 8 in the world in September 2022.