September’s audacious shots fuel ATP’s late surge
As the ATP Tour grinds through Asia’s hard courts, four players conjured moments of pure invention—from net-cord defiance to between-the-legs brilliance—that exposed the mental edges sharpening in the push toward year-end glory.
September brought a torrent of shotmaking wizardry to the ATP Tour, where the calendar’s relentless pace amplified every rally’s stakes. With rankings tightening and playoffs in sight, players unearthed creativity from fatigue, turning ordinary points into defining bursts of ingenuity across Tokyo, Beijing, and Chengdu. These highlights, nominated for Hot Shot of the Month, reveal how pros harness chaos and crowd energy to sustain momentum in the season’s unforgiving stretch.
Fritz flips net trouble into Tokyo triumph
Taylor Fritz confronted a fickle net cord in his Tokyo semifinal, the ball teetering unpredictably on the indoor hard court as he battled toward the final. Rather than falter, he improvised with a deft lob that arced crosscourt, catching his opponent flat-footed and restoring his rhythm in a match heavy on baseline exchanges. This recovery not only swung the point but underscored his tactical poise, blending quick reflexes with the psychological reset essential for navigating the tour’s injury-laced final months.
The indoor surface’s zippy pace demanded such adaptability, where a momentary lapse could unravel hours of preparation; Fritz’s response echoed the broader demands of his season, marked by resilient comebacks that kept him in the top-10 hunt amid grueling travel.
Bopanna’s tweeners stun in doubles duel
Rohan Bopanna delivered two stunning tweeners within one game at an ATP 500 event, his between-the-legs strikes slicing through the air on the fast hard court to overwhelm his doubles foes. Executed during a tense tiebreak, these shots followed sharp 1–2 combinations that forced errors, transforming defensive scrambles into emphatic winners and igniting the arena’s roar. For the veteran, whose career has weathered physical tolls and partnership shifts, this flair injected vitality into the doubles circuit’s high-speed volleys and net rushes.
Bopanna’s boldness highlighted the joy piercing the tour’s monotony, where such risks against coordinated pairs can elevate a veteran’s standing and morale as year-end team events loom.
Shang and Daniel dazzle Asian home fronts
In Beijing, home hope Shang Juncheng unleashed a behind-the-back flick that disrupted his rival’s inside-out forehand patterns on the outdoor hard court, the ball skimming crosscourt to sow confusion in a rally pulsing with national fervor. This instinctive counter, drawn from the surface’s even bounce, eased the weight of local expectations and fueled his aggressive baseline game during a fall swing thick with opportunity for rising talents. Shang’s move connected personal daring to the crowd’s electric pulse, a rare spark in the isolation of pro circuits.
Meanwhile, in Chengdu, Taro Daniel capped a thrilling all-court skirmish against Tallon Griekspoor with a hotdog lob, the ball soaring down-the-line over his opponent’s overhead attempt after a sequence of underspin passes and net forays. Griekspoor’s powerful serves had dictated early crosscourt trades, but Daniel’s height adjustment exploited the court’s true response, wrong-footing the Dutchman and sending fans into delirium. For Daniel, this tactical patience amid the Asian tour’s exhaustion marked a breakthrough, bridging mid-pack grit with the breakthroughs needed for ranking climbs.
These September gems—from improvised lobs to audacious lobs—capture the tour’s human pulse, where hard-court nuances like spin grip and transition speed forge paths through fatigue toward the indoor season’s climax. Watch the hot shots below, then head to the voting page to cast your vote for your favourite before 12 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CET) on 14 October.
