With the Australian Summer of Tennis fast approaching, Alex Michelsen will enjoy a chance to test his level in a stacked field at this week’s Next Gen ATP Finals.
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas are among former champions of the eight-player event in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia, which is open to the highest-ranked men aged 20 and under.
Michelsen, who began 2024 ranked 97th then rose to a career-high ranking of world No.41, is motivated to excel in his second campaign at the unique event.
"Last year I'd just turned pro in like August, and it all kind of came very quickly at me, and I wasn't ready to perform at a stage like that,” Michelsen revealed on this week’s episode of The Sit-Down podcast.
“I think now [I’ve] got a whole year of experience, a whole year on the main tour to use as experience when I go to Saudi Arabia. I can only do better – I went 0-3 last year.
“I'm really looking forward to going back and giving it my all. I have some unfinished business over there, for sure.”
LISTEN: Alex Michelsen on The Sit-Down
Michelsen thrived on home soil after Wimbledon, winning 13 of 19 matches in the North American summer season and reaching ATP finals in Newport and Winston-Salem.
He also scored four wins during 2024 over top-20 players, helping boost his ranking to the cusp of the top 40.
As a result he is seeded second at the Next Gen ATP Finals, behind fast-rising Frenchman Arthur Fils, who this year cracked the top 20.
Also in the field are fellow top-50 talents Jakub Mensik and Shang Juncheng, Michelsen’s frequent practice partner Learner Tien, and Brazilian whiz-kid Joao Fonseca.
"I haven't played Fils yet, but obviously he's won a couple of 500s this year, he's playing sick,” Michelsen said of the Hamburg and Tokyo champion.
SIGNATURE STROKES: Fils’ fearsome forehand
“I played Mensik and Jerry [Shang] in juniors actually ... plenty of times and they were very, very good.
“I train with Learner – I just got done training with him earlier today – and it will be interesting if we get to play each other. We'll see. I'm super happy that he's doing great as well, he's a very close friend for me so to see him doing great is amazing.
"And then Fonseca absolutely waxed me in Madrid. I know he can play – he's gonna be sick. He reminds me of like a mini-Sinner. The way he hits the ball is kinda the same. I played them both... the way they hit the ball, you don't come by that very often.
"This group of guys, it's gonna be tough to do well this year [in Jeddah] for sure.”
The Next Gen ATP Finals concludes on 22 December – five days before the 2025 season kicks off with the United Cup in Perth.
Michelsen plans to squeeze in a quick trip back to California, after Jeddah, to spend a few days with family over Christmas, then will head Down Under.
He is scheduled to compete in Brisbane and Auckland before Australian Open 2025, where he defeated No.32 seed Jiri Lehecka on his way to the third round in 2024.
"I can't wait to get down to Australia. I love the courts down there,” he said.
“Australia's a similar country to America so that's probably why I like it down there.”
Listen to the full episode of The Sit-Down, a weekly podcast released each Monday featuring an in-depth interview with a notable tennis identity. Subscribe via The AO Show in your favourite podcast player.