The Big Three dominate the new generation’s top eight GOAT picks, with Qian remaining silent and facing criticism, while Rune’s recovery progresses smoothly.

Three minutes daily to catch up on all things tennis worldwide. Hello tennis fans, today is Tuesday, December 23, 2025. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

Yesterday in Beijing time, the 2025 ATP Next Gen Finals concluded spectacularly. During the event, eight outstanding young players participated in a rapid-fire Q&A session organized by the tournament. When asked who they consider the greatest of all time (GOAT), seven of the eight gave their answers.

Among them, Landarus and Hodal both named their compatriot and Spanish legend Nadal as the GOAT; Brox chose Swiss maestro Federer; Budkov-Shel also regarded Federer as the greatest; while Basavareddy, Prizmic, and Engel all unanimously selected Serbian star Djokovic. Among the "Big Three," Federer and Nadal each received two votes, and Djokovic got three.

This year’s Next Gen Finals champion, American rising star Learner Qian, did not give his answer, choosing none of the "Big Three." Some fans expressed dissatisfaction with Qian’s decision. "Why won’t he take a stand? Is he trying not to offend anyone? Seems a bit slippery!" "If he doesn’t want to pick the Big Three, he could have chosen his own countryman Sampras. Why give an uncertain answer?"

Let’s turn our attention to Danish star Rune. After undergoing Achilles tendon repair surgery, Rune has entered a lengthy rehabilitation period. Recently, Rune tweeted that his recovery is going well, now in the third phase and finally free from wearing a protective boot. "My current goal is to improve range of motion and strength, and to walk normally again. The Achilles won’t slack off just because of the holidays, so I’m continuing rehab every day, feeling freer each day and excited for every step forward!" Rune also took the opportunity to wish all those who have supported him a Merry Christmas and extended special thanks to his loyal fans.

Now, some news about the Australian Open. Last night Beijing time, the 2026 Australian Open organizing committee announced a new batch of women’s singles main draw wildcards: Han Tianyu, Gibson, Preston, and Lajona. Previously, Jones, Diaz, and Mandlik had already received wildcards into the main draw.

Finally, let’s have a guess and recognition challenge. The photo below shows a player celebrating a victory. Without any hints, can you identify who he is?

In the last guessing game, no fans gave the correct answer. Actually, the person in the photo is the Netherlands’ top player, Griekspoor.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: The Maverick)