We have emerged from the February grind and have arrived at the Sunshine Double. With Indian Wells in progress and Miami coming up next, March is an entirely different month — only two Masters 1000 events are on the schedule. In February, the ATP Tour offered up four 250s and six 500s across four weeks in addition to Davis Cup competition.
It was a wild February both on and off the court, culminating with several players getting temporarily stuck in Dubai amidst the war in the Middle East. Let’s recap the month with five takeaways.
1. Daniil Medvedev is back…maybe. Sadly, one of the most bizarre tennis records has come to an end. Medvedev had won 22 ATP titles during his career — all of them different. That’s right; he has never won the same tournament twice. That finally ended when the 29-year-old Russian triumphed in Dubai for the second time in his career. Of course, it really isn’t sad. It’s quite the opposite, as Medvedev being back in form is great for the game. Having already won two events this season (also Brisbane), it’s clear that the former world No. 1 is once again one of the best players in the world. Now he just has to prove it at a Grand Slam after winning a total of one slam match in 2025 before losing to Learner Tien in round four of the recent Australian Open.
2. Can Sebastian Korda’s attributes outweigh his flaws in the long term? Korda makes tennis look so easy. His ball-striking is impeccable and his form — especially off the backhand side — is pretty much perfect. There were times during his run to the Delray Beach title when I was just laughing in between points at the level of tennis he was producing. There continues to be no doubt about Korda’s talent. The question is can he once and for all put his shortcomings in the past. Those, of course, are an ability to stay healthy and a shaky mental game in pressure moments. Fortunately, neither was a factor in Delray. But will Korda also be able to put them on the backburner when he plays on much bigger stages that are both more physically and mentally demanding?
3. Felix Auger-Aliassime is No. 3 in the world indoors. There aren’t any Grand Slams on indoor hard courts, which means you don’t have to factor Novak Djokovic into the equation. As such, I would take Auger-Aliassime indoors over anyone on tour other than Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The ninth-ranked Canadian has won nine ATP titles, eight of them coming on indoor hard courts. Six of his last 10 runner-up efforts have also come indoors. The 25-year-old triumphed in Montpellier to kick off the February swing and then finished runner-up in Rotterdam to Alex de Minaur. He was also runner-up to Sinner last fall in Paris, where you have to think Auger-Aliassime’s first Masters 1000 title will come.
4. Consistency is now the key for Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli. Mensik famously upset Novak Djokovic in the 2025 Miami final and in Doha he stunned Sinner in the quarterfinals. With one of the biggest serves and best backhands on tour, Mensik is a top-10 and arguably even top-five talent. However, he really didn’t do anything last season following his Miami heroics. The story is similar for Cobolli. The Italian doesn’t have the same firepower or as much upside as Mensik, but a 500-point title in Acapulco further proved that he wields one of the most ferocious forehands in the sport. What Cobolli really can’t have is four-match losing streaks with three of the losses coming to opponents ranked outside the top 100. That was the skid Cobolli was on prior to arriving in Delray Beach, where he reached the semis to set himself up nicely for his Acapulco run one week later.
5. No need to panic for Jannik Sinner. Sinner is already at the point in his career at which nothing really matters other than Grand Slams and to a lesser extent Masters 1000s. As such, a quarterfinal loss at a 500 is hardly alarming — especially against an opponent as dangerous as Mensik. What’s more concerning, of course, is Sinner’s loss to Djokovic in the Aussie Open semis. Still, there is no reason to write off Sinner at the Sunshine Double. I expect the Italian to win either Indian Wells or Miami and also either the French Open or Wimbledon — splitting each pair with you know who.