Best Of: From Challengers To Grand Slam Breakthroughs In 2022 | ATP Tour

The margins are razor thin between the ATP Challenger Tour and Tour-level players.

While every tennis player dreams of competing under the bright lights and on big stages, they must first pave their pathway on the Challenger Tour. Tennis legends like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic all started on the Challenger circuit before embarking on illustrious careers.

This season, players such as Holger Rune, Wu Yibing, and Jack Draper enjoyed great success at not only Challenger Tour events, but also at the season’s four Grand Slams.

ATPTour.com reviews five players who went from Challengers to enjoying a breakthrough moment at a major in 2022.

Holger Rune
Coming into the season, the Danish teen was outside the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and was still seeking his first Grand Slam main draw victory. It didn’t take Rune long to rise to a career-high 10 in November following a standout year.

Rune was one of just nine teenagers to collect a Challenger title this year. In April, the-then 18-year-old triumphed at the Sanremo Challenger, where he dropped just one set en route to the title and defeated Italian youngster Francesco Passaro in the final.

Passaro (left) and Rune at the 2022 Sanremo Challenger trophy presentation. Credit: Sanremo Challenger

Only one man has earned more Challenger titles than Rune before his 19th birthday: Richard Gasquet (7). Rune, who is a five-time Challenger champion, was one of six men to claim a Challenger and Tour-level title in 2022.

A month after winning the Challenger 80 event in Italy, Rune collected his first Tour-level crown (Munich) and was a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros, where he upset fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Wu Yibing
After being sidelined for three years due to injuries and the pandemic, the 23-year-old enjoyed a career-best season that earned him a nomination for the ATP Comeback Player Of The Year.

Wu went on a 15 match-winning streak at the Challenger-level and collected three consecutive titles: Orlando, Rome, Indianapolis. The Chinese star carried his momentum into his Grand Slam debut at Flushing Meadows, where he and countryman Zhang Zhizhen battled through qualifying to become the first Chinese men to compete in the US Open main draw in the Open Era.

Wu Yibing is crowned champion at the 2022 Orlando Challenger. Credit: Orlando Open

The Hangzhou native reached the third round, where he faced defending champion Daniil Medvedev under the lights on