The United Cup can offer any player the chance to re-write their own story. Just ask Alexander Shevchenko.
Having dropped more than 30 spots in the PIF ATP Rankings since his rise to a career high of No. 45 in February, the 24-year-old may have questioned his potential. Yet Monday’s antics in Perth were enough to fill Shevchenko with promise heading into the 2025 season.
“It’s definitely one of the highlights of my career so far,” Shevchenko told ATPTour.com after toppling World No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas to help Kazakhstan qualify for the quarter-finals at the United Cup in Perth.
“These wins remind me that I can actually play good. It’s definitely in the Top 3 [biggest wins of my career]. Firstly, because it was for my country and secondly, because of the ranking of my opponent. Stefanos has a lot behind his back: Grand Slam finals, amazing wins, amazing titles.
“Right now I am No. 78 in the rankings, but I have made some big wins and these drive me more and more to get that consistency."
Shevchenko burst onto the scene in 2023, when he capped a standout year by reaching his maiden ATP Tour final in Metz. It followed a run to the quarter-finals at the ATP 500 in Basel, where he defeated World No. 9 Taylor Fritz for his first win over a Top 10 opponent.
After defeating Holger Rune and rising inside the Top 50, it seemed as if Shevchenko would soon be set for the spotlight. Yet the Kazakhstani struggled for form over the back half of 2024 and was unable to defend the points he had earned in Basel (did not play) and Metz (first-round loss), thus finishing as World No. 78.
Shevchenko is, however, presented with the opportunity to start his 2025 season on the right track. Alongside WTA World No. 6 Elena Rybakina, he is leading Kazakhstan on the major stage, and is not taking it for granted.
“We’ve known each other since we were nine years old,” Shevchenko said of Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion. “She's such a down-to-earth girl, she has a big heart, and she's just great for the team. We have a great relationship with her.
“She's super disciplined. I'm far, far away from her still, but she's doing everything right: her practising, scheduling… Her team is also doing a really great job. I see the way she works and I understand why she has such results.”
Elena Rybakina and Alexander Shevchenko celebrate their mixed doubles win over Spain at the United Cup in Perth. Photo: Colin Murty/Getty
Spending the week with a Grand Slam champion like Rybakina isn't the only positive that is likely to set Shevchenko off well in 2025. With his sights set on returning to the Top 50, the three-time ATP Challenger titlist has altered his approach completely.
“I would say I am more professional now,” said Shevchenko. “I look for my sleep now, I look for my food, which has never happened in my career. I don't eat burgers anymore! These are just small things that I have to put in to become more disciplined and stay focused.
“Before, I would always practise hard, but outside the court I didn't do the work, so now this is the moment we changed it, and also the team changed a lot.”
The 24-year-old has also added firepower to his coaching staff in the shape of former World No. 7 and 13-time ATP Tour titlist Joakim Nystrom.
“I find great people behind my back right now and good things are happening. Jocke obviously [gives me] his experience. He was a phenomenal player and he knows how to work on tour. I need people that are looking with hunger about it.”
Despite the changes he has made to his mindset, Shevchenko recognises the importance of striking a balance. After his 6-4, 7-6(0) triumph over Tsitsipas, Rybakina converted the opportunity to book Kazakhstan’s maiden appearance in the quarter-finals at the 18-country mixed-teams event.
“We all have a laugh in the team, and we see that everyone is happy and it just brings us together,” Shevchenko added. “Sometimes it's very important for a tennis player to just chill down a little bit, to see the world and have fun with friends.
“[The United Cup] is going to help me a lot, and it has helped massively already because I got two matches under my belt. Points wise, it helps a lot as well. Playing more matches in Australia, and now we’re advancing to quarter-finals, playing for more points and even more matches, so that's just phenomenal.”
Team Kazakhstan at the 2025 United Cup. Photo: Tennis Australia
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