ATP Next Gen Finals Player Profile: Alexander Blockx

Beyond the headliners and favourites, Jeddah will illuminate some lesser-known names who’ve been grinding in the shadows. Enter Alexander Blockx, a 20-year-old Belgian who’s been quietly building something substantial on the challenger circuit.

If you’ve paid any attention to tennis below the tour level, Blockx’s name should ring familiar. He’s been lurking there for a while, posting results that whisper rather than shout. Nonetheless he’s been accumulating wins that add up to something significant when you step back and look at the full picture.

The numbers from 2025 tell a story of steady progress: 42-17 overall, inching ever closer to that magical Top 100 threshold. He hasn’t quite breached it yet. His career-high ranking of 101 came agonizingly close, taunting him from just beyond reach. He finished the year at 116, close enough to taste it, near enough that the new season should deliver what 2025 promised but didn’t quite provide.

So what kind of player is Blockx? He’s an intriguing puzzle, built around a serve that favors precision over power. There’s no overwhelming pace, not too many free points off pure velocity, but it holds up when matches get tight and pressure mounts. That’s worth more than raw speed.

He won’t bulldoze opponents into submission. Instead, he plays cerebral tennis, picking his moments and choosing his spots with care. Winners flow from his racquet when opportunities present themselves, but he’s more comfortable floating a step behind the baseline, reacting rather than dictating, turning defense into offense through patience rather than aggression.

Portugal’s Oeiras challenger fell to him early in the year. He cracked the Miami Open main draw, proving he could hang with tour-level competition. Bratislava’s challenger became his by year’s end, another trophy to mark his ascent.

Cincinnati offered his most impressive ATP cameo. Second round, three sets against Brandon Nakashima, and he came within a whisker of pulling off the upset. It showcased everything about his game: the composure under fire, the ability to hang with more experienced players, the refusal to be intimidated by bigger names or brighter lights.

Fast courts bring out his best work, particularly hard courts where his timing and precision shine brightest. But don’t mistake him for a one-surface specialist. Clay reveals different weapons in his arsenal: those defensive instincts and the ability to grind opponents down through sheer persistence, making them earn every point until frustration sets in and errors multiply.

This marks his debut at the Next Gen Finals, a stage he couldn’t access until now simply because his ranking kept him locked out. But make no mistake: this isn’t some player stumbling into the spotlight through luck or a hot streak. Blockx has earned this moment through consistency and mental toughness.

The real examination arrives in 2026. That’s when we’ll discover if he’s truly ready to claim a permanent place among the world’s elite, if the challenger success translates to tour-level consistency. So far, every challenge thrown his way has been met and overcome.

He might be a long shot to be crowned champion in Jeddah, but the ATP Next Gen Finals will introduce him to a wider audience. And once they see what he’s capable of, they won’t forget him. The Belgian is coming, slowly but inevitably, one calculated point at a time.