The Handover: Puppets stole the show, now the players want revenge | ATP Tour

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The Handover: Puppets stole the show, now the players want revenge

Watch the full video below to find out how this off-court experiment unravels

November 05, 2025

What began as a harmless experiment has spiralled into a full-blown takeover.

Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti’s bright idea — to let their puppet doubles handle the off-court grind — was supposed to buy them extra training time and a little peace and quiet. Instead, it unleashed a new era of chaos on the ATP Tour.

At first, everything seemed to be running smoothly. The puppets handled media duties with surprising professionalism, posed perfectly for photos and delivered lines with charm and confidence. But as time went on at the Rolex Paris Masters, their intentions became clear.

Alex de Minaur” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2025/11/04/11/12/de-minaur-puppet-press-conference.jpg”>_{^{Alex de Minaur‘s puppet addresses the media in Paris. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.}}

Suddenly, the doubles weren’t content to stay in the background. They had opinions, egos and undeniable stage presence. Soon, they were front and centre, outshining their real-life counterparts and taking over every shoot, interview and social post in sight.

The players — Top 10 stars in the PIF ATP Rankings — now found themselves playing catch-up. What started as a clever shortcut became a full-scale puppet power shift. The line between player and puppet blurred, and the Tour officially hijacked.

Eventually, De Minaur, Fritz and Musetti decided enough was enough. Determined to reclaim their spotlight, they staged a decisive intervention. The puppets, for all their flair, were shown the exit, and the balance of power was restored… at least for now.

Because in The Handover, nothing ever goes entirely to plan. The players might have taken back control, but the puppets left their mark, and if their past behaviour is any indication, this won’t be the last we see of them.

Watch the full video to find out who prevails in this puppet takeover.