Almaty 2026 - ATP 250 Preview
(19 - 25 October) Altitude is the story in Almaty. At 800 metres the ball flies, the bounce stays low, and players arriving from Shanghai talk about needing days to adjust. Flat hitters and big servers should like it.
After two editions in 2020 and 2021, the Astana Open in Kazakhstan became a permanent fixture on the ATP Tour in 2022. Starting in 2024, the tournament was renamed the Almaty Open and took place in Almaty, the country’s largest city with over 2 million residents.
Therefore, we can only analyse the statistics and players' statements of the last two editions, 2024 and 2025.
Almaty is played on Indoor Hard courts and is situated at about 800 meters above sea level. This is an important factor, as the ball will travel quite quickly through the air.
Speed Data
These are the average statistics of 2024 & 2025:
- 73.2% of points won on the first serve
- 83.3% Service Hold
- 0.60 aces/game
- 0.27 TBs/set
Overall we can say that they are medium-quick conditions.
Past Winners
2025: Medvedev d. Moutet
2024: Khachanov d. Diallo
Players' Quotes
Medvedev, 2025: "It’s a mix of everything and for sure the altitude here helps, because you can see in every match that whenever the serve is precise – not even strong – it’s tough to return it, so you don’t have to go full power, compared to somewhere like Shanghai, for example. For sure when you don’t go full power you can gain a higher percentage.
"Yes, I think the conditions suit me. It’s very fast, especially on the centre court. I was a bit surprised at the beginning because I’d only played on the practice courts, and on this court it’s a bit faster and the ball is sliding more, so I had to adjust my game."
Khachanov's coach, 2025: "Of course, it's very difficult to prepare for the high altitude until you've arrived here and aren't preparing here. So, essentially, we've only just begun preparing for it. Although there aren't that many meters here, about 800, it's still a challenge. We were here last year, and it wasn’t easy — especially returning serve. You just need to get used to it, and that takes time". "Sometimes on the first day, you expect it to be hard to feel the ball, and then you actually feel it right away. But the next day you think, 'Oh, great! I felt it yesterday,' and suddenly the ball starts flying away. We even discussed this with Karen — it’s funny how quickly it changes. I told him, 'Okay, let’s go back and act like it’s the first day again, expecting it to be difficult.'You can’t be 100% prepared unless you come here 10 days in advance, but we’re doing everything possible. There’s no other way."
Mochizuki, 2025: "It’s difficult. I only had two days to prepare, but Arthur only got here on Monday and had just one day, so I had an advantage there. I think I played well with the altitude."
Khachanov, 2024: "It’s kind of a slow court, with a low bounce, but there’s altitude so you have to adjust."
Vukic, 2024 (after beating Mannarino): "Its very difficult to play against him, especially in these conditions, where the ball doesn't bounce so much and there's a little bit of altitude."
Machac, 2024: "It was difficult because the conditions are different from Shanghai. There is altitude, and the surface is completely different. But I’m happy to win because I only had one practice session, and I wasn't playing so good."
Engel, 2024: "The balls are flying, but I practiced here for three days and I love to play here."
Weather
Almaty’s forecast for next week suggests a mild, mostly dry start, with daytime highs around 15–20°C (59–68°F), followed by cooler weather and a chance of rain from midweek. Nights will be chilly, with forecast lows ranging from approximately −4 to 8°C (25–46°F) across the week. Relative humidity is currently projected at around 20–45% in the daytime. No major temperature extremes are expected.
Having said that, the weather is not so important when playing indoor.
Summary
The altitude of 800 metres above sea level makes the conditions on the quick side.
It also seems that the bounce of the ball is quite low, which can favour players with a good backhand slice.
Totally different conditions from Shanghai, so it will be especially important to have enough time to adjust.
Overall, great conditions for flat hitters and big servers.
Draws
Here’s the link to the tournament draws, which you can check for updates at any time:
- Main draw: https://www.protennislive.com/posting/2026/9410/mds.pdf
- Qualifying Draw: https://www.protennislive.com/posting/2026/9410/qs.pdf
