The ATP Finals is undoubtedly one the most important and prestigious tournaments of a season, and the years have seen some great tennis superstars steal the show.
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As the 2022 tennis season edges towards its conclusion, a lot of the focus for the men’s game will be on the ATP Finals that are set to commence in November. Five players have qualified so far for this season’s finals, Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Of course, the heavy favourite is current world no. 1 Alcaraz but with two of the big three in contention, things will nit be easy for the Spanish teenager in any way. Nadal was the first to qualify for the end-of-the-season event on September 2 followed by Carlos Alcaraz on September 8. Djokovic was the latest to qualify on October 9. With five spots already filled, there are only three places left for the world’s best players to fight for.
The ATP Finals is undoubtedly one the most important and prestigious tournaments of a season, and the years have seen some great tennis superstars steal the show and end their respective seasons on a high. So without further ado, here is a look at some of the most successful players at the competition so far.
Who else but one of the greatest of all time to top the list. The man who inspired a whole generation of tennis players and will continue to do so for years to come. Roger Federer is the undisputed king of the ATP Finals with six title victories to his name. These victories came in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011. The latest one saw the Swiss become the oldest player to ever win the crown at 30 years and three months. He also reached the final of the 2005 edition but lost after one of the best matches the tournament has ever seen against David Nalbandian. The score at the end of the tie was 6–7(4–7), 6–7(11–13), 6–2, 6–1, 7–6(7–3).
The second spot is shared by three of the greatest the game has ever seen. Ivan Lendl won his first ATP Final crown in 1981 and followed it up with a title defense the following year. He would then go on to win three successive titles from 1985 to 1987. Pete Sampras, one of the greatest American tennis stars the world has ever seen, has also won the Finals five times. His first win came in 1991 but he had to wait a couple of years to win his second in 1994. He then won two successive titles in 1996 and 1997 and then once again in 1999. Finally, one of the big three, Novak Djokovic, has the opportunity to draw level with Federer in 2022. The Serbian won the Finals crown 2008 for the first times and then four successive times from 2012 to 2015.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players to ever come out of Romania is former world no. 1 Ilie Nastase. He won four Finals titles in his career including three successive triumphs from 1971 to 1973 and once again in 1975. He did reach the final of the competition in 1974 but was defeated 7–6(8–6), 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–4.
