It is the first time two Spaniards have led the ATP, a record only the United States had achieved, but with up to seven different players
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafa Nadal officially became the first two players this Monday in the ATP’s prestigious ranking, in effect since 1973. A historic day for Spanish tennis as it marks the first time it has been achieved and it is the second country to achieve this feat after the United States, the undisputed ruler of tennis in the last century.
Certainly, to find such a source, you have to go back no less than August 2000, when the Americans confirmed their hegemony in the men’s circuit with Andre Agassi as number one, followed by a certain Pete Sampras.
It was not the only time the Americans delivered such a feat, as the 1970s rankings began with Arthur Ashe and Jimmy Connors at the head of this classification in which, due to the system of having to keep the points earned, the is almost as hard or harder to stay at the top than it is to get to the top.
In the midst of the tennis dictatorship of the United States, Connors was joined in the 1980s by John McEnroe, now captain of this country’s team in the Laver Cup, hosted by Roger Federer. As early as the 1990s, Agassi, Sampras, Jim Courier and Michael Chang took over one after the other.
The Americans are far from the level they once offered, although they continue to dominate the ‘top 100’ with 13 players installed. In terms of number of tennis players, Spain is the second country with ten, although equal to France. However, the first of the Gauls is veteran Gael Monfils, who is in 33rd place and has five Spaniards ahead of him.
The next challenge for the young Murcian from El Palmar (19 years old) and the Balearic veteran (36) from now on is to match the record set by Sampras and Chang 26 years ago when they managed to finish the year in the first two positions of the circuit.
It will not be easy for Alcaraz and Nadal to continue in the first two positions because Norwegian Casper Ruud is very close to Manacorense, only 165 points. The Nordic player, an outstanding student at Rafa’s academy, could even recapture second place this week at the Open 500 taking place in Tokyo. Coincidentally, Ruud makes his debut against the Mallorcan Jaume Munar, who could please his compatriot Nadal.
The prince of the Grand Slam tournaments, with 22 in his showcases, one more than Novak Djokovic and two more than the already retired Roger Federer, will not return to the courts until the Masters 1,000 in Paris-Bercy, which will be held from October 31 to 6 Nov. It all depends on your personal situation on those dates, as you are probably already a recent father and prefer to enjoy the family on such special days. After that, he has already qualified for the Masters Cup, which will take place in Turin from 13 to 20 November.
Alcaraz, who has been watching everyone from his vantage point for four weeks, will experience his universal rule next Tuesday at the Astana tournament, where he will take on the Belgian David Goffin, who was invited at the last minute because the Danish Rune dropped out after lose the final of Sofia against the Swiss Huesler.
In terms of titles won, Spain is the undisputed leader. The Navy has won 14 individual awards this season: five from Alcaraz, four from Nadal, two from Roberto Bautista and one from Pablo Carreño, Albert Ramos and Pedro Martínez. To put the data in perspective, the second country with the most individual successes this year is the United States with six, followed by Russia and Italy, both with five.
Source: La Verdad
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