The Spaniard and rival Jannik Sinner arrived at the season finale battling it out for the prestigious honor, but Alcaraz finished the group stage undefeated and secured the year-end No. 1 spot for the second time.
“It means a lot to me, to be honest. Being No. 1 at the end of the year is always a goal,” Alcaraz said. “At the beginning of the year I saw number 1 very, very far away [with] Jannik wins almost every tournament he plays. But from the middle of the season until now, I [gave myself] the goal for [earning] the No. 1 because I thought it was there. I had the opportunity to play great tennis in many tournaments in a row, which gave me a chance to get close to Jannik for the #1 spot.
“Then in the last three or four tournaments of the year, [I was] I fought toe to toe with Jannik for this spot and then I finally got it. To me it means everything.”
It was a memorable year for the 22-year-old, who became the youngest year-end number 1 in history in 2022 (since 1973). He is only the second active player to finish in first place multiple times at the end of the year, joining Novak Djokovic (8).
Alcaraz started his season by reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, where he attempted to win the only major missing from his resume. But since then, the Spaniard has been a dominant force on the ATP Tour.
The world number 1 has won eight titles on Tour in 2025, including victories at two majors (Roland Garros and US Open), three ATP Masters 1000 events (Monte-Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati) and three ATP 500 tournaments (Rotterdam, Queen’s Club and Tokyo). The eight trophies are the most he has earned in a season.
Alcaraz won at Roland Garros and the US Open to become the second-youngest man in the Open Era to lift six Slam trophies, behind Bjorn Borg, who was also 22 when he reached the milestone.
Alcaraz’s victory at Roland Garros was especially memorable. He saved three championship points against Sinner in the final, which was the longest in tournament history at five hours and 29 minutes. The 22-year-old became only the ninth player in the Open Era to rally from two sets down to win a major final, and the first to do so at Roland Garros since 2004, when Gaston Gaudio battled past Guillermo Coria.
By winning the US Open, which he did with the loss of just one set, Alcaraz became the youngest of four men to win multiple major titles on clay, grass and hard courts. Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Mats Wilander are the other three.
Alcaraz was more consistent than ever in 2025, advancing to the finals of nine consecutive tournaments, from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April to the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo in September.
Alcaraz won 17 consecutive ATP Masters 1000 matches from the start of Monte Carlo until his championship victory at the Cincinnati Open. Since the introduction of the Masters 1000 series in 1990, only Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal and Pete Sampras have achieved longer winning streaks at this level.
The Murcia native joins Borg, Stefan Edberg and Lleyton Hewitt with two ATP Year-End No. 1, presented by PIF Finishes. He is the eleventh player to claim year-end number one more than once.
ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi said: “To finish the season as the No. 1 player in the world is an incredible achievement – one that only 19 players have achieved in more than 50 years of history. To do it twice at the age of 22 makes it even more special. It speaks not only to Carlos’ exceptional talent, but also to his relentless drive to improve and his determination to compete against the very best. He should be immensely proud of what he has achieved, and we look forward to seeing him continue see it go.” to inspire fans around the world.”
After finishing the group stage undefeated at the Nitto ATP Finals, Alcaraz has won the Jimmy Connors Group and will meet the winner of Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals on Saturday. He is two wins away from the first victory in the season finale.
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