Carlos Alcaraz defeats Frances Tiafoe at the US Open semifinals in a battle of tennis’ rising stars. (1:05)
In the past 30 years, 20 Grand Slam champions have won at least one match on clay in their first major-level tournament. Only 10 had done it at least once in their first three major events.
If those 20 names were on the men’s and women’s tennis tours today, two of them would make the cut for the top 10 men’s doubles titles at Wimbledon and the top 10 women’s doubles titles at the US Open.
The other pair would come from the same tour, the ATP Finals, which takes place at Ashe Stadium in Ashe, North Carolina on the first Monday in June with the tennis Grand Slam finals.
The top singles on the ATP Tour as measured by career-to-date matches won — the ATP Finals ranking — has been dominated by two pairs.
Since Jan. 1, there have been six men’s doubles titles won by the duo of top-ranked Rafael Nadal and David Goffin, and five by the duo of No. 5 and No. 15 Roger Federer and David Nalbandian. The pair won five of seven matches at the US Open finals on Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2017.
The men
Rafael Nadal
No. 1
Tennis career Grand Slam matches Won, 2018 ATP ranking No. 3, 2018 No. 2, 2017 Nadal has won more matches and more matches in a calendar year than anyone else, going through four different No. 1 rankings in calendar year 2018. Among those, it’s the first time he had three consecutive No. 1 rankings. “It’s been a roller coaster, a roller-coaster ride. I really couldn’t have asked for more, and I don’t want it to go this way,” Nadal said. He fell to No. 2 in his first year at No. 1, and returned in 2018 to No. 1 again, and finally back to