Carlos Alcaraz is missing a few prestigious titles from his otherworldly collection.
Alcaraz has won almost everything there is to win on the professional circuit, despite being only 23 years old.
The Spaniard has won all four Grand Slam titles, nine Masters 1000 titles and has achieved the world number one ranking.
For all his achievements, Alcaraz is yet to win the ATP Finals.
If the 23-year-old were to win the 2026 event, he would become only the third Spaniard to do so since the tournament’s inception in 1970.
Meet Manuel Orantes
Manuel Orantes is one of the greatest players in the history of Spanish tennis.
The Spanish superstar, who won his only Grand Slam title at the 1975 US Open, became the first Spaniard to win the ATP Finals when he lifted the title in 1976.
That year, Orantes was drawn alongside Americans Eddie Dibbs and Roscoe Tanner, and Polish player Wojciech Fibak. Orantes defeated the two Americans and lost to the Pole, earning him first place in the group.
Orantes’ reign over the American contingent continued in the last four, as he defeated Harold Solomon 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
Orantes faced Wojciech Fibak â the only player who had defeated him at the event.
The Spaniard ultimately avenged his initial defeat to Fibak, triumphing 5-7, 6-2, 0-6, 7-6, 6-1 in Houston, the United States.
Manuel Orantes’ path to the 1976 ATP Finals title
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Group stage: defeated Eddie Dibbs 6-4, 6-2
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Group stage: defeated Roscoe Tanner 7-6, 6-3
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Group stage: lost to Wojciech Fibak 5-7, 6-7
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Semi-finals: defeated Harold Solomon 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
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Final: defeated Wojciech Fibak 5-7, 6-2, 0-6, 7-6, 6-1
Around 22 years after Orantes’ triumph, another Spaniard won the ATP Finals.
Alex Corretja’s ATP Finals triumph
Corretja, the former world number two and two-time Roland Garros finalist, captured the 1998 ATP Finals title after beating compatriot Carlos Moya in the final.
The Spaniard, who was making his debut at the event, beat Moya 3â6, 3â6, 7â5, 6â3, 7â5.
“All the players who reach the tournament are playing at a very high level,” Corretja told ATPTour.com in 2020. “They’re the eight best of the year; you arrive with a lot of matches throughout the whole season and so you have a lot of faith in yourself.
“If memory serves, I’d won four tournaments and reached the final at Roland Garros, Hamburg. To me, Lyon was important because I won it three weeks before the Masters and that gave me the necessary confidence to believe that I wasn’t inferior to anyone.
“Of course, I knew that the groups were very difficult and maybe there were players in better form than me on that surface, but I felt that I was very well prepared, both physically and mentally.”
No Spaniard has won the ATP Finals singles title since Corretja’s triumph.
Rafael Nadal reached the final in 2010 and 2013, but lost to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, respectively.
Carlos Alcaraz qualified for the 2025 final before losing to Jannik Sinner.
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Esta notĂcia foi originalmente publicada em: Fonte original