Alcaraz set record thanks to Nadal's defeat

Alcaraz is the first teen player in history to hold the number one position at the end of the season, since the ATP scoreboard was released in 1973. This was predicted by Nadal needing to win the ATP Finals to dethrone Alcaraz, The task is considered to be too much for the "King of Clay" on the short field.

Nadal lost the second match of the group stage, at the hands of Felix Auger-Aliassime on the afternoon of November 15. Therefore, he no longer had the opportunity to enter the semi-finals and could not close the 1,000-point gap with his compatriots. Nadal risks falling to world number three if Casper Ruud continues to play well. The Norwegian player is currently only 400 points behind Nadal.

Alcaraz entered the season in 32nd place, then made the biggest step forward in 50 years on the ATP scoreboard. He won major titles in Miami, Madrid, and won the US Open. Thanks to his debut Grand Slam, Alcaraz broke Lleyton Hewitt's record as the youngest player to become world number one and was also the first teen player to win a major since Nadal in 2005.

Alcaraz finished the season with 57 wins and 13 defeats. He missed the ATP Finals because of a muscle injury. Tennis player Murcia is the 18th person to hold the top of the scoreboard, and the first outside the "Big 4" since Andy Roddick in 2003. Apart from Alcaraz, Spain is the only Nadal to ever finish the year in number one.

Auger-Aliassime could also advance after this week, just 70 points behind Daniil Medvedev in fifth. The top 10 also features another teen player, Holger Rune, who is on the bench at the ATP Finals. Alexander Zverev was dropped from this group for the first time in five years, due to a break from an injury at Roland Garros. The German tennis player is expected to return to the court in December to prepare for the 2023 season.