6 instances when a player won 2+ Grand Slams in a year but were eliminated in ATP Finals group stage ft. Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are two players who won more than two Grand Slams in a year and yet, could not make it past the group stage at the ATP Finals. Alcaraz recently suffered a dismal exit at the year-end championships in Turin.
The 21-year-old started the tournament with a straight-set loss to Casper Ruud before registering a win over Andrey Rublev to keep his semifinal chances alive. However, he suffered a defeat to Alexander Zverev in his must-win fixture to suffer a group-stage exit in Turin.
Alcaraz's elimination comes in a season where he won two Grand Slams and there have been a total of six such instances when this has happened. On that note, let us take a look at the occasions when this has taken place.
#6. Carlos Alcaraz - 2024
Carlos Alcaraz had an incredible 2024 season, during which he won 53 out of 66 matches, winning two Grand Slams. The 21-year-old won his maiden title at the French Open by beating Alexander Zverev in the final and followed this up by a successful title defense at Wimbledon.
Alcaraz competed in the ATP Finals for only the second time and he was off to a disappointing start after losing 1-6, 5-7 to sixth seed Casper Ruud. The 21-year-old then beat eighth seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(8) before suffering a 6-7(5), 4-6 defeat to second seed Alexander Zverev, which led to his elimination.
#5. Rafael Nadal - 2022
Rafael Nadal started 2022 on a terrific note by winning three titles, including his first Australian Open triumph in 13 years. His fourth and final tournament win that year came at the French Open, where he beat Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the title clash.
The Spaniard's performances dipped during the second half of the season but he did enough to qualify for the ATP Finals and was the top seed there. Nadal started his campaign in Turin with a 6-7(3), 1-6 defeat to Taylor Fritz, and a 3-6, 4-6 loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime confirmed his elimination in the group stages.
However, Rafael Nadal ended his tournament on a high by beating eventual runner-up Casper Ruud 7-5, 7-5.
#4. Rafael Nadal - 2019
Rafael Nadal produced some impressive performances in 2019 that saw him win the French Open and the US Open, beating Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev in the respective finals. The Spaniard also made it to the title clash of the Australian Open.
Nadal was the top seed at that year's ATP Finals in London and had a poor start to the season-ending championships, losing 2-6, 4-6 to Alexander Zverev. The Spaniard beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6(4) before triumphing 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 over eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. However, this wasn't enough to see Nadal qualify, as he came third in his group due to a lesser set percentage.
#3. Novak Djokovic- 2019
Like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic also won two Grand Slams in 2019, triumphing at that year's Australian Open and Wimbledon. The Serb entered the ATP Finals as the second seed and got off to a flying start with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Matteo Berrettini.
He then played out a thriller with Dominic Thiem, with the Austrian narrowly winning 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5). Djokovic's last round-robin match was against his rival Roger Federer, and the Swiss won 6-4, 6-3. The Serb thus finished his group in third position and was unable to qualify for the semifinals of the 2019 ATP Finals.
#2. Novak Djokovic - 2011
Novak Djokovic produced one of the best seasons in tennis history in 2011, winning 70 out of 76 matches, with ten titles to his name. The Serb won three Grand Slams at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
Djokovic entered that year's ATP Finals (then called the ATP World Tour Finals) in London as the top seed and edged out Tomas Berdych 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) in his tournament opener. The Serb was then drubbed 3-6, 1-6 by David Ferrer in what was the Spaniard's last win over him.
He then faced compatriot Janko Tipsarevic in his final group fixture and won the first set 6-3. However, Tipsarevic won the next two sets by the same scoreline to win the match and confirm Djokovic's elimination.
#1. Mats Wilander - 1988
1988 was the best year of Mats Wilander's career, as he won three Grand Slams at the Australian Open, French Open, and the US Open. The Swede entered that year's season-ending championships (then called the Nabisco Masters) as the top seed and won just one out of his three group fixtures.
Wilander beat Henri Leconte 6-2, 6-4 but lost 2-6, 2-6 to compatriot Stefan Edberg and 6-7, 7-6, 1-6 to eventual champion Boris Becker. He thus finished third in his group and was unable to qualify for the semifinals.