Season Highlights Part One: Alcaraz Completes the Clay Court Golden Masters, Becoming the Fifth Player in History!

During the season’s key moments, Alcaraz’s capture of the Monte Carlo and Rome Masters titles, completing the “Clay Court Golden Masters,” was an unmissable feat.

The Clay Court Golden Masters means winning singles championships at all three ATP clay Masters events (Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome). Note that the Madrid Masters succeeded the formerly top-tier Hamburg Masters.

Though achieving this honor is challenging, history has seen several players accomplish it. Let’s take a look:

The Chilean lone wolf, Ríos, who was a world No.1 without ever winning a Grand Slam, was the first player in the 1990s to achieve this feat. Interestingly, he won one of the titles in three consecutive years.

1997 Monte Carlo Masters

1998 Rome Masters

1999 Hamburg Masters

Brazilian star Kuerten, a three-time French Open champion and a true clay court specialist, amassed five clay Masters titles throughout his career:

1999 Monte Carlo Masters

1999 Rome Masters

2000 Hamburg Masters

2001 Monte Carlo Masters

2001 Rome Masters

The undisputed King of Clay, Nadal, has dominated these three tournaments over two decades with record-breaking titles:

Monte Carlo Masters (11 titles): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018. His streak of eight consecutive wins is one of the toughest records in tennis history.

Rome Masters (10 titles): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021.

Together with Djokovic, he created a decade-long rivalry at the Rome Masters; Madrid Masters (4 titles): 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017.

Hamburg Masters (1 title): 2008.

Though his Hamburg title count is lower than the other two, it remains unreachable for most players.

Record-breaker Djokovic exists specifically to shatter records.

Monte Carlo Masters (2 titles): 2013, 2015, with his 2013 win ending Nadal’s eight-year dominance at this event.

Rome Masters (6 titles): 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2023.

Madrid Masters (3 titles): 2011, 2016, 2019.

Djokovic is also one of the few players who have beaten Nadal in all three Masters of the Golden Masters.

Rising star Alcaraz, at a young age, has already defended titles at Madrid and the French Open.

Madrid Masters (2 titles): 2022, 2023. His 2022 victory is especially notable as he defeated both Nadal and Djokovic, becoming the first player to beat these two legends in the same clay court event.

2025 Monte Carlo Masters

2025 Rome Masters

From the shining American duo to the European kings Djokovic and Nadal, and now Alcaraz’s inheritance, we witness a grand legacy unfolding—a continuous cycle of tennis vitality with seamless transitions between generations.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Cheng Qiye)