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Yet another incredible season of tennis has come to an end. While Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominated the headlines for various reasons, new contenders emerged from their shadows to steal the spotlight.
Federer bid farewell to the sport even as his contemporaries Djokovic and Nadal maintained their stranglehold on the big titles, though their iron grip has been loosened a bit. The incredible rise of teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz was one such story which played out throughout the year.
Players rose to the occasion during the biggest tournaments of the year, namely the Grand Slams, Masters 1000 events and the ATP Finals. Some tantalizing matches were played as they fought for the highest honors in tennis. Here's a look at the men who took home the biggest titles of the season:
Australian Open - Rafael Nadal
After an injury-plagued 2021, Nadal commenced the new season on a positive note by winning the Melbourne Summer Set. This moved him up among the list of probable title contenders at the Australian Open, but he still wasn't the outright favorite.
After losing just one set en route to the quarterfinals, Nadal was taken to five sets by Denis Shapovalov in their last-eight clash, but he ultimately emerged victorious. He dispatched Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals to set up a showdown against Daniil Medvedev in the final.
The 36-year-old lost the first two sets of the championship round, but staged an incredible comeback to clinch his second title Down Under after 13 years. The victory, which gave him his 21st Major title, also ended a three-way tie between Nadal, Djokovic and Federer for the most Slam titles.
Indian Wells Masters - Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz rose to prominence with his title-winning run at the Indian Wells Masters. He defeated players like Alex de Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov and Andrey Rublev en route to the final. In the summit clash, he was up against Nadal, who was on a 20-match winning streak. The American outplayed his opponent to lift his maiden Masters 1000 trophy.
Miami Open - Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz lost a closely contested battle in the semifinals of Indian Wells to Nadal. He didn't let the heartbreaking loss get to him and rebounded almost immediately. The teenager scored notable wins over Marin Cilic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Hubert Hurkacz to reach his first Masters 1000 final.
Alcaraz faced fellow first-time Masters 1000 finalist Casper Ruud in the title round and defeated him in straight sets. With the victory, he became the youngest champion in the tournament's history.
Monte-Carlo Masters - Stefanos Tsitsipas
Despite Tsitsipas' consistent results since the start of 2022, he went home empty-handed across the first three months of the season. He finally won his first title of the season by successfully defending his title in Monte Carlo. The Greek defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final to become just the sixth player to win back-to-back titles at the venue.
Madrid Open - Carlos Alcaraz
Having lost his opener to Sebastian Korda in Monte Carlo, Alcaraz got back on track by winning his third title of the year at Barcelona and arrived in Madrid as one of the favorites for the title.
En route to the final, Alcaraz defeated Nadal and Djokovic in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, becoming the first player to do so on clay. The young Spaniard defeated Alexander Zverev in the final to win his second Masters title.
Italian Open - Novak Djokovic
Djokovic endured a tough start to the season. He had to miss a few tournaments due to the vaccine mandate in different countries. His clay swing started on a disappointing note with an early exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
But the Serb got better with every tournament and tasted success at the Italian Open by going all the way without dropping a set. He defeated Tsitsipas in the final for his sixth title in the tournament and a record 38th Masters crown.
French Open - Rafael Nadal
Nadal sustained an injury in the final of the Indian Wells Masters, which caused him to miss the start of his beloved clay season. He wasn't too impressive upon his return either, as he lost in the quarterfinals and the third round in Madrid and Rome, respectively.
Nadal once again displayed why it is difficult to best him in Paris. He survived a tough five-set battle against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round before ousting defending champion Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Zverev gave him a tough fight in the semifinals, but sustained an injury during the match and had to retire.
Nadal scored a straight-sets win over Casper Ruud in the final to claim his 14th French Open crown and his 22nd Major title.
Wimbledon - Novak Djokovic
The lush green laws of Wimbledon have become Djokovic's playground over the last few years. He arrived at this year's edition as the three-time defending champion and went on to win his fourth consecutive title here.
Djokovic defeated first-time Grand Slam finalist Nick Kyrgios in four sets to win his seventh Wimbledon trophy and his 21st Major title. He also became the first player of either gender to notch up at least 80 victories in all four Grand Slams.
Canadian Open - Pablo Carreno Busta
With both Nadal and Djokovic missing in action and the top three seeds - Alcaraz, Medvedev and Tsitsipas - crashing out in the second round, the tournament was left wide open. Pablo Carreno Busta grabbed the opportunity to win his maiden Masters title by defeating Hubert Hurkacz in the final.
Western & Southern Open - Borna Coric
Coric underwent shoulder surgery in 2021 and missed the bulk of last season. He spent most of 2022 trying to make his way back up the rankings. He had a memorable run in Cincinnati, starting off with a three-set victory over Nadal in the second round.
Coric then defeated Auger-Aliassime in the last eight and followed it up with a win over Cameron Norrie. He came out on top against Tsitsipas in the summit clash to capture his first Masters title.
US Open - Carlos Alcaraz
Despite some fantastic results throughout the season, Grand Slam glory evaded Alcaraz. After starting off with easy wins at the US Open, he was pushed to five sets by Marin Cilic in the fourth round before prevailing in the end. The teenager then saved a match point en route to a five-set win over Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.
Alcaraz needed five sets to overcome Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals as well. The young Spaniard then defeated Casper Ruud in four sets to win his first Grand Slam title. He also ascended to the top of the rankings following his triumph in New York.
Paris Masters - Holger Rune
Rune recorded some great results in the lead-up to the Paris Masters. In the first round, he came back from the brink to defeat Stan Wawrinka after saving three match points.
Rune then defeated five top-10 players in a row, including Djokovic in the final, to capture his first Masters title. He also made his top-10 debut in the rankings following his victory.
ATP Finals - Novak Djokovic
Despite missing a big chunk of the season, Djokovic qualified for the year-end championship yet again. He defeated Tsitsipas, Rublev and Medvedev in the group stage to make it to the semifinals. The Serb then beat Fritz in two close sets to progress to the final.
Djokovic dispatched Ruud in straight sets in the summit showdown to capture his sixth ATP Finals crown. He tied Federer's record of six titles and also became the oldest champion of the tournament in the process.
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