For the first time since the inception of the ATP rankings system, two non-American players from the same country have finished in the top two places at the end of the season.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and ATP rankings runner-up, Rafael Nadal, finished the 2022 season occupying the two spots at the summit of the men's game.
The Spanish compatriots have each enjoyed stellar seasons, at the opposite ends of their careers.
22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal claimed his second Australian Open title, and a barely believable 14th French Open title this year, in the year he turned 36 years old. Teenager Alcaraz, on the other hand, had his career breakthrough season by winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, as well as two Masters 1000 titles.
Including this season, on only nine occasions have two players from the same country occupied the top two spots in the rankings. Quite remarkably, every single previous time this happened (other than this year), it was two Americans who achieved the feat.
These came during the American era of dominance in the early 80s and mid 90s. First it was John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors who had a duopoly at the top of the tour, before Ivan Lendl (Czech-born, but represented America) broke into the top two.
Then again in the mid 90s, with the era of all-time greats Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi (and briefly Michael Chang), it was once again an all American affair at the ATP summit.
But 2022 has been the year of the Spaniard in men's tennis, with the birth of a new star coinciding with a golden year in the autumn of an ageing legend's career.
Whatever twists the new season brings, it would appear that both the past and future of Spanish tennis looks set for a glorious place in tennis history.
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