December and, with it, the classic review of everything that happened in this 2022 which is already turned off With most of the tennis players on vacation or doing preseason, today we wanted to remember the list of players who dusted off their showcase in the current calendar. In total they were twelve players who raised that first title so special, although there were some who took such a liking to it that they later repeated it. Twelve rackets that, whatever happens, are already in the history of professional champions.
THANASI KOKKINAKIS
What would this player be without the evil eye of injuries? What a good unanswered question. What is already certain is that the good old Thanasi will not retire without winning an individual title, in fact, he could not have chosen a better place. On the Australian tour and, more specifically, in the city of his birth: Adelaide. There we saw him smile more than ever last January after a week of enormous battles and a dramatic outcome against Rinderknech in the final. He deserved it.
ALEXANDER BUBLIK
Given the serve he has, the strange thing is that he hadn’t already won one, but that moment didn’t come until February of this season, when he surprised Alexander Zverev in the Montpellier final. At 24 years old, the Kazakh still had time to lose the final in Newport and Metz, confirming that he is good at reaching the last rounds of tournaments; winning them still costs him a bit.
FÉLIX AUGER-ALIASSIME
It is the most unique case of the decade, although we never had any doubts about the Canadian’s potential. After losing his first eight finals, Aliassime broke free of his curse in Rotterdam, defeating a Stefanos Tsitsipas who knows perfectly well how the Montrealer spends his time. And although we would later see Felix lose the final in Marseille with Rublev, the best of the season would not come until October, when he would link titles in Florence, Antwerp and Basel. He went from never winning an individual trophy to winning four in 2022.
PEDRO MARTINEZ
The only Spanish presence in the article and, surely, one that very few expected. In his season of consolidation in the top 50, things have not been easy for Pedro Martínez, although he was able to find his moment of inspiration on the golden tour in February, where he triumphed at the ATP 250 in Santiago, thus inaugurating his professional record with 24 years.
HOLGER RUNE
Another player who has gone from 0 to 100 in just a few months. Or rather, from being out of the top100 to almost finishing in the top10. The 19-year-old Dane gave the bell in Munich by winning his first ATP tournament, although he was going to save his best bullets for the end of the season. First with a final in Sofia, where he would be runner-up, although he was going to take away this bitter taste by conquering Stockholm and the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy. A case very similar to that of Aliassime, starting the year empty-handed and ending with a few drinks.
SEBASTIAN BAEZ
Argentine presence on our list, although it will not be the last. Step forward from Sebastian Báez with his style so particular to him, although his injuries did not allow him to be more regular. Even so, he managed to get the best version of himself in Estoril, becoming champion of an ATP tournament at 21 years old. Then the train would pass through its platform twice more, in Santiago and in Bastad, but there it succumbed to the rival it had on the other side of the network.
TIM VAN RIJTHOVEN
One of the craziest things this season in terms of champions, with an almost unknown who lifts an ATP title while outside the top200 and already at 25 years of age. But that’s how good old Tim wrote it, a Dutchman who also had the luxury of signing this feat at home, at the ATP 250 event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. His time would stretch to Wimbledon, where he dared to step into the second week of competition, although we never heard from him again.
FRAN CERUNDOLO
Again Argentine flavor in the article with the eldest of the Cerúndolo, champion in the ATP 250 of Bastad at 23 years old. Another player who has made a gradual level jump over the months, gradually burning stages but always moving forward. That he finished the course in the top 30 is no surprise.
MAXIME CRESSY
Here we collide squarely with one of the great sensations of 2022, a 25-year-old guy who is still faithful to the serve and volley game that is so missed from the 90s. The American started the calendar by losing to Nadal in the final of the ATP 250 in Melbourne, although he would later take revenge by winning on his beloved grass, specifically, that of Newport. Weeks ago we had also seen him give up in Eastbourne, so the third time was the charm for Máxime.
LORENZO MUSETTI
A talent of those that does not escape the eye of any fan, Lorenzo could not be missing in our piece. Champion in Hamburg at the age of 20 against all odds, since an Alcaraz who had never lost a final appeared in front of him. But you know, there is always a first time. Months later, under the roof of Naples, Musetti showed that racing in faster situations does not scare him, reaping his second success of the season.
BRANDON NAKASHIMA
A player with great potential who is not talked about as much as others, although we already know that the charisma of each one is vital here. Nakashima is one of those who make little noise, those who work in silence, but if you look at his numbers at the end of the year, you will see that there has been an evolution. He premiered his record at the ATP 250 in San Diego, at the age of 21 and in front of his people. For dessert, the American sealed his 2022 by becoming champion in the Next Gen ATP Finals, in case there was any doubt that this man is the future.
MARC-ANDREA HUESLER
We close this summary with the name that, surely, is the most unknown by all. Because of his ranking, because of his low profile and because there was only one week of the year where he made so much noise. It was at the ATP 250 in Sofia, where he was champion at the age of 26 and stressed that Switzerland will continue to have a presence on the circuit after Federer and Wawrinka.
Which of these first-time champions were you most excited about? What was the most unexpected? We read you!
