Top five youngest men's singles players to win Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal holds the record for the most singles titles in the Madrid Open.

One of the most important tournaments before the French Open, the Madrid Open has its unique significance on the Tour. Formerly known as the Madrid International and Madrid Masters, the tournament went through several changes before becoming an ATP 1000 Masters event in 2002.

Andre Agassi won the first edition of the tournament. After that, Manzanares Park Tennis Centre witnessed multiple other champions. However, the Spaniards have dominated the tournament when it comes to the men’s singles event. One of the nine masters events was initially played in October, but it’s currently being played in the summer.

Just like any other clay competition, the records of the Madrid Open are also dominated by Rafael Nadal. On this note, let’s take a look at the top five men’s singles players to win the Madrid Open.

5. Juan Carlos Ferrero: 23 years, 8 months and 7 days

Juan Carlos Ferrero was the first Spanish champion at the Madrid Open after the tournament earned the status of an ATP 1000 Masters event. He beat Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan in the quarterfinals and Roger Federer in the last four to reach the final.

Ferrero won the title by defeating Chile’s Nicolás Massú in the final. He is one of three Spanish players to have won the Madrid Open since 2002.

4. Andy Murray: 21 years, 5 months and 4 days

After winning the Cincinnati Open, Andy Murray maintained his momentum to win the 2008 Madrid Open. To reach his second ATP 1000 Masters final, the Briton defeated Simone Bolelli, Marin Cilic, Gael Monfils, and Roger Federer. The three-time Grand Slam champion beat Gilles Simon to become the Madrid Open champion at 20.

Murray never preferred clay and played his best tennis on grass and hard courts. However, his triumph in 2008 was a testament to his greatness in elite mentality. Seeded fourth, Murray only dropped one set throughout the campaign, which came against Federer in the semifinals.

3. Alexander Zverev: 21 years and 23 days

Alexander Zverev has won the Madrid Open twice (in 2018 and 2021). In 2018, the German tennis star was seeded second in the tournament, only behind Rafael Nadal. With easy wins in the opening two games, he faced John Isner in the quarterfinals.

After a resounding victory over Isner in the quarterfinals, the German tennis star beat Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in the semifinals. He ended his campaign with an exquisite finish against former US Open champion Dominic Thiem, 6-4, 6-4.

2. Rafael Nadal: 19 years, 4 months and 21 days

The King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, holds the record for the most singles titles in the Spanish capital, with five, and is also the second-youngest player to win the title. In 2005, the Spaniard was seeded first and started his campaign against Romania’s Victor Hănescu.

He later beat Tommy Robredo and Radek Štěpánek to reach the semifinals, where he stunned former American tennis star Robby Ginepri. In the final, Nadal played a five-setter against Croatia’s Ivan Ljubičić, winning 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(7–3). Despite winning five, Nadal has also lost three Madrid Open finals, in 2009 to Roger Federer, in 2011 to Djokovic, and in 2015 to Andy Murray.

1. Carlos Alcaraz: 19 years and 3 days

Carlos Alcaraz is the youngest player to win the men’s singles event at the Madrid Open. He won his first title in Madrid by beating then-defending champion Alexander Zverev in the final. Additionally, he also became the first tennis player to beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the same clay campaign to win the title.

Seeded seventh, Carlos Alcaraz performed exceptionally at Park Manzanares. In his first match, he beat Nikoloz Basilashvili to set up a tie against Cameron Norrie. Alcaraz later defeated the British player with ease and faced Nadal and Djokovic in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively. Zverev failed to match up against the Spaniard in the summit clash and lost 6-3, 6-1.

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