Tennis News

Alcaraz clinches ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours

Carlos Alcaraz clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours on Thursday when he defeated Lorenzo Musetti to move to 3-0 at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Spaniard and rival Jannik Sinner arrived at the season finale battling for the prestigious honour, but Alcaraz finished the group stage undefeated to secure year-end No. 1 for the second time.

“It means the world to me, to be honest. The year-end No. 1 is always a goal,” Alcaraz said. “At the beginning of the year, I saw the No. 1 really, really far away [with] Jannik winning almost every tournament he plays. But from the middle of the season ’til now, I [gave myself] the goal for the No. 1 because I thought it was there. I had the chance to play great tennis in a lot of tournaments in a row to put myself in with a chance to be close to Jannik for the No. 1.

“Then in the last three, four tournaments of the year, [I was] fighting toe to toe with Jannik for this spot and then finally I got it. For me, it means everything.”

It has been a memorable year for the 22-year-old, who in 2022 became the youngest year-end No. 1 in history (since 1973). He is just the second active player to secure multiple year-end No. 1 finishes, joining Novak Djokovic (8).

Alcaraz began his season by reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, where he was trying to win the one major missing from his resume. But since then, the Spaniard has been a dominant force on the ATP Tour.

The World No. 1 has won a Tour-leading eight titles in 2025, including victories at two majors (Roland Garros and US Open), three ATP Masters 1000 events (Monte-Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati) and three ATP 500 tournaments (Rotterdam, Queen’s Club and Tokyo). The eight trophies are the most he has earned in a season.

Alcaraz emerged victorious at Roland Garros and the US Open, becoming the second-youngest man in the Open Era to lift six Slam trophies behind only Bjorn Borg, who was also 22 when he reached the mark.

Alcaraz’s triumph at Roland Garros was particularly memorable. He saved three championship points against Sinner in the final, which at five hours and 29 minutes was the longest in tournament history. The 22-year-old became just the ninth player in the Open Era to rally from two sets down to win a major final, and the first to do it at Roland Garros since 2004, when Gaston Gaudio battled past Guillermo Coria.

By winning the US Open, which he did with the loss of just one set, Alcaraz became the youngest of four men to earn multiple major titles on clay, grass and hard courts. Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Mats Wilander are the other three.

Alcaraz has been more consistent than ever in 2025, advancing to the final of nine consecutive tournaments from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April through the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo in September.

Alcaraz won 17 straight ATP Masters 1000 matches from the start of Monte-Carlo through his championship victory at the Cincinnati Open. Since the introduction of the Masters 1000 series in 1990, only Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal and Pete Sampras have earned longer winning streaks at the level.

The Murcia native joins Borg, Stefan Edberg and Lleyton Hewitt with two ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF finishes. He is the 11th player to claim year-end No. 1 more than once.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Ending the season as the No. 1 player in the world is an incredible achievement—one that only 19 players have accomplished in more than 50 years of history. To do it twice by the age of 22 makes it even more special. It speaks not only to Carlos’ exceptional talent, but to his relentless drive to improve and his determination to compete against the very best. He should be immensely proud of what he’s achieved, and we look forward to watching him continue to inspire fans around the world.”

Having finished the group stage undefeated at the Nitto ATP Finals, Alcaraz has won the Jimmy Connors Group and will face the winner of Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime Saturday in the semi-finals. He is two victories from triumphing at the season finale for the first time.

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Alcaraz downs Musetti to seal Year-End No. 1, sends De Minaur into SFs at Nitto ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz blocked out the roar of a partisan Turin crowd on Thursday at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he reclaimed one of tennis’ most prestigious honours.

The 22-year-old Spaniard overcame debutant Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-1 inside a rocking Inalpi Arena to secure ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours for the first time since 2022. The victory capped a perfect 3-0 run through the Jimmy Connors Group and also sent Alex de Minaur — who defeated Taylor Fritz earlier on Thursday — through to the semi-finals in second place.

CARLITOS HAS DONE IT AGAIN! 🔥

He clinches the 2025 ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF! 👏#PIF | #ATPRankings | #partner pic.twitter.com/z2abBHlerx

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 13, 2025

“The match was really important for me, playing for Year-End No.1,” said Alcaraz, who improved to 7-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Musetti. “It wasn’t easy at the beginning with the nerves. I tried to handle that pressure the best I could, so I’m just really happy with the level I played and to be able to end the year as the No. 1.”

By topping his group, Alcaraz has also opened the possibility of another final showdown with defending champion Jannik Sinner, who has already sealed his finish at the top of the Bjorn Borg Group with two wins.

Alcaraz absorbed the full force of the home support early on and stayed committed to the high-risk, high-reward tactics that has defined his campaign at the Nitto ATP Finals. Despite tallying 21 unforced errors, he struck 26 winners to Musetti’s eight to unsettle the Italian, sealing his 83-minute triumph with trademark flair.

“It was a really important goal to end the year as the No. 1, but this tournament is really important for me,” added Alcaraz, who is chasing his first Nitto ATP Finals. “I’m excited about qualifying for the semi-finals and hopefully getting to the final. We will see… Part of the job is done, but I’m excited to keep going.”

Needing a win to join Alcaraz in the last four, Musetti produced flashes of brilliance to ignite the crowd in the opening set, including a series of crisp approaches to the net. Yet the Italian struggled to maintain that level in the extended rallies and was unable to convert either of his two break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I think I managed to start really well and to serve big. That was the only chance I had to try to deal with Carlos’ game,” said Musetti. “Tonight I think he also served pretty well. He was managing to put me in a position where I had to run a lot and be really aggressive.

“At the end, of course, the physical part was tough to deal with. All the credit to Carlos, who played really incredible tennis. Every time he surprises me more. Hopefully one day I will have my revenge.”

Musetti’s stirring victory over De Minaur on Tuesday — in which he reeled off the final four games — had kept his semi-final hopes alive and left the Australian’s fate uncertain. Two days later, De Minaur responded with a clutch win over Fritz and now advances to a semi-final showdown with defending champion Sinner.

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Third Challenger title since start of October? Barrios Vera keeps charge alive in Montevideo

Tomas Barrios Vera has enjoyed a late-season surge on the ATP Challenger Tour, boosting his chances of finishing the season inside the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings. In action this week at the Uruguay Open, the Chilean is seeking his third Challenger title since the start of October, having triumphed in Cali, Colombia and then in Lima, Peru last week.

The 27-year-old cruised into the Montevideo quarter-finals on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against local wild card Franco Roncadelli.

At No. 110 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Barrios Vera would have a chance of returning to the Top 100 for the first time in 21 months should he win the Montevideo crown.

Last week in Lima, Barrios Vera saved five match points in a four-hour, 24-minute minute quarter-final thriller against Argentine Juan Bautista Torres 7-6(2) 6-7(6) 7-6(10) en route to lifting his third Challenger trophy of the season and seventh overall.

In other action, Paraguay’s 21-year-old Adolfo Daniel Vallejo rallied past Alvaro Guillen Meza 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the last eight. Guillen Meza conquered top seed Sebastian Baez in the opening round.

Former World No. 17 Cristian Garin beat Alex Barrena 6-2, 6-4 and fourth seed Carlos Taberner ousted Zdenek Kolar 7-6(2), 6-3.

Carlos with the great escape 😱

Taberner fights back from 0-5 to take the opener 7-6(2) before closing out Kolar in straight sets to reach the Montevideo QFs! 🇺🇾#ATPChallenger | @uruguayopen pic.twitter.com/rDNBiY8aFU

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 13, 2025

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Win and in: Zverev, Auger-Aliassime play for Nitto ATP Finals SF place

The last round-robin singles match at the Nitto ATP Finals will determine the last spot in the semi-finals, with Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime squaring off for second place in the Bjorn Borg Group.

Jannik Sinner, who is already confirmed as the group winner, will meet Ben Shelton in the afternoon session. The Italian will seek to improve his perfect record this week to 3-0 when he takes on the American, who is eliminated from semi-final contention.

A win-and-in doubles match will also take place Friday, with Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten playing Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic for a semi-final place. Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski will finish atop the Peter Fleming Group and will seek to complete a perfect round-robin campaign against Americans Christian Harrison and Evan King.

[3] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. [8] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
Zverev walked off the court after his Wednesday defeat to Sinner happy with his performance but frustrated by his failure to take any of his seven break points. The Italian, by contrast, broke serve in both return games in which he created a break point.

“The score was 6-4, 6-3, but in my opinion, my humble opinion, I felt like the match was closer than the score maybe says,” Zverev said. “I thought it was a very high-level match. I thought especially from the baseline we played very well.”

After losing to Sinner for a third time in 17 days, Zverev was nonetheless motivated to set up another meeting with the home favourite. They could only meet again in the final: “I hope to see him again this week… It’s as simple as that,” he said.

Zverev was particularly happy with his baseline game against Sinner, with the Italian remarking that both players were hitting fast and flat from the backcourt in the quick Turin conditions. Look for more of the same from Zverev as he tries to stop Auger-Aliassime from taking over the match with his big forehand.

The Canadian kept his semi-final hopes alive with a thrilling comeback against Shelton, coming within two points of defeat in a 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 victory. It was a Tour-leading 20th deciding-set win of the season for Auger-Aliassime.

As he worked his way into the match, the eighth seed dismissed any lingering concerns about an apparent calf problem he suffered in his opening defeat to Sinner: “I felt great, physically. We recovered well, did the right things,” said Auger-Aliassime. “I was able to play two-and-a-half hours of high-intensity tennis.”

With both players in good form, this high-stakes showdown has all the makings of a Nitto ATP Finals classic. The pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head history adds to the intrigue: While Zverev leads the series 6-3, Auger-Aliassime produced an attacking masterclass in their most recent encounter on his way to the US Open semi-finals.

<img alt=”Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/13/22/03/sinner-shelton-turin-2025-friday.jpg” />

[2] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [5] Ben Shelton (USA)
Sinner has been pushed close in his two Turin wins, but the home favourite has yet to lose a set — or lose a service game — this week. His superiority in the key moments has been the difference.

“I felt like I was serving very well in important moments,” Sinner said after saving seven break points against Zverev, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “I tried to play the best tennis possible when it mattered, which fortunately went my way.”

With the serving ability of Shelton, this Friday showdown could once again be decided by narrow margins. That was certainly the case in the American’s last outing against Auger-Aliassime, where the American was denied his first Nitto ATP Finals win in his Turin debut.

Knowing his 2025 season will be over after his matchup with Sinner, Shelton rated his year an eight out of 10, pointing to big improvements in his game and a strong season that faded following the US Open.

While he has not been able to produce his very best tennis in Turin, the American took the long view on his year after his defeat to Auger-Aliassime. 

“For me this week, it’s been my forehand, which usually is a money shot for me, money-maker,” he said. “The first ball after the serve, things that have been a little off that make it disappointing, [but] a lot of things to be happy about this season.”

Shelton could have one more thing to be happy about if he can upset the World No. 1 on Friday. But Sinner will not earn ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF this season; Alcaraz clinched that distinction with his win against Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday.

Doubles Action
After a Match Tie-break defeat to Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski dropped them to 1-1 in Turin, second seeds Heliovaara and Patten face a must-win match against Arevalo and Pavic. The fourth seeds fought off two match points to defeat Americans Evan King and Christian Harrison in a Match Tie-break of their own on Wednesday, and will now hope to ride that momentum all the way to the semi-finals.

With first place in the Peter Fleming Group secured, fifth-seeded Britons Salisbury and Skupski will be playing for PIF ATP Doubles Rankings points and prize money when they meet King and Harrison, who will hope to end their season with a win.

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Patten gets engaged in Turin! 'I was much more nervous about getting engaged than my first match'

Henry Patten still has a chance to win the Nitto ATP Finals with partner Harri Heliovaara, but the Briton has already earned a win for life this week.

Sunday, the day before Patten played his first match of the season finale, he got engaged to longtime partner Ellie Stone.

“I’ve been with Ellie now for best part of 10 years, pretty much,” Patten told ATPTour.com. “It was coming at some point and as a tennis player, I don’t get to see her that much throughout the year. And this is one of the trips that she chose to come on.”

Patten secured the ring during Wimbledon and has been waiting for the special moment since, always having an eye on Turin. The 29-year-old arrived a day before Stone and scouted the city for the perfect spot. He ended up discovering Basilica di Superga, which has a view of the city.

“Somehow it was really quiet. Went up there in the morning, really beautiful day, and then I told her to look over at the chimneys, made up some kind of excuse, and then proposed,” Patten said. “She was very, very happy, I’m pleased to report. And [she was] surprised, which I think gets me bonus points.”

<img alt=”Henry Patten and Ellie Stone at the Basilica di Superga in Turin.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/13/17/45/patten-turin-2025-engagement.jpg” />

The doubles standout played college tennis at the University of North Carolina Asheville, where he met Stone, who was on the soccer team. They have been together since.

It is difficult for them to spend time together throughout the year because Stone is in her second year of medical residency in North Carolina.

“She’s a doctor, officially, but she is in the process of becoming fully trained as a doctor over there,” Patten said. “She doesn’t get much time off and she can’t travel much. It’s not like she can do her job remotely. She’s in the hospital all the time.”

As excited as he was, Patten needed to refocus quickly to take the court inside Inalpi Arena Monday for his opening match of the year-end championships with Heliovaara against Christian Harrison and Evan King.

“I was much more nervous about getting engaged than I was about playing my first match,” Patten said, cracking a laugh. “I can tell you that for free.”

Heliovaara and Patten are 1-1 in the John McEnroe Group and still have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals. The Briton hopes to make it as far as possible in Turin, but will leave the city with his head held high no matter what happens.

“It’s such a big deal to me, so much more important. We’ve been together for 10 years and I’ll spend the rest of my life with her, which I’m incredibly excited about,” Patten said of his engagement. “It’s crazy, because obviously it is one of the biggest [tournaments], but it’s taken quite a big back seat. That being said, we’re still taking the tennis pretty seriously.”

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De Minaur 'makes peace', finds his momentum at Nitto ATP Finals

After a bruising start to his Nitto ATP Finals week, Alex de Minaur found something he has been chasing all season: momentum on his own terms.

The Australian earned his first win at the season finale on Thursday, powering past Taylor Fritz to banish the demons of five previous losses in Turin (0-3 in 2024, 1-2 in 2025). The 7-6(3), 6-3 result restored a sense of belief after he admitted his third-set loss to Lorenzo Musetti on Tuesday was one of the toughest emotional challenges of his career.

“For the first time in a long time, I forgot about the ‘what ifs’, the results, what happens if I miss this shot, what happens if I lose this match,” De Minaur said. “I just committed to the way I wanted to play from the first point to the last. A couple days ago I didn’t. That’s what hurt so much.

“Today I knew that no matter what, I wanted to be proud of my decision making, my aggressive mindset, and I wanted to go out there and try to win the match.”

The turnaround didn’t come by accident for the No. 7 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. Against Fritz, De Minaur played with the conviction that deserted him earlier in the week, dictating from the baseline and stepping forward whenever possible.

He credits this in part to the team that surrounds him, which includes British WTA Tour star and fiancée Katie Boulter, who picked him up after the narrow defeat to Musetti.

“To be honest, I’m incredibly lucky with the support system that I have, the people I’ve got around me, every single one in my team, even Katie,” said De Minaur, who won the ATP 500 in Washington this year. “They were able to — or they tried to — talk some sense into me. A couple of days ago was one of the toughest days I’ve had in my career… I could tell you that I hated the sport. Here we are two days later and I’m feeling great about myself. It’s incredible.

“But more than anything, regardless of the result today, I had made peace with myself. That was a big, big moment. I knew the way I wanted to play. I was going to commit to it from the first point to the last. I was okay with the result not going my way. I had made peace with that. I just wanted to play my way.”

The finish didn’t come without drama. After missing a match point on return at 5-2 in the second set and slipping to 0/30 when serving for victory, De Minaur could have folded. Instead, he laughed it off — literally.

“After that match point, I just started laughing with my team because I was like ‘There’s something up there that’s against me… I’ve got the evil eye or something’,” De Minaur joked. “I’m just not allowed to win matches anymore. Then we go to 0/30.

“Actually, it took some of my best tennis today. I hit an incredible ace, then at 15/30 I served and volleyed. I just had the ultimate aggressive mindset. Even from the toughest moments, which I could have easily gone back into default and tried to play solid and not to lose, I played to win. That’s why I was able to win today. So I’m very proud.”

De Minaur could qualify for the semi-finals in Turin if Carlos Alcaraz defeats Musetti on Thursday evening, but regardless of that result, De Minaur feels like he’s edging closer to the game’s elite. He tested World No. 1 Alcaraz in his first round-robin clash and took eventual Beijing champion Jannik Sinner to three sets in the semi-finals of the ATP 500 event.

“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of momentum recently in these types of matches,” De Minaur said when asked of his and other top players’ ability to challenge the likes of Alcaraz and Sinner. “I’ve gone from a stage where you go out there, you compete, but you’re not really getting a lot of chances. I do feel like I’m getting my chances. Even here against Carlos in the first set [tie-break], 5/3 up, 5/4, two serves, I’m putting myself in pretty good positions.

“Jannik, I played a good match against him in Beijing. In Vienna, he got the better of me, as well. But I do feel like I’m heading in the right direction. I’m gaining momentum. I do think that they feel it, as well. I do think we’re going to be knocking on the door, right? They’ve played at an incredibly high level for an extended period of time. We are just going to keep on getting better and wait for our opportunity.”

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De Minaur bounces back from 'dark place' to keep ATP Finals bid alive

Alex de Minaur recovers from “a dark place” to keep his ATP Finals bid alive, while confirming Carlos Alcaraz’s place in the knockout stages in Turin.

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Krawietz/Puetz save MP, earn consolation win in Turin

The already-eliminated Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz earned victory in their final round-robin match on Thursday at the Nitto ATP Finals, where they saved one match point en route to defeating Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6(5), 4-6, 13-11.

Last year’s champions Krawietz and Puetz had lost their opening two matches in the Peter Fleming group, while Bolelli and Vavassori had won both to ensure they would top the group regardless of Thursday’s result.

Despite no qualification permutations on the line, the sixth and seventh seeds played out an entertaining clash in the Inalpi Arena, where Krawietz and Puetz saved one match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break before eventually advancing after one hour and 57 minutes.

Krawietz and Puetz end their season holding a 42-18 record as a team, highlighted by titles in Shanghai and Halle. The Germans went 1-2 this week in Turin, having lifted the trophy in Turin last year.

Bolelli and Vavassori will compete in the semi-finals on Saturday. They will be joined in the last four by the winner of this evening’s doubles clash between Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool and Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

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Flashback: The first Federer vs. Nadal showdown at the 2006 Nitto ATP Finals

After meeting once in 2004 and twice in 2005, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal ramped up their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry with six matchups during the 2006 season. Nadal won the first four of those meetings — finals at Dubai, Monte-Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros — before Federer snapped back with victories in the Wimbledon final and in the semis at the Nitto ATP Finals, then known as the Tennis Masters Cup.

With a 6-4, 7-5 win on his way to the title at the season finale, Federer stamped his authority on the prestigious event with his third of an eventual six trophies at the event.

“These are matches I’m waiting for, to beat the best who are coming after me,” Federer said after the semi-final victory.

With Nadal responsible for four of Federer’s five defeats in 2006, the Shanghai victory carried added significance for the Swiss, who ended the year with a 92-5 record according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The only other man to beat Federer that year was Andy Murray in Cincinnati. After that defeat, Federer closed the season on a 29-match winning streak.

Prior to their Shanghai meeting, seven consecutive matchups between Federer and Nadal saw the losing player claim at least one set. Federer’s dominant performance at the Shanghai season finale ended that streak, putting an exclamation mark on one of the best seasons in ATP Tour history.

One of the bests exchanges of the match came in its final point, when Federer carved a forehand winner off a tough Nadal drop shot. The Swiss briefly dropped to his knees in celebration, showcasing the magnitude of the moment. 

“It was a good feeling, usually I only have that for finals,” said the Swiss. “I rarely finish my matches like this so it was nice.”

Federer went on to win the title with a 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 victory against James Blake in the final.

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Juventus star Bremer on why stars like Sinner impress: ‘In tennis, you have no alibis’

Gleison Bremer knows plenty about the challenges of elite sport. He is vice-captain of one of the world’s most historic football teams, Juventus FC, while he has also earned five caps for the Brazilian national team.

Yet even an athlete as established on the world stage as Bremer sees plenty to marvel at in the exploits of the ATP Tour’s roster of stars. The 28-year-old, who is a big tennis fan and names Lorenzo Musetti, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic as his favourite players, came to Turin’s Inalpi Arena on Wednesday evening to take in the action at the Nitto ATP Finals.

“Their mentality impresses me the most,” Bremer told ATPTour.com (in Italian), when asked about the differences between his own sport and tennis. “In tennis you’re alone, you have no alibis, you must take all the responsibility. In football you can afford to play not at your best if your teammates help you.”

The Nitto ATP Finals is not the only ATP Tour event Bremer has visited in 2025. He also went to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April, when he met Musetti. In Turin on Wednesday, the Brazilian was courtside for Sinner’s straight-sets win against Alexander Zverev, and after the match he met and congratulated the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings and defending Turin champion.

Of course, any Brazilian interested in tennis in 2025 can’t help but be excited by the recent emergence of a breakout star from the South American country. Joao Fonseca won the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF and has backed that with a stellar 2025 season.

The 19-year-old Fonseca rose to a career-high No. 24 in the PIF ATP Rankings earlier this month after lifting his maiden ATP 500 title at the Swiss Indoors Basel. For Bremer, the teenager from Rio de Janeiro has the potential to add his name to an iconic list of greats from a famously proud sporting nation.

“He’s young, but he’s rising,” said Bremer of Fonseca. “I think in the future he has the potential to reach the same level of those world-class champions. We missed great sportsmen in the past years. In the past we’ve had Pele, Ayrton Senna, Guga [Kuerten].”

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