What’s the longest winning streak at the start of a tennis season? | ATP Tour

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What’s the longest winning streak at the start of a tennis season?

Alcaraz leads 16-0 at small forward vs. Medvedev in Indian Wells

March 14, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz is going from strength to strength so far in 2026.

The No. 1 player in this year’s PIF ATP rankings improved to 16-0 with a quarter-final victory over Cameron Norrie at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Alcaraz’s perfect start to the year has included wins at the Australian Open and the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, the joint fifth-best start to a season in ATP Tour history (since 1990).

ATP Tour season begins undefeated (since 1990)

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Alcaraz’s launch in 2026 has so far coincided with the start of Roger Federer’s 2006 season and Jannik Sinner’s start in 2024. If Alcaraz beats Daniil Medvedev in Saturday’s Indian Wells semifinals to improve to 17-0, the Spaniard will equal the fourth-longest winning streak of an ATP Tour season, tying Pete Sampras in 1997, Novak Djokovic in 2013 and Federer in 2013.

Djokovic has had the best two-season starts in ATP Tour history. In 2011, the Serbian reached the Wimbledon final with a record of 41 wins and 0 losses, but his perfect record was ended by Federer. Nine years later, Djokovic is off to a 26-0 start to the 2020 season.

The closest Djokovic has come in two seasons was in 2022, when the Serbian great won his first 20 matches of the season against Lexus ATP head-to-head rival Rafael Nadal. Nadal’s journey came to an end after he lost to Taylor Fritz in the BNP Paribas Open final. Alcaraz hopes to avoid a similar fate to his compatriot this year, win his third Indian Wells title and leave Tennis Paradise in 2026 with a perfect 18-0 record.