Hurkacz joins elite group of men to hit 1,000 aces or more in a season
The Pole is just the seventh man to achieve the feat this century
Hubert Hurkacz is enjoying one of his best years on Tour in 2023, winning his second Masters 1000 title and closing in on a place in the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.
His win over Roberto Bautista Agut at the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday further improved his chances of making it into the eight-man event but with 19 aces, he also put his name alongside an elite band of players who have now served 1000 aces or more in a season.
Only seventh man to achieve 1000 mark this century
To put Hurkacz’s achievement into perspective, he is just the seventh man this century to reach the 1,000 mark and the first to do it since 2019. His 19 aces on Wednesday took him to 1004.
John Isner heads the pile, having done it eight times in his career, while Ivo Karlovic did it three times, Kevin Anderson twice, Milos Raonic twice and Reilly Opelka and Andy Roddick once.
Hurkacz has time to add to his tally yet, first this week in Paris and then, should he qualify for Turin, in the ATP Finals. But he’s not going to make a dent on the best return of aces this century, which was set by Karlovic in 2015, with a whopping 1,447 aces.