Nitto ATP Finals: 5 debutants who have won the tournament

#4: Alex Corretja (1998)

Alex Corretja (left) and Carlos Moya (right).

It would be 20 more years since McEnroe's triumph, that another debutant would go all the way at the ATP Finals.

In the final of the 1998 edition of the tournament, then called the ATP World Tour Championships, in Hanover, Alex Corretja beat compatriot Carlos Moya in an all-Spanish final to become the fourth debutant winner in the tournament's history.

Unlike the three previous debutant winners, though, Costa dropped a group-stage game (Tim Henman) before dethroning defending champion Pete Sampras in the semi-finals and recovering from a two-set deficit to overcome Carlos Moya in a five-set final.

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#5: Grigor Dimitrov (2017)

Grigor Dimitrov.

Almost another two decades would pass before the tournament saw another debutant winner.

In the 2017 edition of the ATP Finals in London, debutant Grigor Dimitrov entered the tournament with an underwhelming 8-27 combined head-to-head record against the other competitors but spectacularly defied the odds to go all the way.

Dimitrov beat David Goffin, Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal's replacement Pablo Carreno Busta in the group-stage before beating Jack Sock in the semi-final and Goffin in the final to become the first Bulgarian player to triumph at the ATP Finals.

Dimitrov holds a rather unique record at the ATP Finals. The Bulgarian is the only player to have a perfect record at the ATP Finals. Every other player who has played the tournament has lost at least once.