Cash and Glasspool reach doubles summit together
Under Turin's bright lights, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool turned a season of bold risks into unbreakable reality, clinching the year-end No. 1 spot as the first all-British pair to lead the ATP doubles rankings.
In the humming intensity of Turin's Pala Alpitour, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool sealed their place in history with a commanding opening-round win at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday evening. This victory not only locked in the Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honors but also crowned them as the first all-British team to top the rankings. What started as a fresh partnership in September 2024 evolved into a dominant 2025 campaign, yielding seven titles and a trail of stunned opponents across surfaces.
Forging belief in preseason shadows
Cash, shaped by the competitive fires of Oklahoma State University, and Glasspool, honed at the University of Texas, channeled their American college pedigrees into a shared vision during the offseason. They launched the year with a Brisbane trophy, their synchronized returns and net poaches disrupting early foes on hard courts. This opener set a tone of quiet confidence, as Doha soon added another title, where crosscourt volleys forced hurried errors under the desert sun.
Pressure built through the spring swing, with a Miami final at an ATP Masters 1000 event testing their resolve amid relentless baseline exchanges. The duo's one–two patterns—feinting wide before slicing short—exposed backhand weaknesses, turning near-misses into sharpened instincts. Monte-Carlo's clay later demanded endurance in longer rallies, their underspin approaches keeping balls low and opponents off-balance, another final run that edged them closer to the top.
“It's been one crazy year, that's for sure. We put an awful lot of work in in the offseason. Couldn't have done it without everyone there in the box, also my family up there in the corner,” Cash said during the trophy ceremony. “It takes a lot of people to get to this spot. We've ticked off so many things this year and I think we both truly believed at the start of the year that this was possible for us and to be stood here now is very surreal.”
“We wouldn’t be here without our box and our team. They've supported us for many, many years,” Glasspool added in the ceremony's glow. “It's been an incredible year, credit to ourselves as well. I think we've worked very hard. We've pushed each other massively. Thank you to Julian as well. We've put in a massive shift this year along with our team and it wouldn't be possible without both of us, really, working really hard.”
Grass-court surge ignites historic streak
As the calendar flipped to grass, the pair's adaptability shone, starting with a final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch where quick adjustments to slippery surfaces paid off. They then claimed consecutive titles at Queen’s Club and Eastbourne, Glasspool's flat forehands setting up Cash's inside-in backhands that pinned rivals deep. The humid air thickened the tension, but their aggressive net rushes turned skepticism into roars from the stands.
Wimbledon arrived as the emotional peak, their straight-sets march to the title marking the first major for both and the first all-British men's doubles win there since 1936. Centre Court's reverent hush gave way to thunderous applause as down-the-line poaches and varied slices dismantled defenses. This breakthrough fueled a 22-match winning streak through Toronto, where synchronized volleys created an unbreakable front, the crowd's energy mirroring their rising belief amid the grind.
Indoor triumph validates season's grit
Back on indoor hard courts, Vienna delivered their seventh title, the rankings math now firmly in their favor as the first team to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. Cash entered the Turin stage for his debut, his fresh poise complementing Glasspool's return for a second appearance—his first in 2022 alongside Harri Heliovaara. Their opening victory unfolded as a tactical masterclass, inside-out lobs and crosscourt passes leaving opponents scrambling in the cool arena air.
They stand as the first year-end No. 1 doubles team with both players from the American college system since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan from Stanford University in 2014. This shared foundation fueled a doubles-first mindset, translating volleys and instincts from campus courts to global stages. As confetti swirled, their gaze shifted ahead, ready to defend the perch against evolving rivals and chase more majors in a partnership built for the long haul.
