19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz has made history after becoming the youngest male tennis player to win the US Open since 1990 as well as the youngest player ever to reach a world ranking of No. 1 on the ATP Tour.
On Sunday afternoon, Casper Ruud from Norway and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain met in the final of the US Open Grand Slam tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, New York City. After 4 sets of blockbuster tennis lasting just shy of 4 hours, Alcaraz served out the championship point to claim his maiden Grand Slam title, winning by 3 sets to 1 (6-4, 2-6, 7-61, 6-3).
‘Unstoppable’ Alcaraz
Carlos made his ATP Tour debut in 2020 at the age of 16 and was relatively unknown in the world of tennis at the time. Just two years later, the Spanish superstar boasts two ATP Masters 1000 titles and now, a Grand Slam singles title. Although Alcaraz may be a new and unfamiliar name for many fans, in the world of tennis the teen has been on the radar of numerous pro’s for some time. In fact, he has previously been nicknamed the ‘next Rafael Nadal’ and earlier this year was described as ‘unstoppable’ by the legend himself.
Alcaraz clocked nearly 24 hours on court on his way to the US Open final
The Spanish ATP Next Gen star had a tough run on his way to the US Open final. His first three rounds were relatively easy with straight-set wins against Sebastian Baez, Federico Coria and the world No. 50 Jenson Brooksby. He then had to endure a number of gruelling 5-set thrillers against the likes of Marin Čilić (CRO), Jannick Sinner (ITA) and Frances Tiafoe (USA). Despite this, Carlos looked as energised as ever and played some of the best tennis of his career to claim the singles title. Overall, the youngster spent a whopping 23 hours and 40 minutes on court.
It is unclear what tournaments Alcaraz will compete in next given that the next Grand Slam isn’t until 2023 and he will want to maintain his ranking of No. 1 until the ATP Finals in November. He had talked earlier this year regarding his availability for the upcoming Laver Cup in London but an agreement was not reached. However, the Laver Cup still has one more spot left on the Team Europe roster, meaning that the Spaniard could make a surprise appearance.
