Carlos Alcaraz

The teenager has the tools to rule men's tennis. But he is wise to concentrate on the present after a spectacular US Open victory.

And that was before he was again [made to go the distance against Frances Tiafoe](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/sep/10/carlos-alcaraz-frances-tiafoe-us-open-semi-final-tennis-report) in the semi-finals, holding off both a homestanding opponent brimming with confidence and the sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd squarely in the 24-year-old American’s corner. I’m going to fight to have more of this.” Alcaraz more than passes the eye test and there’s reason to believe the era of the Big Three could be giving way to the Big One sooner rather than later. “Right now I’m enjoying the moment,” he said. [sensational run to the US Open title](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/sep/11/carlos-alcaraz-wins-us-open-final-tennis-casper-ruud-world-no-1), it’s that one would-be winner is rarely enough to stop him. If he does stay healthy, the sky is the limit. The scary part is he’s only in his second full year on tour and there’s so much room for improvement. When his serve catches up to the other fully developed elements of his game, there may be no stopping him. “Since the moment that I started with him, I saw some things that were different than the other guys at his age. But the 19-year-old from the small village of El Palmar on Spain’s southeastern coast practically earned his trophy in the run-up, surviving three consecutive five-set affairs to reach the title match, something no player had managed in 30 years. Then a heart-stopping 5hr 15min quarter-final win from match-point down in the fourth against Jannik Sinner that ended before a few hundred fans at 2.50am, For two weeks in New York, the best teenager in men’s tennis since Rafael Nadal nearly two decades ago turned would-be killshots into crowd-pleasing additions to [his ever-expanding highlight reel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DArjhNNr4eM), keeping points alive with his incomparable all-court movement, impeccable touch and taste for the fight.

The early stages of his rise had seemed so easy – he won big titles for fun, outperformed the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, and the Spaniard flew up ...

He has exemplified each quality in his career so far, and it has only just begun. Alcaraz is his own player, following his own path, and the brand of tennis he plays is unique in its own right. In his fourth round match against Marin Cilic, he trailed by a break early in the fifth. The style he has built through the combination of his athleticism, high-octane shot-making, his seemingly endless skillset and his explosiveness around the court is unlike anything that we have ever seen, as is true of the legends before him. Should he improve his serve and learn how to consistently hit his spots, for example, the rest of the world is in trouble. The early stages of his rise had seemed so easy – he won big titles for fun, outperformed the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, and the Spaniard flew up the rankings with a smile on his face.

Alcaraz is the first teenage World No. 1 and also the fourth male Spanish player to reach that ranking, joining his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, and ...

Nadal, who fell to Tiafoe in the round of 16, was able to keep the No. Shortly after his 19th birthday, Alcaraz became the youngest player to ever compete in a Madrid Open final. It started with being seeded for the first time at a Grand Slam during at the 2022 Australian Open, in which he reached the third round. He is also the seventh youngest player -- male or female -- to ever win a Grand Slam. Alcaraz is the first teenage World No. 1 in the history of the ATP rankings.

NEW YORK—Walking out for his first Grand Slam final at age 19, Carlos Alcaraz bumped fists with fans leaning over a railing along the path leading to the ...

Friday after Alcaraz needed to save a match point—and against Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals. He went into the stands for hugs with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former No. Alcaraz certainly seems to be a rare talent, possessing an all-court game, a blend of groundstroke power with a willingness to push forward. We knew what was at stake,” said Ruud, who entered the US Open ranked No. And now he’s [a US Open champion](https://apnews.com/article/us-open-tennis-championships-sports-new-york-iga-swiatek-79ce9699af0d2368d125f75653d05658) and the No. 4 on Monday, already has attracted plenty of attention as someone considered the Next Big Thing in a sport dominated for decades by the Big Three of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. There were a couple of magical points that drew standing ovations, including one Alcaraz lost with a laser of an on-the-run forehand while ending up face-down on his belly. “He’s one of these few rare talents that comes up every now and then in sports. “Well, this is something that I dreamed of since I was a kid,” said Alcaraz, whom folks of a certain age might still consider a kid. Moments later, after the coin toss, [Alcaraz](https://apnews.com/article/rafael-nadal-us-open-tennis-championships-sports-karen-khachanov-fd197b8ea77be83e2107a37c91ef498b) turned to sprint to the baseline for the warmup, until being beckoned back to the net by the chair umpire for the customary pre-match photos. [Alcaraz is imbued](https://apnews.com/article/us-open-tennis-championships-sports-new-york-jannik-sinner-49a9b96ec94a29b6deaae56dc2b54c4e) with boundless enthusiasm and energy, not to mention skill, speed, stamina and sangfroid. [Carlos Alcaraz](https://apnews.com/article/rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-us-open-tennis-championships-sports-d71b8b87e942026a57cb8be9c2bc5e18) bumped fists with fans leaning over a railing along the path leading to the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

Carlos Alcaraz is the U.S. Open champion and the No. 1-ranked player in men's tennis at age 19.

Not in the back, not in the legs,” Ferrero said. I just believe I can win every point,” Alcaraz said. And I consider myself fast.” Open since Pete Sampras in 1990, the first teenager to win any major tournament since Nadal in 2005. You have to know that — and you have to overcome that. I can do anything on court,” he said. I can do a lot of shots.” But you have to give everything you have inside. “I don’t know how I played so many tough and long matches.” “You have to show the opponents you are good, you are fine. “So many tough days in a row. [Carlos Alcaraz](https://apnews.com/article/carlos-alcaraz-us-open-tennis-championships-casper-ruud-e3d006754469c6f518bc46a1599914a8) got out of bed Monday as a [U.S.

Alcaraz, the 19-year-old winner of the men's U.S. Open, said he “worked really hard so that things like this could happen.”

I think that’s part of the connection.” “I think my game matches up with that court and what the people are looking for when they come. The U.S. “I think my town in Spain has about the same population as Arthur Ashe Stadium,” said Alcaraz, who comes from El Palmar, a suburb of Murcia. At the end of 2021, Alcaraz was considered one of the brightest young talents in the game and was ranked No. “Of course, I felt soreness,” Alcaraz said. On the upside, this was the first time in U.S. You forget the fatigue, and you push through.” But Stacey Allaster, the U.S. after the Sinner match,” he explained rather wearily as he sat in the back seat of a sport utility vehicle, shifting his gaze from his interlocutor to the streetscape outside the tinted windows. It was also the latest-finishing match in U.S. in New York is prime time in certain parts of the world.

Carlos Alcaraz reflects on winning the US Open and becoming the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Spaniard also speaks about the importance ...

Before matches I don’t have a specific routine, I do my warm up, where I always do the same, I try to always go to the same place with my team. I’m not special, and nobody said I was going to be the best, I’ve worked for it. 1 in the world, probably there will be tournaments in which there are expectations and I can’t meet them. I’ll always be proud when Rafa wins Grand Slams and obviously if I lose at a Grand Slam, I’ll always be supporting a Spaniard. For now, I’m going to think about trying to get the second, which very few people have managed, that’s my goal. In the match, I have some superstitions with towels, taking four balls, bouncing them five times, the bottles always neatly arranged, always drinking first from one, a bite of my energy bar always before the banana... You’ve said many times that your dream was to be the No. Do you stand by that statement or are you starting to think you do have something special? Winning a Grand Slam at 19 years of age and becoming the No. You have to work at things. In an interview from New York, the youngest World No. However, the Spaniard is quick to distance himself from labels of such magnitude.

As Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer continue to dominate the men's tennis landscape, young stars like 19-year-old US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz continue to ...

Also making headlines at Flushing Meadows was fiery 27-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios, who had reached the Wimbledon final and knocked then world No. The Spaniard’s coach, former world No. “To me it really is the start, it’s not the finish, but it’s the start of the real changing of the guard in men’s tennis.” – Rappler.com