Carlos Alcaraz
, 19, winner of the Masters 1000 in Madrid yesterday, has moved up three places and is now sixth in the ATP world rankings.
After dominating
Rafael Nada
on Friday in the quarter-finals, then # 1
Novak Djokovic
in the semifinals, Alcaraz pulverized
Alexander Zverev
in the final. It is his fourth trophy of the year, after Rio's ATP 500 in February, the Masters 1000 in Miami - the first of his career - and the ATP 500 in Barcelona last week.
Due to an ankle problem, he will miss the tournament in Rome to better prepare himself for Roland-Garros.
No change this week in the Top 5, still dominated by Djokovic, but behind Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev earns a place by becoming seventh, like the Canadian Felix Augier-Aliassime (now ninth), while Matteo Berrettini loses two (eighth) and Casper Ruud three (tenth).
Jannik Sinner, thirteenth, also drops one position.
"
I am very happy for Alcaraz and for the future of Spanish tennis,
who will have a strong and exciting player like him in the years to come. It is always special to win at home and certainly it will have been for him too. Carlos had already won Miami and Barcelona, I'm not surprised, I'm happy for him. He's playing well. "
This was stated by Rafael Nadal, at a press conference in Rome, speaking of his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz who won yesterday in Madrid.
To those who ask what has changed since his beginnings,
Nadal
answers: "My body is like an old machine: to make it move you can no longer do the same things as when you were 20 and you were at the beginning of your career. It is therefore a question of having faith in your tennis, in the fact that I know I can play well and that I am ready. For the moment I am happy and I continue to play, I am here to enjoy it and I am happy with how I started the year (with the victory at the Australian Open, ed). Here in Rome I will try to give my best as usual, in a tournament that I like very much and in which I have wonderful memories. "