Luciana Aranguiz placeholder image
09/02/2021 6:00 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 09/02/2021 6:00 AM
Some identify him as the "heir to Rafael Nadal", for his powerful and fearless tennis, his speed to move on the court and his competitive mentality. His coach
Juan Carlos Ferrero
, assures, however, that his game is more similar to that of Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer, "aggressive from the back of the court and lethal at the net to finish the point." But beyond the comparisons,
Carlos Alcaraz
continues to make his own path and confirms, every time he goes out on the court, as one of the great promises of the tennis world.
With his 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-1 and 6-4 triumph over Frenchman
Arthur Rinderknech
(83rd), the 18-year-old from Murcia entered the third round of the US Open and became
the youngest player to reach that stage in the contest
from the local
Donald Young
in 2007.
And also, in the youngest
to reach it in two Grand Slam in the same season
- he also won two games at Roland Garros -
since 2005
.
Who had achieved it on that occasion?
None other than Djokovic, one of the greatest players of all time, at Wimbledon and at Flushing Meadows.
Breaking
precocious records
is nothing new for Alcaraz.
What's more, by defeating Briton
Cameron Norrie
in his debut in New York
, he became one of the youngest tennis players in history to win at least one game in each of the four "greats" and was positioned in that statistic by in front of the members of the Big 3.
18-year-old @ AlcarazCarlos03 defeats Arthur Rinderknech to become youngest player in #USOpen 3R since Donald Young, 18, in 2007.
Alcaraz, who also advanced to @RolandGarros 3R, is youngest player to reach 3R at 2 Grand Slam events since @ DjokerNole in 2005 (@Wimbledon, @USOpen).
- ATP Media Info (@ATPMediaInfo) September 1, 2021
Nadal
achieved it with 18 years, 11 months and 20 days after surpassing the debuts of Wimbledon and the US Open 2003, Australia 2004 and Roland Garros 2005.
Djokovic
did it with 19 years, 7 months and 24 days, by winning in Paris, London and New York in 2005 and in Melbourne in 2007. And
Federer
, with 19 years, 10 months and 17 days with celebrations in the oceanic, French and American Grand Slam of 2000 and the British of 2001.
Alcaraz debuted in the main
draw
of a Major this year in Australia, with a win against
Botic Van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands
, and lost in his second match in Melbourne to
Mikel Ymer of
Sweden
.
At Roland Garros he beat his compatriot
Bernabé Zapata
in the first round
, then the Georgian
Nikoloz Basilashvili
and said goodbye to the German
Jan-Lennard Struff
.
He was the youngest to reach the third round in the tournament since Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine in 1992.
In Wimbledon - the first one he entered without having to pass qualifying before - he debuted with a celebration against the Japanese
Yasutaka Uchiyama
and was eliminated by the Russian Daniil Medvedev in the next instance.
And in Flushing Meadows he
completed this "poker" of victories in the four Grand Slams with 18 years, 3 months and 25 days.
The Murcian, likewise, downplayed those statistics that position him today on a par with three living tennis legends.
"That just means I'm doing things right," he said in a press talk in New York.
And he added: "I am very happy for the maturity that I am showing on the track. I am taking small steps, but always forward, and
I feel that the rivals respect me more
."
Back in 3R!
💪
🇪🇸 @ alcarazcarlos03 equals his best record in a Grand Slam, after defeating Rinderknech 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. # USOpen
- ATP Tour in Spanish (@ATPTour_ES) September 1, 2021
Born in El Palmar on May 5, 2003, Alcaraz began to attract attention from a very young age.
He got his first ATP points at the age of 14 -at a younger age than Nadal did-;
At 15 he became the youngest to win a challenger, defeating Jannik Sinner in his debut in Alicante;
And last year, at 16, he beat
Albert Ramos Viñolas
in Rio and won his first victory on the most important circuit in professional tennis.
This season he started it with everything, because he surpassed the Australian qualification and gave himself the pleasure of being the first player born in 2003 to qualify for the
main draw
of a Grand Slam.
His experience in Melbourne was a big boost.
In May, after beating Facundo Bagnis in the Oeiras Challenger final, he broke into the top 100 for the first time. At the end of July, he
won his first title
with a win over Frenchman
Richard Gasquet
in the decisive ATP 250 match. of Umag.
And at the beginning of August it
reached its best position in the ranking, the 54th step
.
Alcaraz won his first title at Umag in July.
Photo EFE / Anja Ribaric.
Alcaraz does not stop growing, but keeps his feet on the ground.
And
the Mosquito
Ferrero
, with whom he has worked since he was 15 years old,
has a lot to do
with that.
"From the first moment I realized its potential. I saw from the beginning that everything could go very fast. I was right, and perhaps that is why now
I am not super surprised
with what is happening," said the former number one a few weeks ago in conversation with the ATP.
"He is still very young, he still needs to improve a lot of things. Growing up will give him much more experience on the court to handle situations. He is improving very fast and
everything is happening too fast sometimes, but he is handling it very well.
We have goals, but we have to keep a cool head and let things happen. If they are achieved, very happy about it. If not, we will continue working, "he added.
Alcaraz - who in the third round will play with the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, third favorite, or the French
Adrian Mannarino
- agreed with his coach.
"I try not to think about the comparisons with Nadal. I always say the same thing: I'm focused on my path. I'm still learning, I'm still growing," he said after his victory at Umag.
Only time will tell if the promise ends up becoming reality.
For now, the Murcian continues to add experience, breaking records and feeding the illusion of Spanish tennis, which already dreams of the
bright future of its new star.
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