Who is Carlos Alcaraz, US Open semifinalist and likely new world #1?

Carlos Alcaraz, about to break a record at the US Open 0:40

(CNN Spanish) --

The rise of the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz in the world of tennis has been meteoric.

Proof of this was his last championship of 2022 so far, the Masters 1000 in Madrid in May, after beating Alexander Zverev (current champion of the tournament at the time) in the final, with which he managed to climb to number 6 of the world ranking.

Another proof of his rise is his record this year: 49 wins and four titles, which makes him the tennis player with the most wins in 2022. This has him, as of September 8, at number 4 in the world, two positions above what was in May.

And that's not all.

Alcaraz's recent epic win over Italy's Jannik Sinnner in the US Open quarterfinals opened up two opportunities for the Spaniard: to play his first Grand Slam semifinal and rise to world number 1.

This becomes even more likely after the eliminations of Rafael Nadal (#3 in the world) and Daniil Medvedev (#1) from the US Open and the absence of Alexander Zverev (#2) due to injury.

• Alcaraz beats Sinner in epic night match to reach US Open semifinals

  
  

The Spaniard, who is the youngest man (19 years old) to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since Nadal in 2005, has two paths to reach No. 1 in the world, according to the ATP Tour.

If he reaches the final of the US Open and the match is against the Norwegian Casper Ruud, he has to lift the title to become the best tennis player on the planet;

The second path is easier, because if Alcaraz reaches the final and Ruud does not, the Spaniard will be the best tennis player in the ranking.

SF from #USOpen2022!

✅@karenkhachanov* v @CasperRuud98@FTiafoe* v @carlosalcaraz*

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*1st time in SF of Grand Slam 💥

– ATP Tour in Spanish (@ATPTour_ES) September 8, 2022

Without a doubt, Alcaraz is in the sports spotlight for his exploits at such a young age.

So that you know more about the rising star of tennis, we present some of the most relevant data about him, according to information from the ATP.

Meet Carlos Alcaraz, the young Spaniard who could be #1 in the world

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory in the round of 16 of the US Open 2022 against Marin Cilic.

(Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Personal information

• Place of birth: El Palmar, Murcia, Spain.

• Date of birth: May 5, 2003.

• Height: 1.85 meters.

• Weight: 72 kilograms.

• Family: "His father is Carlos. His mother is Virginia. His brothers are Álvaro, Sergio and Jaime," indicates the ATP.

• Beginnings: he started playing tennis at the age of 4 thanks to his father.

• Professional debut: 2018.

Game and fun facts

• Carlos Alcaraz's favorite shot is the right.

• His coach is his compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero, winner of Roland Garros in 2003 and former number 1 in the world (a position he reached before Alcaraz was born).

• Carlos Alcaraz's greatest idol is one of the best in history: Rafael Nadal.

• Alcaraz enjoys other sports, especially golf and soccer.

  Of the latter, he is a follower of Real Madrid.

• Do you enjoy reggaeton?

  Alcaraz says yes and that he likes to hear it.

• "His favorite actor is Will Smith and his favorite movie is Rocky Balboa," adds the ATP.

Journey to number 4 in the world

• April 8, 2019: 597th place in the ranking.

• March 16, 2020: 318th place.

• May 24, 2021: He was already in the top 100 in the world by reaching 94th place.

• January 3, 2022: At the start of this year, Alcaraz was in 32nd place.

• May 9, 2022: Carlos Alcaraz reached number 6 in the world.

• July 25, 2022: climbed to 5 on the planet.

• August 1, 2022: Alcaraz managed to climb to number 4 in the ranking for the first time.

Titles in his professional career

• Umag (Croatian Open), an ATP 250: Alcaraz won it on July 25, 2021.

• Rio Open (in Rio de Janeiro), ATP 500: the Spaniard won it on February 20, 2022.

• Miami Open, Masters 1000: his first title in this category, achieved on April 3, 2022.

• Barcelona Open, ATP 500: With his victory in this tournament on April 24, 2022, Alcaraz reached the top 10.

• Madrid Open, his second Masters 1000: Alcaraz won it on May 8, 2022 and with this he reached 6th place in the world.

Carlos AlcarazTennisUS Open