Carlos Alcaraz has made history with the conquest of his first Grand Slam, the US Open, this Sunday at the age of 19.
A triumph that elevates the young tennis player from El Palmar to number one in the ATP
ranking
, the youngest of all time to achieve it, and places him as the tennis player with the most victories and titles in 2022. His victory in the final in New York against the Norwegian Casper Ruud (6-4, 2-6, 7-6 and 6-3) was the 51st of the season for the Murcian, the only player to have more than fifty wins this year and add five titles , one more than his idol, Rafa Nadal.
2022 has seen the explosion of Alcaraz's career, in which he has won five of his six titles to date.
His progression has followed a meteoric rise.
He first won the Rio de Janeiro Open in February, his first ATP 500, and the following month he won his first Masters 1000 in Miami, being the first Spaniard to win the tournament.
With this US Open, the Murcian consolidates himself as one of the most important figures on the ATP circuit, which from now on he leads from the top of the
ranking
.
What stands out most about Alcaraz is that he has managed to proclaim himself the new king of tennis before he reached his twenties.
The Murcian is the youngest tennis player to reach number one in the ATP in history, and the youngest to lift a Grand Slam since Rafa Nadal won Roland Garros for the first time in 2005 at the age of 18.
In the historical record, the Spaniard appears as the tenth youngest to win a major, but he is the only one, along with the Manacorí, who has achieved it so early in the 21st century.
In fact, Nadal is the only one whose breakthrough can be compared to that of the new US Open champion.
Nadal, Djokovic and Federer are the three greatest tennis players in history, but none of them managed to have a career start like that of the young man from El Palmar.
This Sunday, Alcaraz has conquered his first Grand Slam, still far from the 20 of the Swiss, the 21 of the Serbian and the 22 of the Mallorcan, but the future is promising for one of the greatest prodigies in the history of tennis.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on
and
, or sign up here to receive
our weekly newsletter
.
Subscribe to continue reading
read without limits
Keep reading
I'm already a subscriber
