Win just a taste of the Razzle-dazzle
TEEN whiz Carlos Alcaraz’s stunning triumph at the US Open marked another record-setting episode in a story predicted to end with “30 Grand Slam titles”.
The 19-year-old’s 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7/1) 6-3 victory over Norway’s Casper Ruud in New York made him the youngest winner of a men’s major since Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open.
He is now the youngest man to ascend to the world No.1 ranking and the youngest champ in New York since Pete Sampras in 1990.
The modest, muscular star from the small Murcian town of El Palmar in Spain’s southeast is no stranger to breaking records, never more so than in 2022.
Five of his six career titles have come this year, while the US Open triumph took his on-court earnings to almost $10m.
When he broke into the world top five in July, he was the youngest man to do so since 2005.
Alcaraz then hit the giantkilling jackpot at Madrid in May when he became the only man to defeat both Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the same clay-court event.
For good measure, he achieved it on back-to-back days on his way to the title.
“Carlos’s intensity and speed is something you rarely see,” said Rafael’s uncle and former longtime coach Toni Nadal. “His game follows the same path as Rafa; he never gives up until the last ball and has that characteristic intensity.”
Nadal was also 19 when he won the first of his record 22 Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros in 2005.
However, the 36-year-old has pleaded with fans not to put pressure on the teenager by making bold comparisons.
“I forgot what I was like at 19,” Nadal said. “The only thing we can do is enjoy the career of an extraordinary player like Carlos.
“If he manages to win 25 Grand Slams, it will be fantastic for him and for our country. But let him enjoy his career.”
Despite Nadal’s reluctance, making comparisons is unavoidable.
Nadal won the first of his 92 titles at the age of 18 in 2004. Alcaraz, who learnt the game at a tennis school run by his father, was also 18 when he captured his maiden ATP trophy in 2021.
Both men are fiercely protective of their private lives, enjoy passionate crowd support and build their games on steely defence and thrilling, flamboyant attack.
Nadal famously fought out a five-hour and 53-minute Australian Open final in 2012 only to lose to Djokovic.
Four years earlier, he won his first Wimbledon crown in a four-hour 48-minute epic against Roger Federer in a match widely hailed as the greatest Slam final of all time.
Fast forward to the 2022 US Open and Alcaraz needed to negotiate three five-setters and more than 13 hours just to get to Sunday’s final.