Tennis – Alcaraz claimed the first Major crown at the US Open.
TIME magazine published its annual TIME100 Next, recognizing the rising stars from different industries. Carlos Alcaraz earned his place on the Phenoms list following a cracking season that made him the world’s leading player!
The 19-year-old Spaniard conquered men’s tennis by a storm, needing only a couple of years to transform himself from a prominent junior into the most vital link in the chain. Thanks to his excellent results, Carlos became the most successful teenager since Rafael Nadal, already winning a Major and two Masters 1000 titles!
The young gun had notable achievements in 2021, reaching the verge of the top-30 at 18. Alcaraz lost a thriller to Matteo Berrettini at this year’s Australian Open and bounced back in Rio de Janeiro. The Spaniard won his second ATP title and became the youngest ATP 500 champion since the start of the series in 2009.
Carlos Alcaraz earned his spot on the TIME100 Next list
Carlos lost the Indian Wells semi-final to Rafa after a fantastic battle that went on for over three hours. A teenager returned stronger in Miami and lifted the trophy to become the third-youngest Masters 1000 champion after Michael Chang and Rafael Nadal!
The young Spaniard lifted the trophy in Barcelona at the end of April for 500 points on his tally and a place in the top-10, still before his 19th birthday. Not stopping there, Alcaraz defeated Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev en route to his second Masters 1000 title within a month and a half in front of the home crowd in Madrid.
Carlos added more points with the quarter-final run at Roland Garros, losing in four tight sets to Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz lost two ATP finals in Hamburg and Umag on clay in July and traveled to New York as one of the favorites.
Carlos was world no. 4 ahead of the US Open and had a chance to become the youngest world no. 1 in ATP history with a good result. Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev fell in the fourth round and left the door wide open for Alcaraz and Casper Ruud.
The mentioned players met in the final, battling for the first Major title and the ATP throne. Carlos scored a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 win in three hours and 20 minutes to write history books. At 19 years and four months, Alcaraz became the first teenager on the ATP throne and the seventh-youngest Major champion in the Open era.
