Carlos Alcaraz pushed Rafael Nadal to the limit in the Indian Wells semifinal before losing after more than three hours. Carlos went further in Miami and became the third youngest Masters 1000 champion after Michael Chang and Rafael Nadal.
Alcaraz did not have to wait to lift another notable trophy, conquering Barcelona at the end of April to add two consecutive ATP 500 titles. With those points he slipped into the top-10 and joined the elite of players who have achieved it before turning 19.
Without stopping there, the youngster raised another Masters 1000 shield in front of his fans in Madrid, after beating Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev in three days. Carlos became the contender for world number 1 and added more valuable points with the Roland Garros quarterfinals.
Alcaraz lost two consecutive ATP finals on clay in July and entered the US Open ranked No.4 in the world. He saved a match point in the quarterfinal against Jannik Sinner to extend his run. Carlos defeated Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals and advanced to his first Major final.
Alcaraz battled for the ATP throne and a Major title against Casper Ruud and scored a 6-4 2-6 7-6 6-3 victory in three hours and 20 minutes. This weekend Carlos Alcaraz lifted the seventh trophy of his professional career after defeating Cameron Norrie in the final of the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires, in what was also his first tournament of the year.
Alcaraz finished 2022 as the World no 1
Former WTA World no 1 Monica Seles has lauded the impact on tennis made by Carlos Alcaraz in a breakout 2022 campaign. “The way he played in 2022… I’ve had a chance to watch him play in person at the Indian Wells tournament against Rafael Nadal and I was just blown away by his intensity and also how focused he was for being such a young age – and he was playing somebody that’s probably the most focused player our sport has had in Nadal,” Seles said.
“So he’s just a beautiful addition to the sport and we’re going to be seeing him win again many more Grand Slam titles”. Carlos won his first major trophy at the US Open, becoming the first teenager with a major crown since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
The Spaniard embraced the ATP throne for 20 weeks before Novak Djokovic overtook him after the Australian Open in this year. The Spaniard suffered a narrow loss to Matteo Berrettini at the Australian Open before winning his first ATP 500 crown in Rio de Janeiro as the youngest winner at that level since 2009.
