The world of tennis has unleashed a new tennis star this year, and it is none other than the Spanish sensation, Carlos Alcaraz. He has been phenomenal throughout this whole year, winning a couple of tournaments and defeating the “greats” of the game.
Who is Carlos Alcaraz Gafia?
Born in Murcia, Spain, Alcaraz is a 19 years old professional tennis player. He is currently ranked at no 9 in ATP Rankings. He started his career by making his debut at the Rio Open in 2020. A year later, he qualified for the main round of the Australian Open.
Carlos Alcaraz was the youngest player to take part in that Grand Slam Tournament. The player has been on a roll since he defeated Adrian Mannarino, in Madrid Open last year, breaking the record of Rafael Nadal for being the youngest player to win a match in the tournament.
Wins against high seeded players:
At French Open 2021, he defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili, which placed him in his first-ever, the third round of Grand Slam events. He defeated the fifth-best player in the world, Stefano Tsitsipas twice in two different tournaments and also reached the semi-finals of a couple of Australian Opens.
Achievements:
Alcaraz has had loads of success at such a young age. He has captured 4 titles since his debut.
- Rio De Janeiro Open 2022
- ATP Masters 1000 Miami
- Barcelona Open
- ATP Masters 1000 Madrid
The key to his wins in all of these tournaments was his ability to face the experienced players with confidence and he has shown glimpses of his bright future at such a youthful age.
Memorable Encounters:
Till now, Carlo has shocked the world with his brilliant performances against Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. These accomplishments will certainly be the key moments in his whole career. Let’s take a closer look at how he managed to slay the giants of tennis.
VS Djokovic:
Alcaraz showed his all-around skill throughout in his first meeting with Djokovic, gripping the Serbian back with his huge groundstrokes and using his trademark drop shots. He smashed 51 winners to Djokovic’s 24 as his aggressive style tormented the world’s number one. The Madrid folk got to their feet when Carlos Alcaraz completed his comeback, grinding Djokovic in the deciding tiebreak. He became the first player to win against Rafael Nadal and Djokovic at the same clay-court event.
VS Nadal
Alcaraz had to endure a sprained right ankle during the match. In the second set, Alcaraz saved three break points but suffered a fall. He battled with his right ankle, as Nadal won five straight games to snatch the set. Alcaraz healed from the start of the third set, smashing Nadal in the fourth game and then clutching serve the rest of the way to win.
Statements after his wins:
The whole tennis world applauded the youthful sensation. Even his rival Novak Djokovic was all praise for the young gun. He complimented him:
“I love to watch him play, as a lot of other players on the tour. He’s fantastic for our sport, no doubt. I think it’s great that we have a young player who is doing so well and giving a new fresh breath to the tennis world. Seeing that and knowing that he’s a very nice guy, very humble with good values, is a perfect combination.”
Legendary tennis player Martina Navratilova weighed in on the Spanish star and compared him to Djokovic.
“For me, he’s a better version of Djokovic. He moves like Novak but he hits a better ball out wide. More powerful than I’ve ever seen. He’s defying the laws of gravity out there.”
Conclusion: As Novak said, Carlos Alcaraz is indeed a fresh breath to the sport of tennis at this time. He is a good and skillful player with loads of talents and we wish that he continues his current form. He surely will be a star and will have a lot of future endeavors to come.
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