US Open: Carlos Alcaraz ready for fight to stay as number one after remarkable 2022 rise

Victory at Flushing Meadows on Sunday evening noticed Carlos Alcaraz anointed each the US Open champion and the brand new world primary.

The victor of the New York ultimate between Alcaraz and Casper Ruud would climb to the highest of the ATP rankings, and a four-set success for the 19-year-old made him the youngest ever males’s primary.

That report had beforehand belonged to a 20-year-old Lleyton Hewitt in November 2000.

Though Alcaraz’s enormous potential has lengthy been public data, the possibilities of him beating Hewitt’s mark nonetheless appeared distant when he began 2022 ranked thirty second.

Even Juan Carlos Ferrero, the Spaniard’s coach, didn’t anticipate a significant breakthrough this quickly, telling reporters after Sunday’s win: “After all, it comes very quick.

“It’s a shock for everyone besides possibly to me, as a result of I educated with him each day and I do know [how] he’s capable of play on the courtroom, [but] I used to be fairly certain that possibly it wasn’t this yr; it could possibly be the following one.”

19-year-old @CarlosAlcaraz turns into 1st new World No. 1 post-@USOpen since his coach, @JuankiFerri, in 2003.

Alcaraz was 4 months and three days previous when Ferrero turned No. 1 on 8 September 2003 after reaching #USOpen ultimate (l. to @AndyRoddick).

— ATP Media Data (@ATPMediaInfo) September 11, 2022

By the point he took to Arthur Ashe Stadium in opposition to Ruud, nonetheless, Alcaraz’s ascent to the highest of the game was a shock to no one.

Transferring from quantity 4 to first place might need tied the most important leap to primary in rankings historical past, however Alcaraz leads the ATP Tour in each match wins (51) and titles (5) in 2022.

There may be little prospect of him slowing now, having grow to be the primary man within the Open Period to win the US Open title as early as in his second entry; the final to take action in any period was Pancho Gonzales again in 1948.

“After all, I’m hungry for extra,” Alcaraz mentioned afterwards. “I wish to be within the high for a lot of, many weeks. Hopefully a few years.

“I’m going to work arduous once more after this week, this superb two weeks. I’m going to struggle to have extra of this.”

And Alcaraz must struggle – Ferrero is aware of as a lot as that.

“The gamers now are going to play very motivated in opposition to him,” {the teenager}’s coach added. “Now he’s primary. Earlier than he was two or three.

“Even like this, it’s like Actual Madrid-Barcelona, there’s a rivalry that will get you [to] improve your stage. It’s what’s going to occur to him in opposition to his opponents. He needs to be prepared.”

Since Roger Federer turned the twenty third totally different males’s primary in February 2004, the rankings have been dominated by the ‘Large Three’, with solely Andy Murray after which, this yr, Daniil Medvedev additionally main the Tour in that point.

Now, because the twenty eighth primary, Alcaraz – in contrast by Ruud to every of Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – can set about securing his personal lengthy keep on the summit.