Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz’s coronation at the US Flushing Meadows Championships in New York on Sunday marked a new record chapter in a remarkable history expected to end with “thirty major titles” in tennis.

Defeating Norway’s Kasper Rudd in five sets in New York, the 19-year-old became the youngest major tournament winner since compatriot Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros 2005 and the youngest to top the world rankings since Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.

The modest player with a strong muscular build from the city of El Palmar in Murcia (southeast) is no stranger to breaking records, especially in 2022.

He’s won five of his six titles this year, and his coronation at Sunday’s US Championships in New York boosted his prize pool to around $10 million.

When he entered the top five in July, he was the youngest since 2005. He issued a stern warning to elite tennis players in Madrid in May when he became the only player to beat Nadal and Serb Novak Djokovic on the same clay field. on the way to the title.

“It’s rare to see the kind of strength and speed that Carlos has,” said Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and longtime coach.

– “does not give up” –

He continued, “He follows in Rafa’s footsteps, doesn’t give up until the last ball and he has a special power.”

Nadal was also 19 when he won his first 22-record Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2005.

But the 36-year-old urged fans not to pressure his young compatriot by making bold comparisons.

“I forgot what I was like when I was 19,” Rafa said. “The only thing we can do is enjoy the career of a great player like Carlos.”

He continued, “If he wins 25 major titles, it will be great for him and our country. But let’s let him enjoy his career.”

For his part, Alcaraz told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in June: “This has been going on for years on social media. But I try not to be distracted: to think about myself and my development. I’m from Murcia, he’s from Mallorca. He is left handed and I am not. When I was young, I was not a warrior and was physically weak.”

Despite Nadal’s reluctance, comparisons are inevitable.

Nadal won his first 92 titles in Poland’s Sopot at the age of 18 in 2004. Alcaraz, who started playing tennis at the age of four and learned it at the club run by his father, was also 18 years old when he won his first title at Croatian Umag in 2021.

The two players keep quiet about their personal lives, enjoying the passionate support of the crowd and building their game on reliable defense and flashy attack.

Nadal fought over 5 hours and 53 minutes in the 2012 Australian final when he lost to rival Djokovic. Four years later he won his first Wimbledon title after an epic 4 hour 48 minute match against Roger Federer.

In 2022, Alcaraz played three matches in five sets to reach Sunday’s final, saving the ball to decide the quarter-final against Italy’s Yannick Cener which lasted 5 hours and 15 minutes.

– ‘Competitive boy’ –

After winning the Madrid Masters this year, Alcaraz said: “I know I am a very competitive boy. I compete when I play any game, golf, petanque… I don’t like to lose.”

Next to him is his compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero, who won the 2003 Roland Garros title when he took first place in the world rankings.

“Hopefully Carlos wins 30 Grand Slams,” said Ferrero, who began working with Alcaraz when he was 15. “He will have many chances.”

Alcaraz won the European and Spanish junior championships under Albert Molina, an agent for AMG Tennis Management.

Molina founded the Alcaras-Ferrero partnership, the latter then transferred his talent to his academy in Valencia, 120 km from El Palmar.

His unbridled talent soon attracted prestigious sponsors such as Nike and Rolex, who rushed to sign the Nadal heir. The circle surrounding the player has expanded with a fitness trainer, physical therapist, and support from psychiatrists and doctors.

His potential was shown at the age of sixteen in Rio de Janeiro on clay in 2020, when he, ranked 406th in the world, took his first professional tournament victory over compatriot Albert Ramos Viñolas.

Alcaraz and Ferrero developed a strong professional and deep personal relationship.

After Ferrero returned home after his father’s death, he crossed the Atlantic again to see Alcaraz win his first Masters title in Miami in March, defeating Roode in the final.

“Let it flow, let it play,” Ferrero said when asked to chart his student’s future course.