Former French Open finalist Alex Corretja considered Carlos Alcaraz’s victory at the US Open to be a great moment for tennis. On Sunday, the 19-year-old Alcaraz became a Grand Slam champion after beating Casper Ruud in the US Open final.
Alcaraz became the youngest US Open champion since Pete Sampras (1990) and the youngest Grand Slam champion since Rafael Nadal (2005 French Open). In the final of the US Open, the first place in the classification was also at stake, since Alcaraz is the new number 1 in the world.
Ruud, 23, fell short in his bid to win a first Grand Slam title, but Corretja said the Norwegian also deserved praise. “I am very excited, and not just for Carlos, but for tennis in general,” Corretja told Eurosport.
“I think it has been like a festival of tennis, of sport, of the attitude of the two players trying to fight to the maximum. I have known Juan Carlos [Ferrero] since he was a child. Carlos, at only 19 years old, knew how to drive very well.
the situation. He was tired and panicked at times, but in the end he found a way and that’s the most important thing.” Alcaraz has achieved very remarkable things this season. This season, Alcaraz has won a Grand Slam, two Masters titles, and has risen to the first place in the ranking.
After the US Open final, Alcaraz admitted to Corretja that winning a Grand Slam and reaching the top spot in the ranking was a dream come true for him. “It’s amazing to have this trophy in hand and to be number 1,” Alcaraz told Corretja.
Latest update on Carlos Alcaraz
After winning the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz expressed adulation to the Big 3 — Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer — and claimed he didn’t want to be compared to them but would rather follow in their footsteps and be like them.
“It’s incredible to be the youngest #1 ever. But it’s much tougher what the Big 3 is doing: stay on top for 20 years. That’s what I’m looking for. I don’t wanna compare myself to them, but I wanna be like them,” Alcaraz said.
“I’m at 60% of my potential. There are a lot of things to improve. Nadal, Djokovic and Federer improved a lot of things over the years. I have to improve mentally and physically. The tennis too. I can stay in my comfort zone,” Carlos Alcaraz observed.
