Introducing the new manager? At 19, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Zverev, Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.
Carlos Alcaraz hits a return to Novak Djokovic on his way to a semifinal win at the Madrid Open tennis tournament. Alcaraz went on to win the tournament, moving him higher in the world’s top 10.
When Carlos Alcaraz saw Rafael Nadal leaving the court at the Madrid Open Friday, he did what he’s done countless times before: stood and cheered. But there was one big difference. Alcaraz had just beaten Nadal for the first time, bouncing his longtime idol and fellow Spaniard from the tournament.
The victory was quickly seen as a defining moment for Alcaraz, with tournament organizers sharing an old photo showing Nadal posing with the young fan who would grow up to defeat him.
Alcaraz then put an exclamation mark on the achievement by winning the tournament. To do so, he outplayed three of the world’s top five players — becoming the youngest player to accomplish that feat at one event since the ATP Tour started in 1990.
Like other records Alcaraz has set in his young career, his latest feat points to where he could be headed: Novak Djokovic, the previous record holder, was 20 when he beat Roger Federer, Nadal, and Andy Roddick in 2007, when they were the world’s No. 1-3 players, respectively, at a tournament in Montreal.
Alcaraz turned 19 on Thursday
Here’s how he spent the next few days:
Friday: defeated world No. 4 Nadal in three sets
Saturday: defeated world No. 1 Djokovic in three sets
Sunday: defeated world No. 3 Alexander Zverev in two sets
Afterward, Alcaraz said it felt great — and he said he’s ready for more.
“I would say this is my best week ever,” Alcaraz said. “I mean, I beat two of the best players in history, beating Zverev in the final, a great player as well, No. 3 in the world.”
Alcaraz is often called by his nickname, Carlitos. But the young man owned Madrid’s clay courts this past week, dominating points with his forehand and winning rallies with fearless creativity and a lethal drop shot.
To close out Nadal, he rushed the net on match point — a little-used sentence in the tennis world, due to Nadal’s shot-making skills — and then landed a pinpoint winner in the corner after Nadal nearly won the point.
Here are few more things you should know about the young star:
Alcaraz isn’t sneaking up on anyone
The sports world is prone to hype. But Alcaraz is widely seen as one of the most exciting and talented players to emerge in men’s tennis in years.
