• First participant born in 2003 to win on the ATP circuit
On the women facet, Cori Gauff of the United States took a complete technology unexpectedly when she turned the primary participant born in 2004 to win a match on the circuit. On the boys's facet, Carlos Alcaraz opened the rely for gamers born in 2003, on the age of 16, thanks to his victory over his compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas on the Rio match final season. No participant born the identical yr has but succeeded in imitating his precocity on the ATP circuit.
• In the footsteps of Nadal
Who better as a model for a very young Spaniard than legend Rafael Nadal? “My idol is Nadal, I want to be like him”, had even assured Carlos Alcaraz in his youth, when he was 13 years old. For now, he holds the comparison. After extricating himself from the qualifications of the last Australian Open, the player born in Murcia, on the Costa Calida, became the youngest Iberian to win a Grand Slam match, thanks to his easy victory over Botic van de Zandschulp, since Rafael Nadal in 2003, year of birth of Alcaraz.
In the opinion of Rafael Nadal, the person still has a bright future ahead of him. “He is very good. He is very young. He has everything to improve. He already has a lot of good things in his game. I really believe he will have a great future because he is a good guy, humble, hardworking. He has the blows, he has all the ingredients to become a great champion ”,had explained the thirteen-time winner of Roland Garros in Melbourne.
• Great specialist in clay courts
Often in the world of tennis, Spanish rhymes with clay. Clearly, Carlos Alcaraz is no exception to this rule which has followed his compatriots for decades. His game adapts perfectly well with very good defensive qualities and a particularly effective topspin forehand on ocher. A cocktail that inevitably makes one think of his idol.
On the Challenger circuit, the second division of the ATP, the 17-year-old also has all of his titles on clay. His successes in Trieste, Barcelona and Alicante also place him among the five players who have lifted so many trophies on this secondary circuit before they come of age. This was the case for Richard Gasquet, Juan Martin Del Potro, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic. It promises.
• Revelation of the year 2020
The year 2020 has been largely cut off by nearly five months of competition because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet Carlos Alcaraz did not steal his distinction awarded at the annual ATP Awards for revelation of the year. These exploits on the Challenger circuit allowed him to go from 491st to 141st place in the world over the entire season. A giant voucher with 350 places in the ATP ranking.
• Trained by Juan Carlos Ferrero
The young Spaniard is in good hands trying to become one of the very best players on the planet. He was taken under the wing of Juan Carlos Ferrero. The latter knows how to shine at the highest level. The Spaniard, a clay specialist, also managed to become the boss of world tennis by ascending to the throne of the ATP circuit in 2003, a few months after his greatest career success, his victory at Roland Garros the same year. .
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