“It doesn’t matter that now I am world No. 1,” Carlos Alcaraz on comparison with Rafael Nadal
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Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal - FirstSportz
Spaniard prodigy Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player to become the World No 1 as he won his maiden Grand Slam title of the year. He also became the youngest player to be the year-end No 1 in the world. He is often compared with the 22-time Grand Slam winner, but the 19-year-old denied the comparisons.
Alcaraz had an abrupt ending to his 2022 campaign as he had to withdraw his name from the Year-end Championship following an abdominal injury that will keep him out for six months. It has been a breakout season for him as he has won five titles in the year including the US Open. His most remarkable performances have been at the Madrid Open, where he defeated the Top 3 to win his sixth ATP title.
He is considered as one of the next-gen stars who has managed to etch his name in the history of elites. He has been often compared to his compatriot, who won his first Grand Slam aged 19 and reached world No. 1 three years later. He admitted that there is no point in comparing both of them since Nadal’s achievements are enormous. He even talked about the upcoming challenges and difficulties but would try his best to continue his momentum.
Carlos Alcaraz said that “There is no point in comparing. It doesn’t matter that now I am world No. 1, Rafa’s entire career counts for a lot. It is a pleasure, for every tennis lover, to see Rafa on the court. The season is going to be difficult because I am going to start as the favorite and there is going to be a lot of pressure on me. But I try to keep the good part and see that all this does not go to my head. In the end, beating your idols is an incredible achievement.“
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Carlos Alcaraz is the first-ever player to be the year-end World No 1 apart from the Big 4
Alcaraz was the winner at the NextGen Finals last year and with his results this year, all eyes were on him if he could win the Year-End Championships as well. But the unfortunate injury in Paris ruled him out. While Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he could have pushed his body but he didn’t want to take any risk as the season was coming to an end.
Despite not playing in Turin, he maintained his top spot and ended the year on the perfect note. He is the first player out of the Big 4 to end the year as the No 1 player since 2004, which cemented his place firmly among the dominant era of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Nadal, and Andy Murray.
He hopes to get recovered at the earliest, especially in time for the 2023 Australian Open. He stated he has no plans to not play in any event before Down Under in 2023, where he will be the guaranteed top seed and also the reigning Grand Slam champion having won the US Open.
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Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)