Carlos Alcaraz won the Grand Slam title at the US Open to become the youngest man to be ranked world No 1.
The Spanish teenager defeated his opponent Casper Ruud 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 on Sunday night, September 11 at Arthur Ashe Stadium to claim his first Grand Slam title and top the ATP Ranking.
“This is something I dreamed of since I was a young kid. To be number one in the world, to be the champion of a Grand Slam,” said Alcaraz.
“All the hard work I did with my team, my family. I’m just 19 years old so a lot of the decisions are with my team and my parents. It’s very special for me.”
Alcaraz admitted with a smile that he was “a little bit” tired, but said: “I always said it’s not time to be tired in the final round of a Grand Slam. You have to give everything on the court, everything you have inside.”
The Spaniard becomes the youngest Grand Slam champion since Nadal won his first French Open title 17 years ago, and the youngest at the US Open since Pete Sampras in 1990, while this was the second youngest men’s final of the open era.
Ruud said: “It’s tough to explain everything but things have been going so well. Today was a special day. Both Carlos and I knew what was at stake.
“It’s fun that both finalists will be number two and number one. I’m disappointed of course that I’m not number one but number two is not too bad either and I will continue to chase for my first Grand Slam title.”
