Though he's not competing at this week's Nitto ATP Finals, US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz is leaving Turin, Italy with a trophy: The 19-year-old has been crowned the youngest year-end No. 1 in ATP Tour history, and was presented his trophy on Wednesday at the Pala Alpitour.
Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the year-end championships as the result of an internal oblique muscle tear in his left abdominal wall that he suffered at the Rolex Paris Masters two weeks ago. But after Rafael Nadal lost his first two round-robin matches in Turin, Alcaraz clinched year-end No. 1, and got to soak in the love from a cheering and adoring Italian crowd that chanted his name in an on-court ceremony.
"It means a lot to me," Alcaraz told the ATP website from Turin, also saying that he's on track to start 2023 at "100%" physical fitness.
"To get this trophy, the World No. 1, to be part of tennis history along with a lot of legends, for me, is an amazing feeling."
Alcaraz ran the table for seven victories over a scintillating fortnight in Flushing to becomed the youngest men’s singles champion at the US Open since 19-year-old Pete Sampras in 1990, and the youngest major winner overall since Nadal won his first Roland Garros title in 2005.
His title run included three historic five-set matches against Marin Cilic, Jannik Sinner and Frances Tiafoe from Round 4 through the semifinals, before he toppled Casper Ruud in four sets in the final to become the first man born after the year 2000 to win a major. He saved a match point against Sinner before triumphing in a 5 hour, 15-minute history-maker that ended at 2:50 a.m., the latest-ever US Open finish.
Also a winner in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona, Madrid, Alcaraz ended the year with a 57-13 record. He began 2022 ranked No. 32, and his jump to the year-end top spot is the biggest in the five-decade history of the ATP computer rankings. In addition, he's the youngest year-end No. 1 since a 20-year-old Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.
