His reaction was expected by his fans. She was quick. A few hours after the coronation of Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the US Open against Casper Ruud (6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3), his illustrious compatriot – and idol – Rafael Nadal sent him a congratulatory message on social media… in Spanish.
“Congratulations @carlosalcaraz for your first Grand Slam title and for your place as N.1 (Editor’s note: worldwide) which is the culmination of your first great season, I am sure there will be many more! Nadal tweeted, punctuating the message with an emoticon of applause.
A coronation that would almost look like a transfer of power between the two Spaniards who have been compared for several years now. Ranked 33rd in the world at the start of the season, Alcaraz became, thanks to this victory, the boss of the circuit. An announced but dazzling progression.
“Since winning the Masters 1000 in Miami, where I have won several great matches in a row (Editor’s note: he eliminated Nadal then Djokovic in Madrid, before winning the tournament) and I said to myself that I was capable of having a Grand Slam in my hands, confided the person concerned after his title. But before Miami, I thought I still had to grow. I knew I was capable of doing well in Grand Slams, but not to the point of becoming a champion. »
He even becomes, at 19 years and 4 months, the youngest nun number 1 in history. He becomes the first player under 20 to access it. Previously, the youngest number 1 was Australian Lleyton Hewitt who was 20 years and 9 months old when he became number 1 on November 19, 2001.
“I remain the same boy, I will continue to go out in the street in my village, to greet people, says the baby boss of the circuit. I am proud to be from El Palmar, to be from Murcia and to be Spanish. Of course, many things will happen to me that I would not have imagined happening to me at 19, but knowing myself, I will have no trouble keeping my feet on the ground. I will remain the same boy, with his friends and his family. When I return to Spain, I will go to see my friends, my family and I will be as always. I will only think of celebrating with them, nothing else. As far as tennis is concerned, it is obvious that I want to continue working, to win titles, to stay as high as possible in the hierarchy for a long time, as the Big 3 did. And for that, I must not m ‘stop, I have to go on and keep working. »
Rafael Nadal, the man with 22 Grand Slam titles, concluded his message with a note for the unfortunate opponent of Alcaraz, the Norwegian Casper Ruud who becomes world No. 2. “Great effort Casper Ruud! I am very proud of you ! Bad luck today, but you had a great tournament and a great season! Keep on going ! Nadal wrote.