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NEW YORK The same question surfaced in most people’s minds Sunday night after watching 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, now the youngest No. 1 in history, lift the US Open trophy – this is the beginning of a new era. ?
We have been here before, and also in New York. Alcaraz is the third consecutive US Open champion to win his first major, but somehow it looked different. Dominic Thiem was a brave and efficient player with a fearsome forehand and a majestic one-handed backhand; Daniil Medvedev was an extraordinary mover with exceptional service and scale. However, few truly believed that both would be the ones who would eliminate Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and, to a lesser extent, Roger Federer.
Medvedev came close, reaching number 1 in the world and spending a total of 16 weeks there, but this year he lost a two-set lead over Nadal in Australia, recalling that the greatest of all time, the protagonists of the it was GOAT, they are not finished yet.
Alcaraz announced himself at the elite level with three straight wins in Madrid over Djokovic, Nadal and Zverev to claim the title, one of five silver pieces he has won in a stellar year. His rise to the top of football has been artificially rigid due to the pandemic, without which he would surely have achieved this feat sooner – “why not”, said his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero – and for this reason his star can be even brighter. However.
“I don’t want to limit myself,” Alcaraz said when asked about a goal.
“I just want to stay at number 1 for many weeks, many years! And of course I’m looking to win tournaments and of course I hope this US Open is the first of many. “
One thing is clear: despite the injuries, he is here to stay.
Can he rise to the level of those who preceded him?
“I aim to put him at the highest level of tennis,” said former world number 1 Ferrero.
“Of course, I think it will be very, very difficult to get what they have [Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer] they did on tennis.
“We are talking about 22 Grand Slam tournaments. He only has one. There is still a long way to go. But who knows? I think he has all the tennis and the potential to be one of the best. We just have to try. “
Trying is fine. They are already queuing up to knock him off his perch.
Seniors
Rafael Nadal would have been world number 1 if neither Alcaraz nor Casper Ruud had reached the final. He has won two Grand Slams this year and few people would have liked to bet against him by winning a third if he hadn’t torn an abdominal muscle at Wimbledon. There’s no doubt his body is starting to let him down, but when he’s fit he remains a threat to any Grand Slam title.
The same goes for Novak Djokovic, who didn’t have the same level of injury problems and only missed half of the Grand Slams this year due to his decision not to get vaccinated. Reports in Australia this week suggest it is set to lift the ban on the country and that the US appears to be moving towards removing the vaccination mandate for overseas travelers in the future.
The next generation ‘
In the group initially slated to overtake Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, Daniil Medvedev was the life of the party at Flushing Meadows last year, denying Djokovic the Grand Slam in the 28th and final game of his sweep. He then also eliminated the Serbian from first place. It was a tough summer, however, where he underwent surgery for a hernia that wiped out his clay court season and banned from Wimbledon due to his nationality.
His return to hardcourt saw him beaten by Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios (twice), who will both believe they can beat Alcaraz in the slams as well, although Tsitsipas has to learn to handle the press and Kyrgios has to learn to handle himself. Alexander Zverev is expected to get back in shape after an ankle injury next year and is as dangerous on clay as he is on hardcourt.
Two years of injury seem to have destroyed a dominator Dominic Thiem, but he is coming back very slowly and was the best player on clay in the world, even beating Nadal the last time he was fully fit.
Peers and rivals
Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz likely played the match of the tournament in the quarterfinals, disputing over five sets and over four hours, finally closing just before 3am in the US Open final. Sinner is less than two years older than Alcaraz and has made it through his “difficult second season”, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2020 French Open but taking until the Australian Open 2022 to get back to that stage. . (He has won four minor ATP titles, honestly.) The Italian has won at least three Grand Slam games this year.
The jokers
Canadian duo Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov have the highest number of appearances outside of those mentioned above, but at the moment it has no consistency. Frances Tiafoe has shown in this tournament that she can socialize with the best and is in the top 20 for the first time. British Jack Draper is also a new player in the top 50 and is an exciting and incisive talent.
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