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Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, from just 19 years old, became, last Sunday, the youngest US Open champion in history.

The title was achieved after Alcaraz defeated Norwegian Casper Ruud by 3 sets to 1, which took place in New York. The Spaniard thus took first place in the ranking, leaving the Norwegian in second.

Furthermore, Alcaraz gained the position of youngest leader on the ATP (Tennis Professionals Association) list, taking Lleyton Hewitt, an Australian who won the title at age 20 in 2021, off the podium.

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The Spaniard also became the second youngest in the men's ranking since 1975. Another achievement came due to the length of the match played between the Spaniard and the Norwegian, with Alcaraz becoming the player who spent the longest time on the court, surpassing the made by Andy Roddick in 1999.

More records

The dispute between Alcaraz and Ruud lasted 1h33min (one hour and thirty-three minutes), giving Carlos a total of 21 hours and 52 minutes on the court in New York.

And it doesn't stop there, Carlos Alcaraz also broke Kevin Anderson's record in Grand Slams. It was the first time in the history of a Grand Slam final that both participants had the opportunity to become world number 1 in tennis.

The two tennis players had never occupied the top of the ranking rather, it also becomes the first time in history that these events occur at the same time.

The final game

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The final played last Sunday, started at 5:17 pm (seventeen hours and seventeen minutes), on Arthur Ash Stadium in New York.

After the victory, Alcaraz said, in an interview in the conference room: “It's crazy to be a Slam champion and number 1. I never felt like I could do that at 19 years old.” He ends by saying “I want to be at the top for many weeks, many years. I will work hard, I will fight harder. Happiness is the word that describes my tournament.”

And for those who think all this is not enough, Carlos Alcaraz will already play the Davis Cup on Wednesday, with no time for days off.

But Alcaraz guarantees: “Tomorrow, when I look in the mirror, I will continue to be the same kid, proud to be el Palmar, from Murcia, proud to be Spanish. I’m going to go back to Spain and be with my friends, with my family, with my people.”

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Carlos Alcaraz still has the ambition to be 20 years at the top as the Big Three and go down in history. “I want to be like them”, he declares.