Carlos Alcaraz, the teenage sensation from Spain, has posted a better record in ATP finals than all of the Big Three: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz defeated Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 to claim the Barcelona Open title, the fourth ATP trophy of his career. The 18-year-old is now 4-0 in his career in ATP finals, and even more impressive is that he triumphed in all of those finals in straight sets, something that eluded even Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, according to tennis. com.
Giving you some historical perspective, both Nadal and Djokovic went 3-1 in their first four finals, while Federer lost three of his first four ATP finals. And none of the legends won those finals in straight sets.
Furthermore, no one else in the current Top 10 of the ATP Rankings (Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime or Cam Norrie) has won his first four career finals, either. .
Before winning the Barcelona Open, Alcaraz won the singles titles in Umag, Rio de Janeiro, and Miami.
With his latest win in Barcelona, Alcaraz has broken into the top 10 of the ATP rankings. The Spaniard is the current number 9 tennis player in the world. Alcaraz achieved the feat at 18 years, 11 months and 20 days, making him the ninth-youngest player to do so since the inception of the ATP Rankings in 1973, according to the official ATP website.
Alcaraz is the youngest man to enter the top 10 of the ranking since his idol Nadal did so at 18 years, 10 months and 22 days. Coincidentally, the 21-time Grand Slam winner also accomplished the feat on April 25 after the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in 2005.
Young gun: Carlos Alcaraz enjoys his victory over Matteo Berrettini
Photo: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH
“I’ve always been a normal guy. I’m not afraid of fame, I’m not going to change the person I am. I am happy to know that at 18 I am in the Top 10 and to do it [at] the same age as my idol Rafa is impressive. I would like to be World No. 1, a Grand Slam champion, Olympic medal winner… I dream big,” Alcaraz told ATP after his victory in Barcelona.