Written by Kieran Kenyon

19 years, 4 months and 6 days: the age that Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest world number one, whilst claiming his first grand slam title. Cementing himself as the leader of the next generation of players, and with the timely retirements of the big three players, the young Spaniard surely will continue to rack up more and more slams and reach the coveted title of GOAT.

In the hot city of Murcia, Spain, Carlos Alcaraz Garfía picked up his first tennis racket. His father was the director of the tennis academy at Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia, however at the age of 15, Carlos moved to the JC Ferrero Academy in the hope being taught a few things by the ex-world number one and Roland Garros champion – Juan Carlos Ferrero. Three years later, and Ferrero is there in his player’s box at Arthur Ashe Stadium, watching with proud eyes as Carlos lifts his maiden slam title.

Juan Carlos Ferrero after the US Open Final: ‘I think he is born to play these kinds of tournaments, from the moment that I saw him, I saw things that were different to all the other guys. It’s a surprise for everyone… except maybe for me.’

Carlos is known for his strong base power off both wings, and most notably his ability to play boldly and calmly during high pressure moments, something that other next-gen players often have problems with. He has an astonishing 9-1 deciding set tiebreak record, and an 8-1 match record when play goes to a fifth set. He never backs down on important points, and it shows in the quality of his play in these moments.

In terms of shot choice, Alcaraz is known for his great variety of shot-making, he tends to mix many qualities of balls and gives very little rhythm to his opponent. He has the ability especially on the forehand side to hit high heavy topspin to neutralise the point, and when he gets the opportunity he flattens out and hits a high number of winners, from any position in the court. This is one of the reasons he is so talented on both hard and clay surfaces, holding two hard and four clay titles.

Many refer to the Spaniard as the product of the big three. The three men that have dominated the past fifteen years of slams. His supreme touch with dropshots and volleys resembles the now retired Roger Federer; his unbelievable court coverage and flexibility appear similar to that of the reigning Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic; and his almost unmatched intensity and raw athleticism remind us all of the King of Clay – Rafa Nadal.

Some critique the quality of his first serve, although it is above the average in terms of speed (130mph), his service box placement is far below. During the Miami Masters 2022 fourth round he played the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (current number six). Alcaraz served over 50% at the body, and because of this he hit only one ace. On the other hand, Tsitsipas served solely one of his 78 serves at the body, hitting five aces. This may contribute to his lower success on grass, since its faster points and lower bouncing balls put more emphasis on a big serve. During the fourth round at this year’s Wimbledon, Carlos struggled to hold serve multiple times against young rival Jannik Sinner, costing him the match. It is not a question that he must improve in this area to maintain the position at the peak of men’s tennis, with the removal of vaccination laws and the return of Djokovic and the timely resurgence of Nadal from injury, his position is looking as threatened as ever.

Ever since he burst onto the tour in 2020, at the age of 16, everyone in tennis noticed his world-class intensity, it brought regular comparison to a young Rafa Nadal, from not only his nationality, but his athletic and physical resemblance. His direct sprints and his ability to make something out of indefensible positions is almost unheard of, perhaps these strengths will allow him to dominate the tour for the next few years.

Carlos is one of the hardest working players off the court, spending up to 4 hours a day training in the gym, on top of his tennis sessions. Every inch of his game will keep on improving, and with a world class team in his corner, and his world class mindset, who possibly could catch up to him? However, there are so many unknowns to make such a prediction. Five years ago, nobody had heard the name Carlos Alcaraz, but now he is at the top of men’s tennis – who knows which new players may burst onto the scene in such a way.

What’s clear for all to see, is that a young Carlos Alcaraz has immense talent. And even though the big three are making their final stands, whether or not he becomes the greatest of all time, he will never fail to entertain us during this new era of men’s tennis. After becoming the youngest male to win the US Open since Pete Sampras in 1990, the youngest to win at any major since Nadal at the 2005 French Open and the youngest to ever reach No 1 in the world, the hype that preceded his title run has been largely justified. If he does stay healthy, the sky is the limit.

“Right now I’m enjoying the moment,” he said. “I’m enjoying having the trophy in my hands. But of course I’m hungry for more. I want to be at the top for many, many weeks. I hope many years. I’m going to work hard again after these amazing two weeks. I’m going to fight to have more of this.”