Home » Tennis ATP, Carlos Alcaraz is running: he is the first 2003 in the top 100

Tennis ATP, Carlos Alcaraz is running: he is the first 2003 in the top 100

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The idol is Rafa, the coach the former n. 1 Juan Carlos and for inspiration he looks at Rocky: “Tennis is like boxing …). After his success in the Oeiras Challenger he rose to. 94: “It wasn’t easy with the ranking frozen, but I like difficulties”

Another wall is knocked down: from today Carlos Alcaraz is the first class of 2003 to enter the top 100. Eighteen years old on May 5th, for some time under the lens for talent, physique and personality, he is ready to follow in the footsteps of the great Spaniards. From Rafa Nadal (his idol) to Juan Carlos Ferrero (his coach). He says he’s inspired by Rocky (“I get reason to watch Stallone movies”), and explains why: “He never gives up. He always believes he will win in the end. Boxing is very similar to tennis. You have two people who prepare for a battle and then try to look for solutions during the fight. Make one move, then make another, and you have to adapt. It is one of the films that I really enjoy watching and it has helped me in my career ”.

The improvements

Born in 2003 El Parmar, he took over the racket at the age of 4, with his father Carlos senior, director of the Real Sociedad Club de Campo Murcia. He started playing immediately, naturally, challenging the brothers Álvaro, Sergio and Jaime. Since he was little more than a child he is under the lens, in Spain they await him as Nadal’s heir: the physique is similar, Carlos is 185 tall, like the attitude to battle on the pitch. “I took advantage of the stop in tournaments to improve physically,” explained Alcaraz, who attends the Ferrero Academy. At the resumption he won the Challenger of Trieste, he then conquered the titles of Barcelona and Alicante to close the year with 20 games won and 4 lost. Last month came the first ATP semi-final (in Marbella), then the first match won in a Masters 1000, in Madrid (he then lost clearly to Nadal in the second round). Alcaraz has just won his fourth career Challenger title in Oeiras, Portugal and has climbed to No. 94 in the world (he was 114) at 18 years and 19 days, ahead of Sinner and Musetti, the two Azzurri who were the first in the 2001 and 2002 class to enter the Top 100 (the first at 18 years and two months, the second just turned 19). With a jump of +397 positions from the beginning of 2020. “Entering the top 100 after the pandemic, with the ranking frozen, is not easy, but I’m a guy who likes difficulties and I have overcome them” he said yesterday after beating in the final the Argentine Bagnis, the result that allowed him to break through the top 100. A result achieved only by 4 players younger than him: Rafael Nadal (16 years and 10 months), Richard Gasquet (17 years and 3 months) , Borna Coric (17 years and 11 months) and Juan Martin del Potro (18 years and 16 days).

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The technician

From the sidelines his coach, Ferrero, asks for calm: “Being number 110 or number 94 doesn’t change much in our approach. But little by little we will try to continue climbing. Carlos has forged ahead, but we are also realistic and we are happy and satisfied with the level he is giving on the pitch. Both he and I are very ambitious and we always want more ”. Starting with Roland Garros, which Alcaraz faces from qualifying: on Tuesday he will debut in the first round against Slovakian Lukas Lacko. The race continues.

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