The roof covering the monumental Arthur Ashe track was closed by rain in New York, but neither he nor A Casper Ruud threatening to spoil the party for Carlos Alcaraz He prevented the young tennis player from El Palmar from finally touching the sky. 19 years old 4 months old.
This Sunday, against Norway in the final US OpenA great first from Murcia, Alcaraz won after 3 hours and 20 minutes of 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1) and 6-3 battles.. Lightning and thunder, the young tennis player already has a big title and what he has. “It was always his dream since childhood”: Number one in the world that Ruud is also fighting for (which goes from 7 to 2 on Monday).
Alcaraz conquered this summit before anyone else and became the youngest tennis player to reach the top. Beat Lleyton Hewitt’s youth record set in November 2001 20 years and nine months. And he went back to Spanish tennis, where they took him before. Carlos Moyà, current coach Carlos Ferrero and Rafael Nadal.
another great match
Alcaraz said a few days ago that he’s not afraid right now. Jumped on the track after passing 20 hours 19 minutes in previous laps play, including three impressive Five sets of marathons in a row against Marin Cilic, Unforgettable with Jannik Sinner Y with another Frances Tiafoe. But he knew he had to give everything back. “No time to get tired”announced minutes before the game.
On the remaining days he started out a little less refined than on other days when his comebacks were pure fire, but he returned to showcase and show signs of his impeccable technique in Arthur Ashe. overconfidence that makes him place bets like Lefteven after some, it failed more than ever and failed again.
In the first set, the Spaniards managed to break Oslo in the third match. I was already 5-3 years old his team shouted at him: “convince yourself, convince yourself!”. And he took his first opportunity with his serve and closed 6-4 in the 49th minute.
ruud, 23 years old and solid tennis player currently, who came with a previous experience in a major (against this year’s Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal) and “He seeks revenge” after crashing into Alcaraz this year in Miami and Marbella It didn’t take long for him to reply. And after 40 minutes he evened the match. The fight is back to the starting point.
tension and applause
In Arthur Ashe, perhaps on the part where the public usually speaks louder, he seemed struck by the tension and respect for a moment when so much was at stake. Once silence reigned, interrupted from time to time by the profane shouts at a ceremony, by various cries. They went from “Come on Carlos!”. “Come on Murcia” or “Come on Casper! and “Let’s go to Ruud!”. And especially when it’s broken almost 24,000 souls roared, celebrating the spirit of the two young players in their most colorful spots, the most lively fights, the scenario is twisted.
The third round of giving and receiving continued, intense and Alcaraz looked over the abyss. His serve allowed the Norwegian to have two chances for a partial goal. But there, on the sidelines, he left his proof again. integrity. Saved with two winner bowls, He reached the tie break and showed no mercy there.
The fourth set would be the last. He broke Rudd in the sixth game. And on the ninth, including two aces and where he missed the first match point, he no longer left an option in the second. Ruud was unable to respond to the strength of his last serve. Alcaraz was convicted.
A few minutes after half past seven in the evening, 23 hours 39 minutes time spent on the slopes of New York, Alcaraz beats game time at Grand Slam For having a record (1999) set by Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon 2018.
Smiles and tears
Alcaraz lay on the ground. Face up and face down. Then he hugged Ruud. And in a perfect display of his spectacular climb, he climbed the stands, uniting with his family and crew in hugs filled with tears, smiles and emotions.
Then, at the awards ceremony, which included the check $2.6 millionHe opened his remarks this Sunday with a message of solidarity with New York. 21 years have passed since the September 11 attacks., something Ruud does too. “It’s not easy to live today like a normal day,” he said.
Alcaraz found it difficult to speak “too much emotion”. But he managed to say that success comes after “hard work”. “The fruit of this my work with my team and my family. I’m only 19 years old and I make difficult decisions with them“, explained Alcaraz, which has a special memory for him. mom and grandpaUnable to travel to New York.
power of nature
With champion DNA, Alcaraz has been validated as a force of nature and is also a meteor whose progression and climb are dazzling. However, this has no effect and disappears. This is called staying. and nothing, yeah that body that transforms and becomes stronger at lightning speed no injuries, looks like enough to slow a player down early last year, he wasn’t even in the top 100 yet and by February of this year he was already in the top 20, by April he was in the top ten and July top five. Now, at least in New York, no one has passed him.
Big and one title, the final touch of a year in which the one from El Palmar had 50 victories, 20 of them in cement, and Same four titles as Nadal, this year’s champion in Roland Garros and Australia. It was the year he broke the curse of Spanish men’s tennis in Miami, where he made history as the youngest champion.
This was the year 2022 also marked what is undoubtedly an evolution in the tennis world: on the way to the championship in Madrid, Alcaraz becomes the youngest player to beat Novak Djokovic and Nadaland he’s the only one to beat them both on the same date on land (and he did it too) on consecutive days.
changing the guard
Three middle-aged American female tennis players were commenting on what they had just seen about Arthur Ashe. “Blessed youth,” they said in admiration. And they declared themselves unconditional Nadal fans (“the greatest of all time”), but they also left the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with an idea. “This Open really It felt like a change of guard.”
is an open question contention. Djokovic He didn’t come to New York because there was no vaccine, Roger Federer He hasn’t closed his racket yet, adding two so far unmatched majors to his record of 22 this year, from Manacor, who was one of the first to congratulate Alcaraz on the nets.
But it was Alcaraz and Ruud, not them, who fought in an episode of the Open, where Serena Williams said goodbye in the ladies’ draw and the 21-year-old Polish woman was crowned. Iga Swiatek extends its reign from earth to cement. And in chronicles of Alcaraz’s triumph, like ‘The New York Times’,a He started the “Alcaraz era”.