Carlos Alcaraz: The rise of a new star in the tennis sky

- Sports Funda-Ramakrishna Pandit

- After achieving the dream of becoming the world's number one tennis star at the age of 19, Carlos Alcaraz is hitting new heights.

- Alcaraz, a young record-setter, is the front-runner to dominate the tennis world for decades to come.

The winds of change have already begun to blow in the tennis world. Roger Federer, who won many titles including 20 Grand Slams in the last two decades, has announced his retirement. The career of Nadal, who has won the most Grand Slams in the world with 22, and Djokovic, who is chasing him with 21 Grand Slams, is also in shambles. At this time, Carlos Alcaraz, a new star has emerged on the tennis horizon. At the age of just 19, Alcaraz has won the US Open Grand Slam Championship and has also achieved the position of the world's number one tennis star.

Two decades ago, when the legendary American tennis player Pat Sampras announced his retirement, a question was raised, who is after Sampras? The world got the answer to this question that puzzled the minds of tennis critics and fans in the form of Roger Federer. He went from holding the top throne to breaking the once-impossible record of winning the most Grand Slams of 14. After that, Nadal and Djokovic have also surpassed him. Although the question of who is next to the Big Three stars in tennis, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, has resurfaced, Alcaraz has shown flashes of talent.

Carlos Alcaraz Garfia was born in El Palmer, a village in Spain's overpopulated district of Murcia, just two months before Federer won his first career Grand Slam - Wimbledon championship. His father Carlos was the director of a local tennis academy. While his mother Virginia also helped her husband. Alcaraz got the inculcation of tennis from his father. His grandfather was also involved with tennis and the tennis-like atmosphere at home naturally attracted him to the game.

Coach Kiko Navarro worked hard to develop Alcaraz's talent. Alcaraz, he believes, has an inexhaustible wealth of patience and never tires of tennis. This is its specialty. Spain's former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero took it upon himself to give Alcaraz his true identity as a special talent. He himself had won the French Open title in 2003 and topped the men's singles world ranking. Alcaraz's talent flourished under the guidance of Juan Carlos Ferrero.

On the one hand Alcaraz's talent was emerging under the tutelage of Juan Carlos Ferrero, on the other Nadal was taking Spain to new heights in tennis. Naturally, Nadal's success planted the seeds of dreams in Alcaraz's eyes. Alcaraz's journey on the heels of professional tennis had just begun, where Corona took the world by storm. Everything seemed to have stopped. Even in the most challenging times, Alcaraz continued to practice and work hard to make his dream stronger and didn't even wait for it to be called his time Ayega.

In 2021, at the age of just 17, he became the youngest player to enter the main draw of a Grand Slam men's singles event. In the same year, he entered the main draw of the French Open and Wimbledon as well as the US Open, making drastic changes in the record books as the youngest player. In last year's US Open, he became the youngest player in the last three decades to enter the quarter finals. At this time he was ranked 55th in the men's singles world rankings. He was asked in an interview, what is your goal? Any teenager's question about his dream future naturally takes the wings of imagination to heaven.

Alcaraz then said, "I want to win a Grand Slam or be crowned the world's top-ranked player." It took only 12 months for the words that came out of his mouth to become reality and both of his ambitions were fulfilled by winning the US Open. At the pinnacle of success, Alcaraz's intelligence has outstripped his age in the race for development, and that is why he said, "I did not get this achievement by the grace of fate." Only me and my family and coaches know how much I have sweated to reach here. Always remember that nothing is achieved without adventure.

The year 2022 brought success for him. During the same year, he won the Miami Open by defeating Spain's Casper Rudd and became the youngest player to win the tournament. He celebrated his 19th birthday by defeating his idol, compatriot legend Nadal, in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open. With this, he became the first teenager to defeat Nadal on clay courts. The next day he grabbed the attention of the world by defeating the top ranked Djokovic. He earned the distinction of being the youngest player to beat the world number one player for the first time since 2004. He became the first player to beat Nadal-Jokovic back-to-back in the same tournament. After that he also won the title and topped the world rankings.

Alcaraz, who defeated Cilic, Siner and Tiafone in a five-set marathon in the pre-quarters, quarter-finals and semi-finals of the US Open, won the US Open Grand Slam by defeating Norway's Kaspar Rudd. Along with this, he also defeated Rudd in the race for number one in the world ranking. He became the first teenager to top the Open Era. At the age of 19, he became the youngest player since Pat Sampras (1990) to win the US Open.

Achieving a dream at a young age, Alcaraz has received huge sums of money from awards and contracts, though he has left the responsibility of the money to his parents. Alcaraz coach Juan Carlos Ferrero says that this is just the beginning. Alcaraz has only shown glimpses of his talent. Given Alcaraz's success and his talent, there is no doubt that he will achieve greater heights in the days to come.