Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his historic triumph lying on the ground. /
The Spaniard beats the Norwegian Casper Ruud and becomes the youngest champion of the Miami Masters 1000 at 18 years and 11 months
Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest champion of the Miami Masters 1000 by defeating the Norwegian Casper Ruud this Sunday. At 18 years and 11 months old, the explosive Spanish tennis player also ended the curse of Spanish tennis in this tournament, one of the most prestigious on the circuit after the Grand Slams.
Alcaraz, undefeated in his three ATP finals, did not shake his pulse and beat Ruud 7-5, 6-4 supported by the crowd at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (Florida). “When I won the last point, everything came to my mind. All the dreams, the hard work, the training, the problems », he recalled before the press.
The Spaniard began to confirm his immense potential in a final that none of the contenders to succeed the ‘Big 3’ of the ATP made up of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer, all absent from Miami for different reasons, could reach. In the Masters 1000 tournament set, Alcaraz is the third-youngest champion after American Michael Chang in Toronto in 1990 (18 years and 157 days) and Nadal in Monte Carlo in 2005 (18 years and 318 days).
His triumph has also earned him congratulations from Rafa Nadal himself. “I admire him and learn from him. I remember seeing the great games of him in important moments. I learned a lot from that », he acknowledged. Alcaraz is convinced that his time has come and getting rid of the lack of modesty, he admitted: I’m ready to win a Grand Slam this year, I’m not afraid to say it».
This success of the Spanish does not come as a surprise. He had been warning that something big was coming since he knocked out Stefanos Tsitsipas, then world number three, in September and became the earliest tennis player to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open in the Open era (since 1968) . In February he became the youngest ever to win an ATP 500 category tournament, with his triumph in Rio de Janeiro, and to break into the top 20 of the ATP among active players.
burning stages fast
«I am burning stages so fast… I did not expect this. My goal was to finish the year in the top-15 (of the ATP) and I’m already number 11 », he stated. “Now I would like to win a Grand Slam but that is something very big.” His coach, former player Juan Carlos Ferrero, believes that he is ready to reach the final stretch of the big tournaments. «The level is there, and I think this will happen many times. It’s just a matter of preparing him a little mentally so that he adapts to all the circus that is coming, “said the former world number one.
After Sunday’s victory on the court, the young man ran to the stands in search of his father Carlos, former player and director of the tennis school in Murcia (east) where he gave his first rackets, and also Ferrero. The coach was barely able to travel to Miami for the final after the death of his father. “It’s a difficult time for him and I want to thank him for being with me,” said Alcaraz on the podium with the trophy with which he crosses the threshold from promise to reality.
