“I was more nervous then than before the game,” said Alcaraz after receiving a call from Spanish King Felipe. “It’s quite exciting when the King of Spain congratulates you on the hard work you put in every day. I never expected the king to call me.” Alcaraz is also the first Spanish winner of Miami, eight previous attempts by compatriots had been unsuccessful.
Alcaraz, who turns 19 on May 5, is now the youngest Miami winner in history. Until Sunday it was Serbian Novak Djokovic, who triumphed in 2007 at the age of 19. In general, after Umag 2021 and Rio de Janeiro 2022, it was the Spaniard’s third title on the ATP tour and the first in a Masters tournament. With his success in Miami, Alcaraz is now the third youngest winner of a Masters tournament ever, only the American Michael Chang in Toronto in 1990 and his compatriot Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo in 2005 were younger.
Coach Ferrero plays an important role
His coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, with whom he has been working since 2018, plays an important role in his success. The former world number one was not in Florida for the tournament due to the death of his father, but made it to the final. “Juan Carlos is a very important person for me. He’s not just a coach, he’s also a friend – so I can talk to him about anything,” said Alcaraz.
For the final, Ferrero told his protégé to take it like the first tournament match. That’s how Alcaraz went into the match, showed an impressive performance against Ruud and clearly won in two sets.
Alcaraz aims for top ten in the world
Now Alcaraz wants to try to get into the top ten in the world rankings before the French Open (May 22 to June 5). He is currently 29 points short of Britain’s Cameron Norrie. In any case, his coach is confident, since his best surface is sand anyway and the clay court season is now beginning.
Alcaraz said: “I can only say that I have won two titles on clay and one on hard court. I’m very comfortable on both surfaces, so I don’t mind playing on clay or hard court.”
