Over the course of the existence of professional sports, fans have seen athletes commit remarkable feats that have seen them defy tremendous odds in the most remarkable of ways. Take for example Tiger Woods winning the 1997 Masters at just 21 years old, or Naomi Osaka winning her first US Open title in 2018 at the same age as Tiger and becoming the 4th ranked professional tennis player in the world. As sports science continues to evolve and professional athletes adapt to these advances, these feats only seem to become increasingly more common and provide fans with even more opportunities to see young and budding professional athletes leave their mark upon their respective sports. Just in this past week they were treated to exactly that, witnessing Carlos Alcaraz shock the world and become the youngest to ever win the US Open when he took home the title this past weekend.
For a few years now, fans have seen the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dominate the world of men's professional tennis and rack up countless wins at major tournaments like the US Open. The spotlight wasn’t on them this past weekend however, instead shining upon 19 year-old Carlos Alcaraz as he faced off against Casper Rudd in the finals of the US Open. Rudd is another big name in the world of professional tennis and it wasn’t necessarily unsurprising to see him reach this year’s US Open finals, however his experience wasn’t enough to stop Alcaraz in pursuit of his first grand slam title. It took Alcaraz just four sets to complete this feat, only losing the second set and winning the other three in dominating fashion, and to become the youngest to ever win the US Open, earning the budding star his first grand slam title before he is even old enough to drink alcohol. Alcaraz takes the record from Lleyton Hewittt who won the title back in 2001 at the age of 20 years and nine months year old, making Alcaraz over an entire year younger than Hewitt and firmly cementing his place in the history of men’s professional tennis well before his career has even had the chance to truly take off yet. Alcaraz was understandably emotional when interviewed after his big win: “It is something I have dreamt of since I was a kid. To be No. 1 in the world, to be champion of a Grand Slam, is something I have worked really, really hard [for]... It is tough to talk right now, I have lots of emotions. This is something I have tried to achieve. All the hard work I have done with my team and my family. I am just 19 years old… It is something that is really special for me."
While most 19 year olds are focused on things like college or beginning their careers, Carlos Alcaraz was more concerned with making history. At just 19 he still has a lot left in the tank as well and we could be witnessing the ascent of someone who could become one of the biggest names in men’s professional tennis, but only time can tell for certain. Tennis fans as well as general sports fans might have a lot to look forward to as Alcaraz continues to pursue greatness and hopefully become one of the biggest names in the world of professional tennis.
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