Carlos Alcaraz cleared the top seeds of the ATP ranking at the Masters 1000 in Madrid, to show himself as the eminence of tennis at just 19 years of age.
Alcaraz outclassed Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic en route to the final against Alexander Zverev with a resounding 6-3, 6-1 in just one hour and two minutes. Alcaraz now has an impressive 5-0 record in the ATP finals as he becomes the youngest five-time champion on tour since Nadal won seven titles at the same age in 2004-05.
His age made him the youngest champion in the history of the Masters 1000 in Madrid, even with fewer months than Rafael Nadal and now he is shaping up to be number 6 in the world. “Carlitos” surpassed his idol Nadal in the record, as Rafa had conquered Madrid five months after him. In turn, they have been the only two winners of the competition with less than 20 years.
The Spaniard lit up the Manolo Santana Stadium with his variety of shots and athleticism as he dominated Zverev for his seventh straight Top 10 win and fourth Tour-leading title of the year.
Alcaraz is the second youngest player to win two Masters 1000 titles, after winning in Miami in March. Rafael Nadal captured crowns in Monte Carlo and Rome in 2005 when he was 18 years old.
“It feels great to be able to beat these players. Beating two of the best players in history and then Zverev. He is a great player. I would say this is the best week of my life. I am 19 years old, which I think is the key to being able to play long and hard matches in a row. I feel very good physically”, said Alcaraz, still with the catharsis of the title on the court.
In a dream week on home soil, the seventh seed also became the first player to eliminate Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the same event on clay. It is the first time since David Nalbandian in Madrid in 2007 that a player has defeated three top 4 stars in a Masters 1000 event. Nalbandian beat Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer in the Spanish capital.