Carlos Alcaraz Career Biography

Novak Djokovic – Wimbledon, Final, 2023 (won 1-6 7-6 6-1 3-6 6-4)

Alcaraz’s greatest triumph came in a see-saw classic of a match at Wimbledon where Djokovic hadn’t lost since 2017, and the best betting sites had the Serbian down as the pre-match favourite. The Serb looked to have the match on his racquet when he moved to break point early in the final set but he missed an overhead which was begging to be put away and from there Alcaraz made him pay.

Jannik Sinner – US Open, Quarter-final, 2022 (won 6-3 6-7 6-7 7-5 6-3)

Alcaraz may have claimed his first Grand Slam victory by beating Casper Ruud in the 2022 US Open final but it is this epic match which will be remembered more in that title run. Alcaraz saved match point in the fourth set before finally clinching victory after five hours and 15 minutes, at 2.50am in New York.

Albert Ramos-Vinolas – Rio Open, First Round, 2020 (won 7-6 4-6 7-6)

You always remember the first time, right? Well, Alcaraz’s ATP Tour debut was certainly a memorable one as he stunned top-50 star and clay specialist Ramos-Vinolas, coming back from 0-3 in the decider to win after more than three and half hours on court in Brazil.

Stefanos Tsitsipas – US Open, Third Round, 2021 (won 6-3 4-6 7-6 0-6 7-6)

If Alcaraz had introduced himself in Rio in 2020, it was this match which announced his name to the world. Despite a strong serving performance, Tsitsipas was stunned by Alcaraz’s groundstrokes and shot-making ability, the Spaniard finally edging a rollercoaster contest in a final-set tie-break.

Novak Djokovic – Cincinnati Masters, Final, 2023 (lost 7-5 6-7 6-7)

A war of attrition in the heat and humidity of Cincinnati proved an enthralling watch. Alcaraz led by a set and a break and then moved match point up in the second-set tie-break but failed to take his chance. He kept his hopes alive by saving four match points to come from 5-3 down in the decider to level the match but finally succumbed in the ensuing breaker. At three hours and 49 minutes, the match is the longest best-of-three-sets final in ATP history.

2021 – First ATP Title

Alcaraz won his first ATP Tour title at the 2021 Croatian Open in Umag.

Aged just 18 at the time, he was the youngest tour-level champion since Kei Nishikori had triumphed in Delray Beach 13 years earlier.

The success gave him a platform to announce his name to the world which he duly did at the US Open where he beat third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarter-finals where a leg injury proved his undoing.

Alcaraz finished the year with victory at the Next Gen ATP Finals, showing he was the predominant rising star of men’s tennis.

2022 – Stunning Rise to World Number One

Alcaraz’s 2021 season meant much was expected of him the following year but few could have predicted how rapidly he would conquer the sport.

After victory in the Rio Open, Alcaraz moved through the gears during the ‘Sunshine Double’ hardcourt swing, losing only to idol Rafael Nadal in the Indian Wells semi-finals before continuing his surge in Miami where he duly won his first Masters 1000 title, beating Casper Ruud in the final.

By now, big comparisons were being made with Nadal, who had completed similar feats at the same age – and Alcaraz was about to hit his favourite claycourts.

A shock defeat to Sebastian Korda in Monte Carlo proved only a minor setback as Alcaraz won in Barcelona – cracking the world’s top 10 in the process – and then Madrid.

At the latter event, he became the first player ever to beat Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the same tournament on clay. He followed that by beating Alex Zverev in the final, meaning Alcaraz had defeated the top three seeds en route to the title, one which positioned him as favourite for the forthcoming French Open.

However, Alcaraz disappointed at Roland Garros, producing an error-strewn display against Zverev in the quarter-finals.

A lack of experience on grass meant it was no surprise to see him struggle to make an impact on the surface but Alcaraz was back in the groove for the US Open later in the summer.

Having eased through the first week, he won three successive five-set matches to reach the final. They included an epic five-hour battle with Jannik Sinner, one which produced the latest-ever finish of 2.50am in New York and also saw the Spaniard save match point. As of the start of the 2024 season, Alcaraz is the last man to win a Grand Slam title from match point down.

There were concerns about fatigue ahead of the final but they proved unfounded as Alcaraz beat Ruud in four sets to win his maiden Grand Slam title and complete his remarkable ascent to world number one.

He was the youngest ever to reach the summit of the rankings and the youngest US Open champion since Pete Sampras in 1990.

Alcaraz ticked off another piece of history by ending the year as world number one – also becoming the youngest to achieve that feat.

2023 – Wimbledon Glory

Pretty much the only negative about Alcaraz’s 2022 season was that it was brought to a premature end by a torn oblique muscle at the Paris Masters.

That forced him to miss the 2023 Australian Open so his season began on the clay of South America where he began the year with victory in the Argentina Open.

Another significant landmark was reached at Indian Wells where Alcaraz became the second-fastest player to 100 tour-level wins. He achieved the feat in 132 matches, one more than it took John McEnroe in the 1970s.

He won the tournament and looked on course to complete the Sunshine Double in Miami but struggled with a back injury while losing to Sinner in the semi-finals.

Alcaraz returned to action during the clay season, winning in Barcelona and Madrid for the second year running, but his French Open preparation suffered a dent with Fabian Marozsan causing one of the biggest upsets of the season in Rome.

Things still went well at Roland Garros as a hugely-anticipated semi-final with Djokovic was set up – only the pair’s second meeting.

The match lived up to expectations for two sets, which were shared, but at the start of the third, Alcaraz began cramping and Djokovic subsequently waltzed to victory.

Instead, another surface would provide Alcaraz with his greatest success.

He won his first grasscourt title at Queen’s Club in London before going on to also conquer Wimbledon, lifting the famous trophy after a thrilling five-set final with Djokovic.

Alcaraz was the first player from outside the ‘Big Four’ of Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to win the tournament in 21 years.

Alcaraz and Djokovic produced another match for the ages just a few weeks later in Cincinnati where the Serb rallied from match point down in the second set to win in three hours and 49 minutes.

Still, Alcaraz looked in decent-enough form heading into the US Open but he suffered a surprise semi-final defeat to Daniil Medvedev at Flushing Meadows.

Alcaraz struggled post-US Open and ended year with another defeat to Djokovic at the ATP Finals.

Carlos Alcaraz’s Wins From Two Sets Down

As at the end of the 2023 season, Alcaraz had yet to win a match having lost the first two sets.

Carlos Alcaraz’s Defeats From Two Sets Up

As at the end of the 2023 season, Alcaraz had never lost a match in which he had won the opening two sets, holding a perfect 29-0 record in such contests.