Alcaraz, number 1 of the youngest year in history after the elimination of Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz, despite not being able to close the year on the slopes due to the abdominal muscle injury he suffered in the semifinals of the Masters 1,000 in Paris that has prevented him from playing in the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup, will end 2022 as number 1 of the world for the results obtained by Rafa Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Turin.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
16 November 2022 Wednesday 01:32
6 Reads
Alcaraz, number 1 of the youngest year in history after the elimination of Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz, despite not being able to close the year on the slopes due to the abdominal muscle injury he suffered in the semifinals of the Masters 1,000 in Paris that has prevented him from playing in the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup, will end 2022 as number 1 of the world for the results obtained by Rafa Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Turin.

The man from El Palmar (Murcia), who has been left wanting to debut in the Masters Cup, a tournament reserved for the eight best players of the year and in which he had a place as the first seed, continues with 6,820 points with those that left Paris and that are 1,000 more than those accumulated by the Mallorcan Nadal and 1,470 more than those added by the Greek Tsitsipas.

In order to maintain the privileged position that Juan Carlos Ferrero's pupil has reached, he had to wait until Nadal did not win in Turin or reached the final undefeated and that the Hellenic man did not win the title either, winning all his matches.

After his defeat this Tuesday against the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliasime, Nadal's options were because Taylor Fritz prevailed in the second game of the day against Casper Ruud 2-0 and on Thursday continue with the cabals to access the semifinals. With a resounding 6-3, Ruud put an end to that possibility and remains one set away from qualifying for the semifinals.

The first two games for the Spaniard, with two defeats against the American Taylor Fritz by 7-6 (3) and 6-1 and this Tuesday against the Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime by 3-6 and 4-6; and the one who has faced the one from Athens, lost against the Serbian Novak Djokovic by 6-4 and 7-6 (4), have dispelled the doubts around that number 1, which Alcaraz achieved after winning the US Open winning in the final to the Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (1) and 6-3 on September 11.

Alcaraz has been at the top for two months and will add at least a month and a half more in that position since, once the Masters Cup is over, the ATP competition will cease and the following points will be awarded in 2023.

"My 2023 season starts tomorrow. I have to keep working to be able to have options for next year. There are a couple of positive things, I've played two tournaments in two weeks, it's a positive thing. I haven't forgotten how to play tennis, I need to recover good sensations and the strong mentality that I need to be at the level that I want to be, that I don't know if I will be able to recover but that I have no doubt that I am going to die for it", assured Rafa Nadal at a press conference after his elimination.

The Spaniard, who for the first time has lost four consecutive matches, stated that "the two matches have not been bad tennis-wise, they have been bad mentally at key moments. This day has been better than the other day, although I have been unable to make good my options. I fought until the end, but when things go this way, with this dynamic, it's hard to change. Nothing to complain about, just accept what we have today. Félix is ​​a great player who has played better on points key. Good for him."

Nadal, who has four consecutive defeats, something that has happened since 2009, acknowledged feeling disappointed and insisted on his usual maxim. "Those who have won the most is because they have known how to navigate in the field of restlessness. These are sad, disappointing moments, there were trained well, with enthusiasm, but it has not been enough. I don't know any other way to remedy that by working", he explained.

Rafa's options to finish number one this season include the Norwegian Ruud not making a set against the American Fritz: "Finishing number one would be a great achievement, but I'm not fighting for it. My body, my age and my personal situation I'm not allowed to pursue that goal anymore."