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Winning a Grand Slam at 19 years of age and becoming the No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings inevitably brings with it the impression that Carlos Alcaraz is a prodigal talent, a player with a God-given gift for tennis. However, the Spaniard is quick to distance himself from labels of such magnitude.

“I’m not special, and nobody said I was going to be the best," Alcaraz said. "I’ve worked for it.”

In an interview from New York, the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings reveals the person hiding behind the premature success of his fledgling professional career.

You’ve said many times that your dream was to be the No. 1. Is there anything left that excites you?
Playing against Federer would excite me and beating a 'Big Three' player in a Grand Slam. I’ve always said that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best.

In an interview a few years ago you denied being special. Now you are breaking all the records for precocity. Do you stand by that statement or are you starting to think you do have something special?
My answer is the same. Nobody gifts you anything, I believe. You don’t just click your fingers and have the world at your feet. You have to work at things. I think what I have achieved, winning a Grand Slam and being No. 1 in the world, is because of the work I’ve been doing with my team for a very long time.

Alexander Zverev was supposed to return to action this week for the first time since Roland Garros. But a new injury, a bone edema, has made the German’s immediate future unclear after he withdrew from Davis Cup play.

“I have a bone edema issue which causes me quite a lot of pain,” Zverev said according to daviscup.com. “I don’t know if it happened yesterday or not but yesterday in practice with Oscar [Otte] it got to the point where I couldn’t run or walk anymore.

“I subsequently found out that it was a bone edema, which means I won’t be able to participate here and it is not a question of days, it is more a question of weeks or most likely even months.”

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In the Roland Garros semi-finals against Rafael Nadal, Zverev tore three ligaments in his right ankle. He underwent surgery on 8 June.

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals during the US Open. But with two months until the season finale at the Pala Alpitour, the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin is heating up.

Past qualifiers Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev are all well-positioned in third through fifth places, respectively. But below them, the battle is tight.

Felix Auger-Aliassime is currently in seventh place as he tries to earn his spot at the year-end championships for the first time. The Canadian let slip an opportunity to earn buffer during the US Open, where he lost in the second round to Jack Draper. But with 2,860 points, the 22-year-old is 160 points ahead of eighth-placed Alexander Zverev, a two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion who has not competed since the US Open due to injury.

Auger-Aliassime is just 190 points behind sixth-placed Andrey Rublev, who is trying to qualify for the third consecutive year. Rublev advanced to the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows. If 15th-placed Novak Djokovic, this year's Wimbledon champion, stays within the Top 20 in the Race as expected, then that will put the cut at seventh this year, not eighth.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings

‘I’d like to try that sport’. Those were the life-changing words that Hungarian Fabian Marozsan said at five-years old to his father after watching him play tennis with a friend.

Marozsan then began trying his hand at tennis while learning everything from his father, who just played recreationally and had no professional background. Little did they know that Fabian would some day be a professional tennis player who would boast success on the ATP Challenger Tour, be ranked inside the Top 200 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, and compete for Hungary in Davis Cup.

The Budapest native, who still relies on his dad for some coaching and help during practice, is off to a dream start.

[ATP APP]Fast forward to this season, when the highlight of the 22-year-old’s career came in August, when he collected his maiden Challenger Tour title in Banja Luka. Despite never playing a Challenger final before, Marozsan was unfazed, needing just 49 minutes to take down home favourite, former World No. 23 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1.

“I know it’s not happening every week that a Hungarian wins a Challenger tournament,” Marozsan said. “I was a little bit surprised because it’s a big moment and a big step for me. I just wanted to play in the semi-finals or the final, which would also be a good result for me. I was really happy.

History was made at the US Open on Sunday, when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud to earn his first Grand Slam title and secure the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking. Beaten finalist Ruud has also made a big jump following the run to his second major final, while Frances Tiafoe has cracked the Top 20 after reaching the semi-finals.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week, as of Monday, 12 September.

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No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, +3 (Career High)
The 19-year-old has made history following his title run at the US Open, becoming the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Alcaraz, who saved one match point against Jannik Sinner en route to his maiden major title, is the fourth Spanish man to climb to the top of the sport, while he is the youngest Grand Slam champion since Rafael Nadal, 19, triumphed at Roland Garros in 2005. With the pressure on, Alcaraz overcame Ruud in four hard-fought sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium to earn his sixth tour-level title. Read US Open Final Report.

View Latest Pepperstone ATP Rankings

Juan Carlos Ferrero was unable to hide his emotion, even a few hours after Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open triumph. For the coach to the new No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings it was incredibly tense having to watch from the stands, but he was able to breathe again when he saw his understudy hoist the trophy to the New York sky on Arthur Ashe Stadium

“All the time he spent on court affected his game, but, as he said, there is no time to be tired in a final,” Ferrero said. “I kept telling him to go after the match, not to have the feeling that he wasn’t playing at his level.

“Carlos was born to play tournaments and matches like these. From the first moment, I saw things in him that were different to those of other boys his age and I still see them now. Even if he’s in his first final, he’s a great competitor, we saw it against Cilic, Sinner and Tiafoe.”

At 19 years of age, Alcaraz has become a Grand Slam champion and the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973). Ferrero, though, is not surprised.

“It’s happening very quickly, it’s a surprise to everyone, except to me, because I train with him every day and I know what he can do,” admitted the coach. “I was sure that if it wasn’t this year, it would be the next. Now we want to keep going.”

#NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima tasted success on the hard courts at the US Open last week, overcoming Pavel Kotov and Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets before Jannik Sinner ended his run at the third-round stage in New York.

The 21-year-old’s aggressive performances have strengthened his chances of qualifying for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for a second consecutive year, with the American consolidating his position in seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan.

Nakashima, who reached the semi-finals at the 21-and-under event last season, will look to climb further when he competes on home soil in San Diego next week.

View Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan Rankings

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The teenage years can be tough. Just ask any 19-year-old.

But when you’re also carrying the expectation of being the new face of tennis, life can feel overwhelming.

Carlos Alcaraz arrived for the North American hard-court swing as World No. 4 and with a shot at becoming the 28th player to reach No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. But an opening round-loss in Montreal to Tommy Paul – when he candidly said the pressure got to him – and a quarter-final loss to Cameron Norrie in Cincinnati, led to worry and self-doubt.

Heading into the year’s final major, coach Juan Carlos Ferrero suspected that Alcaraz had “lost a little bit of happiness on the court,” and that he was worrying about the big picture instead of the next match in front of him. Arriving in New York for the US Open, Ferrero gave his charge license to loosen up, get to net and go on the attack.

“I lost the joy a little bit. I felt the pressure,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn't smile on court, which I'm doing in every match, every tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz’s unsung hero in his US Open final win over Casper Ruud was his run-around forehand.

Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 in the US Open final on Sunday, due in large part to him hitting a slew of run-around forehands standing in the Ad court to counter the Norwegian’s full-court press towards his backhand. Ruud played a tactically savvy final by flattening out his high, heavy groundstrokes and ripping them repeatedly at Alcaraz’s backhand wing. It almost worked. Ruud won a higher percentage of baseline points: 45 per cent (64/141) to Alcaraz’s 43 per cent (59/136).

Alcaraz’s tenacity to upgrade to forehands standing in the Ad court saw him turn 97 groundstrokes from backhands into forehands. In a match decided by only five points (127-122), this specific battle was as important as any other to Alcaraz in capturing his first Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz Groundstrokes (excluding returns, volleys & overheads)

On the surface, Alcaraz hit many more forehands than backhands. But once you examine where Alcaraz was standing when he hit them, you get a better idea of a hidden layer of his successful match strategy.

When the music stopped on Arthur Ashe Stadium Sunday night, there was only one chair for a new World No. 1: Carlos Alcaraz.

But being No. 2 isn’t bad.

Tempering the disappointment of coming up short in his second Grand Slam final of the year, Norway’s Casper Ruud said that he would also leave New York with plenty to be proud of, not least his new career-high mark in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

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“I think it's deserving that after great results, both of us having good results throughout the year, we are 1 and 2 in the rankings tomorrow,” the 23-year-old said. “I'm very proud of being No. 2. In a way it's a good thing because I can still chase the last spot.

Carlos Alcaraz made history on Sunday evening when he battled past Casper Ruud in four sets to win the US Open for his first Grand Slam title. The 19-year-old also became the youngest-ever World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973).

After the Spaniard clinched his triumph at Flushing Meadows, several stars congratulated him, including Rafael Nadal, Rod Laver, Billie Jean King and more.

Felicidades @carlosalcaraz por tu primer Grand Slam y por el número 1 que es el colofón a tu primera gran temporada que estoy seguro serán muchas más! ??
Great effort @CasperRuud98 !very proud of you! Tough luck today but amazing tournament and season! Keep going!

Congratulations Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud on an exceptional US Open men's final. Two great sportsmen with many more battles to come. #USOpen2022

What a great final from both!

Nineteen-year-old Carlos Alcaraz will on Monday become the youngest World No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history (since 1973) after winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open Sunday.

Alcaraz entered the 2021 US Open as the World No. 55. With his win against 23-year-old Casper Ruud in the championship clash in New York, he is the first teenage World No. 1 and the fourth man from Spain to achieve the feat, joining his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, and Rafael Nadal.

The Murcia-native arrived at Flushing Meadows as the No. 4 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. His leap to World No. 1 is tied for the biggest in history. Three other players have surged from No. 4 to No. 1 between one Pepperstone ATP Rankings release: Moya (15 March 1999), Andre Agassi (5 July 1999) and Pete Sampras (11 September 2000).

Alcaraz has rewritten the record books en route to the pinnacle of men’s tennis. Earlier this year he became the second-youngest player to win two ATP Masters 1000 titles (Miami and Madrid), only behind Nadal, who did so in 2005. Alcaraz also became the youngest ATP 500 titlist in series history in Rio de Janeiro and claimed another crown at that level in Barcelona.

The 19-year-old leads the ATP Tour with 51 wins this season, moving him five victories clear of second-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas (46). With his US Open triumph, Alcaraz also climbed to first place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, putting him in pole position to become the youngest year-end World No. 1 in history.

Carlos Alcaraz has won the first set 6-4 against Casper Ruud in the US Open final on Sunday. In a historic winner-takes-all showdown, the victor will capture their first Grand Slam trophy and become the 28th player to secure the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

With the world watching, the third-seeded Spaniard quickly found his range on Arthur Ashe stadium, hitting with explosive power and demonstrating impressive agility to move ahead after 50 minutes in New York.

The 19-year-old is seeking to become the youngest Grand Slam champion since countryman Rafael Nadal, 19, lifted the trophy at Roland Garros in 2005 and the youngest US Open titlist since Pete Sampras, 19, in 1990.

If the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion can defeat the Norwegian and capture his 51st win of the season, he will also become the youngest player and fourth Spaniard to rise to No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973). Spaniards Juan Carlos Ferrero – Alcaraz’s current coach - Carlos Moya and Nadal have all previously risen to top spot.

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On Friday evening, Martin Landaluce was preparing for the biggest match of his life, the US Open Boys’ Singles final. But another match on television kept the Spaniard from going to sleep: Carlos Alcaraz’s enthralling five-set quarter-final against Frances Tiafoe.

“I tried to sleep, but he was [on] the TV, so I couldn't sleep in that moment. I just slept in the fifth,” Landaluce said of Alcaraz with a smile on his face. "But I was watching it. It was a great match. Yeah, both were playing good. I took some things from Alcaraz and from Tiafoe also.”

Like his countryman Alcaraz did Friday, Landaluce earned a big win on Saturday. The 16-year-old, seeded fifth, defeated second seed Gilles Arnaud Bailly of Belgium 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-2 for the Boys’ Singles title.

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“It was a great match. I've enjoyed it a lot. I tried to enjoy the final. It's a special moment, special tournament,” Landaluce said. “I tried one game plan at the beginning that went more or less good. But then in the third set I tried to change it, to be more solid, more consistent. I think that's what gave me the match, the win.”

There are high stakes matches, and then there is Sunday’s US Open championship match between Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud.

Both players stand one victory from their maiden Grand Slam crown, a feat that would simultaneously propel them to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday. The match is already a history-maker. It is the first Grand Slam men’s final featuring two players competing for both their first major title and the World No. 1 ranking, a winner-takes-all showdown set to bring the Grand Slam action for 2022 to a thrilling close.

“We're playing for the tournament and also World No. 1,” said Ruud after his semi-final win against Karen Khachanov on Friday. “Of course, there will be nerves and we will both feel it.”

Depending on the result, another milestone will fall on Sunday night in New York. Ruud is aiming to become the first Norwegian man to win a Grand Slam title, while Alcaraz seeks to become the youngest No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the age of 19 years and four months. Read More On The Battle For No. 1.

Youngest World No. 1s in Pepperstone ATP Rankings History

It’s a unique opportunity. There is much more at stake on Sunday at the US Open than a title. Both Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz are playing for their first major and to become the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

One of them will be the 28th player to top the rankings in the Open Era. Both the Norwegian and the Spaniard have earned the opportunity on court this season, as two of the three players with the most wins in 2022. Alcaraz is the ATP Tour's match wins leader (50), while Ruud is in third (44).

Ruud, who entered the tournament at No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is bidding to make a leap to its pinnacle bigger than any man has done before him. Pedro Clar, a Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar coach, has had a front-row seat for the evolution of the 23-year-old, Oslo-born player.

“The whole team is happy to reach another Grand Slam final,” revealed the Spanish coach. “At the start of the year, it was not something that was in our plans. After playing in Paris, now he’s in another Grand Slam final, and to do it on [a] fast court is even more noteworthy.”

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John Peers and Storm Sanders' long-held plan to team up on the doubles court proved worth the wait at the US Open, where the Australian pair defeated Kirsten Flipkens and Edouard Roger-Vasselin on Saturday to lift the mixed doubles title at the hard-court Grand Slam.

Peers and Sanders held their nerve in a Match Tie-break to complete a 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 final victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The fourth seeds were making their debut as a team this fortnight and they dropped just two sets all tournament to surge to the title in New York.

“I can’t believe we are Grand Slam champions, that’s crazy,” said Sanders when addressing Peers at the trophy presentation. “So, thank you so much for playing with me. We’ve been trying to set it up for the past year and I really enjoyed every moment on court with you.”

“Stormy, we got one! Well done,” said Peers to his title-winning partner. “It’s been a pleasure this week and a lot of fun, so hopefully we’ve got a few more coming up at some point.”

Storm Sanders and John Peers capture the #USOpen mixed doubles title! pic.twitter.com/JkOOxyTWtB

Carlos Alcaraz stands just one win away from his maiden Grand Slam crown and the World No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The stakes have never been higher for the Spaniard in Sunday’s championship match at the US Open, but that is not going to stop the 19-year-old taking time to revel in the moment after defeating Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling semi-final on Friday night.

“Well, [the final] is close. But at the same time is so far away, you know?” said Alcaraz in the aftermath of his five-set win. “It's a final of a Grand Slam, fighting for the No. 1 in the world, something that I dream since I was a kid.

“What [can I] say? It is the final of a Grand Slam. Right now, I'm going to enjoy this moment. My first Grand Slam final. I will have time tomorrow to think about [winning the title].”

After prevailing in a quarter-final classic against Jannik Sinner on Wednesday at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz went the distance again on Friday against home favourite Tiafoe. It marked another stern test for the Spaniard’s Grand Slam credentials, but he held firm to set a championship match against Casper Ruud.

“It was incredible for me,” said Alcaraz. “I think I played great against Frances, who was playing unbelievable, as well, these two weeks. It's an incredible feeling to be in a final, to be able to win this match after four hours, 20 minutes.

His 2022 US Open dream may have been ended by Carlos Alcaraz on Friday night, but Frances Tiafoe believes his run to the semi-finals in New York could be the start of something bigger.

“I just proved that, honestly, I can play with the best obviously, and I'm capable of winning Grand Slams,” said Tiafoe after falling to the Spaniard in an epic five-setter at Flushing Meadows. “I think everyone knew when I play my best what I could do. But you know how close I can actually be to be one of those guys and to do this consistently.

“Obviously through my career I've been pretty sporadic of playing well, veering off for a while. I've always backed myself against the best players in the world. I'm doing it on a consistent basis, starting to beat guys more readily. [I’m] ready to take the next step.”

Tiafoe’s whirlwind fortnight in New York saw him become the only man to defeat Rafael Nadal at a major in 2022 witha fourth-round victory, before he reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final with a sublime straight-sets win against ninth seed Andrey Rublev.

“I haven't even let it soak in yet, honestly,” said the American. “But craziest two weeks of my life. Craziest two weeks of my life. Stuff you dream about doing.