Carlos Alcaraz makes ‘dream’ come true as he wins US Open to become new world number one

Carlos Alcaraz said winning the US Open and becoming the world number one on the same night was the stuff of ‘dreams.’

Alcaraz made history in New York as he beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 to win his maiden major at just 19-years-old, as well as becoming the youngest ever player to top the ATP rankings.

“This is something I have dreamt of since I was a kid, to be number one in the world, to be a champion of a Grand Slam,” Alcaraz said. “It is tough to talk right now. There are a lot of emotions right now.

“It is something I have tried to achieve. All the hard work I have done. I am just 19 years old so the top decisions are with my team and my parents. It is really special for me.

“My Mum is not here, and my grandfather. I was thinking about them. A lot of my family are here but there are a lot of people from my family that couldn’t come here to watch the final and I was thinking of them.”

Carlos Alcaraz won the tournament despite having to come through three successive five set thrillers, with him eventually spending nearly 24 hours on court during the course of the 2022 US Open.

He, though, says tiredness is not an option in Grand Slams.

“I always said there was no time to be tired in the final run of a tournament,” he said.

“You have to give everything on court, everything you have inside. It is something I have worked really hard for and it is not time to be tired.”

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