Carlos Alcaraz won one of the biggest prizes in tennis on Sunday. His biggest still came last month when he captured his first title at the Monte-Carlo Masters! Alcaraz cemented his status by becoming the youngest winner of a clay-court ATP 1000 when he beat Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti. He’s now intent on continuing to develop from this success as he looks ahead to defending his French Open title next month.
Things didn’t come easy to start for Alcaraz as he quickly found himself down 3-1 in the opening set. Musetti opened the match with fireworks, striking seven winners within the match’s first six minutes to jump out to a quick 2-0 lead. Alcaraz showed his resolve, breaking Musetti’s serve five times over the match’s duration. Having lost an opening set, Alcaraz found his feet in a settler, going on an impressive run to dominate the contest.
In a show of true grit, Alcaraz came back from a set behind three times throughout the tournament. He took the second set with only one hour and 20 minutes of court time under his belt. With this win, he notched his sixth Masters 1000 victory! This victory bumps him past Alexander Zverev into second place, displacing the German into third place in the ranking of ATP world best.
Alcaraz has gotten to this title in impressive fashion. This follows a frustratingly early exit at the Miami Open, where he lost to compatriot David Goffin in the second round. The 21-year-old Spaniard stopped to think about what he’s learned during the last month. Unsurprisingly, he encouraged them to have a winning attitude at all times, regardless of what happened in the games.
“But one thing I learned over the last month is I have to think about myself … think about my people, my team, my family, my close friends, and no matter what happens on court, if I win, if I lose, I have to leave the court happy and proud with what I’ve done.” – Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz shared some hopes for what’s to come during his post match presser.
“Hopefully, if everything goes well, I will be playing this tournament for the next 10, 15 years, so let’s see if I can get at least one more.” – Carlos Alcaraz
As he prepares for the upcoming French Open, Alcaraz’s victory at Monte-Carlo sets him up perfectly for the challenges ahead. That doesn’t take away from the tremendous resilience he’s displayed in overcoming adversity on the court. This title locks him into the list of tennis’s other emerging stars.
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