Madrid (AP) — When Carlos Alcaraz played at the first Madrid Open at the age of 18, his goal was to gain experience and learn from top players.
Only a year later, Alcaraz already feels he is one of the best players.
Spain’s teenage sensation became the second youngest player to hit Alexander Zverev on Sunday, win the Madrid Open and win two Masters 1000 titles.
His comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win over Zverev came after his idol Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked semi-final.
“Last year I experienced these experiences for the first time, played against the best players, played in the Masters 1000 and learned a lot. Now it’s not. I’m confident I can win at any time. , Go to court knowing that you can win. “
Alcaraz became the youngest winner in Madrid and is the second youngest to win two Masters 1000 trophies after Nadaru won Monte Carlo and Rome in 2005. Alcaraz is already the youngest in the top 10 since Nadaru won the championship in 2005.
“It feels great to be able to beat these players,” said 19-year-old Alcaraz. “To beat two of the best players in history, and Zverev, the third in the world. He’s a great player. I think this is the best week of my life.”
This was the fourth title of the year to lead the tour, winning seven consecutive Alcaraz top 10 players. He also has the most wins of the season at 28, one more than Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Zverev was trying to win the Madrid title for the second year in a row and third overall. He only praised Alcaraz after the match.
“Now you are the best player in the world,” Zverev said before the trophy ceremony, joking about the age of his opponent. “You’re only five years old, but you’re still beating us all. Watching tennis is so great that there are new superstars who win many Grand Slams. To win this tournament many times. To. “
Alcaraz won the first Masters 1000 tournament in Miami earlier this year. He also won Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona. His first career title came in Umag last year.
This season’s three Alcalas defeats faced Monte Carlo’s Sebastian Korda, Indian Wells Nadal and the Australian Open Matteo Berrettini.
After three long wins against Nadal and Djokovic, the seven-seeded Alcaraz maintained high energy from the beginning with Zverev and was in control throughout the match on the “Kahama Magica” center court.
He did not face a breakpoint and converted four of the eight he had against the second seeded Zverev. Alcaraz had 11 unforced errors compared to Zverev’s 25.
“I’m 19 years old. I think this is the key to being able to continue playing long and tough games. I feel good physically,” Alcaraz said.
He said it was special to win in Madrid, where he started watching tennis from an early age.
“When I saw Rafa lift this trophy, I got a lot of power to work hard for this moment,” Alcaraz said. “It’s a great moment for me. It’s the first tournament I’ve seen, so it’s very moving to raise the trophy today.”
___
Other AP Tennis: https: //apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
___
Twitter Tales Azzoni: http: //twitter.com/tazzoni