History of Carlos Alcaraz in Timeline
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia is a prominent Spanish professional tennis player. He achieved the world No. 1 ranking in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Throughout his career, Alcaraz has amassed an impressive 17 ATP Tour-level singles titles. His accomplishments include winning four major titles and five Masters 1000 titles, establishing him as a dominant force in the world of tennis.
1963: Koch's US Open Quarterfinal Appearance
In 1963, Thomaz Koch became the youngest US Open men's quarterfinalist, a record later broken by Carlos Alcaraz.
1973: Establishment of ATP Rankings
The ATP rankings were established in 1973, and since then, 20 teenagers have entered the top 10, including Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
1989: Chang and Sampras's Early US Open Success
In 1989, Michael Chang and Pete Sampras became the youngest men to reach the US Open fourth round, records later broken by Carlos Alcaraz.
1990: Youngest US Open Champion Since Pete Sampras
Carlos Alcaraz's 2022 US Open win made him the youngest men's champion at the tournament since Pete Sampras in 1990.
1990: Chang's Grand Slam Quarterfinal Appearance
In 1990, Michael Chang became the youngest Grand Slam men's singles quarterfinalist, a record later broken by Carlos Alcaraz.
1992: Medvedev's Early Grand Slam Success
In 1992, Andrei Medvedev became the youngest man in a major fourth round, a record later broken by Carlos Alcaraz.
2002: First Non-"Big 4" Wimbledon Champion Since Lleyton Hewitt
Carlos Alcaraz's 2023 Wimbledon victory marked the first time a player outside the "Big 4" (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray) won the tournament since Lleyton Hewitt's win in 2002.
May 2003: Birth of Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia was born in May 2003 in El Palmar, Murcia, Spain.
2003: Alcaraz's Early Challenger Titles
Born in 2003, Carlos Alcaraz won four Challenger titles, three of which he won before turning 18.
2003: Alcaraz's ATP Debut and Early Success
Born in 2003, Alcaraz made his ATP main draw debut at the age of 16.
2003: Alcaraz's Early Success in Challenger Tournaments
Born in 2003, Alcaraz became the first player from his birth year to win a Challenger match and later became the first to reach a Challenger title match.
2004: Previous Youngest Player to Beat World No. 1
Before Carlos Alcaraz in May 2022, the youngest player to defeat a world No. 1 was in 2004.
2004: Nadal's Early Madrid Open Record
In 2004, Rafael Nadal set the record for youngest match winner at the Madrid Open, which was later broken by Carlos Alcaraz in May 2021.
2004: Nadal's First ATP Title
Rafael Nadal won his first ATP title in 2004, a feat later matched by Carlos Alcaraz in July 2021, making Alcaraz the youngest Spaniard to achieve this since Nadal.
April 2005: Nadal's Entry into Top 10
In April 2005, Rafael Nadal entered the top 10 rankings at a young age, a feat later matched by Carlos Alcaraz in April 2022.
2005: Nadal's Early Top 5 Ranking
Rafael Nadal reached the top 5 rankings in 2005 at a young age, a feat matched by Carlos Alcaraz in July 2022.
2008: Nishikori's Early ATP Title Win
In 2008, Kei Nishikori became the youngest ATP tour-level champion, a record later surpassed by Carlos Alcaraz in July 2021.
2017: First to Win Indian Wells Without Dropping a Set Since Roger Federer
Carlos Alcaraz's win at Indian Wells in March 2023 marked the first time a player had won the tournament without dropping a set since Roger Federer accomplished the feat in 2017.
September 2018: Alcaraz Joins Ferrero Tennis Academy
In September 2018, at age 15, Carlos Alcaraz moved to Villena to train at the Ferrero Tennis Academy under the guidance of Juan Carlos Ferrero, after being discovered by Albert Molina.
2018: Alcaraz Begins Professional Career
Carlos Alcaraz began his professional tennis career in 2018 at the age of 15.
April 2019: Alcaraz's Challenger Debut
In April 2019, 15-year-old Alcaraz made his Challenger debut at the JC Ferrero Challenger in Villena, winning his first match against Jannik Sinner.
February 2020: Alcaraz's ATP Main-Draw Debut
At 16, in February 2020, Alcaraz made his ATP main-draw debut at the Rio Open, winning his first match against Albert Ramos Viñolas, making him the first player born in 2003 to win an ATP Tour match.
May 2021: Alcaraz Breaks into Top 100 and Achieves First Major Quarterfinal
In May 2021, Carlos Alcaraz entered the top 100 of the ATP rankings and reached his first major quarterfinal at the US Open.
May 2021: Alcaraz Enters Top 100 and Breaks Nadal's Record
In May 2021, Alcaraz won the 2021 Open de Oeiras III Challenger tournament and entered the top 100 at 18 years old. He also became the youngest match winner in Madrid Open history, surpassing Rafael Nadal's 2004 record.
July 2021: Alcaraz's First ATP Title
In July 2021, Alcaraz won his first ATP title at the Croatia Open Umag, defeating Richard Gasquet. He became the youngest ATP tour-level champion since Kei Nishikori in 2008 and the youngest Spaniard to win an ATP title since Nadal in 2004.
2021: Daniil Medvedev's US Open Title
In 2021, Daniil Medvedev won the US Open title. This is relevant to the context of Alcaraz's 2023 US Open performance.
February 2022: Alcaraz's First ATP 500 Title and Top 20 Ranking
In February 2022, Alcaraz won his first ATP 500 title at the Rio Open and entered the top 20 singles rankings.
March 2022: Alcaraz Wins First Masters 1000 Titles
In March 2022, Alcaraz secured his first Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open, followed by another at the Madrid Open, defeating notable players like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev.
April 2022: Alcaraz Enters Top 10 and Wins Barcelona Open
In April 2022, Alcaraz broke into the top 10 rankings and won the Barcelona Open. He became the 20th teenager to achieve a top 10 ranking since 1973 and the youngest since Nadal in April 2005.
May 2022: Alcaraz Defeats Top Players and Wins Madrid Open
In May 2022, shortly after turning 19, Alcaraz defeated Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev to win the Madrid Open. He became the first teenager to defeat Nadal on clay, the youngest player to beat a world No. 1 since 2004, and achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 6.
July 2022: Alcaraz Reaches New Career-High Ranking but Loses Final
In July 2022, Alcaraz reached a career-high ranking of world No. 5, becoming the youngest player to reach the top 5 since Nadal in 2005. However, he lost in the Hamburg Open final, his first loss in a tournament final.
2022: End of 2022 Season and Injury
Following his US Open win, in 2022, Carlos Alcaraz experienced some losses and an abdominal tear that forced him to end his season early, withdrawing from the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals. Despite this, he finished the year as the youngest and first teenage world No. 1 in the ATP era.
2022: 2022 US Open Championship
In 2022, Carlos Alcaraz won the US Open, defeating Casper Ruud in the final. This victory made him the youngest world No. 1 in ATP ranking history at 19 years old.
March 2023: Indian Wells and Miami Open 2023
In March 2023, Carlos Alcaraz won the Indian Wells Masters without dropping a set, becoming the youngest player to achieve the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami Open titles). He reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking but lost in the Miami Open semifinals to Jannik Sinner, dropping to No. 2.
2023: 2023 Wimbledon Championship and Queen's Club Title
In 2023, Carlos Alcaraz won his first grass-court title at the Queen's Club Championships. He then defeated Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, becoming the first non-"Big 4" player to win Wimbledon since 2002.
2023: 2023 Indian Wells and Miami Open
Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Indian Wells title in 2023, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final. However, he lost in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open to Grigor Dimitrov, dropping to world No. 3.
2023: 2023 Wimbledon and French Open Wins - Channel Slam
In 2023, Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Wimbledon title, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. This victory, coupled with his French Open win, made him the youngest male player in the Open Era to achieve the Channel Slam (winning both tournaments in the same season).
2023: 2023 US Open and Cincinnati Final
In 2023, Carlos Alcaraz lost the Cincinnati final to Djokovic in a grueling match. He then defended his US Open title but lost in the semifinals to Daniil Medvedev. Consequently, he dropped to No. 2 in the rankings.
2023: Alcaraz's Second Major Title at Wimbledon
In 2023, Alcaraz won his second major title at Wimbledon, defeating four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic.
2023: 2023 French Open Semifinal
During the 2023 French Open, Carlos Alcaraz reached the semifinals but lost to Novak Djokovic after experiencing severe cramps, which he attributed partly to the pressure of the match.
2024: 2024 Australian Open Quarterfinal
Carlos Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 2024, his best performance at the tournament so far, but lost to Alexander Zverev.
2024: Alcaraz Wins French Open, Wimbledon, and Olympic Silver Medal
In 2024, Alcaraz won his third and fourth major titles at the French Open and Wimbledon, respectively, and earned an Olympic silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
2024: 2024 Argentina and Rio Opens
In 2024, Carlos Alcaraz reached the semifinals of the Argentina Open but retired from the Rio Open due to a right ankle injury.