Carlos Alcaraz
Born 2003 · Age 22
Spanish professional tennis player; multi‑Grand Slam champion; youngest ATP world No.1 (Sept 12, 2022).
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth
Born in El Palmar, Murcia, Spain to Carlos Alcaraz González and Virginia Garfia Escandón.
Starts playing tennis
Began playing tennis at age four at Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia, where his father worked as coach/administrator.
Discovered by agent Albert Molina
At age eleven Albert Molina discovered him, introduced him to IMG and later to Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Professional debut — Spain F5 ITF Futures
Played first professional event (Spain F5 ITF Futures, Murcia); reached quarterfinals and earned first ATP ranking points, entering rankings at world No. 1414.
Named Head Coach relationship with Juan Carlos Ferrero (start)
Juan Carlos Ferrero is listed as his head coach from 2019 onward; foundational coaching relationship for his professional development.
Joins Equelite / Ferrero connection
Introduced to Juan Carlos Ferrero and moved into his training environment (migration to Ferrero's academy period noted around 2018–2019).
Challenger debut and first Challenger win
Made Challenger debut at JC Ferrero Challenger (Villena) as a wild card; beat Jannik Sinner and became first player born in 2003 to win a Challenger match.
ATP main-draw debut — Rio Open
Made ATP main-draw debut via wild card; defeated world No. 41 Albert Ramos Viñolas in a 3hr37min match; first player born in 2003 to win an ATP Tour match.
French Open qualifying near-miss
Played first Grand Slam qualifying at postponed 2020 French Open; held two match points vs Aleksandar Vukic but lost.
Grand Slam main-draw debut — Australian Open
Qualified for main draw at 2021 Australian Open (youngest man to do so since Djokovic 2005); won first-round match vs Botic van de Zandschulp.
Enters ATP top 100
After winning Challenger Oeiras III (defeating Facundo Bagnis), rose from No. 114 to No. 94 and entered the ATP top 100 (youngest player in top 100).
French Open third round
Made main-draw debut at Roland Garros and reached the third round (youngest man to do so at Roland Garros in 29 years).
Wins first ATP title — Croatia Open (Umag)
Claimed first ATP singles title defeating Richard Gasquet; youngest ATP champion since 2008.
US Open quarterfinal run
Reached US Open quarterfinals (defeated world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas en route); youngest US Open men's quarterfinalist in Open Era; retired in QF due to leg injury.
Breaks into top 35
After strong late-2021 results (including Vienna and Paris Masters runs), became youngest player in the top 35 on Nov 1, 2021.
Wins Next Gen ATP Finals
Claimed the Next Gen ATP Finals title, defeating Sebastian Báez and Sebastian Korda (dropped only one set in the tournament).
Australian Open seeded debut — third round
Seeded in a major for the first time (world No.31); reached third round, lost to Matteo Berrettini in a five-set tiebreak.
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year (recognition)
Named Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year for his 2022 season performance (award for the season; presented the following year).
Wins ATP 500 — Rio Open
Won Rio Open (ATP 500) defeating Diego Schwartzman; youngest ATP 500 champion since the category's inception.
Enters ATP top 20
Entered the top 20 in ATP singles rankings (rapid rise during early 2022).
Wins first ATP Masters 1000 — Miami Open
Claimed Miami Open (Masters 1000) title by defeating Casper Ruud; youngest Masters 1000 champion since Nadal 2005 and first Spaniard to win Miami.
Enters ATP top 10 for first time
Following Barcelona Open run (defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas), entered world top 10 (youngest since Nadal in 2005).
Wins Madrid Open (Masters) — defeats Nadal and Djokovic
A day after his 19th birthday defeated Rafael Nadal in quarterfinals, beat Novak Djokovic next day, and won the Madrid Open final vs Alexander Zverev; became youngest Madrid champion and first player to beat Nadal and Djokovic back-to-back on clay.
Career-high ranking: world No. 6
Reached career-high ranking of world No.6 on 9 May 2022.
Wins first Grand Slam — US Open champion
Won 2022 US Open (defeated Casper Ruud in final) after epic five-set matches in quarters and semis; became youngest man and first male teenager in Open Era to top ATP singles rankings.
Becomes world No. 1
Officially became ATP world No.1 on 12 September 2022 at age 19 years, 4 months, 6 days — youngest ever to do so in ATP rankings.
Abdominal tear and season end
Suffered abdominal tear requiring a six-week layoff; withdrew from ATP Finals and Davis Cup, ending 2022 season early.
Withdraws from Australian Open (hamstring)
Announced withdrawal from 2023 Australian Open due to a hamstring injury sustained in training; lost world No.1 ranking to Novak Djokovic.
Wins Argentina Open
Won Argentina Open (Buenos Aires), defeating Cameron Norrie in the final; first title since 2022 US Open.
Wins Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open)
Won Indian Wells (Masters 1000), recorded 100th career win en route, beat Jannik Sinner (SF) and Daniil Medvedev (F) without dropping a set; completed Indian Wells title as part of Sunshine Double run and regained world No.1 on 20 March 2023.
Wins Queen's Club (first grass title)
Captured first grass-court title at Queen's Club, beating Alex de Minaur; re‑assumed world No.1.
Wins Wimbledon — second major
Defeated Novak Djokovic in a 4hr42min classic to win Wimbledon 2023; his second Grand Slam title.
Cincinnati final (epic loss)
Lost to Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati final despite holding a championship point; match was the longest best-of-three Masters final (3h49m).
US Open semifinal and year-end ranking
Reached 2023 US Open semifinals (lost to Daniil Medvedev); ended 2023 year ranked world No.2.
Australian Open — first-time quarterfinal
Reached first Australian Open quarterfinal (lost to Alexander Zverev in four sets).
Samuel López appointed assistant coach
Samuel López joined as assistant coach (listed as assistant coach starting 2024).
Defends Indian Wells title
Defended his Indian Wells title (beat Jannik Sinner in SF and Daniil Medvedev in F), earning his first title in eight months.
Wins French Open — first Roland Garros
Won 2024 French Open, defeating Alexander Zverev in five sets in the final; became youngest male to win majors on all three surfaces.
Wins Wimbledon — defends title
Defended Wimbledon title (beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets), completing Channel Slam (winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon in same season).
China Open title and ATP 500 surface feat
Won China Open (defeating Jannik Sinner in final), reclaimed world No.2, and became first player to win an ATP 500 singles title on every surface (clay, grass, hard).
Olympic silver medal — Paris 2024
Reached Olympic singles final in Paris and won the silver medal (lost to Novak Djokovic); partnered with Rafael Nadal to QF in doubles.
Ends 2024 ranked world No.3
Despite winning two majors in 2024, finished the year ranked world No.3 — the first man to finish as low as No.3 after winning two majors that season.
Australian Open quarterfinal (career Grand Slam bid)
Reached 2025 Australian Open quarterfinals but lost to Novak Djokovic, missing chance to become the youngest man to complete career Grand Slam.
Rivalry note — Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner head-to-head
By 2025 Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner had met 14 times on tour with Alcaraz leading 9–5; rivalry described as potentially era-defining.
Wins Rotterdam Open (indoor hardcourt)
Won Rotterdam Open (first indoor hardcourt title) defeating Alex de Minaur in the final.
Wins Monte-Carlo Masters — first match wins at event
Captured Monte-Carlo Masters (defeated Lorenzo Musetti in final); had previously never won a match at this tournament before this run — his sixth career Masters 1000 title.
Wins Italian Open (Rome) — completes modern clay set
Beat world No.1 Jannik Sinner in the final to claim his first Italian Open title; became third man to win all modern big clay titles (Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros).
Wins French Open — epic comeback vs Jannik Sinner
Won 2025 French Open final over Jannik Sinner after coming back from two sets down; match lasted 5 hours 29 minutes, longest French Open final ever.
250th ATP match victory milestone
Recorded 250th ATP victory in Queen's Club semifinal (semifinal win vs Roberto Bautista Agut); went on to win Queen's final vs Jiří Lehečka.
Wimbledon 2025 — finalist; first major final loss
Reached sixth consecutive major final at Wimbledon; lost final to Jannik Sinner in four sets — his first loss in a major final.
Cincinnati Open 2025 — title via opponent retirement
Won Cincinnati Open after Jannik Sinner retired while trailing; this was Alcaraz's sixth title of the 2025 season.
Career totals snapshot (as reported)
By mid‑2025 Alcaraz had 22 ATP Tour singles titles (including five major titles) and career prize money reported at US$48,486,628.
Key Achievement Ages
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