For many years, the ATP Tour was dominated by three men - Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. And while everyone admired their undisputed dominance, some wanted to see someone challenge them and set new records.
Many tried, and many failed, but on May 5th, 2003, already when all three legendary players competed professionally, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia was born in El Palmar, Murcia, in Spain, and he soon turned his sight to a tennis court.
Already at the age of four, Alcaraz started playing tennis at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia, and in 2018, the Spaniard joined Juan Carlos Ferrero's Equelite JC Ferrero Sport Academy in Villena.
And it was Juan Carlos Ferrero who also led Alcaraz when he made his debut on the ATP Tour. The Spaniard's first tour-level event was the 2020 Rio Open, where he defeated Albert Ramos Vinolas in his first match, before losing to Federico Coria.
In 2021, still as a teenager, Alcaraz made his Grand Slam debut, when he competed at the Australian Open, where he reached the second round. Subsequently, the Murcian competed also at the Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and already at the 2021 US Open, he showed that his qualities should be considered as he managed to reach the quarterfinals.
Only one year later would be the year of Carlos Alcaraz. The young Spaniard reached his maiden major final, when he competed for the world no. 1 spot and the Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows against Casper Ruud.
