Thanks to a win at the Barcelona Open over the weekend, 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz cracked the Top 10 of the ATP rankings. This made him the youngest tennis player to do so since 2005 and his fellow Spaniard and Grand Slam record-holder Rafael Nadal.
Alcaraz started the last week on No. 11, but the Barcelona win got him enough points to move to No.9. Doing so made him the ninth youngest top 10 ATP player at 18 years, 11 months, and 20 days.
Alcaraz has been on a roll this season, racking up 23 wins in 2022. Only Stefanos Tsitsipas has more with 24. He also won three ATP titles, including the Miami Open, and is tied for most this year with Nadal.
Carlos Alcaraz hinted at great things last year when he made an impressive showing at the 2021 US Open. He made it to the tournament’s quarterfinals; his biggest Grand Slam result to date. This made him the youngest men’s quarterfinalist in the Open Era. Unfortunately, his run ended abruptly as he was forced to retire against Félix Auger-Aliassime due to a leg injury.
The top of the ATP rankings remained the same, with Novak Djokovic occupying the first spot. He’s followed by Daniil Medvedev at No. 2 and Alexander Zverev at No. 3. Nadal is currently fourth.
