Carlos Alcaraz arrived in Madrid last May still with plenty to prove. The swiftness with which he joined the elite had already become one of the defining stories of the season, but Alcaraz had still not faced the ultimate test, measuring up against Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.
By the end of the week, he had ticked both off the list. Alcaraz finished the Madrid Open by becoming the first player to beat Nadal and Djokovic consecutively on clay and he departed with the title.
In the 13 months since, Alcaraz has risen higher still. He won his first grand slam at the US Open last year, the last one he played as he missed the Australian Open with injury. He became the ATP's first teenage world No 1. He has four Masters 1000 titles.
At the same time Alcaraz established himself at the top, Djokovic re-established his own form having fallen from the No 1 ranking primarily because of his unvaccinated status freeing up his schedule. Djokovic has won the past two grand slam tournaments he entered and has seven titles since last May.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 09, 2023-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
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