Carlos Alcaraz is second youngest man to reach amazing hard-court milestone after ATP Finals win

Ewan West
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory at the ATP Finals
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory

Carlos Alcaraz became the second youngest player to accomplish an impressive feat with his victory against Andrey Rublev at the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin. 

The four-time Grand Slam champion downed the 27-year-old Russian 6-3, 7-6(8) in his second round robin match at the season-ending championships.

Alcaraz entered the match with concerns over his health after ending his practice session on Tuesday after just 10 minutes.

The 21-year-old revealed after his surprise 1-6, 5-7 loss to Casper Ruud on Monday that he has been feeling unwell, but his performance in this outing was significantly better.

The Spaniard, who wore a nose strip during the match due to an illness he is dealing with, broke Rublev twice in the first set and won a close second set on a tiebreak after saving two set points.

After the win, Alcaraz admitted he surprised himself with how well he played given how he has been feeling.

“Yes a lot. I surprised myself with how I played from the baseline and with my serve. I was really calm. I tried to be focused on my game and forget that I’m not feeling well, that I’m sick, all that stuff,” he said in an on-court interview.

ATP Tour News

Carlos Alcaraz reveals key to incredible record vs. top 10 he keeps ATP Finals hopes alive

Patrick Mouratoglou gives his verdict on Andrey Rublev’s ‘craziness’ amid health fears

“Once you step on court you have to forget everything you’re struggling with off the court. You try to put your focus on hitting good forehands and backhands. Make good tactics. I think I did pretty well. I surprised myself.”

The world No 3 landed 70% of his first serves, won 84% of his first serve points and an excellent 63% of points behind his second delivery. He did not face a single break point and also struck 10 aces in a strong showing.

Alcaraz’s win against Rublev, the current world No 8, was his 20th career victory on hard courts against a player ranked in the top 10.

At 21 years and 192 days, Alcaraz is the second youngest player to defeat this many top 10 opponents on hard courts after Australian great Lleyton Hewitt.

Hewitt, a former world No 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, achieved this before turning 21.

Seven of Alcaraz’s 20 hard-court wins over top 10 players have come this year, while six were in 2023, four in 2022 and three in 2021. Eight of the victories were against players ranked in the top five.

The Spaniard holds an outstanding 35-18 overall record against top 10 players, having also amassed 10 of these wins on clay and five on grass.

Alcaraz has won nine of last 11 matches against players in the top 10 — an outstanding run that started with his quarter-final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the French Open in June.

READ NEXT: The 5 oldest ATP Finals champions: Novak Djokovic features twice, Roger Federer 3rd