Carlos Alcaraz sat on the podium in the main interview room in Arthur Ase Stadium on Sunday evening, the US open trophy shining next to him, a smile lying on his face. Fresh from his four-set victory over Jannik Sinner, the 22-year-old was asked what he thought of the bold statement of his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero had played the perfect final.
“He’s right,” Alcaraz said with a fuss. “I think I’ve played perfectly. I mean if I want to win US Open, if I want to beat Jannik, I have to play perfect.”
The Spaniard certainly looked near flawless from start to end. Closed by his first match, Alcaraz held the service at 98 out of 101 service games throughout the tournament and did not throw a set until the championship collision. This only made the fourth player since 2000 to reach the US Open final without losing a set.
“From the first rounds to the end of the tournament, the best tour so far I have ever played,” reflected Alcaraz. “The consistency of my level throughout the tour has really been, really high, which I am really proud of, because it is something I have worked on, to be really durable. I think this tour I saw I can play really stable.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywqpdng2qk8
The victory was even sweeter as Alcaraz pushed back to the top of the ATP ranking, ending the 65-week reign of sin at no.1. For the Spaniard, who last held the crown in September 2023, she marked the realization of a seasonal ambition.
“To me is great. When you reach the goals you set yourself at the beginning of the year, it feels amazing,” he said. “Since I had the opportunity to regain No. 1, it was one of the first goals I had during the season, just to try to recover No. 1 as soon as possible or finish the year as No. 1.
“To me, to achieve it once again is a dream. Making it on the same day when winning another Grand Slam feels even better. Everything I am working on, and I am really happy to live these experiences.”
Alcaraz’s triumph also underlined how much it has grown since it suffered a painful loss to sin in Wimbledon’s final in July. This obstacle denied him a third direct title of Wimbledon, but it prompted a period of reflection and tireless work that proved crucial in New York.
“I just thought I had to improve some things if I want to beat it after that final of Wimbledon,” Alcaraz said. “I just thought about the specific things I want to improve if I want to beat Jannik. So I just spent two weeks before Cincinnati just practiced some specific things about my game I need or I felt like I have to be able to beat Jannik.”
