by Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
The Carlos Alcaraz victory at the 2022 U.S. Open will go down in history in many ways – it was his first of many projected major titles, he did it at age 19, the second youngest ever at the U.S. Open and ascended him to being the youngest No. 1 of all time on the ATP computer, and for his long and late night efforts to reach the final.
With only minutes after Alcaraz fell flat on his back as the new champion after his 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 final-round win over Norway’s Casper Ruud, the ESPN threesome of John and Patrick McEnroe and play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler instantly put the Alcaraz achievement into context.
“What we’ve seen is extraordinary,” said Fowler. “You’ve seen a legend be built on Labor Day week in New York City. The journey to get here. I hope you were around for this week. If you weren’t, it was down a break to (Marin) Cilic in the fifth set, the past champion here, dug out of that. The (Jannik) Sinner match was just… I call it transformative. I think it was an amazing display of tennis at a new level. You got a chance to see that. (Frances) Tiafoe put up a tremendous fight. (Casper) Ruud pushed back hard today. So he had to earn it against a bunch of young guys and a veteran, a past champion here.”
Patrick McEnroe then commentated, “There’s no doubt he had to do it the hard way. And when you look at the fact that he’s going to become No. 1 in the world, I mean that’s incredible to do that at this age. But he’s done it because he’s got the most titles of anyone on tour, two Masters events as well. 51 wins this year. That’s also the most… He’s just got so much flare for the game. And he is also got a lot of personality. He loves being out there. Being close up, as I was lucky enough to be during this match, you could see even when he made some of those misses, he just said, “Okay, no problem.” Looked up to his box. And you mentioned it in the middle of the match, which I thought was really insightful, right on the money, he doesn’t look to the box, he’s got it within himself. He actually looks to them and says, “Don’t worry, I got this. I got this covered.” And that was what he showed in all those matches that you talked about, even when he was under pressure, had to deal with adversity, just kept coming back.
Continued Fowler, “No teen has won a major since (Rafa) Nadal did it in 2005. Often they’re compared because from the same country, and he’s just a little bit older than Pete Sampras was, who was the only teenager before him to when a title at the U,S. Open. And again, the first teenager to reach No. 1in the world. Ruud will sit there at No. 2. How long will he hold No. 1? We’ll talk about why there might be an asterisk about No. 1 (due to Wimbledon not receiving ATP ranking points) that’s debatable. The result today, his performance in the Open is not.”
Just a few minutes earlier, just a few moments after Alcaraz has won the match, Fowler described him as “more than a prodigy, perhaps a truly special one. Perhaps the first of many, many, many majors.”
“I would be amazed if that’s not the case,” countered John McEnroe, calling the Alcaraz title run “a superhuman effort.”
“(He’s) masterful of so many levels,” added Fowler. “The firepower is obvious. That’s what’s won him fans, but all the subtle things that you and Patrick (McEnroe) throughout this run have talked about. The management of the moment, the tactical acumen, the variety in his game.”
“He’s got absolutely everything,” countered McEnroe. “It’s hard to imagine anyone mentally as tough as him and, this isn’t hyperbole, one of the fastest… court covers, speed demons you’ll ever see on a tennis court.”
“It’s about health and if you can manage that,” countered Fowler. “The sky is the limit.”
