Why Carlos Alcaraz needed to be ‘prepared’ after becoming the youngest ever ATP year-end number one

The 22-year-old first made his name in the sport three years ago after capturing his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open.

Two months later, the Spaniard secured his first year-end world number one trophy, becoming the youngest in history to do so.

Carlos Alcaraz needed to be prepared heading into 2023 due to his status as the ‘favourite’ at tournaments

In December 2022, Carlos Alcaraz spoke to The National ahead of the 2023 season.

“Next season is going to be different for me,” Alcaraz said.

“I’m not going to be one of the guys who is climbing up, I’m there, so this season will be a different mentality.

“I have to be prepared to stay strong the whole year because I’ll be going to lots of tournaments as the favourite. Everyone wants to beat me, so I have to be prepared for that.”

Carlos Alcaraz finished the 2022 season on 6,820 points – 800 ahead of his compatriot Rafael Nadal, who concluded his 2022 campaign as the world number two.

Casper Ruud, who Alcaraz defeated in the 2022 US Open final, finished the season ranked third, while Stefanos Tsitsipas finished fourth.

Novak Djokovic finished the year ranked fifth in the world, on 4,820 points.

Remarkably, Alcaraz has almost double the number of ranking points in 2025 as he did in 2022. The 22-year-old has ended 2025 with 12,050 ATP points.

Rafael Nadal predicted Carlos Alcaraz would win ‘many more titles’ after winning the 2022 Miami Open

In March 2022, Carlos Alcaraz won his first Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open.

This prompted a reaction from Rafael Nadal, who made a positive prediction about his compatriot’s future.

On X [Twitter], Nadal said: “Many congratulations Carlitos for your HISTORIC win in Miami.

“It’s the first of many more titles to come, I’m sure!”

Nadal was correct: Alcaraz has won 24 ATP Tour titles in his career so far, including six Grand Slam titles.