Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals during the US Open. But with two months until the season finale at the Pala Alpitour, the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin is heating up.

Past qualifiers Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev are all well-positioned in third through fifth places, respectively. But below them, the battle is tight.

Felix Auger-Aliassime is currently in seventh place as he tries to earn his spot at the year-end championships for the first time. The Canadian let slip an opportunity to earn buffer during the US Open, where he lost in the second round to Jack Draper. But with 2,860 points, the 22-year-old is 160 points ahead of eighth-placed Alexander Zverev, a two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion who has not competed since the US Open due to injury.

Auger-Aliassime is just 190 points behind sixth-placed Andrey Rublev, who is trying to qualify for the third consecutive year. Rublev advanced to the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows. If 15th-placed Novak Djokovic, this year’s Wimbledon champion, stays within the Top 20 in the Race as expected, then that will put the cut at seventh this year, not eighth.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings

Other players within striking distance are ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz (2,545) and reigning BNP Paribas Open champion Taylor Fritz, who is in 10th place (2,385). There are five ATP 250 events two weeks later this month, when players can make their moves to climb closer to qualification or secure their standing.

The next big opportunity for the ATP Tour’s stars to make a big jump will be the week of 3 October, during which there will be ATP 500 events in Nur-Sultan and Tokyo. Among those on the Nur-Sultan entry list are Alcaraz, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Rublev and Auger-Aliassime. Ruud, Zverev, Fritz and Cameron Norrie are scheduled to play in Tokyo.

Djokovic, who has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals 14 times, is currently 15th in the Race. However, the Serbian is still in position to earn his spot at the Pala Alpitour.

Djokovic won Wimbledon this year, making him eligible for the Grand Slam winner rule. If there is one current-year major champion positioned between eighth and 20th in the Race, he qualifies in eighth place.

‘I’d like to try that sport’. Those were the life-changing words that Hungarian Fabian Marozsan said at five-years old to his father after watching him play tennis with a friend.

Marozsan then began trying his hand at tennis while learning everything from his father, who just played recreationally and had no professional background. Little did they know that Fabian would some day be a professional tennis player who would boast success on the ATP Challenger Tour, be ranked inside the Top 200 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, and compete for Hungary in Davis Cup.

The Budapest native, who still relies on his dad for some coaching and help during practice, is off to a dream start.

Fast forward to this season, when the highlight of the 22-year-old’s career came in August, when he collected his maiden Challenger Tour title in Banja Luka. Despite never playing a Challenger final before, Marozsan was unfazed, needing just 49 minutes to take down home favourite, former World No. 23 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1.

“I know it’s not happening every week that a Hungarian wins a Challenger tournament,” Marozsan said. “I was a little bit surprised because it’s a big moment and a big step for me. I just wanted to play in the semi-finals or the final, which would also be a good result for me. I was really happy.

“I lost only three games in the final, I played really well, everything worked that night. I played maybe the best I have this year.”

Marozsan is one of three Hungarians inside the Top 200, alongside Marton Fucsovics and Zsombor Piros. Fucsovics, who is the World No. 91 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, reached a career-high No. 31 in March 2019. Piros, who is ranked No. 159 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, won the Tampere Challenger the month before Marozsan won in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

“Marton is a really good player, he’s the best Hungarian, maybe of all time. I can learn from him; he’s confident, he knows what he’s doing. Hungary is not a big tennis country, so sometimes we practise at the federation when he’s home. Everyone wants to beat him and be better than him. We look up to him.

“[Piros and I] are the same age. He’s a little bit better than me at the moment. We grew up together going to all the tournaments in Hungary and all of Europe. I want to make some similar results and play some Grand Slams [like he has]. I want to go step-by-step,” Marozsan said.

Marozsan, who is at a career-high No. 178 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, looks to finish the season strong in hopes of earning his first Grand Slam experience at the Australian Open qualifying. A trip to Melbourne would mark a longtime goal of the youngster, who claimed he ‘wasn’t good enough’ to compete at the junior events at the four majors.

“I hope I will be on the list, we cannot say it 100%, anything can happen but I’m really excited… My goal is to play a Grand Slam so maybe I can say it’s going to happen, I’m very happy about that,” Marozsan said.

Marozsan will next compete in the Davis Cup World Group I clash against Ukraine, 15-16 September.

History was made at the US Open on Sunday, when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud to earn his first Grand Slam title and secure the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking. Beaten finalist Ruud has also made a big jump following the run to his second major final, while Frances Tiafoe has cracked the Top 20 after reaching the semi-finals.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week, as of Monday, 12 September.

No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, +3 (Career High)
The 19-year-old has made history following his title run at the US Open, becoming the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Alcaraz, who saved one match point against Jannik Sinner en route to his maiden major title, is the fourth Spanish man to climb to the top of the sport, while he is the youngest Grand Slam champion since Rafael Nadal, 19, triumphed at Roland Garros in 2005. With the pressure on, Alcaraz overcame Ruud in four hard-fought sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium to earn his sixth tour-level title. Read US Open Final Report.

View Latest Pepperstone ATP Rankings

No. 2 Casper Ruud, +5 (Career High)
The Norwegian has soared five spots to No. 2 after he reached his second Grand Slam championship match at the US Open. The 23-year-old, who had never been beyond the third round in four previous appearances in New York, rallied past seeds Tommy Paul, Matteo Berrettini and Karen Khachanov in a standout run. The nine-time tour-level titlist now holds a 44-16 record on the season.

No. 18 Karen Khachanov, +13
The 26-year-old has jumped 13 spots after he reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Flushing Meadows. Khachanov arrived in New York off the back of a first-round exit in Cincinnati, but quickly found his range on the US Open hard courts, earning impressive wins against Montreal champion Pablo Carreno Busta and Washington titlist Nick Kyrgios.

No. 19 Frances Tiafoe, +7 (Career High)
The American has soared to career-high No. 19 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings following his dream run to the semi-finals on home soil in New York. The 24-year-old played lights-out tennis to advance to his first major semi-final, defeating Rafael Nadal en route. Alcaraz eventually stopped Tiafoe in a five-set thriller under the lights on Arthur Ashe stadium.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 8 Cameron Norrie, +1 (Career High)
No. 9 Andrey Rublev, +2
No. 11 Jannik Sinner, +2
No. 20 Nick Kyrgios, +5
No. 26 Borna Coric, +3
No. 28 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, +11
No. 29 Tommy Paul, +5 (Career High)
No. 43 Andy Murray, +8
No. 46 Jack Draper, +7 (Career High)
No. 61 Ilya Ivashka, +12
No. 70 James Duckworth, +13
No. 72 J.J. Wolf, +15 (Career High)
No. 75 Daniel Elahi Galan, +19 (Career High)
No. 84 Corentin Moutet, +28
No. 95 Hugo Grenier, +24 (Career High)

Juan Carlos Ferrero was unable to hide his emotion, even a few hours after Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open triumph. For the coach to the new No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings it was incredibly tense having to watch from the stands, but he was able to breathe again when he saw his understudy hoist the trophy to the New York sky on Arthur Ashe Stadium

“All the time he spent on court affected his game, but, as he said, there is no time to be tired in a final,” Ferrero said. “I kept telling him to go after the match, not to have the feeling that he wasn’t playing at his level.

“Carlos was born to play tournaments and matches like these. From the first moment, I saw things in him that were different to those of other boys his age and I still see them now. Even if he’s in his first final, he’s a great competitor, we saw it against Cilic, Sinner and Tiafoe.”

At 19 years of age, Alcaraz has become a Grand Slam champion and the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973). Ferrero, though, is not surprised.

“It’s happening very quickly, it’s a surprise to everyone, except to me, because I train with him every day and I know what he can do,” admitted the coach. “I was sure that if it wasn’t this year, it would be the next. Now we want to keep going.”

Specifically, Ferrero has vivid memories of his first encounter with Alcaraz, and of the player that came to the Equelite Sport Academy many years ago.

“I saw him at 12 or 13,” said the Valencian. “He came to the academy, we trained one day, he was very small, but everyone was talking about him. He had everything he has now, but in miniature. Officially, I saw him when he got his first ATP point at 14 years of age, then you could see how he competed.

“When he arrived at the academy at 15, he was a stick, he was fast but didn’t have any muscles,” said Ferrero. “Even so, we saw something very special.”

Now, of course, it is a different Alcaraz. A major champion and World number 1. Just how far can he go?

“I think he’s at 60 per cent of his game, he can improve a lot of things, we know that he has to keep going,” said Ferrero. “Now he’s No. 1 he has to keep winning, we know that and I’ll remind him of it.

“He has to improve his return, and his serve, his backhand in certain situations, consistency, trying to keep his head… They are little details that all players have to improve on up until they retire.”

The mentor to the US Open champion knows that comparisons with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are not a good idea.

“It will be difficult to do what they have done in tennis. We’re talking about 22 majors, it’s a long road, but who knows…,” Ferrero said. “He has all the potential to be one of the best, all he can do is try to achieve it.”

The question now is obvious; will Alcaraz change having tasted glory?

“Having played and had significant experiences has helped me be able to manage him pretty directly,” Ferrero said. “There’s no second personality, he is what he seems to be. He’s a very straightforward, humble kid, we have to work to keep him that way. He has an amazing family that helps him keep his feet on the ground.”

#NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima tasted success on the hard courts at the US Open last week, overcoming Pavel Kotov and Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets before Jannik Sinner ended his run at the third-round stage in New York.

The 21-year-old’s aggressive performances have strengthened his chances of qualifying for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for a second consecutive year, with the American consolidating his position in seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan.

Nakashima, who reached the semi-finals at the 21-and-under event last season, will look to climb further when he competes on home soil in San Diego next week.

View Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan Rankings

Briton Jack Draper has further strengthened his position in fifth after soaring to the third round on debut in New York. The 20-year-old, who has won four ATP Challenger Tour titles this season, overpowered Felix Auger-Aliassime under the lights at the US Open to earn his second Top 10 win. The lefty clinched his maiden Top 10 win against Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarter-finals in Montreal last month.

Italian Francesco Passaro’s standout season on the ATP Challenger Tour went from strength to strength at the start of September when he advanced to the final in Como, Italy. The 21-year-old, who holds a 28-11 record on the Challenger Tour this season, is aiming to make his debut on home soil at the indoor event in Milan, taking place from 8-12 November.

The teenage years can be tough. Just ask any 19-year-old.

But when you’re also carrying the expectation of being the new face of tennis, life can feel overwhelming.

Carlos Alcaraz arrived for the North American hard-court swing as World No. 4 and with a shot at becoming the 28th player to reach No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. But an opening round-loss in Montreal to Tommy Paul – when he candidly said the pressure got to him – and a quarter-final loss to Cameron Norrie in Cincinnati, led to worry and self-doubt.

Heading into the year’s final major, coach Juan Carlos Ferrero suspected that Alcaraz had “lost a little bit of happiness on the court,” and that he was worrying about the big picture instead of the next match in front of him. Arriving in New York for the US Open, Ferrero gave his charge license to loosen up, get to net and go on the attack.

“I lost the joy a little bit. I felt the pressure,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t smile on court, which I’m doing in every match, every tournament.

“I came here just to enjoy, you know? To smile on court, to enjoy playing tennis. I love playing tennis, of course. I would say if I smile, if I have fun out there, I saw my best level, my best tennis.”

After simultaneously winning the US Open and becoming the youngest No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Alcaraz will leave New York after Monday’s media tour of Manhattan with his usual, wide grin. Life is good and perhaps about to get even better as he looks ahead to additional, big goals.

He is set to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin from 13-20 November, where he hopes to be crowned as the youngest ever year-end World No. 1.

But he may take a little time first to reflect on his history-making fortnight in New York.

“I overcame myself a little bit. I played a great matches, high intensity, during the two weeks that I’ve never done before,” he said. “I just can say that I’m really happy to move on to be No. 1 of the world, still growing. I’m so, so happy.

“I never thought that I was going to achieve something like that at 19 years old. Everything has come so fast. For me it’s unbelievable. It’s something I dream since I was a kid, since I start playing tennis.”

“But, of course, I’m hungry for more. I want to be in the top for many, many weeks. Hope many years. I’m going to work hard again after this week, this amazing two weeks. I’m going to fight for have more of this.”

VAMOS! pic.twitter.com/ACEnmMTiix

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2022

Alcaraz was ranked just 55 when he made his main-draw debut at the US Open last year. He stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarter-finals, but a second-set retirement against Felix Auger-Aliassime left the Spaniard thinking he was not yet battle-tested to win a Slam.

This year, he won three consecutive five-set matches just to reach the final.

His quest to win majors went from dream to goal after he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in March in Miami, where coincidentally, he also defeated Ruud in the final.

“Since I won Miami, I thought I was able to have a Grand Slam in my hands. Before Miami, I was thinking that I have to still grow up. I thought that I’m able to have good results in a Grand Slam, but not be a champion.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s unsung hero in his US Open final win over Casper Ruud was his run-around forehand.

Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 in the US Open final on Sunday, due in large part to him hitting a slew of run-around forehands standing in the Ad court to counter the Norwegian’s full-court press towards his backhand. Ruud played a tactically savvy final by flattening out his high, heavy groundstrokes and ripping them repeatedly at Alcaraz’s backhand wing. It almost worked. Ruud won a higher percentage of baseline points: 45 per cent (64/141) to Alcaraz’s 43 per cent (59/136).

Alcaraz’s tenacity to upgrade to forehands standing in the Ad court saw him turn 97 groundstrokes from backhands into forehands. In a match decided by only five points (127-122), this specific battle was as important as any other to Alcaraz in capturing his first Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz Groundstrokes (excluding returns, volleys & overheads)

• Forehands = 61% (195)
• Backhands = 39% (125)
• Total = 320

On the surface, Alcaraz hit many more forehands than backhands. But once you examine where Alcaraz was standing when he hit them, you get a better idea of a hidden layer of his successful match strategy.

Alcaraz Forehand Groundstrokes

• Run-Around Forehands = 97 (standing in the Ad court)
• Normal Forehands = 98 (standing in the Deuce court)

Ruud made Alcaraz hit 125 backhands, and if Ruud had his way, the 97 run-around forehands would also have been Alcaraz backhands. If that were the case, Ruud would surely have secured both hands on the silver trophy. Ruud basically threw the kitchen sink at Alcaraz’s backhand through the Ad court.

Alcaraz Total Groundstrokes

• Struck standing in the Ad court = 69% (222)
• Struck standing in the Deuce court = 31% (98)
• Total = 320

Alcaraz’s run-around forehand was solid in the opening two sets, with six errors and one winner from 40 shots. It stood tall in the final two sets with six errors and eight winners from 57 shots. In fact, Alcaraz made his last six run-around forehands in the third set and 16 straight in the fourth set before finally missing one. His run-around forehand was the rock he desperately needed to close out the match. Alcaraz hit 125 backhands for the match, committing 21 backhand errors while capturing five winners. The run-around forehand gave the overheating backhand much-needed relief.

Alcaraz At Net

The net was also a safe haven for the 19-year-old Spaniard to deflect the fight to another part of the court. Alcaraz won 71 per cent (15/21) serving and volleying and an extremely solid 76 per cent (34/45) coming forward overall. His willingness to come forward to finish points makes him a dangerous multi-dimensional opponent with so many places on the court to beat you.

Rally Length

The average rally length for the final was a crisp 4.1 shots, with almost two out of three points (65%) played in the 0-4 shot rally length.

Rally Length Played

• 0-4 Shots = 65%
• 5-8 Shots = 23%
• 9+ Shots = 12%

Alcaraz forged a small but significant advantage in the shortest two rally lengths, accounting for 88 per cent of total points. He lost the long rallies 16-13, but it didn’t hurt him because it only accounted for 12 per cent of total points.

Rally Length Won/Lost

• 0-4 Shots = Alcaraz 84/Ruud 79
• 5-8 Shots = Alcaraz 30/Ruud 27
• 9+ Shots = Alcaraz 13/Ruud 16

It was a very close final with history on the line. Upgrading 97 backhands to forehands could very well have been the centerpiece.