Carlos Alcaraz, still only 18, was a portrait of poise in winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami back in March. But when they handed him the phone and he heard Spain’s King Felipe VI, with some congratulatory words, he lost his composure and fell apart.

A few months later, three days after his 19th birthday, the muscular Spaniard had a monumental run in Madrid. He defeated countryman and idol, No. 4-ranked Rafael Nadal, in the quarter-finals, No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the final – for his second Masters 1000 trophy. Afterward, King Felipe shook his hand and posed for photos with the still ill-at-ease youngster.

After winning the US Open, becoming the youngest man to win a major since Nadal’s first title at Roland Garros in 2005, the freshly minted No. 1 player in the world was the guest of the King at Zarzuela Palace on the outskirts of Madrid. This time, Alcaraz looked and felt more comfortable. Indeed, he seems to be growing into his role as the reigning monarch in men’s tennis.

“It was amazing,” Alcaraz said Sunday in an interview with ATP Media at the Astana Open. “Everybody wants to meet the King of Spain. “It’s crazy when you enter, [seeing] all the people working. It’s a lot.

“Dreaming all these years, I’m probably in a movie.”

The sequel begins in Kazakhstan, where Alcaraz is the top seed and Tuesday plays lucky loser David Goffin in the third match on centre court at the National Tennis Centre. Goffin was elevated into the main draw when Denmark’s Holger Rune pulled out with a right knee injury. Alcaraz defeated Goffin in their only previous meeting, 6-3, 6-3 in a second-round match in Melbourne last year.

The phenomenal field in Kazakhstan also includes four other Grand Slam singles champions: Novak Djokovic, a 21-time major winner, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic and Daniil Medvedev.

Like many of the professional players in the game today, Alcaraz dreamed of becoming the world’s No. 1 player and a first-time Grand Slam champion. On the same day, 11 September, he simultaneously achieved both of those goals. He is the youngest No. 1 player in the ATP Tour’s history, going back to 1973. And he did it the hard way, becoming only the third man to win back-to-back-to-back five set matches on the way to a Grand Slam title; he was on court for nearly 24 hours, an entire day in the real world.

Hours after the match, he said he “turned off my mind and spent quality time” with members of his team and family. And then he went right back to work. Five days later, he was playing a Davis Cup match in Valencia, Spain. It had been only three weeks since his triumph in New York when he sat down to talk in Astana.

“I haven’t had too much time to understand what I achieved at US Open,” Alcaraz said. “Yeah, honestly, I feel normal. I feel like I’m the same kid, the same guy. Of course, it’s great to achieve what I achieved at the US Open and [becoming] No. 1 in the world, but I feel the same. It’s the tennis world – week after week, tournament after tournament.

“You have to keep focused on your goals and training.”

After losing to Canada’s Felix Auger-Alliassime, Alcaraz rallied to defeat Soonwoo Kwon of Korea and help send Spain to the quarter-finals, where they will play Croatia next month in Australia with a chance to win the Davis Cup title.

When Monday’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings came out, not only was Alcaraz at the top, but Nadal had risen to No. 2. It was the first time that two players from the same country were 1-2 in 22 years, when America’s Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi did it.

“It means a lot to be part of the Spanish history,” Alcaraz said. “For me, to have two players at the top, is crazy.”

His goal, he said, is to finish the year as the No.1-ranked player.

“I think I said at beginning of the year that the goal was to be in the first 15 players,” Alcaraz said. “And now I’m No 1. From now until the end of the year, I have some good tournaments ahead. [My goal] is to show the best of myself in those tournaments.

“I never thought I’d be the No. 1 this fast.”

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic had smiles on their faces Monday in Astana and it had nothing to do winning a tennis match.

The pair visited a center for autistic children in Kazakhstan’s capital city, a day after fellow ATP stars Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime stopped by. They presented gifts to children at ‘Asyl Miras’ and in turn received a present or two of their own, including paintings from the kids.

“They gave me a gift as well so I was smiling when they gave it to me,” said Alcaraz, who sits atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after winning the US Open last month. “I’m so happy to live these things, to see the kids happy. And that’s the most important thing.”

‘Asyl Miras’ is a project from Bulat Utemuratov’s foundation. The president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation has opened 11 such centres in the country, and he joined Medvedev and Auger-Aliassime on Sunday.

Djokovic has long had his own foundation too, focussing on, as the Novak Djokovic Foundation’s website states, “early childhood education and early childhood development”.

The 21-time Grand Slam winner also once sent a message to a young autistic fan living in Macedonia. According to the World Health Organization, “about one in 100 children” has autism. Used to providing energy on the court, Medvedev said he drew energy from the kids.

^{Photo Credit: Astana Open}
“The centre is really nice,” said Medvedev, seeded second at the Astana Open behind Alcaraz. “They help kids, they help parents, which I find also very important and it was great to see all these kids.

“They were all happy when we gave them presents and yes, it’s just nice energy, gives you a good mood, and yes you want to help people when you see this.”

Auger-Aliassime also came away impressed.

“Beautiful work done by the foundation,” said the eighth-seeded Canadian. “I also had an experience to see the video of the work that’s been done all over the country, so great to see it.

“It’s important what we’re doing, in tennis, trying to be players but it’s also important… It’s actually most important that these kids have the chance to develop in a good way, and I’m happy to see that for my own eyes. Very inspiring.”

The quartet had yet to contest their first outings at the new, stacked ATP 500.

Alcaraz meets lucky loser David Goffin, the former World No. 7, while Djokovic — fresh off his 89th tour-level title at the Tel Aviv Watergen Open — plays this year’s Wimbledon quarter-finalist, Cristian Garin.

In the first doubles match of the 2022 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, fourth seeds Daniel Evans and John Peers made a winning start against Sweden’s Andre Gorannson and Japan’s Ben McLachlan on Monday.

In a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory, Evans and Peers converted on three of five break points and won five consecutive games from 2-2 in the opening set to take control of the match in Rakuten Mobile Arena, Tokyo’s second stadium.

The British-Australian pair dropped serve on the only break point they faced to fall behind 2-3 in the second, but delivered an instant response to draw level on a deciding point. From 3/4 down in the tie-break, they closed out the match by winning four of its final five points. Peers has enjoyed previous success in Tokyo, reaching the 2013 final with Jamie Murray.

The fourth seeds will next face either Alex de Minaur and Frances Tiafoe or Mackenzie McDonald and Marcelo Melo.

Belgian qualifiers Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen closed Monday’s play at the Ariake Colosseum with a 3-6, 7-6(5), 10-8 victory against Japanese wild cards Toshihide Matsui and Kaito Uesugi. Despite failing to convert on any of their nine break points, Gille and Vliegen fired 12 aces on their way to victory in a dramatic Match Tie-break.

The Belgians could face Wimbledon champions and Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the second round, though the second seeds must first defeat Alexei Popyrin and Ramkumar Ramanathan.

Reigning Australian Open champions Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis are the top seeds in the Tokyo doubles draw.

Dodig/Krajicek Advance In Astana
Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek began their Astana Open campaign with victory Monday, moving past Grigoriy Lomakin and Denis Yevseyev 6-3, 6-2.

The Croatian-American team will next meet second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic or Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop. Dodig and Krajicek are aiming to win their second tour-level title together this season in Astana after capturing the crown in Lyon.

Hubert Hurkacz continued his quest to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals on Monday when he moved past Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 7-6(2) at the Astana Open.

The Pole looked in control throughout the 82-minute first-round clash against Argentine Cerundolo, firing 11 aces and saving the one break point he faced to set up a second-round meeting against Alexander Bublik or Tallon Griekspoor.

Hurkacz is currently ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, just 20 points behind eighth-placed Alexander Zverev, who has been sidelined since Roland Garros due to injury. The 25-year-old made his debut at the prestigious end-of-year event in Turin last season and will be hoping to boost his qualification chances with a deep run in Kazakhstan.

Roberto Bautista Agut made a winning start on debut in Astana, upsetting eighth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6(6).

In a hard-fought clash, the Spaniard rallied from a break down in the second set to advance after one hour and 55 minutes. Bautista Agut, who has won tour-level titles in Doha and Kitzbühel this season, has improved to 2-3 in his ATP Head2Head series against Auger-Aliassime and will next play lucky loser Pavel Kotov or countryman Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

“It is my first time here. I played great in these conditions,” Bautista Agut said. “I am very happy to win against a Top 10 player. To beat Felix is not easy. Especially on indoor [courts]. That means I had to play a very good match. I was very solid and also very aggressive and I am very happy.”

Andrey Rublev also advanced, defeating Serbian Laslo Djere 6-4, 6-3 in 71 minutes. The 24-year-old saved all three break points in the first-round match and now leads Djere 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. Rublev, currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, will next face Zhizhen Zhang after the Chinese qualifier defeated Aslan Karatsev 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Adrian Mannarino moved past former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 to maintain his impressive record in Astana.

The Frenchman reached the final in his only previous appearance in 2020 and, after a slow start, looked strong at the hard-court event against Wawrinka. The 34-year-old outlasted the Swiss in the baseline exchanges to improve to 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Mannarino will next play top seed Carlos Alcaraz or Belgian lucky loser David Goffin.

In other action, Botic van de Zandschulp dispatched Kazakhstan wild card Beibit Zhukzyev 6-1, 6-1.

With the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin heating up, Jannik Sinner strengthened his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals with a semi-final run in Sofia, while Novak Djokovic boosted his chances by triumphing in Tel Aviv.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Race following a three-tournament week on Tour.

View Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Rankings

No. 12 Jannik Sinner, +1
The Italian is up to 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin after he enjoyed a run to the semi-finals at the Sofia Open. The 21-year-old, who competed at the Nitto ATP Finals last year as an alternate, defeated Nuno Borges and Aleksandar Vukic before he was forced to retire in the third set against #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune.

No. 15 Novak Djokovic
The 35-year-old further boosted his Turin hopes at the Tel Aviv Watergen Open, where he clinched his third tour-level crown of the season. Djokovic defeated Marin Cilic in the final and did not drop a set in a dominant run at the ATP 250 event. If 15th-placed Djokovic, this year’s Wimbledon champion, stays within the Top 20 in the Race if will qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

With 500 points on offer this week at ATP Tour events in Astana and Tokyo, the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin continues to gather pace as players vie for the four remaining available spots at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals.

Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas have all qualified for the prestigious end-of-year event, with Daniil Medvedev well placed in fifth. However, below the battle is tight.

View Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Rankings

Hubert Hurkacz (2635 points) and Taylor Fritz (2385) sit in ninth and 10th place, respectively, and will be aiming for deep runs to break into the Top eight. Hurkacz, who qualified for Turin last year, is competing at the Astana Open, where he will face Francisco Cerundolo in the first round.

The Pole is currently 65 points behind eighth-placed Alexander Zverev, who hasn’t played since Roland Garros due to injury, while he trails seventh-placed Felix Auger-Alassime by 125 points. Andrey Rublev is sat on 3055 points in sixth and, like Auger-Aliassime, will take to court in Astana. Depending on results, Hurkacz could overtake all three with a strong run on debut in Kazakhstan.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Elsewhere, Fritz will play at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he starts the week on 2385 points. The American, who lifted the trophy in Indian Wells in March, will need to win the title at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo to have any chance of overtaking Auger-Aliassime.

Fresh off his title run in Tel Aviv, Novak Djokovic will be in action in Astana. If 15th-placed Djokovic, this year’s Wimbledon champion, stays within the Top 20 in the Race as expected, he will qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals and then that will put the qualification cut at seventh this year, not eighth. The Serbian has triumphed at the end-of-year event five times.

Fresh off clinching his first ATP Tour title last month in San Diego, Brandon Nakashima continued his winning ways on Monday in his debut at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The American, whose father is of Japanese descent, defeated Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 6-2 in the first round at the Tokyo ATP 500 event.

“It’s my first time in Japan so I’m still learning a lot about it, but it’s very exciting. It’s beautiful so far,” Nakashima said in his post-match interview. “My dad’s side of the family is Japanese. That’s where I get my last name from. Any time I get to learn more about my background I’m super excited, so I’m happy to be here.

“The atmosphere is really amazing. I feel right at home.”

The 19-year-old Mochizuki made a strong start in his Tokyo debut, seeking his first tour-level win, but Nakashima pulled away by winning nine of the final 11 games from 3-3 in the opening set. Nakashima did not face a break point in the contest and won 84 per cent (21/25) of his first-serve points.

“Any time I’m serving well, it affects all the other parts of my game,” said Nakashima. “I’m happy that I served well today.”

The 21-year-old is full of confidence after his San Diego triumph, and was pleased with how his game translated to the Tokyo conditions.

“It was definitely one of my goals at the beginning of the year, to win my first ATP title,” he said. “To do it in my hometown was super special.

“Coming here, it’s pretty far away from where I last played and I’m still kind of getting used to the conditions out here and everything. But I’m happy with my level today and hopefully I’ll be able to have a really good week here.”

Nakashima will face either ninth seed Borna Coric or Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round, with the pair set to meet on Tuesday afternoon. The American is currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan as he aims to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Mochizuki, who was playing in his sixth tour-level match overall and his third ATP Tour event of 2022, enjoyed the experience in front of his home crowd despite the defeat.

“The last tournament I played in Japan was when I was 12 or 13, so it’s been five or six years since I played here. It was very nice,” he said.

“It’s amazing that a lot of people are supporting me. I don’t experience that very often with my level now, so obviously it’s unbelievable and I really want to play next year again… Off-court it’s very comfortable staying in Japan. I know everything. I love Japanese food.”

Frances Tiafoe continued his strong form to reach the second round at the ATP 500 event, overcoming Japanese wild card Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 6-4.

The American, who is making his second appearance in Tokyo, fired eight aces and saved both break points he faced to advance after 74 minutes. The 24-year-old has now won seven of his past nine matches, after enjoying a run to the semi-finals at the US Open last month.

Tiafoe will next play Bernabe Zapata Miralles after the Spaniard downed Japan’s Taro Daniel 7-5, 7-5 in two hours and 15 minutes.

In Monday’s opening match, Pedro Martinez downed Alexei Popyrin 7-5, 6-4. With the victory, the Spaniard snapped an eight-match losing streak across all levels, including six tour-level defeats. He awaits the winner of top seed Casper Ruud’s Tuesday meeting with Jaume Munar.

Adrian Mannarino will sleep well Sunday night on the eve of the Astana Open. He’s one of those tennis players who chooses not to dwell on what lies directly ahead.

“I don’t want to talk about the draw or who I’m facing or whatever because I’m not looking,” the 34-year-old said at the beginning of a Sunday interview. “The quality of the tournament? I don’t know anything.”

Given the formidable ATP 500 field gathered in Kazakhstan, it’s probably just as well Mannarino doesn’t know that he’ll be facing three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the tournament’s very first match (12 noon, local time) on centre court at the National Tennis Centre.

Yes, at the moment, you actually know more than he does. Mannarino is coming off a first-round loss in Tel Aviv, where he was the seventh seed, to fellow Frenchman Constant Lestienne. The good news? He beat Wawrinka in the only match they ever played in the second round of the 2015 Miami Open presented by Itau – prevailing in a pair of taut tie-breaks.

This is one of six first-round singles matches, featuring three seeded players, that will unfold Monday.

Following the opening match, seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz faces Francisco Cerundolo. The night session (6 p.m. local) kicks off with eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime versus Roberto Bautista Agut – perhaps the finest quality matchup in the first round. The nightcap is fifth seed Andrey Rublev against qualifier Laslo Djere.

The only doubles match: Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek against the Kazakhstani wild-card team of Grigoriy Lomakin and Denis Yevseyev.

The first match of the day on Court 1 has Botic Van de Zandschulp opposite Kazakhstan wild card Beibit Zhukayev.

Van de Zandschulp has a fascinating backstory. He’s played 58 matches so far this year at the tour-level – previously, he had only played 27.

The 26-year-old from the Netherlands is ranked No. 35, but a year ago he had to qualify for all four Grand Slam events. He went a searing 11-1 in those qualifying matches, reaching the main draw at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open. As it turned out, he got into the Wimbledon field as a lucky loser.

At last year’s US Open, the Dutchman became only the third male qualifier to reach the quarter-finals. There, he faced Daniil Medvedev – and was the only player to take a set from the eventual champion. He finished the season as the Netherlands’ No. 1 and has been adapting to this, his first full season on the ATP Tour.

“Yeah, I think I did quite all right,” Van de Zandschulp said in an interview. “It was pretty tough, actually, playing first time Cincinnati and Montreal, four matches in total. I was not ashamed to lose to [Cam] Norrie or [Daniil] Medvedev.

“Winston-Salem [semi-finals] was good. It’s still figuring out what the best schedule is for me. There’s ups and downs, and hopefully I can manage things to the end of the year.”

The Dutchman will play Astana and is scheduled for Antwerp, Basel and Paris. And then – after “a small vacation” – there is some unfinished business in Australia, where the Netherlands will play in the November Davis Cup quarter-finals. Van de Zandschulp was a big part of the victory in Glasgow, Scotland, where he and his team defeated Kazakhstan, Great Britain and the United States to win Group D.

This season, he said, has involved a steep learning curve. With access to so many tournaments, it’s been difficult to keep his schedule manageable. Previously, when he was playing Challengers, his travel was generally restricted to Europe, with two major trips to Australia and the United States. Traveling more and playing fewer matches – against better opponents – has been challenging.

“You learn a lot from the experience,” Van de Zandschulp. I want to finish the season strong and be in the Top 30 at the end of the year – seeded in Australia. That’s the end goal for the year.”

Unlike Mannarino, he fully understands what is at stake here in Astana. If he manages to defeat Zhukayev, 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic could await in the second round.

“On paper, Novak’s the toughest one in the draw,” said the Netherlands star. “Never played him before, and hopefully I can if I win my first match and he wins his. So, yeah, really looking forward to it.

“It’s always nice to play someone for the first time, especially him.”

Rajeev Ram made history on Monday when he became the oldest first-time World No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings history. The American climbed from World No. 2, swapping places with partner Joe Salisbury of Great Britain.

“It’s pretty amazing. I’ve obviously had quite a long career, which I’m grateful for. But it’s been over the past three or four years with Joe that it’s really felt like we’ve been at the top of the game and been contending for all the major titles,” Ram told ATPTour.com. “It’s a lot of hard work that a lot of people put in, not just me, to get me to this point.”

The 38-year-old has been World No. 2 since 4 April, and he climbed to World No. 1 when Salisbury dropped 250 points he earned from capturing the San Diego Open title last season with Neal Skupski. Ram positioned himself to earn the achievement when he partnered Salisbury to their second consecutive US Open title last month.

Although Ram “used to shy away” from record-related talk, he appreciates making the top of the men’s doubles mountain aged 38. The previous-oldest first-time World No. 1 was the first doubles World No. 1: Bob Hewitt, who was 36 in 1976.

“I certainly appreciate that now because I feel like it shows the fact that you can wait long. As long as you’re resilient [and] persistent, things can happen, even much later,” Ram said. “Everyone is on their own path and maybe it’s even a little bit sweeter if it takes a little bit longer.”

^{Ram and Salisbury at this year’s US Open. Photo: Elsa/Getty Images.}
The American played college tennis at the University of Illinois, where in 2003 the team won the national title and Ram claimed doubles glory with Brian Wilson. He then enjoyed a successful singles career in which he climbed to a career-high World No. 56 in 2016 and lifted two ATP Tour trophies (both in Newport).

But in 2017, Ram shifted his focus to doubles and has not looked back since.

“I felt like I restarted my career in 2017 when I started playing doubles. I don’t feel like it’s been that long in the sense of it feels like I’ve just really played doubles for about five years,” Ram said. “It feels a little different than it would have [if] I played doubles my whole career and all of a sudden at 38 I got to this point.

“I needed to focus every bit of attention I had to maximise my skill in doubles, I felt like. That’s sort of what I did. To have a steady partner, to have a group around us that we all believe in and we trust, I think these results are a [result] of that.”

Both Ram and Salisbury were clear that they have always put the team above the individual in their partnership. They have won eight tour-level titles together — including three Grand Slam crowns — and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in four consecutive seasons.

“These accolades are great, but I think our focus was to be the No. 1 team,” Ram said. “Now the fact that we both will [have been] the No. 1 player is just a testament to the team effort that we’ve put in.”

Ram had a hunch things would go well with Salisbury after their first training block together at the end of 2018 in Florida, and that has proven prophetic. Salisbury had plenty of praise for his partner.

“Massive congratulations to Rajeev for being the World No. 1. I’m very happy for him and it’s definitely well deserved. It definitely feels right that he’s No. 1 now. I’m very happy to be moving back to be No. 2,” Salisbury said. “Obviously it’s a huge team effort, we’re really proud of what we’ve achieved. To be the No. 1 team at the moment, I think it’s definitely right that we share being No. 1. I’ve enjoyed having it while I have, but I’m really happy for him. He’s been an incredible partner the whole time we’ve been playing together.

“[Even though] we think more about the team than the individual accolades, it’s definitely nice that he has the No. 1 ranking now.”

Mike Bryan, who was doubles World No. 1 for a record 506 weeks, congratulated his countryman on ascending to the top spot.

“Rajeev really deserves this honour and it’s great to see him having so much success in his late 30s,” Bryan told ATPTour.com. “He’s always been one of the most talented and dangerous doubles players on Tour, but to reach the top of the mountain this late in his career is amazing. It’s a huge testament to his dedication and hard work. Congrats RR!”

Although he is excited to reach World No. 1, Ram is hungry to continue honing his craft and to work with Salisbury to remain the top team in the sport.

“It’s just the idea of trying to maintain and keep improving my own game, because everyone else is going to improve as well. No one is just going to sit there, so obviously if we don’t get better, we’re going to fall behind,” Ram said. “It’s just constant motivation to keep pushing as hard as we can to go as far as we can go.”

Did You Know?
Ram is the 57th player and 18th American to climb to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.