Winning a Grand Slam at 19 years of age and becoming the No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings inevitably brings with it the impression that Carlos Alcaraz is a prodigal talent, a player with a God-given gift for tennis. However, the Spaniard is quick to distance himself from labels of such magnitude.

“I’m not special, and nobody said I was going to be the best,” Alcaraz said. “I’ve worked for it.”

In an interview from New York, the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings reveals the person hiding behind the premature success of his fledgling professional career.

You’ve said many times that your dream was to be the No. 1. Is there anything left that excites you?
Playing against Federer would excite me and beating a ‘Big Three’ player in a Grand Slam. I’ve always said that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best.

In an interview a few years ago you denied being special. Now you are breaking all the records for precocity. Do you stand by that statement or are you starting to think you do have something special?
My answer is the same. Nobody gifts you anything, I believe. You don’t just click your fingers and have the world at your feet. You have to work at things. I think what I have achieved, winning a Grand Slam and being No. 1 in the world, is because of the work I’ve been doing with my team for a very long time.

It hasn’t been a bed of roses, I’ve had to suffer and go through bad times to get here. I’m not special, and nobody said I was going to be the best, I’ve worked for it.

You always talk about your team, family, but what percentage of this success is related to your work on the mental side?
I’ve been working with a psychologist for two or three seasons, with Isabel Balaguer. She’s a great professional, one of the main reasons I am able to be No. 1 in the world today. I’ve improved so much thanks to her.

Having a mental coach is important as tennis is demanding week after week and during a whole year you have to be fresh mentally, you have to cope with the pressure, with everyone watching you and it’s important to be able to handle that. Without a psychologist, I wouldn’t say it’s impossible because nothing is, but it would be far more difficult.

^{Photo Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images}
What tools has she given you?
We talk, she gives me advice in certain situations: ‘You have to do this, you have to do that’. Things that help on court, she gives me a lot of tools.

Also to deal with journalists or people?
No, not that aspect. I am myself. She doesn’t give me tools for that. It’s more work on court, how to handle things. Also accepting that people recognise you, advice on how to cope with those situations.

Have you incorporated new routines?
I’ve reinforced what I had, always improving, incorporating them in a way that’s more natural for me.

What things do you always do?
Before matches I don’t have a specific routine, I do my warm up, where I always do the same, I try to always go to the same place with my team. If I feel like listening to music, I do, otherwise I don’t. In the match, I have some superstitions with towels, taking four balls, bouncing them five times, the bottles always neatly arranged, always drinking first from one, a bite of my energy bar always before the banana… [laughs].

What is a day in your life like outside of tennis?
Honestly, I’m a very basic person and that’s what I enjoy the most, being with five or six friends sitting on a bench, in a car or a house, talking peacefully, laughing, telling anecdotes, it makes me happy.

Everyone describes you as a player with no fear on court. What is Carlos Alcaraz afraid of?
Honestly, I’m scared of failure. That’s probably one of my fears. Letting a lot of people down.

Failure in what sense?
Not being up to their expectations. Although I’ve won a Grand Slam or now I’m No. 1 in the world, probably there will be tournaments in which there are expectations and I can’t meet them. Above all, letting down the people around me. In terms of everyone else, there are a lot of people who think and have opinions, but I’m talking about those that are close to me. That’s the thing I’m most scared of.

And off the court?
I’d say the dark. I’m not a fan of horror films either. I’m scared of lots of things.

Nadal has the record with 22 Grand Slams. You’ve already got your first…
I’ll always be proud when Rafa wins Grand Slams and obviously if I lose at a Grand Slam, I’ll always be supporting a Spaniard. I’ve won one, I don’t feel closer, I’ve got 21 to go. For now, I’m going to think about trying to get the second, which very few people have managed, that’s my goal.

Alexander Zverev was supposed to return to action this week for the first time since Roland Garros. But a new injury, a bone edema, has made the German’s immediate future unclear after he withdrew from Davis Cup play.

“I have a bone edema issue which causes me quite a lot of pain,” Zverev said according to daviscup.com. “I don’t know if it happened yesterday or not but yesterday in practice with Oscar [Otte] it got to the point where I couldn’t run or walk anymore.

“I subsequently found out that it was a bone edema, which means I won’t be able to participate here and it is not a question of days, it is more a question of weeks or most likely even months.”

In the Roland Garros semi-finals against Rafael Nadal, Zverev tore three ligaments in his right ankle. He underwent surgery on 8 June.

Zverev, a two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion, is currently in eighth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

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.”