Carlos Alcaraz became the king of Miami with his 7-5, 6-4 win over Casper Ruud on Sunday, becoming the first Spaniard to win the South Florida title in the event’s 37-year history. Playing in his first ATP Masters 1000 final, Alcaraz was able to manage his nerves to overcome a slow start and win the biggest title of his young career.

But he could not hide those nerves when he received a surprise phone call from the King of Spain, Felipe VI.  

“It’s pretty amazing to get the call from the Spanish king. I was more nervous [for] that call than the match,” he said with a grin. “It’s pretty amazing that the Spanish king congratulates you on the hard work that you put every day and your win. It’s something that you never thought you were going to receive, a Spanish king call. It’s amazing.”

When it came to the match, Alcaraz credited coach Juan Carlos Ferrero with helping him stay calm with some words of wisdom.

“He told me that everybody knows it’s going to be my first [ATP Masters 1000] final, but try to think that this is the first match of the tournament, try to manage the nerves like I did in the semi-final, which it was my second one [at the Masters 1000 level, after Indian Wells]. Try to put my game, try [not to] think about the final. Just keep going, keep strong mentally like I did in every match in this tournament.

“Just enjoy the moment, enjoy the match, enjoy my first Masters 1000 final and go for it.”

Ferrero was not in Miami until Sunday’s final after the recent passing of his father, Eduardo. But the former World No. 1 surprised Alcaraz by flying in before the championship match.

“Juan Carlos [is a] very important person for me. In the professional side, on the personal side, he helps me a lot in both sides. When we are together, we will talk about everything in life, everything in our sport, about football, as well.

“Juan Carlos, I consider him a coach and a friend as well. So I can talk to him about everything.”

Their coaching relationship began in 2018, and the fast-moving partnership has now yielded a new high with Alcaraz’s third ATP Tour title.

“When I won the last point, all the times that I dreamed of this came to my mind,” Alcaraz said, describing the match-point celebration during which he collapsed to the court in Hard Rock Stadium. “When I was younger, I dreamed to get a Masters 1000 Alcaraz On Call From King Of Spain: 'I Was More Nervous Than The Match'. When I fell onto the floor, I remembered that. All the dreams, all the hard work, all the training, all the troubles, everything came to my mind in that moment.”

The Spaniard will be knocking on the door of the Top 10 at the start of the spring clay season, his Miami title earning him a new career-high ATP Ranking of No. 11. Alcaraz was asked if he still prefers the surface he grew up on, compared to the hard courts on which he posted a 10-1 record across Indian Wells and Miami.

“All I can say is I’ve got two titles on clay and one on hard court,” he replied. “I feel very comfortable in both surfaces, so I don’t mind playing on clay or on hard court.”

Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest Miami Open presented by Itau champion in tournament history on Sunday, a result that will propel him to a career-high No. 11 in the ATP Rankings. Still only 18, there are plenty of questions about how high the Spanish teen will climb. Is he a potential future World No. 1?

Alcaraz’s coach, former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, wants to protect his charge from those discussions.

“Let him flow. I think the goals and our thoughts about what’s going to be and what he can reach, now it’s very difficult to say. Let him play,” Ferrero said. “I think he’s able to do a great year, even let’s cross [our] fingers [that] Grand Slams [are] maybe [the] next step, to maybe be part [of them] at the end of the second week.

“But of course he has to practise and he has to stay focused, because now I think it’s very easy to unfocus and people around [are] going to [give him] a lot of “Hellos”. So the team [will] make a bubble and [will] let him stay calm at home these days, and then [he will] go back, work normally, and then go to Monte-Carlo and try to give his best, as always, as there is no other way.”

Ferrero was not in Miami through the semi-finals because his father, Eduardo, passed away just before the tournament. But Alcaraz played his way deep into the ATP Masters 1000 event and dedicated his victories to Ferrero. Before the championship match, the former World No. 1 surprised the 18-year-old in Miami. He was proud of how the teen handled the situation.

“After this happened, it was tough for me, it was tough for him,” Ferrero said of not being in Miami. “And even like this he could stay at the same level and trying… to stay even more focussed.”

Ferrero began coaching Alcaraz in 2018. It did not take long for him to notice his countryman had something special.

“I remember when he was practising with some of the players that they were somewhat higher in the rankings than him, he was 16 or 17, and he could adapt his game to the level of the other players,” Ferrero said. “It means that he has something and is going to keep working on that and keep working every day. So his potential was there, and I was only [there] to let it flow and let it play and keep things in a good path.

“So it surprises me not at all, but of course it’s been very, very fast and very quick, so not easy to do it.”

Now Alcaraz will shift his attention to the clay-court season, where more attention will be on his every swing than ever. According to Ferrero, the key to preventing the hype from getting to Alcaraz will be too not think about it at all.

“[It is about being] normal, acting normal. Now we are going to go back, going to play some golf one day or two days, stay relaxed, and then go back to work,” Ferrero said. “It’s the way it has to be. Of course he just won a Masters 1000. It’s very important.

“It means that he’s growing up so fast. So we [are not] going to do anything strange or different than we have been doing in the past few months.”

You will not catch Ferrero talking to Alcaraz about how quickly he has climbed, his goals for him, or anything of that nature. The focus will be on the process, and the rest will take care of itself.

“We talk about the way he has to go the court, the way he has to practise, the way he has to act in these kind of situations, naturally mature, and try to believe in himself and try to understand how things go when you win, when you lose, no drama, as happy as he can be. So be normal,” Ferrero said.

“Of course the level is there, and I think it’s going to happen many times. It’s only prepare a little bit his mind to adapt to all the circus it’s going to be.”

Editor’s Note: Casper Ruud has withdrawn from Houston due to tooth pain. His place in the draw will be filled by a lucky loser on Monday.

The ATP Tour moves to clay this week with ATP 250 events in Houston and Marrakech.

Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka and John Isner headline the field at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, while Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime chases his second title of the year at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech. Both tournaments make their return after two years away due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch at each event.

View Draws: Houston | Marrakech

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HOUSTON
1) Americans Chase Glory At Home: BNP Paribas Open champion Taylor Fritz leads a stacked group of home favourites seeking a strong start on the clay in 2022. There are 13 Americans in the main draw (without qualifiers) and home players make up six of the eight seeds at the event.

Top 20 stars Fritz and Opelka are pursuing a maiden tour-level final on clay, as is eighth seed Jenson Brooksby. More experienced on the surface are three former Houston champions – fourth seed John Isner lifted the trophy in 2013, Jack Sock triumphed in 2015 and Steve Johnson won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. 

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2) Will Brooksby Earn Title No. 1? Eighth seed Brooksby is at a career-high No. 36 in the ATP Rankings. The 21-year-old made his second ATP Tour final in February in Dallas and will try to go one step further on the Houston clay. He will be confident after reaching the Round of 16 in both Indian Wells and Miami. This will be Brooksby’s second tour-level event on clay, following his appearance last year at Roland Garros, where he qualified before losing against Aslan Karatsev. The American will begin his tournament against countryman J.J. Wolf, a wild card.

3) Garin Defending Champ: Garin of Chile has had to wait three years to defend his title, but he will try to capture his second Houston crown this week. The five-time ATP Tour titlist, who will begin his tournament against Sock, has earned all of his tour-level trophies on clay. He will hope to gain momentum after a 3-7 start to the season.

Garin’s countryman, Alejandro Tabilo, reached his maiden tour-level final at the Cordoba Open before upsetting Garin on his way to the semi-finals at the pair’s home tournament in Santiago. Tabilo is now in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time and a potential second-round meeting with Fritz could provide some early fireworks in Texas.

4) Kyrgios Returns To Clay: Nick Kyrgios appeared back to his best at the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March. The six-time ATP Tour titlist reached the quarter-finals in at the BNP Paribas Open before a fourth-round run at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The Australian now attempts to transfer his form to the clay, a surface he has not played a tournament on since 2019. He opens against American Mackenzie McDonald.

5) Ebden/Purcell Top Seeds In Doubles: After missing out on a maiden tour-level title together at this year’s Australian Open with a championship match defeat to Thanasi Kokkinakis and Kyrgios, Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell will try to win their first tour-level title together in Houston. Kyrgios will hope to derail Ebden and Purcell’s title hopes again as he partners Jack Sock, while the second seeds are Lukasz Kubot and Santiago Gonzalez, with Gonzalez targeting his third ATP Tour title of the season.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MARRAKECH
1) Felix To Bounce Back?: Felix-Auger-Aliassime’s hot start to 2022 has included ATP Cup glory with Canada and a maiden tour-level title at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. Now the 21-year-old will try to find more good form on the clay of Marrakech, where he is the top seed. 

Auger-Aliassime is competing at the Grand Prix Hassan II for the first time. The 21-year-old has proven his ability on the surface before, reaching finals in Rio de Janeiro and Lyon in 2019. He will hope to get the next stage of his season up and running when he faces Moroccan wild card Elliot Benchetrit in the first round.

2) Evans, Goffin Going For First Title Of Year: Second seed Daniel Evans upset Hubert Hurkacz and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on his way to the semi-finals of the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, showing his clay prowess. But the Briton couldn’t have asked for a tougher maiden outing on the surface in 2022 than a first-round matchup with three-time Marrakech champion Pablo Andujar.

Another player Evans beat in Monte-Carlo last year is David Goffin. The Belgian is also competing in Marrakech, where he will face a qualifier in his opener. The former World No. 7 is 5-8 for the season, with his best run a quarter-final appearance at the Sydney Tennis Classic in January.

3) Clay-Court Crew: A host of top clay-court performers seek deep runs on their favourite surface in Marrakech. Fourth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas picked up a fourth tour-level title on clay at the Cordoba Open in February and reached the final in Morocco in 2012, when the tournament was held at its former home in Casablanca.

Fifth seed Federico Delbonis lifted the trophy without dropping a set in 2016, while Andujar is the most successful player in tournament history. The 36-year-old Spaniard won the tournament in Marrakech in 2018 to add to titles picked up in Casablanca in 2011 and 2012. He was only denied a fourth crown by Benoit Paire in the 2019 championship match.

Other experienced dirt-ballers in the field include seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – the No. 43 ranked Spaniard chasing a maiden ATP Tour trophy – and Laslo Djere, whose two tour-level titles include an ATP 500 crown clinched on the Rio de Janeiro clay in 2019.

4) Trophy Time For Musetti? Lorenzo Musetti will attempt to claim his first ATP Tour title this week in Marrakech on his tournament debut. The Italian has shown his strength on clay, having upset Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori on his ATP Masters 1000 debut in Rome in 2020. He also advanced to the fourth round last year at Roland Garros, where he pushed Djokovic to five sets.

Musetti will need to be at his best from the start in Morocco as he faces a tricky first-round assignment in Ramos-Vinolas. At Indian Wells last year, Ramos-Vinolas defeated Musetti in straight sets, albeit on a hard court.

5) Golubev/Martin Lead Doubles Draw: Kazakhstani/French pairing Andrey Golubev and Fabrice Martin rekindle a partnership which debuted with a semi-final run at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha in February. But the top seeds are up against plenty of experienced doubles stars in Marrakech.

Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen chase their sixth ATP Tour title together, while Uruguayan Ariel Behar and Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop are seeded third with Israeli Jonathan Erlich and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin rounding out the seeded pairings in Morocco.

Casper Ruud was the first Norwegian man to contest an ATP Masters 1000 final Sunday at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Though he was not able to capitalise on a strong start against Carlos Alcaraz in the title match, he leaves South Florida happy with his overall performance at the event.

“On the results side, I’m very happy with my result here in Miami,” he said following a 5-7, 4-6 defeat. “Of course disappointing that I couldn’t go all the way, but I didn’t expect myself to reach the final in the first place, so I can’t be too upset about it.”

The 23-year-old came out hot against the flame-throwing Spaniard, winning the first three games of the match and leading 4-1 before Alcaraz turned it around in Hard Rock Stadium.

Talk about a breakthrough week 🇳🇴

You’ll be back in many more Masters 1000 finals, @CasperRuud98#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/AA3CgSuYef

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 3, 2022

Ruud feels both players have improved since that meeting on year ago on the Spanish clay. After crediting Alcaraz’s improved physique, he placed the Miami champion alongside Gael Monfils and Alex de Minaur as one of the best movers on the ATP Tour.

“He has kind of that very quick feet movement but also a lot of firepower in his groundstrokes,” Ruud assessed. “And he serves not incredible but heavy and good enough, and he can mix it up well, going out wide. He goes kick serve sometimes on the first serve.

“I have seen Rafa talk about him, saying that he has all the ingredients to make a good salad, and I think that describes it very well,” he added with a smile.

While Alcaraz became the first Spanish man to win the Miami title, Ruud also made national history by making Norway the 33rd country to be represented in an ATP Masters 1000 final throughout the 33-year history of the series (1990-2022).

“I hope it can be part of putting Norway a little bit more on the map of tennis worldwide,” he said of his Miami run. “It’s a country that doesn’t have too much history in tennis, and we don’t have any big events either.

“I have said before that a goal of mine would be to bring an ATP Tour [event] to Norway one time. I hope we can do it, and when you have big results, maybe someone in Norway could have their eyes up for trying to make a tournament in our country… I think that would be a small dream of mine to play actually a tournament on home soil on the ATP Tour, because I never have the chance to do it. Sweden, they have two, so I hope Norway can have one also in the future.”

For now, Ruud can set his sights on next week’s ATP 250 in Houston. After reaching the championship Miami, the Norwegian will enter the clay swing with a career-high ATP Ranking of World No. 7.

“It’s always good to get a new career ranking. So it will be 7 tomorrow. I might have to call Ronaldo, because CR7 is at risk now,” he joked. I don’t know if we have to do some negotiations and see who can actually have this number.”

The antidote for the deep returner is to serve and volley.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4 in the Miami Open presented by Itau final on Sunday, winning all eleven serve-and-volley points he played. When Alcaraz needed a point on serve, it was his go-to strategy. The Spaniard used it twice in the final game of the match, including on match point.

Serve and volley is an offensive strategy that is an ideal fit for the teen, who is always looking to dictate with court position, power, and direction. Alcaraz initially served and volleyed down 0-3 30/15 in the opening set to help reverse the early tone of the match, when Ruud was being solid and Alcaraz was pressing. It successfully wrestled the early momentum back from the Norwegian and started the process of climbing back into the match.

All eleven serve-and-volley points by Alcaraz were in the Ad court, with 10 of them coming behind a kick serve out wide. The Spaniard was taking advantage of Ruud’s deep return position. To add to Ruud’s problems, he would also move back to let the kicking serve drop, so he might as well have been returning from the stands with little hope of getting it past the fast-charging Alcaraz.

Alcaraz broke Ruud at 5-5 in the opening set and served and volleyed four times at 6-5 to clinch the set, including on a break point. Remarkably, on three of the serve-and-volley points, Ruud did not get the return back in play from his ultra-deep return location. On set point, he returned the ball in play, but it was to gift Alcaraz a sitter overhead from on top of the net.

Serve and volley was not only a perfect strategy for the match, it also served as a metaphor for how each player was employing his game plan. Alcaraz was all about offence, and also employed scintillating defence when it was required. Ruud is more of a neutralising player, who too often sprayed balls in this match when he needed offence. At 5-5 in the opening set, which proved to be the pivotal moment in the match, Ruud missed three offensive forehands while Alcaraz roped a 102 mph forehand winner that set the tone for the break.

Someone was feeling it. Someone wasn’t.

Alcaraz collected more winners overall (27-22) and was more successful at net, winning 16 of 23 net points to Ruud’s 13 of 22. Coming into the final, Alcaraz had been wildly successful hitting drop shots, winning a mind-blowing 51 of 59 points in which he used his drop shot. But this strategy fizzled in the final, as Alcaraz only won three of 10 points with drop shots.

Alcaraz ultimately won this final because his offensive game style wrestled control of the majority of points. Ruud played a solid match, but his offence was lacking when a blow needed to be landed. Alcaraz could be found serving and volleying in the big moments, while Ruud moved backwards to the extremities of the court chasing what he thought was a high-percentage play, but all too often failed to even get the return back in court.

There is something to be said for moving forward when pivotal moments arrive.

Immediately after Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz won his first ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, Rafael Nadal congratulated his countryman on social media.

“Many congratulations Carlitos @alcarazcarlos03 for your historic triumph in Miami,” Nadal wrote on Twitter. “The first of many to come, for sure! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇪🇸”

Muchas felicidades Carlitos @alcarazcarlos03 por tu triunfo HISTÓRICO en #Miami. El primero de tantos que van a venir, seguro! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇪🇸

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 3, 2022

Nadal also congratulated Casper Ruud on making his first Masters 1000 final, writing “And congrats @CasperRuud98 for an amazing tournament and result. Great swing!!! See you at the @rnadalacademy soon.”

Argentine Diego Schwartzman chimed in with kind words for Alcaraz, tweeting, “What a person, player, team… it is not easy to find a champion that everyone is happy for his victory.”

CARLITOSSSSSSS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 !!! Que persona, jugador, equipo. El tenis de fiesta y feliz por el. No es fácil encontrar un campeón que todos se ponen felices por su victoria. @alcarazcarlos03 @juankiferri 👊👊👊

— diego schwartzman (@dieschwartzman) April 3, 2022

There were others who also sent their praise of the 18-year-old following the biggest victory of his young career, including former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

There is only one man right now (maybe not even him) who can beat Alcaraz on red clay! Don’t even try to argue with me on this topic😉

— Kafelnikov Yevgeny (@KYevgeni) April 3, 2022 

amazing effort from escape room Alcaraz @alcarazcarlos03 👊💪😎👍🎾knocking on the door 🚪 of top 10 https://t.co/pvMjFx9kMM

— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) April 3, 2022

Well done, @alcarazcarlos03. It makes us proud that a great madridista like you has won the Masters 1000 Miami in such brilliant fashion, becoming the the first Spaniard and the youngest tennis player in history to do so. Congratulations!

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 3, 2022

It has become one of the novelties of life on the ATP Challenger Tour. More and more former players have made the transition to a different role, stepping into the office as tournament director.

From Top 10 stalwarts Arnaud Clement (Aix-en-Provence) and Andres Gomez (Guayaquil), to the likes of Luis Horna (Lima), Rik De Voest (Vancouver) and Francesco Cancellotti (Perugia), past champions are giving back. Each of these players’ careers were launched on the Challenger circuit. Now, they are returning to their roots.

One year ago, we celebrated Viktor Galovic’s directorial debut in his hometown of Verona, Italy. And now it’s Santiago Giraldo’s turn to take the reins on home soil in Colombia. On Sunday, the former World No. 28 capped an impressive week as the leading man in his hometown of Pereira. The inaugural Circuito Dove Men+Care Pereira was a great success, as players and fans descended on the Club Campestre.

With Giraldo at the helm, it was a party from start to finish in Pereira. Great food and live music created a vibrant, festive atmosphere throughout the week. Fans were treated to world-class entertainment on and off the court. After traveling the tour for nearly two decades, this is exactly how Giraldo envisioned the ideal tournament.

Every detail was meticulously looked after, as the former World No. 28 ensured the players had everything they needed. A welcome letter and small gift greeted each competitor as they arrived at the beautiful Club Campestre, a small example of Giraldo’s attention to detail. Just 30 minutes from downtown Pereira, the club has state-of-the-art facilities and a total of 22 tennis courts.

Giraldo, a mainstay inside the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings for many years, lifted 10 Challenger trophies during his illustrious career. Also a two-time finalist on the ATP Tour (Santiago 2011 & Barcelona 2014), he battled the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the game’s biggest stages. Giraldo’s biggest victory came at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid, where he stunned Andy Murray en route to the 2014 quarter-finals.

After a 16-year career, the Colombian announced his retirement in 2020. But the 34-year-old is not leaving the tennis scene, hosting the Pereira Challenger in addition to his work with the Fundacion Santi Giraldo. According to its mission statement, the foundation seeks to provide diverse activities for children through sport, while building strong values both on and off the court.

Giraldo spoke to ATPTour.com following his first week in his new role…

First of all, Santi, congrats on this new endeavor. How did it come about?
Well, I have to thank Horacio de la Pena [founder of the Circuito Dove Men+Care Legion Sudamericana]. He invited me to be the ambassador and director of the tournament here in Pereira. The truth is that we have worked very well overall and everything is flowing super well. It has been a nice experience for me. After playing and retiring, being able to contribute to tennis with this event in my city and in my club has been a wonderful experience.

Now that the first edition is complete, what are your impressions? How did it go?
It went very well. It rained a little, but the people have been very happy and there has been a very good level of tennis. We are trying to look after many details for the players, little things that they do not usually do in other tournaments. We have also had a cultural and musical aspect of the event and we are focusing a lot on children. We are giving all the facilities to the players, so they are happy, the spectators are happy, the public is happy and the ATP is happy too. Those are all good signs.

Being a former player gives you a unique perspective. How has that helped you in this role?
My perspective is a little different when it comes to organizing a tournament. The idea was to be able to contribute with things that were not done in other tournaments. And already having the experience as a player and having the possibility of implementing different things, for me it was what motivated me. That has been the foundation. And with Jhan Fontalvo, we are building a good team.

You mentioned the importance of making everything perfect for the players, but how have you also improved the fan experience?
For the fans, the main focus is the children. We had the inauguration of the event with a kids day, as well as this social-cultural part with live music and also some gymnastics exhibitions. The idea is to make it fun for everyone. That they feel comfortable, that the schedules are good and there are night matches for all the people who work and for the kids who study. We have tried to think of as many details as possible.

What’s been the biggest challenge to make this happen?
Everything has been very fluid, but the difficulty of having it all organized and ready, getting sponsors and convincing others to invest in the tournament. Many people and organizations joined us and supported us, so I am grateful for this. It’s important to give back after all the blessings tennis has given me.

Now that your playing career is over, how rewarding is it to be able to give back to the Challenger Tour and help it grow as a director?
The Challengers are super important for player development. Many players at these tournaments go on to enter the Top 100 and play in Grand Slams. I have good memories. I played in Pereira three or four times and I was lucky to win two titles here. My 100-year-old grandmother was watching. It was very special for me to play at home.

This week, you celebrated the career of another Colombian great, as Alejandro Gonzalez retired at your tournament. How emotional was that?
I am very grateful to Alejo for his career, for being a brother, a partner, a role model, an example. For having chosen Pereira to play his last match, it was an honour to have accompanied him. I told him to enjoy the experience and I’m happy to contribute to another part of his life.

How can you improve for the years to come?
The idea is that it becomes durable over time. We hope that people want to support the tournament. The idea is that everything is done well and that the people are happy, the details are well-organized and that it is feasible to continue as long as possible.

“Are you getting used to being around these kinds of players?”

“I try to take it in my stride as much as possible, but I’m still amazed to be in the same place as them,” Carlos Alcaraz replied to ATPTour.com’s question before the start of last year’s Miami Open presented by Itau main draw.

It seems like an eternity has passed since that conversation. The Spaniard was 17 years old and No. 132 in the ATP Rankings. His only aspirations were to keep learning from the best.

Although he was clearly on an upwards curve and promising great things, even he would probably have struggled to believe that 12 months later he would be lifting his first ATP Masters 1000 crown on the same stage.

“I have no words to describe how I feel right now,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “I have an unbelievable team with me, family… I’m so happy with the win.”

En route to the Miami title he left players in his wake with whom this time last year he would have been happy just to be able to train. This success can partly be attributed to the fact that his ascent on the Tour has come under the watchful eye of Juan Carlos Ferrero, someone who has already taken the steps required to reach No. 1 in the world and win big titles.

“Juan Carlos tells me a lot of stories,” Alcaraz explained. “The thing I admire most is everything he can teach me. Everything I’m yet to experience, he has already experienced it and he can convey it to me. Now he can stop me [from] making mistakes that maybe he made at my age.”

The heights reached by Ferrero in 2003 are exactly what Alcaraz has his eyes on. He has never tried to hide the fact that it has been one of his biggest goals since he started to enjoy some success with a racquet in his hand.

“My dream is to be the World No. 1 and I will work hard for it. Whether or not I win this tournament, I am still focused on my goal, which is to be No. 1 in the world,” he declared at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan last November.

On Monday, the Murcia native will climb to No. 11 in the world, just 29 points short of the Top 10. He does so thanks to an immaculate start to the season, in which he has racked up 20 matches with an 18-2 record. That is, the 18-year-old Spaniard has won 90 per cent of the matches he has played. He has only lost to Matteo Berrettini in the fifth set of the third round at the Australian Open and Rafael Nadal in the third set of the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals at Indian Wells.

However, a few months ago at the Australian Open, some of the best players in the world predicted that this could be Alcaraz’s year. In fact, one of those players was his idol, Nadal, the man he trained with in 2021 in Melbourne and played against at the Mutua Madrid Open in the same year.

“When you have all that potential and you’re also a hard worker, it’s hard for things to go badly for you. You would expect his chances of fighting for the biggest titles to increase as each tournament goes by,” said the 21-time Grand Slam champion.

“Obviously, Rafa’s words are really wonderful and much appreciated,” Ferrero responded at the time. “I really agree with what he said. The potential he has.” Meanwhile, Pablo Carreño Busta, his training partner at the JC Ferrero – Equelite Sport Academy, also sent out a warning: “He’s producing some really great results, but they will get even better.”

Time – although we didn’t have to wait long – has proven all three of them right. However, the astonishing thing about Alcaraz’s rise is not so much his results or his talent, it is his ability to normalise the extraordinary, a trait of a special player. At just 18, he shows a maturity, determination and courage on court that are extremely rare for a player of his age.

Even Ferrero has spoken of this. “His dynamism on court is his biggest asset. He is capable of doing what is asked of him and that’s very difficult to get from a player: serve-volley, play high or fast balls, he can do it all,” he explained. “That courage and ability to finish off a point is something I would have liked to have had in my career.”

Alcaraz’s progress on court has come hand in hand with physical development that has made him a complete player: fast, agile and hugely powerful. “We remind him that every day is a brick that he has to lay as carefully as possible, so that the wall he is building is perfect and there are no bricks that were laid badly in his day-to-day work,” said his physio Juanjo Moreno.

Moreno is one of the visible faces of the Spaniard’s work in the gym, but there are many others behind his success, such as Alberto Lledó, his fitness coach; Sergio Hernández, physio; Juanjo López, doctor; and the care he receives in Murcia from Alejandro for preparation and Fran in recovery.

“We focus more on recovery, on taking care of all the details that make up a professional tennis player,” added Moreno. “From the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed, we try to educate Carlos in all the processes of recovery, as he already had good knowledge from working with Néstor Vicente Salar.”

All of these ingredients mean that the player himself is not the only one who believes he will be No. 1 in the world. Many people in the world of tennis, including his peers, opponents, coaches and fans, predict that, sooner or later, Alcaraz will make a charge on the pinnacle of the ATP Rankings.

“I’m grateful that people can see that I can be the best in the world, but my team and I know how difficult it is,” Alcaraz admitted on 20 February, after becoming the youngest player to win an ATP 500 (created in 2009) at the Rio Open presented by Claro. “I think I’m on the right path. If I stay on it and continue to do things right, I’ll have chances, although that doesn’t guarantee anything.”

What was a sure thing though, was his first ATP Masters 1000 crown on Sunday. We still don’t know if his dream of being the No. 1 in the world will come true, but we do know that he is now ready to take on the biggest titles, as he proved in Miami.

Did You Know?
At this edition of the Miami Open presented by Itaú, Carlos Alcaraz became the first Spanish champion in the tournament’s history. Sergi Bruguera (1997), Carlos Moyà (2003), David Ferrer (2013) and Rafael Nadal (2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017) were all finalists before the man from Murcia made the breakthrough.

The 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is one set away from claiming the biggest ATP Tour title of his career at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The Spaniard leads sixth seed Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final at Hard Rock Stadium after taking a 7-5 opening set in just under an hour.

Just as in his semi-final win over Miomir Kecmanovic, Alcaraz dropped the opening three games of the set as he found his footing on the stadium court. Ruud started well, but was helped along by five early errors from Alcaraz as he eased in front.

But after getting to at least 40/30 in his opening three return games, Alcaraz got the break back on his third break chance of the match. From 1-4 down, he won six of seven games to wrestle away the opening stanza — a ripped 102-mph forehand winner bringing up his break chances at 5-5.

The Spaniard applied consistent pressure on the Ruud serve, frequently putting his opponent on the back foot with deep returns. Without blowing away the sixth seed on serve, Alcaraz held comfortably until he was forced to save a break point while serving out the set. A big serve erased the chance as the youngster powered to a one-set lead.

Alcaraz is seeking to becoming the youngest Miami champion in the event’s 37-year history, and the third-youngest ATP Masters 1000 champion overall, spanning 283 events from 1990.

Ruud, competing in his 10th ATP Tour final, is seeking the second hard-court trophy of his career. The first Norwegian to contest a Masters 1000 final, he holds a 7-2 record in his previous finals while Alcaraz is a perfect 2-0.