MILAN, ITALY - November 7: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at practice with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals at Allianz Cloud Stadium on November 7, 2021 in Milan, Italy (Photo by Peter Staples/ATP Tour)
Carlos Alcaraz had a sensational season that saw him win five titles, including a Grand Slam at the US Open in September.
The Spanish youngster broke many records during the season. At the Madrid Open, he became the first teenager to defeat Rafael Nadal on clay. In the following match, Alcaraz defeated then world No. 1 Novak Djokovic to become the youngest player to win a match against world No. 1 since 2004. He was also the first player to beat Nadal and Djokovic on clay in consecutive matches. Alcaraz won the Madrid Open and became the youngest champion in the tournament’s history.
The records kept on tumbling as Alcaraz went about showing his class in various tournaments. He won the US Open and became the youngest player to become the world No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
The 19-year-old finished as the year-end world No. 1 and became the youngest player and first teenager to achieve the feat.
With so many surreal records to his name this season, it didn’t come as a shock to tennis fans when Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero was listed among the nominees for the ATP Coach of the Year award in 2022.
Alcaraz reacted to the achievement and wrote the following on Twitter:
“Vamos @juankiferri! 😍🙌🏻”
Juan Carlos Ferrero is a former world No. 1 in singles and won 16 titles during his professional playing career that ended in 2012.
The Spaniard won his first and only Grand Slam title at the 2003 French Open. He defeated France’s Martin Verkerk in straight sets 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in the finals to capture the title.
During his run in the tournament, Carlos Ferrero got the better of defending champion and compatriot, Albert Costa in the semifinals.
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