2022 has been a good year for tennis – Carlos Alcaraz had a phenomenal year in the men’s game, while Iga Swiatek ruled the women’s game.
Carlos Alcaraz played 70 matches in 2022 and won 57 while losing just 13. He won five titles during the year, including his first-ever Grand Slam title which came at the US Open. Alcaraz also climbed to the top of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career after his historic campaign in Flushing Meadows.
As for Iga Swiatek, the Polish sensation displayed her dominance by winning six consecutive titles at the beginning of the year. She added a couple more titles to her trophy cabinet as the season went on. Eventually, she finished the year as the No. 1 ranked female player and has been at the top since 4 April 2022.
In a recent interview with Arab News, Alcaraz lauded Swiatek for holding on to the No. 1 ranking for a considerable period of time and said that he would also like to do the same.
“I see her year has been incredible, she broke a record I think for the longest winning streak [this century]. It’s amazing,” Alcaraz said of Swiatek, per Arab News.
“I wish to be like her, to not lose the No. 1. But I think it’s almost impossible. I’m going to lose it but the point is to recover it and stay there at No. 1 as much as I can.”
The 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz played most recently at the Paris Masters. He retired mid-way during his match against Holger Rune after suffering a wrist injury.
Alcaraz’s injury ruled him out of the Davis Cup and the ATP Finals. He has recovered now and will be seen in action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship this week.
This will be Alcaraz’s debut in Abu Dhabi and he will face either Andrey Rublev or Frances Tiafoe in his opening match on Friday, December 17 as he looks to get in some early preparation ahead of the 2023 Australian Open.
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