Step Aside Novak: Carlos Alcaraz is the New King of the Court
Change is inevitable – even in men’s tennis. The past 20 years have seen three players dominate the court: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Those three have spent a combined 908 weeks at No. 1 on the ATP rankings, but their time has come and gone. Carlos Alcaraz is the new king of men’s tennis, and now that he’s on top, it might be a while before Alcaraz gives up his throne.
Not that Djokovic isn’t capable of beating his newest rival. In fact, at the time of writing, Djokovic (-110) is ahead of and Alcaraz (+150) in Bodog’s US Open betting. But we’re not waiting to declare Alcaraz the alpha and omega of this sport, even if the tennis betting world isn’t ready to concede just yet.
Career to Date
Alcaraz didn’t waste much time making his mark. The young Spaniard turned pro in 2018, then made his ATP debut in 2020 at the tender age of 16. One year later, he was the youngest player in the men’s singles draw at the Australian Open; Alcaraz soon became the youngest player in the Top 100, and the youngest No. 1 after winning the 2022 US Open.
It’s been something of a blur since then. Alcaraz has traded his King of Tennis status with Djokovic several times this year, in part because of abdominal and hamstring injuries – but he also won at Wimbledon to regain his No. 1 rank. When healthy, Alcaraz combines the strong serve and court coverage of Djokovic with the speed and counter-attack of Nadal; his game is suitable for all surfaces and all opponents, no matter how talented.
Biggest Wins
The two majors are obviously the highlights of Alcaraz’ career thus far. His victory at the 2022 US Open wasn’t a cakewalk by any means – Alcaraz had to save a match point in the quarterfinals versus Jannik Sinner – but his win in the final over Casper Ruud pushed Alcaraz to No. 1 at 19 years and four months, making him the first teenager ever to reach those lofty heights.
Still, Alcaraz had a relatively easy path to the title. Djokovic was not allowed into the United States because of his refusal to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Fast forward one year to Wimbledon, and it was Alcaraz taking on Djokovic at the final, winning in five sets and breaking Djokovic’s SW19 streak at 34 matches.
On top of these major victories, Alcaraz has another 10 ATP titles under his belt, including back-to-back wins at the Madrid Open, where he defeated both Nadal and Djokovic in 2022. Alcaraz has already won championships this year on all three standard surfaces, and there will be plenty more titles where that came from.
Time as World No. 1
Being one of the newer stars on the scene, Alcaraz has only played enough tennis to rack up 33 weeks (and counting) at No. 1 on the ATP rankings. That’s still good enough for No. 16 all-time, although these rankings only go back to 1973; Alcaraz should pass No. 15 Ilie Nastase (40 weeks), No. 14 Andy Murray (41) and No. 13 Gustavo Kuerten (43) before the year is out.
It’s just a matter of time – and health – before Alcaraz passes his countryman Nadal (209 weeks) at No. 6, then catches up to Federer (310) and finally Djokovic (389). But health is obviously not a given for Alcaraz. Even now, he’s threatening to slip back to No. 2 after losing to Djokovic in three sets at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, a match that took nearly four hours to complete. This was shortly after Alcaraz dropped out of the Monte-Carlo Masters with arthritis in his non-dominant left hand.
Prize Money to Date
It’s amazing how much money you can win on the tennis court these days. In five short years as a pro, Alcaraz has earned just over US$20 million in prizes, already No. 29 overall for his career. Alcaraz took home $2.6 million for his victory at the 2022 US Open, and another £2,350,000 (approx. $3 million) for winning Wimbledon last month.
There will be even more money up for grabs this year at Flushing Meadows. The 2023 US Open winner will receive $3 million from the total prize pool of $65 million, which is up 8% from last year’s paltry $60 million. If that’s not enough incentive, all of the competitors will get travel vouchers worth about $1,000, and not just one, but two free hotel rooms.
Future Aspirations
Alcaraz would certainly love to defend his US Open title, and he’ll get his chance very soon: The first matches at the Billie Jean King facility will take place August 28. This will be the last major for 2023, although there are still ATP Masters 1000 events coming up in Shanghai and Paris, plus the ATP Finals in Turin this November – all on the hard court.
Beyond that, Alcaraz will be keen to complete his career Grand Slam by taking down the Australian Open in January 2024, and the French Open in late May/early June. Alcaraz had to skip this year’s Aussie Open because of injury; his previous best in Melbourne was a third-round finish in 2022, and he peaked at Roland Garros by reaching this year’s semifinals, where he lost to Djokovic in four sets after coming down with cramps. Early odds for both tournaments are available right now on the tennis futures market at Bodog Sportsbook.
There is one more title Alcaraz hasn’t won: the Davis Cup. We have Canada’s own Felix Auger-Aliassime to thank for that, after the Montreal native defeated Alcaraz during group play en route to this country’s first Davis Cup championship. This year’s Finals Knockout stage begins November 20; stay tuned to Bodog for the latest odds, and may the best country win.
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