Carlos Alcaraz says his rise to the top of men’s tennis wouldn’t be possible without the support of his team after claiming a top prize at this year’s Laureus Awards ceremony on Monday.
The world No.2 has become only the fourth ATP player to win the Breakthrough Of The Year Award which recognises athletes who have achieved ‘remarkable success in their chosen sport.’ Alcaraz is the first male tennis player to have won the award since Andy Murray in 2013. Other previous winners include Marat Safin (2001) and Rafael Nadal (2006). Meanwhile, Amélie Mauresmo, Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka are the WTA players to have also won this honour at some stage in their careers.
Alcaraz has set a series of milestones throughout his career so far. In 2022, he claimed his first Grand Slam title at the US Open before going on to become the youngest player in history to finish a season as world No.1 on the ATP Tour. He is also the youngest player to have won an ATP 500 event, as well as the youngest to defeat both Novak Djokovic and Nadal in the same tournament.
The 20-year-old has continued his run of fine form into this year where he has won 29 out of 31 matches played so far. He has won four titles this season which is more than any other ATP Player. Alcaraz, who is just five points behind Djokovic in the rankings, is set to return to world No.1 next week due to playing at the Italian Masters. He missed the tournament last year due to injury and therefore he will gain points regardless of how deep he goes in the event. In contrast, Djokovic can’t improve his overall points tally as he is the defending champion.
During his speech at the Laureus Awards ceremony in Paris, Alcaraz paid tribute to those who have supported him throughout his career. He is coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero who won the 2003 French Open.
“In my sport, I’m alone in the court but there’s a team behind me and without them it would not be possible,” he said.
“I’d like to thank them for everything we’ve been doing together and all the sacrifices and pain we go through. ‘
“There have been some hard times. The truth is that being able to overcome them, with the support of my team and my family, and to be able to win and have this Award means a lot to me.”
Nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards are decided by the media, and the winners are voted on by the 71 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. Boris Becker, Li Na, Monica Seles and Martina Navratilova are all members of the academy.
Alcaraz is the second seed at this week’s Italian Open. Granted a bye in the first round, he will begin his campaign against either wild card Francesco Passaro or Albert Ramos Vinolas. It is the first in his career that he is playing at the Masters 1000 tournament.
