Carlos Alcaraz won his sixth major title and second U.S. Open on Sunday when he defeated Jannik Sinner in an intense final in New York. The 22-year-old is quickly becoming a tennis legend.
Wildly enough, Alcaraz’s tennis hero Rafael Nadal had also won six major titles through age 22. Nadal captured one Australian Open, four French Open and one Wimbledon titles through 2008, which was the year he was 22 years old. Alcaraz turned 22 back in May, and his career is already mirroring his tennis hero’s. How awesome.
The two Spaniard tennis stars have created a special bond with one another, too, especially after competing in doubles at last year’s Paris Olympics. So, Nadal of course posted a sweet congratulatory message for Alcaraz after his U.S. Open win.
“Congratulations ! Champion again of the @usopen and number 1!” Nadal wrote, via translation. “Congratulations on all the work behind this great season.”
It’s no question that Alcaraz and Sinner are the faces of the present and future of men’s tennis. The two tennis stars have captured the past eight major titles, four a piece, and the last three major finals have been showdowns between them. Alcaraz won that “tiebreaker” by capturing the U.S. Open.
If Alcaraz wants to be as “great” as Nadal was in the tennis world, he’s got a lot left to accomplish. Nadal retired last year from tennis after winning 22 major titles, the second most in men’s tennis history behind Novak Djokovic’s 24. It’ll be exciting to see what Alcaraz can do.
