Alcaraz makes history as world number one for second time

(Dan Tri) - Carlos Alcaraz won the title of world number one tennis player in 2025 after defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the early morning of November 14. He became the youngest tennis player in history to be world number one twice.

The Spaniard finished the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals group stage unbeaten, beating rival Jannik Sinner to claim the prestigious year-end number one ranking for the second time in his career.

“Honestly, it means a lot to me. The year-end number one spot was always my goal. At the beginning of the year, I felt like the number one spot was very far away from Jannik, who had won almost every tournament he played. But from the middle of the season until now, I have set my sights on the number one spot because I think everything is in front of me. I had the chance to play great tennis in a lot of tournaments in a row to get closer to Jannik for the number one spot,” said Alcaraz.

“Then, in the last three or four tournaments of the year, I fought hard with Jannik for this position and finally got it. For me, it means a lot,” he added.

Carlos Alcaraz leaves the field after his victory over Musetti (Photo: Getty).

It has been a memorable year for the 22-year-old. In 2022, he became the youngest year-end number one in history (since 1973). Alcaraz is now the second active player to finish the year as number one multiple times, behind only Novak Djokovic (8).

Despite starting the season with a quarter-final run at the Australian Open, where he was bidding to win the only Grand Slam title missing from his career, the Spaniard has been a dominant force on the ATP Tour since then.

The world number one has already topped the ATP rankings with eight titles in 2025, including two majors (Roland Garros and US Open), three ATP Masters 1000 titles (Monte Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati) and three ATP 500 titles (Rotterdam, Queen's Club and Tokyo). These eight titles are his best in a single season.

Alcaraz won at Roland Garros and the US Open, becoming the second-youngest male player in the Open Era to win six Grand Slam titles, behind only Bjorn Borg, who was also just 22 when he reached the milestone.

Alcaraz's victory at Roland Garros was particularly memorable. He saved three championship points against Sinner in a final that lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes, the longest in the tournament's history. The 22-year-old also became the ninth player in the Open Era to come back from two sets down to win a Grand Slam final, and the first to do so at Roland Garros since 2004, when Gaston Gaudio overcame Guillermo Coria.

Carlos Alcaraz with the Roland Garros 2025 championship trophy (Photo: Getty).

By winning the US Open, despite losing just one set, Alcaraz became the youngest of four men to win major titles on all three surfaces: clay, grass and hard courts. Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Mats Wilander are the other three.

Alcaraz has also been more consistent than ever in 2025, reaching the finals of nine consecutive tournaments, from the Monte Carlo Masters in April to the Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Tokyo in September.

He has won 17 consecutive matches at the ATP Masters 1000 from Monte Carlo to his title in Cincinnati. Since the Masters 1000 system was established in 1990, only Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal and Pete Sampras have had longer winning streaks at this level.

The Spaniard joins Borg, Stefan Edberg and Lleyton Hewitt in finishing the year as ATP number one twice. He is the 11th player to finish the year as number one more than once.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Finishing the season as world number one is an incredible achievement, something only 19 players have achieved in over 50 years. To do it twice at the age of 22 makes it even more special. This speaks not only to Carlos’s exceptional talent, but also to his relentless drive to improve and his determination to compete with the best. He should be incredibly proud of what he has achieved and we look forward to watching him continue to inspire fans around the world.”

Having finished unbeaten at the ATP Finals, Alcaraz won the Jimmy Connors group and will face the winner of Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals. He is just two wins away from his maiden ATP Finals title.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/alcaraz-lam-nen-lich-su-voi-ngoi-so-mot-the-gioi-lan-thu-hai-20251114100257590.htm