US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz reveals the heartfelt four-word message Nick Kyrgios sent him after his historic win in New York
- Carlos Alcaraz claimed his maiden Grand Slam crown by winning the US Open
- The 19-year-old Spaniard became the youngest world No1 in history as a result
- Alcaraz had to survive three five-set marathons in three consecutive rounds
- He beat Norway’s Casper Rudd 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 in the final in New York
- Nick Kyrgios had tipped Alcaraz to win the US Open before the tournament
Nick Kyrgios never doubted Carlos Alcaraz could win the US Open this year and reminded the Spaniard of his prediction, shortly after the teenager’s triumph in New York.
Alcaraz beat Norway’s Casper Rudd 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 victory in the final at Flushing Meadows on Monday (AEST) to win his maiden Grand Slam and become the youngest world No1 in history.
Shortly after lifting the US Open trophy, the 19-year-old revealed he found a message from the Aussie star containing four simple words: ‘I told you’.
US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest world No1 in ATP history
A week before the start of the tournament, the Spaniard dismissed Kyrgios’ prediction that he could go all the way in New York as ‘crazy’.
However, the forecast came to pass and the Australian wasted no time to remind Alcaraz of his prognostication.
‘Honestly, I check the DM of Instagram. I saw Nick Kyrgios’ message. I didn’t read the whole message, but I read that he said, “I told you”,’ Alcaraz told reporters.
‘It’s crazy for me. I’ve never thought that I was going to achieve something like that at 19 years old. So everything is came so fast.
Nick Kyrgios had tipped Alcaraz to win the US Open before the tournament
‘It’s something I dream since I was a kid, since I start playing tennis. Of course, lift this trophy today is amazing for me.’
Alcaraz set several records on his way to claim a maiden Grand Slam title.
The Spaniard is the first teenager to claim the top spot in the world rankings and the youngest player to win a Grand Slam tournament since his compatriot Rafael Nadal triumphed at the French Open 17 years ago.
Alcaraz produced a stunning fightback to beat Jannik Sinner in five sets in the quarter-finals
And the Spaniard needed another five-set marathon to beat Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals
Alcaraz is also the youngest player to win at Flushing Meadows since Pete Sampras claimed the first of his five US Open crowns – and the first of his 14 Grand Slam singles titles – in New York in 1990.
The Spaniard also set the record for the longest amount time spent on the court at a single Grand Slam event, clocking in 23 hours and 39 minutes of action to narrowly beat the previous record set by Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon in 2018 by 18 minutes.
Alcaraz needed five sets to beat 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in the fourth round and was on court until 2:50am – the latest finish in US Open history – to win a five-hour, five-set marathon over Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals.
Incredibly, the Spaniard had to battle for five sets for a third consecutive match as he defeated American Frances Tiafoe for a place in the final.