Alcaraz is a historic record: no one has ever become No. 1 so quickly

Carlos Alcaraz as Bob Beamon. A leap into the future, a leap forward of 32 positions that has no parallel in the history of tennis. The 19-year-old Spaniard is not only the youngest number 1 tennis player in history, but he is above all the number 1 who has climbed the most positions in 12 months. Twelve months ago the champion from Murcia was number 32 in the world and now he looks down on everyone. A record, this, among the most incredible in the history of tennis.

If we analyze the position of all the year-end number 1s at the beginning of the season, we see that the only non-top 10 to leapfrog to the top 12 months later was Novak Djokovic: the Serbian was world number 12 at the end of 2017 and was number 1 in the world at the end of 2018. The Serbian took just 5 months to reach the top: on 18 June 2018 he was number 22 in the world and on 5 November he had surpassed everyone. Those who reached the top of the year-end ranking did so by climbing decidedly more affordable positions.

Roddick was No. 10 in 2002 and No. 1 in 2003, Rafael Nadal was No. 9 in 2016 and No. 1 in 2017, Lleyton Hewitt was No. 7 in 2000 and No. 1 in 2001, Andre Agassi was No. 6 in 1998 and No. 1 in 1999, Gustavo Kuerten was No. 5 in 1999 and No. 1 in 2000, finally Rafael Nadal was No. 4 in 2012 and No. 1 in 2013. All other No. 1s, twelve months before his coronation were No. 2 and 3 of the world. Alcaraz was not even included in the top 30 in the world. The Spaniard started the year as number 32 in the world, played the Australian Open and lost to our Berrettini as number 31, in Rio de Janeiro he was 29. After the victory in Brazil he became number 19, with the semifinal in Indian Wells he climbed to number 16 and with the victory in Miami he reached number 11 in the world. Then with the victory in Barcelona he entered the top 10, played Madrid as number 9 in the world and won it by arriving in Paris as number 6. At Roland Garros he made the quarterfinals and dropped to number 7 at the start of Wimbledon. After the round of 16 lost at Wimbledon against Sinner he returned to No. 6, with the final in Hamburg lost against our Musetti he reached the top 5 in the world, with the final in Umago, still lost against one of our players (Sinner), he finished No. 4 in the world. From No. 4 he won the US Open and jumped to the lead in the rankings, holding the lead until the end.