Carlos Alcaraz returns to the Tennis Throne: Relive Espanyol’s First ATP Journey

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Alcaraz takes the throne of tennis: Revisiting the Spanish No. 1

The 22-year-old returns to the highest point after waiting for two years

September 11, 2025

At the age of 19, Carlos Alcaraz was at the top of the tennis world. He won his first major title at the 2022 U.S. Open, becoming the youngest world No. 1 in PIF ATP rankings history (19 years, four months). Alcaraz will then enjoy four training sessions, two of which were before the Spaniard’s 20th birthday, before the PIF ATP rankings, in 12 months.

When Novak Djokovic took the 24th Grand Trophy in the 2023 U.S. Open with Novak Djokovic barely knew he would have to wait two years to return to the highest point.

First: September 12, 2022 to January 29, 2023 (20 weeks)
Alcaraz’s first dominance lasted 20 weeks from the end of 2022 to the conclusion of the 2023 Australian Open. He defeated Casper Ruud of Flushing Meadows in a high-style final. The winner of this championship match will not only cancel the big trophy for the first time, but will also become the world number one the next day.

Alcaraz ended the ATP No. 1 proposed by PIF Honors that season. Although, he spent part of his first to-do due to his injury. He suffered tilted tears that prevented him from playing in the famous Nitto ATP final, and then a right leg injury forced him to miss the 2023 Australian Open. Djokovic’s victory in Melbourne means weeks of historical leaders will return to the site.

Second: March 20, 2023 to April 2, 2023 (two weeks)
Alcaraz returned to the tour without wasting time re-establishing himself. He won 14 of his first 15 games and won the championship in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells, and won the first place from Djokovic in March 2023.

Then there is the tug-of-war on the top. Alcaraz’s second term lasted for two weeks, and Djokovic returned to first place.

Third and fourth term: May 22, 2023 to June 11, 2023 (three weeks); June 26, 2023 to September 10, 2023 (11 weeks)
In May 2003, the Spaniard climbed into pole again, only to let Djokovic take it back at Roland Garros. Alcaraz fought back at Queen’s Club to take the trophy back to No. 1 – this time, he kept it for 11 weeks, during which time Alcaraz took over his first Wimbledon title, defeating seven-time champion Djokovic in an exciting five-game final. Serbian Djokovic took a step back and escaped Alcaraz in the epic Cincinnati final before bringing his motivation to the U.S. Open, where he won his fourth trophy in the U.S. Grand Slam, returning to first place again.

Now, after two years of waiting, Alcaraz returns to the PIF ATP rankings. His latest return to No. 1 in the world was after a dominant run at the U.S. Open, where he surrendered to a group in the finals – a competition for Jannik Sinner – on his way to his sixth major title. Alcaraz ended Sinner’s first debut for 65 weeks, making the fourth-longest debut of 29 ATP No. 1 club members.