Carlos Alcaraz outclassed Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 to lay his hands on the first Grand Slam title of his career. Following his win, the Spaniard has caused quite a stir, with several former players heaping praise on the teenager.
Former tennis professional Andy Roddick took to Twitter to reflect on the teenager's splendid win at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The American looked back fondly at the Spaniard's early years and commended his attitude and dynamic nature on the court and pleasant behavior off it.
"The future is here. What a pleasure it’s been to see Carlos Alcaraz improve so quickly. Youngest number one in the history of our game. Was lucky to meet him during last two weeks. As mature/nice off the court as he is dynamic on it. Cheers to the first of many majors Carlitos, " Roddick said.
"It's sometimes hard to believe he's only a teenager" - Casper Ruud on his loss to Carlos Alcaraz
Casper Ruud suffered another heartbreak in a Grand Slam final as he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the summit clash of the US Open. Ruud attained his career-best ranking of No. 2 following his impressive run at this year's last Major.
Ruud, the highest-ranked Norwegian tennis player in the history of the sport, reflected on his loss by praising his Spanish counterpart for his superb form in the final and his achievements on the court. Speaking at the post-match press conference, the 23-years-old stated that it was tough to believe that Alcaraz was only a teenager.
“It's incredibly impressive what he has achieved already as a teenager. It's sometimes hard to believe he's only a teenager,” Ruud said.
He continued by hailing Alcaraz as "one of the rare few talents" in the sport. He added that Alcaraz's career is going in all the right directions to become a top player in the sport.
“He's one of these few rare talents that comes up every now and then in sports. That's what it seems like. Let's see how his career develops, but it's going all in the right direction."
Ruud called Alcaraz the best player in the world at the moment and stated that he deserved the No. 1 spot in the rankings.
“At the moment he's the best player in the world in my eyes. He deserves that spot. I'm happy that we played each other in the final and that we played for the title and the world No. 1 spot," Ruud said.