'Playing perfectly' – how does Alcaraz rank v men's tennis legends at 22?
BBC Sport explores Carlos Alcaraz’s stunning record compared to tennis’ biggest legends in the men’s game after his sixth Grand Slam triumph.
BBC Sport explores Carlos Alcaraz’s stunning record compared to tennis’ biggest legends in the men’s game after his sixth Grand Slam triumph.
It’s no secret that top ATP Tour players lean on data and statistical analysis to unlock marginal gains, and Casper Ruud did exactly that to claim the biggest title of his career at the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid in May.
Ahead of his championship-match clash with Jack Draper, the Norwegian turned to ATP Tennis IQ powered by PIF, using the platform to study his opponent’s game and spot recurring patterns in his clay-court play. By digging into Draper’s tactical tendencies, Ruud arrived on court with a clear plan and the confidence to execute it under pressure.
“His typical left-handed approach to the clay game is penetrating your opponent’s backhand with [the] forehand,” Ruud said of Draper. “I tried to cover it as good as I can. That was something I really thought about going into the match. I think I was ready for it, which was really important.”
Watch Casper Ruud explain how he uses ATP Tennis IQ powered by PIF
ATP Tennis IQ powered by PIF is an enhanced performance-analytics platform that delivers richer match data, advanced scouting, video breakdowns, and wearable integration, all in real-time. The tool is now available to more than 2,000 ATP Tour and Challenger Tour players, as well as ATP coaches, bringing elite-level analysis within reach across the professional game.
By providing insights into opponents’ tendencies, tactical patterns, and real-time physical metrics, it empowers players to refine preparation, adapt strategy mid-match, and elevate overall development. Read more about the platform here.
For 13-time ATP Tour champion and former World No. 2 Ruud, the value of the innovative platform is clear.
“It’s really cool how you can actually see it on a screen, statistic-wise,” Ruud said of the platform. “It’s really cool that you can compare yourself to yourself, and also the rest of the Tour.
“The one thing you can have a really clear vision of is your opponent’s serve. I find it helpful using [the platform] to see where my opponents typically like to serve on pressure points. If your gut feeling matches what the Tennis IQ platform says about a player, then I know I’m onto something and I will dive deeper.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from Spain’s upcoming Davis Cup second-round qualifier against Denmark, which will take place in Valencia from 12-13 September, due to fatigue.
The 22-year-old Spaniard defeated fierce rival Jannik Sinner in the US Open final on Sunday and simultaneously sealed his return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since September 2023. Alcaraz owns a 5-1 career record at the Davis Cup, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, having made his debut in 2022.
Jaume Munar, Roberto Carballes Baena and Pablo Carreno Busta have replaced Alcaraz and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina — who has also pulled out — in Team Spain’s lineup, which is led by captain David Ferrer.
Holger Rune headlines Denmark’s lineup, which also includes Elmer Moeller, August Holmgren, Christian Sigsgaard and Johannes Ingildsen.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz says it’s a “dream come true” after winning his second US Open title and regaining the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.
Felix Auger-Aliassime has reignited his push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time in his career after a dazzling run to the US Open semi-finals.
With just two months remaining before the prestigious season finale, the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin is heating up. Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur also made gains during their campaigns at the year’s final major in New York.
ATPTour.com looks at the biggest movers in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as of Monday, 8 September.
Felix Auger-Aliassime – 10th (2,705 points), +8
After a strong early-season that included titles in Adelaide and Montpellier, Auger-Aliassime looked well-positioned for a Nitto ATP Finals spot. A patchy mid-season dimmed these hopes, but his US Open resurgence has firmly put him back in the mix.
The 25-year-old Canadian earned consecutive wins over third seed Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and De Minaur to reach the semi-finals, leaving him just two places shy of qualification in the Live Race.
View the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin
Novak Djokovic – third (4,180), +2
Novak Djokovic continued his ultra-clean Grand Slam season, advancing to a fourth straight major semi-final in New York before bowing out to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. The 38-year-old Serbian joined Jannik Sinner as the only men to reach the semi-finals at all four majors this year.
The record seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champion, who also won his 100th tour-level trophy this year in Geneva, climbed two spots to third in the Live Race.
Alex de Minaur – seventh (3,145), +1
Last year, De Minaur made his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, becoming the first Australian to qualify since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004. Following his run to the US Open quarter-finals this year, the 26-year-old looks in good standing to return to Turin. De Minaur, who won his first title of the season in Washington in July, boasts a Tour-leading 28 wins on hard courts in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Lorenzo Musetti – eighth (3,070), +1
After a slow start to the North American swing, Lorenzo Musetti turned things around in New York by reaching his first major quarter-final on hard courts. With the breakthrough, the 23-year-old is back inside the qualification spots for Turin, where he is aiming to make his debut. Musetti holds a 30-13 record this season, highlighted by semi-final appearances at all three-clay court ATP Masters 1000 events and Roland Garros.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, taking place from 9-16 November at Inalpi Arena in Turin.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Juan Carlos Ferrero came up short in the 2003 US Open final, but he received the ultimate consolation prize one day later: his debut at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The Spaniard rose to the pinnacle of the men’s game on 8 September 2003, but he began laying the foundations for that milestone the previous season.
Behind a run to the final at the 2002 ATP Masters Cup, now the Nitto ATP Finals, Ferrero finished that year at World No. 4. He fell one set shy of the trophy at the season finale in Shanghai (l. to Hewitt), but won four singles crowns in a breakthrough 2023 campaign.
Ferrero lifted his lone Grand Slam title at Roland Garros that season and also triumphed at the ATP Masters 1000s Monte-Carlo and Madrid. While he initially struggled to back up his French Open success, he rose to the occasion at the US Open — where had never been past the fourth round — to earn his status as World No. 1.
In a battling run to the New York final, Ferrero notched just a single straight-sets result in six victories. A four-set quarter-final win against 2001 US Open champ Lleyton set up a semi-final showdown with World No. 1 Andre Agassi, a marquee matchup that doubled as a shootout for the top spot in the PIF ATP Rankings.
With his 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory against the home favourite, Ferrero was guaranteed to leave New York as the new No. 1.
“I worked a lot for this No. 1,” said the Spaniard, who played four matches in four days to close out his rain-affected US Open campaign. “I’m really happy to be No. 1.”
During his eight weeks at the pinnacle, Ferrero lived up to his billing as the game’s best by winning the Madrid title. His run was ultimately ended by Roddick, who made his No. 1 debut in November.
Learn more about the ATP No. 1 Club
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz triumphs in the latest chapter of his compelling rivalry with Jannik Sinner, earning a four-set victory to regain the US Open title.
Carlos Alcaraz joked that he sees Jannik Sinner more than sees his family – but it is difficult to see who can challenge them at the top of the game.
Carlos Alcaraz continued to add to his resume on Sunday with his second US Open title and his sixth major overall. It will not take the 22-year-old long to turn his attention to his biggest goal: completing the Career Grand Slam.
The Spaniard has claimed two crowns apiece at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. The only major left is the Australian Open, where he will try to secure glory at the start of next season.
“It’s my first goal, to be honest. When I just go to the preseason to [see] what I want to improve, what I want to achieve, Australian Open is there,” Alcaraz said. “It’s the first or second tournament of the year, and it is always the main goal for me to complete a Career Grand Slam, Calendar Grand Slam. So it’s going to be great.”
Alcaraz did more than lift the US Open trophy. By defeating Jannik Sinner, the 23-time tour-level titlist also recaptured World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings from the Italian. It is the new No. 1’s first time at the top of the standings since September 2023.
“Since I got the chance to recover the No. 1, it was one of the first goals that I had during the season, just to try to recover the No. 1 as soon as possible or end the year as the No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “For me, achieving that once again, it is a dream. Doing [it] in the same day as getting another Grand Slam feels even better. It’s everything I’m working for, and I’m really happy to be able to live these experiences.”
Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, always tries to extract the maximum from his charge. But even the former World No. 1 said Sunday evening on multiple occasions that Alcaraz played the “perfect” match against Sinner.
“He always wants me to play at my best, and not too many times I would say he’s said that, that I played perfectly. So for me, it’s a great win,” Alcaraz said. “But, yeah, he’s right. I think I played perfect. I played perfectly.”
The champion lost just one set in the tournament — against Sinner on Sunday — and dropped serve just three times, becoming the second men’s singles champion at a major since 1991 to lose three or fewer service games en route to glory. The only other man who has done it, Pete Sampras, accomplished the feat at Wimbledon in 1994 and 1997.
“I feel like this is the best tournament. Since the first rounds to the end of the tournament, the best tournament so far that I have ever played,” Alcaraz said. “The consistency of my level during the whole tournament has been really, really high, which I’m really proud of, because it’s something that I’ve been working on, to be really consistent.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have met in three consecutive major finals, and it is safe to say this will not be their last clash in a big moment. Alcaraz now leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 10-5, but will continue looking for ways to learn from their encounters.
“I love watching him play. I think it is unbelievable what he’s doing. Secondly, it’s because I love to study him, how he plays, how he feels on the tournaments just [so] if I played him in that tournament, just to have feedback how he’s been playing in the tournaments,” Alcaraz said. “I wouldn’t say he’s predictable, but I know his style. I know what he’s going to do or his main weapons [in] his game. So I just try to be focused on that.”
For now, Alcaraz will enjoy this moment. There are goals like winning the two remaining ATP Masters 1000 events of the season and triumphing at the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, but the Spaniard will soak in the rewards of his hard work in New York.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s great. I’m working really hard just to lift this trophy. It’s my second one, but it’s still a dream, a dream come true,” Alcaraz said. “The second one here is super special.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Before the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz told himself to “go for it, don’t be afraid”. That motto saw him go on to take the title.