Age is just a number! We often say this to address a player who might be in his late 30s. But have you ever used this phrase for a 20-year-old kid? Perhaps not. Fasten your seatbelts, as Carlos Alcaraz storms into the tennis world to blow you away in upcoming years. From a rising star to becoming an idol, Carlitos has come a long way with his talent and hard work. Now, he is the new household name for the young players in Spain. The current world No.2 recently opened up about being considered an idol by many of his compatriots.

Carlos Alcaraz Garfia has already won 12 ATP tour-level singles titles, which include two Grand Slams (US Open 2022 and 2023 Wimbledon). The Spanish Prodigy won the ATP Challenger Tour event title at the age of 16 years in 2019 in Trieste, Italy. That’s not all. He became the first teenager in the Open Era to top the singles ranking at 19 years, 4 months and 6 days. This has undoubtedly catapulted him into immense fame and to the status of idol in many fans and up-and-coming players’ eyes.

Carlos Alcaraz gets a flashback of his childhood seeing his young fans

The Murician recently defeated Casper Ruud (6-4,6-2) of Norway at the China Open and stormed into the semis. He was on the verge of creating another record. No Spanish Grand Slam Champion in the history of tennis has ever won both the ATP 500 and ATP 1000 Masters titles in China. If he had managed to clinch this silverware in Shanghai Masters he would have made another record.

After his thumping victory in the quarterfinals, in his post-match press conference, the Spanish spoke about his game. Later on, when he was asked about his thoughts of becoming a youth icon, he said, “I’m happy to know that there are juniors and young people who have me as an idol. It’s crazy. Seeing young players reminds me of my junior era, it brings back good memories.“

On inspiring the next-gen, he added “They have the opportunity to learn from the best very closely, and it is something that can help them raise their level and that is very, very important. The fact of sharing some things with the professionals when I was just a child I think is something that helped me when I arrived at the junior circuit or the Futures and Challengers circuit, helped me a lot. What would you say to them? Take advantage of the opportunity to improve and learn from the best players.”

Having Rafael Nadal as one of his idols, he has already taken inspiration to contribute off the field as well. 

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To be a true role model, Carlitos takes inspiration from the best

Rafa himself is an active philanthropist. Rafael Nadal Foundation Center, provides support to needy children with their education and sports activities. The 20-year-old also has been involved in various charity works. He is putting efforts to give back to the community by providing support to a tennis program for underprivileged youths. His commitment to serving those in need and helping those who may not get the same opportunity that he got at his young age is commendable.

To inspire needs lots of will and achievements. But to achieve needs lots of hard work and sacrifices. This is his 12th semi-final appearance of the season and it’s still counting. Will Carlitos be able to get his hand on this silverware? That’s what his fans are waiting to see. Do give us your opinions on this in the comments.

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