Carlos Alcaraz has beaten Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is a Real Madrid fan who had Luka Modric cheering him on – now he could be a grand slam winner with US Open final victory
In May, Carlos Alcaraz gave the tennis world a very real reminder that he is the sport's future.
The 19-year-old plays in the US Open final on Sunday and a grand slam appearance has been a long time coming, with breathtaking victories over Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokvoic on consecutive days at the Madrid Open recorded earlier in the year.
It was a memorable week for the Spanish capital given Real Madrid produced one of the all-time great comebacks to beat Man City and reach the Champions League final, which they later won.
Alcaraz, who turned 19 during the tournament, is a huge Real fan and took that same mentality into his matches.
Los Blancos legend Juanito once said ’90 minutes at the Bernabeu is a very long time’ and the young Spaniard made reference to that after beating Djokovic in the semi-final.
After beating the world number one, he wrote on the camera: “Un partido en Madrid es molto longo.”
Meaning ‘a match in Madrid is very long’.
Alcaraz continues to break records and defy the odds with a rapid ascent that is making him a serious contender on the top stage.
Most read in Football
He knocked out clay king and compatriot Nadal during the tournament, despite battling thorough an ankle injury.
Real Madrid stars Vinicius Jr and Luka Modric were even spotted in the crowd cheering on the two Spaniards.
The teenager then produced his next shock win with a last-four performance full of resilience and flair to inflict a 6-7 (7), 7-5, 7-6 (7) defeat on Djokovic.
Alcaraz became the first player ever to beat both Nadal and Djokovic on a clay court.
He said: "It's spectacular right now. I am very happy. I'm very excited to be able to play these kind of matches, to be able to beat Rafa yesterday, to be able to beat the number one today.
"So I'm super happy. It gives me a lot of confidence for tomorrow's final.”
Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in the final and now has something bigger in his sights.
He plays Casper Ruud in the final at New York's Flushing Meadows where the winner becomes tennis' new no.1.
The 19-year-old is the youngest man to make a slam final since his Nadal won his maiden title at the French Open back in 2005 and comparisons between the two have been made.
In the Big Apple, his cheerleader changed from Modric to former first lady Michelle Obama and his route to the US Open final has been epic.
He has battled for five sets beyond 2am in his previous two matches, showing Nadal-esque mental and physical endurance but still has one more obstcale to get to the top.
"I have one more to go against a player who plays incredible," he said. "I'm going to give everything that I have. I'm going to enjoy the moment and let's see what happens."