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On Monday, December 26, 2022, Carlos Alcaraz began his 16th week as the World No. 1, which brings him equal to Daniil Medvedev's total number of weeks at the top.
It is also the Spaniard's 16th consecutive week at the summit of the ATP rankings that he achieved by winning his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open on September 12. He kicked off the season as the 32nd-ranked player and lifted as many as five singles titles, including the ATP 500 Rio Open and Barcelona Open, and Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid.
His campaign at Flushing Meadows was nothing less than a miracle. Before beating Casper Ruud in the finals, Alcaraz played three consecutive five-set thrillers and even saved a match point against Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. His triumph in New York saw him become the youngest ATP teenager to achieve the No. 1 ranking.
He was also the youngest male player to win a Major since Rafael Nadal's 2005 French Open victory. Alcaraz was the first man outside the Big 4 to finish the year at the top of the rankings since Andy Roddick in 2003. While the youngster has won 57 matches this year, he has faced defeat in only 13. The 19-year-old recently beat Holger Rune, Maxime Cressy, and Jack Draper to win the 2022 ATP Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Medvedev, on the other hand, has had an average season, winning only two titles — ATP 250 Las Cabos and ATP 500 Vienna. Starting the year as the World No. 2, the Russian reached the No. 1 spot on February 28 and stayed there for three weeks. He regained it on June 13 and spent another 13 weeks before Alcaraz stamped his authority.
On January 2, 2023, the Spaniard will begin his 17th week as the World No. 1 and therefore, overtake Medvedev for the total number of weeks at the top.
"Carlos Alcaraz is only going to get better" - Ivan Lendl
Eight-time Grand Slam winner Ivan Lendl recently praised Carlos Alcaraz and his team for the incredible 2022 season. Speaking on the Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, Lendl stated that going forward, the Spaniard was only going to improve.
The former player also lauded Juan Carlos Ferrero for his way of coaching.
"Alcaraz is pretty good and he's only going to get better for a while," he said. "I know Carlos Alcaraz is coached very well. He has a great team around him. Those guys are very good at what they do, the Spaniards. And Juan Carlos Ferrero is fantastic and they're teaching him well, they're teaching him the right things and all the protocols. He's an extremely polite young man. He's great."
