"This trophy means everything" - Carlos Alcaraz elated at beating Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas to become year-end World No. 1

Carlos Alcaraz was presented with the year-ending World No. 1 trophy in a ceremony at the 2022 ATP Finals in Turin on Thursday.

He later took to social media to post a video thanking fans for their support and their belief in him.

"This trophy means everything! Thank you everyone for your support and belief!" Carlos Alcaraz wrote post his year-end world no 1 ranking," he wrote.

The reigning US Open champion last played at the Paris Masters, where he had to withdraw from his quarterfinal match due to an injury, which also forced him to pull out of the ATP Finals, leaving the door open for Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas to surpass him for the top rank.

Tsitsipas' defeat to Novak Djokovic in his opening match of the tournament ended his hopes of taking over the top spot. Nadal, on the other hand, lost to Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime, which sealed Alcaraz's spot on top of the ATP rankings. In doing so, the 19-year-old has become the youngest player to end the year as World No. 1.

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57 wins, 5 titles and ranked World No. 1: Carlos Alcaraz's 2022 season in review

Carlos Alcaraz poses with the 2022 US Open trophy.

Carlos Alcaraz has had a sensational season, starting as World No. 32 and making a steady ascend to World No. 1. He accomplished the feat with consistent performances throughout the year, winning his first Grand Slam title and four ATP Masters titles.

The Spaniard began by winning the Rio Open and followed it up by winning the Miami Open and the Barcelona Open. He then won the title in Madrid, overcoming Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the then World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in consecutive matches.

In his Roland Garros debut, he made a quarterfinal exit. He did not make a deep run at Wimbledon, exiting the grasscourt Major in the second round. However, he was back to his best at the US Open, where the teenager became the youngest player to lift the trophy since Pete Sampras in 1990.

The 19-year-old then recorded a semifinal finish at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. At the Paris Masters, the year's final Masters 1000 event, he reached the quarterfinals before an injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament. Since then, he has not competed in any tournaments and has been focusing on his recovery.

He has registered a 57-13 win-loss record this year, including nine wins from 14 matches against top 10 opponents.