After his title at the US Open in September, the Spaniard became at 19 the youngest world No.1 since the ATP ranking existed (1973).
Tuesday, the elimination of Rafael Nadal from the Masters also made him the youngest N.1 at the end of the year.
QUESTION: What does this N.1 trophy represent at the end of the season?
ANSWER: "A lot. This trophy means that I am part of tennis history, alongside many legends. It's an incredible feeling."
Q: You receive this trophy on the sidelines of the year-end Masters which you cannot participate in due to injury.
Are you disappointed?
A: "Yes, I'm disappointed not to be able to play the Masters. I really wanted to play them. But injuries happen in the life of a tennis player. But I'm very happy to be able to lift a magnificent trophy ( 1 in the world, editor's note). It's a great achievement. All the hard work pays off."
Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and the world No.1 trophy on November 16, 2022 during a ceremony on the sidelines of the masters in Turin Marco BERTORELLO AFP
Q: Where are you with your injury, will you be back for the start of the season in Australia?
A: "It's going very well. I'm recovering very quickly. I'm doing everything to be fully recovered as soon as possible. In one week (since he injured his abdominals during the Masters 1000 in Paris, editor's note), the injury has decreased enormously. I will be ready for the start of the season, I will be 100%. The week after the injury, I did a lot of exercises because it is important not to stop. Now, I'm going to take a few days off to disconnect from tennis a bit and rest. But after that, I'm going to go back to the off-season work to improve and start the Australian Open as well as possible. I'll go to Australia in the first days of January. At the moment the plan is to play the Australian Open directly."
Statements taken at a press conference
© 2022 AFP