After Carlos Alcaraz announced his presence with a 2021 US Open championship, he has proven himself as one of the most dominant names in the sport.
It’s hard to find a tennis fan who isn’t talking about rising sensation Carlos Alcaraz right now. He joined Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez as the youngsters announcing their presence to the world at the 2021 U.S. Open with storybook runs in Flushing Meadows, and Alcaraz’s image has only grown since.
Despite being just 19 years old at the time of his initial, massive rise, Alcaraz is already arguably the best men’s tennis player in the world. He’s lifted four trophies during his first full season, including two at the Masters 1000 level. He quickly followed up with two Grand Slam titles at the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon. In fact, his run since his debut has been so impressive that he’s already a truly compelling heir apparent for the Big Three of Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal.
With so many match wins and ATP-level titles comes money — and lots of it. Alcaraz’s brand has already grown larger than most could have ever imagined even a couple short years ago, and the sky is truly the limit.
Let’s take a closer look.
The Alcaraz Brand
- Age: 20
- Nationality: Spanish
- Height: 6 feet
- Weight: 163 lbs.
- Career prize money: $20.36 million
- Key endorsements: Nike, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, BMW, Rolex
- Instagram followers: 4.1 million
With his Grand Slams, so too came a deep portfolio endorsement deals. Since hoisting that first trophy in Queens, Alcaraz has courted big-name brands including Louis Vuitton and Calvin Klein. Though his starting rotation was never one to scoff at, as he had pre-existing deals with Nike, Babolat, BMW España, and Rolex.
The Spaniard wore Lotto and Naffta clothes as a junior before signing a deal with Nike in 2019. When he debuted on the ATP Tour in 2020, he was wearing a Nike kit and has always used a Babolat racquet.
Alcaraz endorsed Crown Sport Nutrition in 2021, but that deal appears to have expired. Taking its place as his off-court venture, Rolex has stepped in and signed Alcaraz as an ambassador.
In the meantime, Alcaraz has amassed over $20 million in career on-court earnings already.
Career Accomplishments
Professional singles record: 143-37
ATP World Ranking: 1
Career-high ranking: 1
Grand Slams: US Open (2022), Australian Open (2023)
ATP Titles: 12
- 2023: Wimbledon, Queens Club Championship, Madrid Open, Barcelona Open Indian Wells Masters, Rio Open, Argentina Open
- 2022: US Open, Croatia Open, Hamburg European Open, Madrid Open, Barcelona Open, Miami Open, Rio Open
- 2021: Croatia Open
ATP Challenger Titles: Trieste (2020), Barcelona (2020), Alicante (2020), Oeiras 3 (2021)
Additional honors: 2020 ATP Newcomer of the Year, Murcia Athlete of the Year, ATP NextGen Finals Champion (2021), ATP Most Improved Player (2022), ATP Player of the Year (2022), Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year (2023), youngest player to become ATP world No. 1 (2022)
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Alcaraz trained at the Rafael Nadal Academy as a teen and was quickly deemed a prodigy. His career started off with a bang, seeing him win six of his first eight matches at the ITF level at the age of 14. After racking up some more ITF wins, Alcaraz had his first taste of life at the higher levels with a quarterfinal appearance at the Challenger level and a close three-set loss in qualifying for the 2019 Barcelona Open.
After starting off 24-12 across all levels, the youngster would explode on the scene in 2020 by going 44-7. That was when he took home three ATP Challenger titles and won his first match on the ATP Tour in Rio de Janeiro over Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Then came the big breakthrough in 2021. Alcaraz qualified for the Australian Open and won his first Grand Slam match over Botic Van De Zandschulp, and began to find main-draw match wins. He reached the third round of the French Open, won his first ATP title in Umag, and the rest is history.
Alcaraz never went back to the Challenger level, playing his final match there in late May 2021. After that first title, he netted his signature win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open just a week later. He ended the year the champion at the ATP NextGen Finals, and picked up where he left off in 2022.
Now, Alcaraz is one of the top names in the sport. The match wins — particularly in big tournaments — have earned him enough points to reach No. 6 in the world, one spot behind Nadal. His latest trophy in Madrid saw him defeat Nadal, Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev in succession.
There may not be a better player on tour right now than Alcaraz, and the way things are already looking he may go down as one of the greatest ever.
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