5 things to know about Carlos Alcaraz, the teen who is world number one after US Open victory

Carlos Alcaraz, 19, celebrates a point against Casper Ruud at the US Open final in New York on September 11.

Spain's 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz made history on September 11 by becoming the youngest man to rise to the world number spot in tennis after his first US Open victory.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Norway's Casper Ruud to become the youngest Grand Slam champion (men) since his idol Rafael Nadal's victory at the 2005 French open .

Here are five things to know about newest tennis sensation: 

1) Alcaraz hails from a small town, El Palmar, in Spain's southeast region. He learnt tennis at a training academy that his father -- a semi-pro -- ran.

2) As a junior player, he won several Spanish and European titles. In 2020, when he was just 16, Alcaraz recorded his first ATP win, against Albert Ramos Vinolas.

3) He is trained by Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former World No. 1 player. Ferrero clinched the French Open in 2003, the year Alcaraz was born. Ferrero has been working with Alcaraz since he was 15 and aspires to see him win 30 Grand Slams.

4) Alcaraz has said he always dreamt of becoming world number one. He grew up idolising Rafael Nadal and was widely seen as his heir apparent. But constantly having to live up to that expectation is a momentous task. "It is not easy being compared to Nadal, because both generations end up losing," he was quoted as saying by Tennis World. "He is an idol and there is only one of him. I continue working hard to be a professional tennis player."

5) In May, Alcaraz defeated not just his idol, but also Novak Djokovic, then the world number one player, to storm into the Madrid Open final.

(With inputs from AFP)