Carlos Alcaraz has been the player to beat in 2025,  especially since April. The Spaniard has been on an absolute tear, reaching nine straight ATP finals and capturing seven titles to leave everyone else in the dust, including Jannik Sinner. For months, Sinner had been breathing down Alcaraz’s neck, trailing by less than 600 points in the rankings. But after the Italian, who was the defending champion in Shanghai, was forced to retire in the third round, the gap at the top has finally widened. And with the latest rankings update on Monday, Carlos Alcaraz officially surpassed Andy Murray in all-time weeks at No. 1.

This week marks Alcaraz’s 42nd week at the top, pushing him past Murray’s total of 41. The six-time Major winner now sits firmly in the driver’s seat in the race for the year-end No. 1. With last year’s Shanghai Masters points coming off the board, the 22-year-old holds 11,340 points compared to Sinner’s 10,000. And with that, the young Spaniard earns a special kind of bragging rights over the 38-year-old.

The retired three-time Major winner once handed the teenager, Carlos Alcaraz, a tough loss at Indian Wells in 2021. But even then, Andy Murray saw something special, telling him he was a “future world No. 1.” A few weeks later, the young Spaniard got his payback in Vienna, flipping the script and taking the win. Fast forward to this summer, and the two found themselves on friendlier terms and on a golf course. During Wimbledon, Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray played three rounds, splitting the first two before the two-time Olympic champion edged him out for the decisive victory.

In a lighthearted on-court interview at Wimbledon, Alcaraz couldn’t resist poking fun at their golf battle, saying, “Yeah, I mean, I had to show up… We are playing in his home, so it would be really bad for him, you know, if I beat him, so I let him win once.” That playful rivalry has now taken a new turn, because this week, Alcaraz can take comfort in knowing he’s officially spent more time as world No. 1 than Murray ever did.

Anyway, after his Japan Open win over Taylor Fritz, Carlos Alcaraz made the smart call to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters, a move that’s already paying off. And the 22-year-old is now set to head to Saudi Arabia in a few days to join the star-studded Six Kings Slam. Moreover, with the ATP Finals in Turin still to come and his recovery on track, Carlos Alcaraz stands on the verge of chasing down yet another milestone – this time, a Rafael Nadal record.

Carlos Alcaraz’s legendary racket goes under the hammer

Carlos Alcaraz’s 2023 Wimbledon-winning Babolat racket is officially up for grabs at Prestige Memorabilia, and with just six days left before the hammer drops, the tennis-only auction house is already bracing for a record-breaking finish. “This is by far the most significant item to ever surface from Alcaraz’s young but already historic career, used in a match that many consider to be a generational turning point,” reads the lot description.

According to Prestige Memorabilia, this customized pro stock Babolat racket (built precisely to Alcaraz’s playing specs) has been photomatched by Resolution to 10 separate dates, including the iconic July 16 Wimbledon final, along with four other matches and practice sessions from the 2023 grass-court season. It’s not just a piece of equipment; it’s a slice of history tied directly to the day Alcaraz dethroned Novak Djokovic and signaled the start of a new era in men’s tennis.

The grip bears Alcaraz’s unmistakable signature, while the frame still holds its original Babolat customization sticker and the stringing label from the Championships.

Since bidding opened on September 30, the race to own this prized piece has been nothing short of fierce. Ten bids have already come in, with the highest currently sitting at $21,437 from a private collector. But experts are convinced that the number will skyrocket as the October 19 deadline draws near,  and given what this racket represents, no one’s doubting it. That said, how much would you be willing to bid for his Wimbledon-winning racket?