On the cobbled streets of El Palmar, a village in southeastern Spain, a young Carlos Alcaraz was once just another Murcian boy with a racket in his hand. He would often train at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo, where locals saw him as nothing more than a kid who simply enjoyed playing tennis. But Kiko Navarro, his coach at the club, saw something far more intense in the youngster. “He didn’t like to lose anything. He was very competitive,” Navarro once recalled.

That same fire has followed Alcaraz throughout his career, and helped him achieve the kind of success many players can only dream of. Now 23, the Spaniard has added another accolade to his growing collection, winning his first ESPYS award after beating fellow nominees Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina.

But with Alcaraz missing most of the clay-court season and the entire grass-court swing because of injury, how did he still come out on top?

The answer lies in how the ESPYS nominations work. The awards recognize performances from the previous calendar year, with fans then voting for the athlete they believe made the biggest impact. And the Spaniard certainly made his mark, completing the Career Grand Slam at just 23 years old.

The seven-time Major champion was honored with the Best Tennis Player award at the ESPYS for his excellent on-court show in the 2025 season.

Last year, the Spaniard posted a 71-9 win-loss record and clearly stood out from the rest of the field. Of the 17 events he played in, he reached 11 finals and won 8 titles, including 2 Grand Slams and 4 Masters 1000 titles. However, the 23-year-old faced stiff competition this year for the ESPY title, as his rivals were equally strong in 2025, with Jannik Sinner having a season in which he won two Grand Slam titles, taking six titles in total.

On the WTA side, nominees Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina also concluded their 2025 season on a high note. The World No. 1 reached three Grand Slam finals in 2025 and won 63 of her 75 matches, becoming the dominant player in the WTA.

On the other hand, Elena Rybakina was one of the most consistent players on the Tour, reaching three finals and seven semifinals in the 2025 season. The Kazakh ended the 2025 season strongly, winning the WTA Finals, which carried over into her Australian Open title early this year.

However, it was Alcaraz who received fans’ admiration for his on-court excellence and won his first ESPYS award.

Interestingly, last year, after completing an impeccable season, Carlitos received the Laureus Award for the Best Athlete of 2025.

When life came full circle for Carlos Alcaraz

As he accepted the Laureus Award honor, pride was written all over his face, almost as if the young boy from Murcia had finally made his younger self proud. He even took a moment to thank fellow nominee Jannik Sinner, crediting the Italian for challenging him throughout the season and pushing him to become a better player.

Alcaraz later opened up about fulfilling one of his biggest childhood dreams.

“Winning two Grand Slams and finishing the year as number one is something I dreamed of since I was a little child. But when I look back, I not only think about the trophies and the results. I think about the journey, the work, the challenging moments, the people who were by my side, and everything I learned during the process. It’s a dream, a true dream.”

And with Alcaraz completing his Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open this year, that dream came full circle. The young boy from Murcia who once dreamed of becoming more than just a tennis player has now added another major accolade to his growing legacy.

Though the young Spaniard is out of action since April this year, Alcaraz is aiming to return at the Cincinnati Open in August. His fans hope he can pick up where he left off, as he started the season with a 16-match win streak, including the Australian Open and the Qatar Open.

Vamos! Alcaraz