Two men. One mission. Who will seize the world number one crown? This was the question running through the minds of every tennis fan in the past two weeks. On one side stood Carlos Alcaraz—the fiery Spaniard, winning almost everything he touched. On the other hand, Jannik Sinner, cold-faced, laser-focused, refusing to let go of the chase, no matter how far the gap seemed. What unfolded between them wasn’t just a race for points. It was a season-long duel of willpower, resilience, and belief—one that pushed Alcaraz to dig deeper than ever before. But finally that cat-and-mouse race has now come to an end…

Both these players had a spectacular season this year, and perhaps that’s why, in a previous interview with MARCA, we heard Alcaraz admit that, “It’s not a big deal if I don’t finish the year at the top of the rankings. I think it’s a great battle between Jannik (Sinner) and me to see who will finish number one.” What did he say after finally clinching the year-end number one crown for the second time in his career (after 2022)? After beating Lorenzo Musetti by 6-4, 6-1 in the final group stage match, he revealed how overwhelmed he was with this close fight with Sinner for the world number one crown. “It means the world to me, to be honest. The year-end #1 is always a goal,” Alcaraz said.

Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t often let the curtain fall on his emotion. But as he reflected on the season that pushed him to the edge of exhaustion, inspiration, and reinvention, his voice carried the weight of a young champion who had just survived one of the fiercest chases of his career—a chase fueled by none other than the relentless Jannik Sinner. Speaking more about that, he added, “To be honest, at the beginning of the year, I saw the #1 really far away. Jannik being there winning almost every tournament he plays. From the middle of the season til now, I set a goal for #1 because I thought it was there. I had a chance to play great tennis in a lot of tournaments in a row to put myself closer to Jannik for the #1. In the last 3 or 4 tournaments of the year, fighting toe-to-toe with Jannik for this spot, and finally I got it.”

If we take a look at some of the records he created with this win, Alcaraz is not the youngest player to claim 70+ match wins in a season at the ATP level since Novak Djokovic in 2009. Not only that, he’s now also younger than any of the Big 3 when they got their second world number one finish. Reflecting his happiness to finish the year on the highest note, he added, “For me, it means everything. The work that we put in every day during the whole season. Ups and downs, comebacks.. I’m really proud about my team and myself.”

Since the ATP rankings were first published in 1973, Carlos Alcaraz has become just the second player to secure multiple year-end ATP number one rankings before turning 23 (after Lleyton Hewitt’s heroics in 2001-02). Although the race is now over, there is still a lot to achieve for the Spaniard in this season. What else did he say after the match, and how did the tennis world react to his incredible achievement?

With the world number one crown secured, Carlos Alcaraz sets his sights on another glory

Carlos Alcaraz walked into Turin with a season’s worth of expectations trailing behind him—the pressure, the brilliance, the weight of being the sport’s next great hope. And when he clinched the year-end world number one crown, he didn’t leap or roar. He simply breathed out, the way champions do when one goal is accomplished but another still burns ahead. Despite having already won 8 titles this season, Alcaraz now looks forward to getting closer to clinching the title, which has been missing for a long time from his trophy cabinet. Can he do it on his least favorite surface? Time will tell!

After winning the match against Lorenzo Musetti, he gave an interview with Sky Sports, where he mentioned, “It was a really important goal for me to end the year as the number one, but obviously, the tournament, I mean, this tournament is really, really important for me. I’m excited about qualifying for the semi-finals, giving myself a chance to play another semi-final here and hopefully get into the final. So we will see. But, you know, I would say part of the job is done, but you know, the rest of the job is still going. So I’m excited to keep going.”

Tennis legends Tim Henman and Laura Robson, who were doing the coverage of the match for Sky Sports, heaped praise on Alcaraz for his astonishing feat. Even Rennae Stubbs shared a tweet on this, saying, “Congrats to @carlosalcaraz on achieving the year-end world #1 ranking. Once again, an extraordinary year from truly one of the nicest young men you could ever meet.” Despite all these congratulatory messages, Alcaraz doesn’t want to get too carried away with these things, as there is a major challenge still lying ahead of him.

He will next face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alexander Zverev in the semis. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in that epic battle. Winning the ATP Finals is not just about another trophy. For Alcaraz, it’s about validation. About stamping his authority on a field that pits champion against champion, every match. It’s about proving that being world number one is not the end of the road—it’s the beginning of a new era—the Carlitos Era.