Rafa Nadal, the Spanish soccer team, Real Madrid, the Spanish Basketball Federation, the golfer Sergio García, FC Barcelona and Marc Márquez. Until yesterday, those were the representatives of Spanish sports who had a Laureus Award, known as the Oscars of sports, in their honors. But now A Murcian has joined this list, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia, only 20 years old, considered the best world promise of the year 2022. At a gala held in the Pavillon Vendome, in the luxurious Plaza de París that the tennis player from El Palmar will be able to visit again on the occasion of his participation in Roland Garros in fifteen days, Alcaraz received the trophy, a statuette made by the craftsmen of Cartier, from the hands of a soccer legend, Luis Figo, and became the great attraction and the most sought after on the red carpet together with the Argentine Leo Messi, with whom he was able to talk before entering at the ceremony, which for the first time after the coronavirus pandemic, was held in person.
Together with Alcaraz, who He was accompanied by his parents, his brother Álvaro and his representative, Albert MolinaMessi himself, the Argentine soccer team, the Jamaican athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, world champion in the 100 meters and runner-up in the 200, the Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen and the athlete with a disability Catherine Debrunner were awarded.
Apart from having been the youngest player in history to reach number 1, the awards jury has also taken into account the five titles won by Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil in 2022, including the United States Open, the first Grand Slam of his career, as well as the Masters 1,000 in Rome and Miami , and the ATP 500 in Barcelona and Rio de Janeiro. The player, who is already just one success away in 2023 from equaling those he achieved last year, was especially proud of all the technical team that surrounds him, to whom he dedicated the award: «I am in a sport where I am alone in the track, but there is a team behind it and without them what I have been doing with all the moments of sacrifice and pain that there has been would not be possible, “he said at the gala.
The El Palmar player had as rivals the Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusanwho in July 2022 established a new world record in the 100-meter hurdles with a mark of 12:12; American figure skater Nathan Chendouble medalist at the Winter Olympics; Morocco men’s soccer team semifinalist of the World Cup in Qatar; tennis player Elena Rybakina , Kazakh who won Wimbledon in 2022; and the American golfer Scottie Scheffler who reached number 1 in the world ranking. They were also nominated for awards Rafael Nadal, the real Madrid and the soccer player Alexia Putellasbut both fell by the wayside.
Alcaraz, who will arrive at Roland Garros again as world number 1, a position he has already held for 22 weeks, is only 5 points behind Novak Djokovic, whom he will surpass again in Rome.
Albert Ramos or Passaro, rivals in the second round at the Rome Masters
For the first time in his sports career, the Murcian Carlos Alcaraz Garfia, number 2 in the world, will play the International Masters 1,000 of Italy, which will be held starting tomorrow Wednesday at the Foro Itálico, although the one in El Palmar, due to his status as Seeded top, he will not debut until Friday or Saturday and regardless of his result, he will regain the world number 1 before Roland Garros.
The tournament will have the presence of players who were absent in Madrid as Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. The draw for the draw took place yesterday afternoon and Alcaraz’s path will not be easy, since on the horizon he has rivals like Borna Coric, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Andreii Medvedev.
“I am ambitious and I am going for everything in Rome,” said Alcaraz as soon as he won the Masters 1,000 in Madrid, the fourth title in this category in his sports career. The premiere will be in the second round against the winner of the first match that will be played by the Spanish veteran Albert Ramos, whom he faced last year at Roland Garros in a tough match that was resolved in the fifth set in favor of the Murcian, and the Italian Franceso Passaro, 126 in the world ranking.
Then, in the third round, the most qualified rival that comes his way is the Czech Jiri Lehecka, number 39 in the world, who must first play against the Frenchman Corentin Moutet or a player from the previous phase.
Already in the round of 16, the Croatian Borna Coric, whom he easily defeated in the semifinals of the Madrid Masters, and the British Daniel Evans (24 in the world), who will have a crossover with the Spanish Roberto Carballés or with Hugo Delien.
In the quarterfinals, Alcaraz’s possible opponents are the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, whom Conde de Godó defeated in the final, or the American Frances Tiafoe, as well as Dusan Lajovic and the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, while for the semifinals they are in the Two top 10 Russians, Andreii Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, as well as Alejandro Davidovich and the German Alexander Zverev are also part of the draw.
On the other side of the table, apart from Novak Djokovic, are the Italian Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Karen Khachanov, among others. Those who will not be in Rome are Rafa Nadal and the German Struff, Alcaraz’s rival in the final in Madrid.