AS impacts in sport go, few have made it look as easy as Carlos Alcaraz.
The world No2, who is still only 20 years old, is one of the favourites for the Australian Open that begins this weekend.
Seen as the successor to Rafa Nadal, he has already occupied No1 on the ATP tour, and will be a serious threat to Novak Djokovic in years to come.
Such was the expectation on the young boy from Murcia’s shoulders, he had a sponsor by the age of 10.
He has since become the face of Rolex, featured on a cover photoshoot for Vanity Fair, and posed in underwear for Calvin Klein.
He became a two time Grand Slam winner when he won Wimbledon last year, which followed his US Open success in 2022.
Keeping his feet firmly on the ground is his teenage sweetheart, Maria Gonzalez Gimenez.
Blessed with talent
Born to parents Carlos and Virginia, Alcaraz began playing tennis at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia, where his father was the tennis academy director at the age of 4.
Tennis coach Kiko Navarro caught a glimpse of the sensation, before he began coaching him.
“He began to play with his dad, and one day [his father] asked me to watch him. This kid, at four, five years old, was spectacular,” he told The Guardian.
“I knew from very young that he was incredible.
“I’m not going to say that I was thinking he was going to be world No 1 but I knew that I had a really good and different player on my hands.”
His love of tennis came from dad, Carlos Snr who was a fine player and one of the top 40 tennis players in Spain in his time.
But, he didn’t have the financial muscle to pursue a career as a professional.
Instead, he became a coach and then an administrator in tennis and padel.
The buzz about Alcaraz began when he was just 16.
He made his ATP main-draw debut at the Rio Open after receiving a wildcard for the singles main draw.
He would lose in the second round to Federico Coria, but people took notice
A year later he became the youngest ever person to compete in the Australian Open after he qualified for the main draw.
Then by defeating Adrian Mannarino at the Madrid Open he shattered Nadal’s 2004 record of being the youngest winner in the competition.
His success at the 2022 US Open propelled him to No1 in the world, the youngest player to ever occupy the spot.
After his success at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz wrote: “I never thought I would achieve this kind of things at 19.
“It all happened so fast. It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, since I started playing tennis. Lifting this trophy it’s amazing to me.”
Sponsored at 10
By the age of 10, sponsors were already trying to get their hands on Alcaraz.
French firm Babolat got him to use their rackets in 2013.
Two years later, Nike began their association with him – signing Alcaraz to a professional deal worth £1million.
Rolex also bought into the hype and introduced the prodigy as brand ambassador.
At 19, he was the youngest athlete they have ever backed.
BMW provide the company car and a heap of cash.
