Madrid (AP) - Teenager Carlos Alcaraz is the youngest year-end No. 1 in the history of the ATP computerized rankings and joins fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal as the first players from the same country to claim the top two spots at the close of a season since Americans Pete Sampras and Michael Chang in 1996.
The final men’s tennis rankings for 2022 were published Monday, and Alcaraz’s rise from No. 32 at the end of 2021 is the largest single-season jump to No. 1.
Iga Swiatek finished the year with a substantial lead in the final WTA rankings, which were released last month. The 21-year-old from Poland moved up from No. 2 in April to lead the list for the first time after Ash Barty suddenly retired. Swiatek never relinquished her hold, helped by earning major championships at the French Open and U.S. Open. Ons Jabeur — the runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open — closed the season at a career-best No. 2.
Alcaraz, who turned 19 in May, has remained atop the rankings since he won his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in September by beating Casper Ruud in the final.
That made Alcaraz the first male teen at No. 1 since the ATP computerized rankings began in 1973.
He is the first man in 20 years other than Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray — since Andy Roddick in 2003 — to finish at No. 1.
Alcaraz ended his season early after tearing an abdominal muscle while competing at the Paris Masters a month ago.