Carlos Alcaraz got his 100th victory and joined a select club alongside McEnroe, Agassi and Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz come to Masters of Indian Wells 1000 with a double objective: to win the title, which would be his third in this category, and to recover the number one in the world, which he will only achieve if he ends up lifting the trophy in the Californian desert. But on the way to that great milestone, the Murciano also achieved a very special milestone.

The 19-year-old Spaniard celebrated the 100th win of his career by beating the Dutchman 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 Tallon Griekspoorto enter the round of 16 of the competition, where he will face the English Jack Drapper. And he once again wrote his name into the tennis world record statistics, because he became the second player who needed fewer games to reach that figure, among those who managed to occupy the number 1.

Carlitos He did so in his 132nd ATP tour match. only the American john mcenroea legend of the sport and winner of seven Grand Slams, it took him fewer matches to reach 100 wins: 131st.

Behind him on that list are four other outstanding talents: Andre Agassiwho reached that mark in 135 games; Rafael Nadal, at 137; AND Mats Wilander AND Jimmy Connor, who achieved it in 138. Only Agassi and Wilander were younger than Alcaraz when they added that result: they were both 18 years old. McEnroe and Nadal were 19; and Connors, 20.

Where are Novak Djokovic AND Roger Federer, who together with Nadal are considered the best players of all time? Much further back. The Serbian needed eleven games more than Alcaraz to add his 100th win (143). And the Swiss “recently” got it in the 169th. Both, at 20 years old.

“I am very proud to have reached 100 wins as a pro on tour, especially having played only 132 games. I saw that he was the second player in history with the fewest games played to reach 100, so this kind of data makes me very satisfied and happy with the results I’m getting”, commented Alcaraz, who never tires of breaking precociousness records.

“Many things have happened in my life since I got the first”, recalled the Murciano, who last September, for example, became the youngest number one in history.

And he’s right. A lot has happened, but not for a long time. Because that first ATP-level celebration came just over three years ago, in ATP Rio de Janeiro 2020.

Just before the circuit shut down due to the pandemic, Carlitos, just 16 and in 406th place in the standings, received a joker card play the main draw of the Brazilian tournament – the first of his career – and he didn’t waste it. In his debut he surprised by beating his compatriot 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) Alberto Ramos Vinolasseventh favourite, in an epic duel that ended around three in the morning.

He had to wait almost twelve months to celebrate the second, because Frederick Coria she knocked him out in the second round in Rio. And after the competition resumed, he turned to challengers and was building his ranking. But in February 2021, when he was already 146th in the rankings, he again won an ATP match in a tournament played in Melbourne. And he never stopped.

In July of that year, just weeks after cracking the top 100, he picked up his 16th win: a 6-2 brace against Richard Gasquet In Umag. A party that he will always remember, because it was the one that allowed him to raise his first trophy.

He hit 50 last year You love mebeating the Polish Hubert Hurkacz, then tenth in the standings, in the semifinals 7-6 (7-5) and 7-6 (7-2). But victory number 51 will be even more special for Alcaraz: 7-5 and 6-4 against Casper Ruud (8th) in the final of the following day, with which he conquered -up to that moment- the most important title of his record. By the way, she turned him into the champion of a Masters 1000 younger than ever.

His 59th win will also have unique significance for Carlitos, the only one he has achieved so far against Nadal, his country’s sports legend. He was in the quarterfinals of Madrid, in May 2022. The Murciano, ninth in the standings, won 6-2, 1-6 and 6-3 against the Spanish, then fourth. Then he defeated Djokovic (number one) in the semifinals and in the final Alexander Zverev (third) and added his second crown in that category.

And not to mention number 84, which tasted doubly sweet. Because it was a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1) and 6-3 against Ruud in the final of the US Open 2022with which he won his first Grand Slam and rose to the top of the world rankings for the first time.

A relatively short journey took Alcaraz to the highest levels of world tennis, but full of great achievements and many records. And the victory against Griekspoor in the third round of Indian Wells will add to the list of celebrations that the Murcian will never forget.