"I'm on the right road to be number 1" admits Carlos Alcaraz after recent success

The Spanish teen just won his first ATP 500 title in Rio de Janeiro last week and made his first major quarterfinal at the 2021 US Open.

Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the top 20 this Monday after his maiden ATP 500 triumph in Rio last week. The 18-year-old is only slightly younger than Rafael Nadal when he first broke into the top 20 and he has his sights on something Nadal was able to achieve.

After his win in Rio he said:

"When I won my first ATP match here two years ago, I remember coming here, wanting to enjoy the experience and learn the most I could. This year, I already had very high expectations, knowing I could beat anyone and was one of the favorites for the title. Achieving this success is very good."

Alcaraz is not shy about his ambitions admitting that he wants to be number one, one day:

"This title gives me a lot of confidence in what I'm doing because I think I'm on the right road to be No. 1 in the world. That is my goal because I am someone who dreams big. If I stay on this road, I know I will have opportunities to achieve it, but I know the difficulty and what I have achieved so far does not assure it."

However he understands taht it's a long road and he is not going to rush it:

"Right now, I have set myself the goal of staying in the Top 20, and moving up the positions little by little. I am working a lot on controlling my emotions, my nerves in the important moments when matches are decided."