‘Best I have ever played’: Alcaraz reclaims world No 1 after US Open final triumph vs Sinner as Nadal hails him

Carlos Alcaraz returned to the top of the ATP rankings for the first time since 2023 with his US Open 2025 final victory over Jannik Sinner, as Rafael Nadal, Rod Laver and Billie Jean King hailed the Spaniard on social media platforms.

Alcaraz overtook Sinner in the PIF ATP rankings with a spectacular 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over the Italian in the final at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.

Alcaraz achieves No 1 ranking after Sinner demolition

With his latest win over Sinner, Alcaraz has taken a 10-5 lead in their rivalry. This was Alcaraz's second Grand Slam final win over former world No 1 Sinner, who defeated the Spaniard in the Wimbledon 2025 final. Sinner lost the French Open 2025 final to Alcaraz.

“Since I got the chance to recover the No. 1, it was one of the first goals that I had during the season, just to try to recover the No. 1 as soon as possible or end the year as the No. 1,” Alcaraz said.

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“For me, achieving that once again, it is a dream. Doing [it] in the same day as getting another Grand Slam feels even better. It's everything I'm working for, and I'm really happy to be able to live these experiences.”

As a result of his impressive four-set win, Alcaraz sealed his sixth Grand Slam and second US Open title. Among active players, Alcaraz has the second-highest major titles to his name, behind Novak Djokovic (24).

Having already won the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, the 22-year-old Spaniard would now look to complete the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open 2026.

“It's my first goal, to be honest. When I just go to the preseason to [see] what I want to improve, what I want to achieve, the Australian Open is there,” Alcaraz said. “It's the first or second tournament of the year, and it is always the main goal for me to complete a Career Grand Slam, Calendar Grand Slam. So it's going to be great.”

He certainly is in great form. At the US Open 2025, Alcaraz lost just one set, against Sinner in the final, and dropped serve only three times. He went on to claim that the US Open 2025 has been his best tournament so far.

“I feel like this is the best tournament. Since the first rounds to the end of the tournament, the best tournament so far that I have ever played,” Alcaraz said. “The consistency of my level during the whole tournament has been really, really high, which I'm really proud of, because it's something that I've been working on, to be really consistent.”

Nadal, Laver hail Alcaraz after US Open win

Fellow countryman Nadal was one of the first to congratulate Alcaraz as he praised the youngster for his hard work.

"Congratulations @carlosalcaraz! Champion again 🏆 of the @usopen and number 1! Congratulations on all the work behind this great season," Nadal wrote on X.

Besides Nadal, Rod Laver, Billie Jean King and Pau Gasol also congratulated the new men's No 1.

Having already experienced such a great year, Alcaraz will now look to end 2025 with his first-ever ATP Finals title.