Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz is entered in the Vienna ATP 500 this week. He accepted a wild card for the event. He has played Vienna before: the ATP article notes that in 2021 he reached the semi-finals at 18 [1]. The main draw at the Wiener Stadthalle runs from 26 October to 1 November [1]. He has been drawn against Karen Khachanov, a former top-10 player who recently reached the US Open semi-finals [2]. Alcaraz leads that head-to-head 6-0 [2].

Where he stands in 2026

Alcaraz is world No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. He is 33-5 for the season, and third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin [1]. He has already qualified for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals [1]. His most recent result before Vienna was a third-round exit at the Rolex Shanghai Masters [1]. The ATP article names him as a titlist at the Australian Open, in Doha and in Tokyo this year [1].

Coaches and team: from Ferrero to López

For years, Juan Carlos Ferrero was his coach [7]. Punto de Break's timeline says Ferrero took over after his partnership with Alexander Zverev ended, and that the two began travelling together in 2019 [13]. The sources disagree on when the work began. Punto de Break dates Alcaraz's arrival at the Equelite academy to 2018 [13]. El Español says Alcaraz trained regularly at Ferrero's academy from 2020, and that he lived there during the pandemic [12].

The ATP player bio still lists Ferrero as his coach [7]. In December 2025 the end of the sporting relationship with Ferrero was announced. El Español describes it as a partnership of more than five years, and says it ended while Alcaraz was world No. 1 [12]. The same report says Samuel López, from Alicante, would become his main coach from the following year, and that López will stay linked to the academy in Villena, though to a lesser degree [12]. The Real Federación Española de Tenis (RFET) profile names López as his coach [8].

Both men described their roles in an interview with Punto de Break in December 2025. Ferrero said: "In that sense, I may be a bit more strict and serious, while Samuel is more open and playful" [14]. López said he had brought "freshness", because Ferrero had worked with Alcaraz for seven years and he was new to the group. He added that the two of them had "contributed equally but in different ways" [14]. López also said that since Monte-Carlo, Alcaraz had been "much more communicative about his emotions" [14].

In January 2026, López said Alcaraz "arrives at a good time to face Zverev" [15]. He described a player who grew up accepting what he was told, with a lot of discipline, and who now gives his opinion, so that decisions have to be discussed until both sides agree [15].

Early years and first titles

Alcaraz was born on 5 May 2003 in El Palmar, Murcia [8] [3]. The RFET profile lists his professional debut as 2018 [8]. It gives his height as 1.85 m, while the Nitto ATP Finals profile gives 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) [3]. The two figures differ slightly, so this page does not choose between them.

At 16 he reached his first Challenger quarter-final, at the Seville Open. At the same age he won his first ATP match, against Albert Ramos in Rio de Janeiro, though the article gives no date for that win [13]. His first ATP title came in Umag at 18, in 2021 [13]. In Miami in 2022 he beat Casper Ruud in the final and became the youngest winner of the Miami Open [13].

He reached world No. 1 on 12 September 2022, and that remains his career-high ranking [8]. The RFET profile lists 27 ATP titles [8]. The ATP bio names clay as his favourite surface and Rafael Nadal as his idol [7]. It lists Newcomer of the Year in 2020 and Most Improved Player of the Year among his awards [7].

Australian Open 2026 and the career Grand Slam

Alcaraz was the top seed in Melbourne. On 1 February 2026 he beat fourth seed Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in the final [5] [9]. It was his first Australian Open title and his seventh Grand Slam title. It also completed his career Grand Slam, and the ATP noted that he became the youngest player in the Open Era to do so [5]. The federation's report gives his age as 22 years and 272 days, and says he passed Don Budge, who completed the set in 1938 at 22 years and 363 days [9].

Tokyo 2026 and the wrist injury

Alcaraz retained his Tokyo title on 6 October 2026. In the final he beat the Czech player Jiri Lehecka 7-6(4), 6-4 [10]. The federation says he was the first champion to defend the Tokyo title since Pete Sampras did so in 1993 and 1994 [10].

The win came at his second tournament back from a wrist injury that had kept him off the tour for several months. His comeback event was the US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals in September [10]. He described winning in Tokyo as very special, given the injury [10]. Earlier in 2026 he had won the Doha ATP 500 and was runner-up in Monte-Carlo [10].

Roland Garros 2025: the longest final

At Roland Garros 2025, Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner, 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in five hours and 28 minutes [4]. He saved three match points along the way, and the ATP describes it as the longest final in the tournament's history [4]. The title was his second at Roland Garros and his fifth Grand Slam title at that point. The ATP article adds that he became the third player of the 21st century to defend the French Open title, after Nadal and Kuerten [4].

Wimbledon 2023 and 2024

Alcaraz won Wimbledon in 2023, beating Novak Djokovic [13]. He then retained the title in 2024. In that final he beat Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) [6]. The Local called it "a brutal statement that the new era of men's tennis has arrived", and noted that Djokovic was chasing a 25th Grand Slam title that would have been a men's and women's record [6].

Paris 2024: Olympic silver

Alcaraz reached the men's singles final at the Paris Olympics in 2024, and lost it to Novak Djokovic. He won the silver medal [11]. Sports Illustrated's report on the final carries the headline that he vowed to win Olympic gold for Spain after the defeat [11].

Nitto ATP Finals

Alcaraz has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive season [3]. He reached the championship match for the first time in 2025 and lost it to Sinner [3]. His record at the event stands at 7-5 [3]. The profile lists the 2025 event as his best result at the Finals [3].

Hard courts and indoor play

Alcaraz's career hard-court record stands at 170-46, and his career indoor record at 36-15 [3].

Vienna history

His Vienna debut came in 2021, when he was 18. He beat Andy Murray on the way to the semi-finals [1].