Ruud, who leapt up to second in the rankings following his 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 defeat, had no complaints following the loss against a player he described as a "hard nut to crack." "He's riding that wave," the 23-year-old Norwegian said Alcaraz. "At the moment he's the best player in the world in my eyes.
He deserves that spot. He's one of these few rare talents that comes up every now and then in sports. That's what it seems like." Read AlsoAstounding Carlos Alcaraz wins US Open and becomes world number oneSpanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz beat Norway's Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 in the U.S.
Open final on Sunday to win his maiden Grand Slam title and rise to world number one for the first time. Alcaraz, 19, fell to his back and cupped his hands to his face, rolling over before jumping up to offer Ruud said Alcaraz's formidable combination of speed around the court and flexibility in making shots from improbable positions were reminiscent of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. "He's very fast.
He's very quick. He's a great mover. He can get to balls that we've probably never seen before," Ruud said. "Carlos has sort of a mixture ...