Carlos Alcaraz says he is "hungry for more" after claiming a first Grand Slam triumph at the US Open and a place in the record books as the youngest world No 1 in the history of men's tennis.
Sunday's 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Casper Ruud comes in a breakthrough year for the young Spaniard that includes Masters wins in Miami and Madrid — where he defeated Nadal and Novak Djokovic back-to-back — Rio and Barcelona.
"Right now I'm enjoying the moment. I'm enjoying have the trophy in my hands but of course, I'm hungry for more," said Alcaraz, the first teenager to be number one in the rankings.
"I want to be in the top for many, many weeks and I hope many years. I'm going to work hard again after this week, these amazing two weeks. I'm going to fight for have more of this."
"At the moment Carlos is the best player in the world," insisted 23-year-old Norwegian Ruud.
Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said the champion was "born to play these tournaments" and that there was much more to come from his compatriot.
"I think he's on 60 per cent of his game. He can improve a lot of things. He knows and I know that we have to keep working," said Ferrero.
"Once to get to the No 1, it's not done and you go. You have to keep working, keep playing at a huge level on that tournaments to keep winning.
"He knows that and I know that. I'm going to be very close from him to remember him."
Ferrero was French Open champion in 2003, the year that Alcaraz was born.
He has been guiding the new US Open champion since he was 15 when he was nowhere near the finished product.
"When he arrived to the academy when he was 15, he was like a spaghetti, very thin. We had to work," recalled Ferrero.
"Obviously we saw that he had very fast hands, very fast legs, but no muscles at all, not in the back, not in the legs.
"We had to work a lot. But obviously we saw something very special on him."
Alcaraz, however, was quick to point out on Sunday that he still only has one Slam title — 21 behind Nadal's men's record.
"But I'm on the road," he added
It was a gruelling tournament for Alcaraz.
On Sunday, he claimed the record for most time spent on court at a single Grand Slam, passing the 23 hours and 21 minutes it took Kevin Anderson to finish runner-up at Wimbledon in 2018.
Most of his 23 hours and 40 minutes were taken up by the more than 13 hours it took him to play three successive five-setters to reach the final.
He saved a match point in his five-hour 15-minute quarter-final win over Jannik Sinner.
At 19 years 4 months and 6 days, Alcaraz is the youngest player to top the ATP rankings and the youngest Grand Slam men's champion since his hero Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open.
On a day of landmarks, he is also the youngest champion in New York since Pete Sampras in 1990.
Nadal was quick to congratulate the player widely seen as his successor.
"Congratulations @carlosalcaraz for your first Grand Slam and for number 1, which is the culmination of your great season. I am sure there will be many more," tweeted the 22-time Slam title winner.
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
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The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
