Carlos Alcaraz reflects on becoming second-youngest top-5 player after Rafael Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz admits breaking into the top-5 means a lot to him and adds he is now a step closer toward achieving his ultimate goal of reaching the No. 1 spot.

Alcaraz, 19, achieved a career-high ranking of No. 5 this Monday and he is the second youngest player ever to enter the top-5.

The record still holds Rafael Nadal, who was 18 when he broke into the top-5 for the first time in his career.

ā€œIt means a lot. The hard work that I put in every day for reaching my dreams, [No.] 1, and little by little Iā€™m reaching my dream,ā€ Alcaraz told the ATP website. ā€œTop five for me is pretty amazing and I will keep going to be [No.] 1.ā€

Alcaraz fails to win the Hamburg title but breaks into the top-5

Alcaraz, who was the top seeded player in the Hamburg main draw, suffered a surprise 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-4 loss to Lorenzo Musetti in the Hamburg final.

Alcaraz saved five championship points in the second set but failed to complete a comeback victory in three sets.

ā€œI think he deserved the win today. He played better than me, of course,” Alcaraz admitted. “He was more aggressive all the time. I didnā€™t play my best, but I fought until the last ball and Iā€™m really happy with that.ā€

After finishing runner-up in Hamburg, Alcaraz is preparing to compete at this week’s ATP event in Umag.

Umag may be an ATP 250 event but it will always be a special place for Alcaraz since he won his first ATP title there a year ago.

ā€œOf course Umag is a special tournament for me. I got my first title there, so Iā€™m defending the title this year,ā€ Alcaraz said. ā€œBut Iā€™m going to try to play my best and of course take lessons from here.ā€

Alcaraz is the top seeded player in Umag and has a first round bye at the tournament.