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 'King Carlos' Moya officially the No. 1 men's tennis player
Posted: Tuesday March 16, 1999 08:41 PM
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (Ticker) -- "King Carlos" was officially crowned the new men's No. 1 player in the world Monday. Carlos Moya of Spain took over the top spot in the ATP Tour from American Pete Sampras with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 victory Saturday over Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten in the semifinals of the Champions Cup in Indian Wells. However, Moya's lead over Sampras in the rankings is just 37 points (3,484-3,447) entering this week's Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida after he lost Sunday's final to Australian Mark Philippoussis, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. "At least for this week I'm going to be King of the World," Moya said. "I was the King of Clay in the French Open [in 1998], and now I'm the King of the World.' The reigning French Open champion, Moya became the 15th player and the first Spaniard to hold the top spot since the ATP rankings were established in 1973. At 22 years, six months, he is the seventh-youngest player to reach No. 1. "Now I have to win even more matches than before," said Moya on the pressure of being the world's No. 1 player. "It's going to be tough. I just want to be focused. I don't care what the others are saying. I just want to play my game and do my best." Moya has not won a title since his grand slam triumph in Paris last June. His only other tournament victory last year was at the Monte Carlo Open. But Moya has had a strong 12 months, reaching the finals at the Mallorca Open in Spain, and the ATP Tour World Championships at Hannover, Germany. He also was a semifinalist at the U.S. Open last September, and at the Dubai last month. "I thought winning a grand slam was the most important thing I could ever make," said Moya, who will be ranked No. 1 for at least two weeks because of the 10-day Lipton Championships. "Then I lost the final in Hannover. It was the most disappointing day of my life. Now I think this [reaching No. 1] is the most important [achievement]. "Even more than a grand slam or world championships final because there have only been 14 No. 1s in the world. The whole history. Every year there are four winners of grand slams. That means it's more difficult to get No. 1." Moya's stay at the top could be brief, depending on his results at the Lipton Championships. In addition to Sampras, Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia, Spain's Alex Corretja and Patrick Rafter of Australia all have a chance to unseat the Spaniard in the coming weeks.
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