Tebogo was born in Kanye, a village with a population of 48,000 as per the 2022 Population and Housing Census, while Alcaraz is from a village, El Palmar, Spain, which is home to around 24,000 people.
The two were born just a month apart, with Alcaraz the oldest. The Spaniard was born on May 5, 2003, while Tebogo’s birth date is June 7, 2003.
Not much separates them in terms of height with Alcaraz just a centimetre taller at 1.85cm, compared to Tebogo’s 1.84cm.
It was in 2022 that the two athletes made career-defining strides which made the world sit up and take notice.
Last year, Alcaraz broke into the world’s top 10 before turning 19, while Tebogo became the first junior Under-20 athlete to run 9.91secs in the 100m. Both found more established sportspersons on the circuit, with Alcaraz facing a much greater challenge in a game that has greats like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Tebogo burst into the scene as the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, exited the stage after a hugely successful track career.
He has made a quick-fire ride to the apex of world athletics. Not too long ago, Tebogo was a student at Gaborone Senior Secondary School. However, in less than two years, Tebogo has gone from the unheralded fresh-faced boy who broke the national 100m record at the National Stadium, to one of athletics’ most revered talents.
The same can be said about Alcaraz, who, within a short space of time, has defied the odds to gatecrash a party previously owned by the old guard of tennis. Roger Federer, one tennis great with 20 grand slam titles to his name, is now retired while Nadal, who has 22 slams to his name, has been battling injuries and at 37, will not be around for long.
Djokovic, statistically the greatest tennis player with 23 grand slams, is not young anymore. At 36, he is in the twilight of his career.
While there have been pretenders to the crown, who include Stefano Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Alexender Zverev, and Holger Rune, none has risen to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
The same can be said after the retirement of Usain Bolt six years ago. There has been no outright successor with the title changing hands, with the emerging lions flattering to deceive.
The fight for the title of sprint star is currently in the hands of Tebogo, Erriyon Knighton, Noah Lyles, and Fred Kerley among others.
However, the battles have not been definitive as today flows this way and tomorrow that way.
While Alcaraz has already made it to the top of the ATP rankings, Tebogo has taken great strides towards the top.
The World Athletics Championships, which conclude in Budapest, Hungary on Sunday have seen Tebogo send a firm statement of intent. With Alcaraz’s background, he did not need to move mountains to get global recognition. However, for Tebogo, coming from the southern tip of Africa, the media still shines the spotlight on emerging athletes from Europe, America, and the Caribbean.
