MADRID – Carlos Alcaraz has known for some time that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the tennis record books will place him very high indeed. Mats Wilander, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi will be devoured in the historical rankings in the coming years, and only time will tell if he will one day sit at the table with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the Big Three.
With six Grand Slam titles at the age of 22 and with Jannik Sinner as his only major rival – for now – Alcaraz is racing ahead at breakneck speed. At his age, Djokovic and Federer had only won one major, while Nadal already had five in his trophy cabinet. Alcaraz has six, two at Roland Garros, two at Wimbledon and another two at the US Open. In other words, he only needs the Australian Open to complete the “career Grand Slam”, an honour reserved for only a select few. The statistics speak for themselves: only five players have achieved the career Grand Slam in the Open Era, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. And certainly no one has done so at the age of 22 years and 272 days, which is how old Alcaraz will be when the final is played this Sunday at Melbourne Park.
In other words, the youngster from Murcia not only has the chance to complete the circle, but also to be the youngest to do so. That is why Alcaraz has repeated time and again that his main goal for 2026 is to win the Australian Open. A few months ago, he said he would be willing to lose two Grand Slams this year in order to lift the trophy at Rod Laver Arena.
And now he has doubled down on that bet: he would settle for winning in Australia and losing Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. ‘This year I could really turn things around. One for three, but this year, this one in particular,’ Alcaraz told Cadena Cope radio after his victory over Tommy Paul in the round of 16.
Samuel López’s protégé will face Australia’s Alex de Miñaur in the quarter-finals. Alexander Zverev awaits him in the semi-finals, while Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic would be waiting for him in the final.
“I don’t feel like I’m playing better than in previous years, because in recent years I’ve been playing incredibly well, playing very good tennis. But last year I faced Djokovic in the quarter-finals and I was hesitant. And against players of this calibre, I can’t hesitate for a second,‘ Alcaraz replied on Cadena Cope. ’This year I’m feeling very good, getting better every day, and that gives me a lot of peace of mind because I know that whether I win or lose, I’m going to play good tennis and that reassures me.”
Alcaraz is no longer just looking for Sunday’s trophy: he wants to be a tennis legend, a premature legend. In his mind, the lack of titles for the rest of the year in the Grand Slams would be a fair price to pay to see his name engraved, before anyone else in history, on the four great altars of tennis.
