This year’s Australian Open was a defining moment for Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz. Everyone was expecting another “Sincaraz” final as both Jannik Sinner (ITA) and Carlos Alcaraz are currently dominating the sport of tennis. Surprisingly, Sinner lost a five-set thriller against Big 3 tennis player, Novak Djokovic (SRB).
Whilst the Serbian was looking to add a 25th Grand Slam in his collection, Carlos Alcaraz aimed to complete the Career Grand Slam, a feat only accomplished if the individual wins all four Grand Slam events (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open).
In the first set, it seemed that Djokovic had full control of the match, winning 6-2 against Alcaraz. However, the momentum significantly shifted, with Carlos winning the other three sets (6-2,6-3,7-5) and making him the Men’s Singles Champion of Australia.
What Makes This Career Grand Slam Important?
Adding to Carlos Alcaraz, he is now the 9th man and the 19th person to ever complete the Career Grand Slam.
But what makes this so different?
Well, Alcaraz is now the youngest male player to ever complete a Career Grand Slam, aged 22 years, 272 days old. The previous person to hold this record was Don Budge, an American tennis player who achieved the Career Grand Slam in 1938. He was 22 years and 363 days old.
Don Budge was the youngest Male’s Singles Tennis player to ever achieve a Career Grand Slam in 1938. This meant that the record was held for almost 88 years!
Other Phenomenal Stats Carlos Alcaraz Holds
So aside from being the youngest tennis player to ever complete a Career Grand Slam, what other records does Carlos Alcaraz hold in his resume? Well, here are the following…
Youngest Year-End No. 1: Alcaraz is the first teenager to finish as world No.1 in 2022. He was 19 years and 214 days old. The previous record was 20 years and 275 days old, which was held by Australian player Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.
Youngest Olympic finalist in Men’s Singles: Despite losing 6-7, 6-7 against Novak Djokovic, it is still an accomplishment for him to reach the final at Phillipe-Chatrier at the age of 21 years and 89 days.
Youngest Male Player to Win Grand Slams on All Surfaces (Hard, Clay, Grass): After winning Roland Garros (2024) at 21 years and 35 days, the Spaniard became the youngest man in tennis history to win the Majors in all three surfaces of the sport. Alcaraz won the US Open 2022 (d. Casper Rudd), Wimbledon 2023 (d. Novak Djokovic), and Roland Garros 2024 (d. Alexander Zverev).
ATP Titles
1.Grand Slams- 7
2.ATP 1000- 8
3.ATP 500- 8
4.ATP 250- 2
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year-2023. Note that this award is not only exclusive for individuals that play tennis. Athletes such as footballer legend Lionel Messi (2), sprinter Usain Bolt (4), and golfer Tiger Woods (2) have won these awards.
King Felipe Award-2024.
Legend in the Making?
With seven Grand Slams in his belt at only 22 years old, Carlos Alcaraz is already sparking debate as the ‘greatest tennis player to have ever played the sport.’ It is definite that he has already outpaced the early careers of the Big 3 (Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic) but for him to be recognized as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) in the history of this sport is too early. For the record, the Big 3 has a combined total of 66 grand slams, 296 titles (104 of them being ATP 1000s), and 947 weeks as world No.1.
Nevertheless, it is safe to say that Carlos Alcaraz will continue to dominate the sport of tennis for years to come.