Now that he has won the Australian Open, becoming the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam, ranking seventh on the list for major titles, and still has a long way to go in his career, we no longer need to be afraid to say the obvious.
Novak Djokovic may currently stand as the greatest and most accomplished tennis player of all time, but Carlos Alcaraz is the most talented person to ever hold a racket.
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We’re looking at Michael Jordan in 1992, Tiger Woods in 2000, and Secretariat in 1973. The job is not done, the resume is still developing, the record is not yet theirs.
But our eyes don’t deceive us.
This smiling Spanish prodigy, a melodic prodigy with speed, power and mental genius, has crossed the line between what we imagined him to be and who he really is. An absolute monster with all of his skills, unmatched by anyone who has ever played tennis.
As someone who grew up watching Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, cherishing how Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal changed the sport, and came to appreciate the way Djokovic maintained his body and evolved his game to stay active into his late 30s, I don’t think that’s an exaggeration.
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Alcaraz has it all. he is him And he’s only going to get better.
Alcaraz’s 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 victory in Sunday’s Australian Open final looked like the one to watch between the 22-year-old and the 38-year-old, who probably played a five-set marathon in the semifinals. Djokovic played arguably one of the best sets of his career and rode the momentum, but then began to falter as the young man showed his superior physicality. Alcaraz blocked the punches and began forcing Djokovic into the corner, steadily controlling the flow of the match. As it turns out, it wasn’t that close.
Despite what was at stake in this match — a career slam vs. Djokovic making him the oldest player to win a major in the Open Era — it wasn’t based on this one match that I began to think about Alcaraz’s place among the greatest players of all time. Moreover, this Australian final was not the moment when the torch was passed. Because it happened a long time ago.
This is about Alcaraz, who has won all four tournaments that define tennis greatness and is in the conversation. Two years ago, he was gunning for the majors while overcoming his shortcomings. Now he has nothing.
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It’s become a bit of a cliché to say that Alcaraz combines the best attributes of the Big Three: Roger Federer’s creativity and flair, Nadal’s competitive spirit, and Djokovic’s technical mastery. But there is actually no case against it. Alcaraz already had a great shot and world-class athleticism when he joined the tour as a teenager. But as he grew older, Alcaraz added so many layers to his tactical development and honed his concentration during games that he was reminded of what Bobby Jones said about Jack Nicklaus in 1965, but in turn used the same phrase about Tiger Woods: “He plays a game I don’t know much about.”
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz (right) speaks with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic after his victory in the Australian Open men’s singles final. (Paul Klock/AFP via Getty Images)
(Paul Klock, via Getty Images)
When Nicklaus said that, Woods was on the verge of winning his fifth major at the 2000 PGA Championship. At that moment, it seemed obvious that he would surpass Nicklaus’ record of 18.
As we now know, that never happened. Injuries and self-inflicted adversity hampered Woods, who played only 15 games. But for those lucky enough to remember Woods at his peak, what we saw him play was unlike anything anyone had ever seen him play before.
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That is what Alcaraz is now. This level of tennis is completely new and different, and it comes from young people who are in a hurry to rewrite the history of the sport.
His club already has just nine names: Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Agassi, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge and Fred Perry. Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Fred Perry are the only players to have won all four major tournaments.
What remains to be seen is whether Djokovic will ultimately play in the most hallowed of all his records, the 24 majors. The difference is still wide, and so many things can happen, from injuries to major life changes to motivation for the greatest player of all time to emerge, even though we don’t yet know his name.
But at this pace, Alcaraz would need to play an average of two majors a year until he turns 31 to break the record. It’s crazy to say something like this considering how difficult it is to win in these tournaments, but it feels like it’s definitely within the realm of possibility since there really aren’t any more questions to answer for Alcaraz.
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Can he win on all surfaces? yes. Will he be able to get rid of the lapses in concentration that made things unnecessarily complicated early in his career? It was only a matter of time. Can he turn a serve from a decent shot into a weapon? It happened one offseason. Can he do it without Juan Carlos Ferrero in the coaching box? Well, he just did.
The last one may not resonate much with the average fan, but of The story of the tennis offseason was Alcaraz moving away from the coach who essentially raised him. This was more than just a professional relationship. Ferrero was like a second father, and his presence in important moments seemed like the support blanket Alcaraz needed when he had to deal with stressful situations.
The details of the breakup are still unknown, but it doesn’t really matter. It was another hurdle for Alcaraz to overcome, but he went to Australia and easily cleared it. His victory over Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, where he broke serve in the fifth set to remain in the tournament, was perhaps the most mentally demanding victory of his young career.
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So what’s next? What’s left?
There is history left to be made and only confirming the numbers behind what our eyes tell us.
Djokovic is currently the best player of all time, but Alcaraz is the best in tennis history.
