Carlos Alcaraz is on the brink of history

Nationality: Spanish
Age: 21
Ranking: 03
Height: 1.83m

THE MOMENT I knew Carlos Alcaraz was different came during the 2022 US Open final against Casper Ruud. While most 19-year-olds would have buckled under the pressure of reaching world No. 1 and claiming their first major in the same match, Alcaraz played with the unbridled joy of a child in a playground. That freedom, that ability to produce magic while carrying the weight of destiny, told you everything you needed to know.

There was a delicious irony in how tennis discourse positioned Alcaraz in 2024. Despite being nearly two years younger than Jannik Sinner and already having four Grand Slam titles to the Italian’s two, he finds himself trailing in the rankings. Even as Sinner has transformed himself into a winning machine, many seasoned observers – and best to whisper this around the passionate fanbases of Federer-Nadal-Djokovic – believe Alcaraz’s peak level exceeds anything previously seen in tennis. It’s as if his meteoric rise – becoming the youngest men’s world No. 1 in history – and superior CV have been temporarily overshadowed by Sinner’s recent purple patch.

From the grass of Wimbledon to the clay of Roland Garros and the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz has proven himself a champion on all surfaces. At 21, he stands on the brink of history: the 2025 Australian Open offers him a chance to complete a career Grand Slam, a feat that took Federer until age 27 and Djokovic until 24.

Born into a tennis family in El Palmar, Murcia, Alcaraz’s exceptional talent was spotted early by his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, himself a former world No. 1. Alcaraz has not only fulfilled his potential with extraordinary speed but done so with a style that seems to defy tennis physics, his game blending the explosive power of the modern era with the touch and creativity of a bygone era.

Watch Alcaraz at his best and you’ll see the defensive speed of Nadal, the shot-making of Federer and the elastic movement of Djokovic. His drop shots, hit from unlikely positions, aren’t just tactical plays – they’re expressions of joy, reminders that top-level tennis can still surprise and delight.

The next chapter of the Alcaraz story shapes as the most fascinating. His rivalry with Djokovic has already produced matches that stand among the sport’s finest, while his battles with Sinner crackle with an electricity reminiscent of Federer-Nadal in their pomp. Perhaps what’s most frightening for his rivals is that the Alcaraz we’ve seen so far is most likely a prototype, with more refined versions to come. In a sport where prodigies can flame out early, he carries himself with the easy confidence of someone who knows there are greater heights to scale. The records, the ranking points, the rivalries – they’re all just chapters in a story that promises to redraw the boundaries of what’s possible.