Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest man to win the Career Grand Slam in singles after defeating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.
Djokovic, who was hoping to win a 25th Grand Slam title, began the contest in emphatic fashion, winning the first set 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
However, Alcaraz roared back, winning the next three sets 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, claiming a first Australian Open title.
For Alcaraz, his triumph has put to bed any concerns regarding how the Spaniard would react following the departure of Juan Carlos Ferrero from his coaching team.
Alcaraz has now won three of the past five Grand Slam titles and will be the hot favourite heading into the second major of the year.
Can Carlos Alcaraz win MORE Grand Slams than Novak Djokovic? 🤔
Carlos Alcaraz equals Bjorn Borg record
As per OptaAce, Carlos Alcaraz has claimed a seventh Men’s Singles title at Grand Slam events, equalling Bjorn Borg for the most any under-23 player in the Open Era.
Alcaraz has now won two titles at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, and a sole Australian Open title.
Borg, one of the greatest players in tennis history, won four French Open titles and three Wimbledon titles before the age of 23.
Borg ended up winning 11 Grand Slam titles in his career, before his shock retirement from the sport in 1983 while aged 26 years old.
As for Alcaraz, he has become only the sixth male player in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam in Men’s Singles events after Rod Laver, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andre Agassi.
Having completed the feat at such a young age, there is every chance the Spaniard will go on to complete the feat once again.
Brad Gilbert reacts to Carlos Alcaraz’s Australian Open triumph
Brad Gilbert, the former coach of Coco Gauff and Andy Murray, has weighed in on Alcaraz’s triumph in a post on social media.
Gilbert, who was also an instrumental figure in the career of Andre Agassi, said on X: “Holy toledo. A career grand slam at 22. Escape from Alcaraz, amazing effort winning [his] first Australian Open.”
What do you make of Marion Bartoli’s comments? Do you think there is any chance of Alcaraz retiring before 25?
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s stranglehold on the professional tennis scene has continued, as they have now won the last nine Grand Slams combined.
And who would bet against them continuing this streak far into the future?
