Carlos Alcaraz is just one Australian Open title away from completing the ‘Career Grand Slam,’ and the prospect of him completing the feat has been significantly strengthened.
After snatching the US Open crown from Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz has now won each Grand Slam twice – except for the Australian Open.
In fact, the Spaniard has never made it past the quarter-final stage at the tournament, most recently losing to Novak Djokovic earlier this year.
It was in this match that Alcaraz identified a weakness in his game, an issue that has hampered the 22-year-old on more than one occasion.
However, he has since corrected this issue, increasing his chances of capturing a first Australian Open title.
Carlos Alcaraz has fixed his erratic mid-match form in 2025
For a long time, Carlos Alcaraz has been branded with the mark of being a player who struggles to keep a consistent level of form throughout the entirety of a tennis match.
This factor was certainly present during his loss to Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Australian Open, a match Alcaraz admitted he lost control of.
Alcaraz told reporters: “Honestly, I felt like I was controlling the match, and I let him get into the match again.
“I’m going to say that was the biggest mistake that I made today.
“In the second set I had to play a little bit better just to push him even more to the limit. He had issues just moving a little bit in the second set. I had to push him a little bit more just to the limit, and I didn’t. I didn’t do it.
“After that, I think he started to feel better and play such a great level. That was my biggest mistake today.
“But obviously when Novak is at this level, it’s really difficult. I think I had my chances. It was a really close match.
“I think most of the crucial points, they went to his side. When Novak is playing at this level, it’s really difficult to find the way.”
While Alcaraz has shown signs of this erratic form in a couple of 2025 matches – including against
Damir Džumhur at the Cincinnati Open – he has clearly fixed this erroneous area of his game.
This was particularly noticeable during his most recent campaign at the US Open. The Spaniard displayed his most consistent form at a Grand Slam to date, rarely looking troubled during the seven matches he played.
In fact, Alcaraz, who lost just one set on his way to US Open glory, is on course for his best and most consistent season to date, having won 61 of his 67 ATP Tour matches.
Therefore, this correction will serve him well at the 2026 Australian Open, giving him the best opportunity to join an esteemed list of players.
Which players have completed the ATP Career Grand Slam?
Australian great Rod Laver was the first to complete the Career Grand Slam in the Open Era, achieving the feat in 1969. Remarkably, Laver did so by winning all four Slams that year, and had already completed the feat in 1962.
Tennis fans had to wait three decades for the next player who would achieve the feat. Andre Agassi did so in 1999 after winning the French Open title.
Then came the ‘Big Three.’ Roger Federer achieved the Career Slam in 2009 with victory at the French Open, while Rafael Nadal completed the set after capturing his first US Open title in 2010.
Novak Djokovic is the most recent player to complete the feat after winning the 2016 French Open.
