Carlos Alcaraz has completed the Career Grand Slam after defeating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.
Alcaraz, who also equalled a record held by Bjorn Borg, defeated Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to claim his first title in Melbourne and become the youngest man in history to win all four Men’s Singles majors.
Alcaraz has always been a supreme talent. However, few could have predicted his remarkable success before the age of 23.
Alcaraz has won seven Grand Slams already, the same amount as Mats Wilander and John McEnroe, who suggested the Australian Open should have closed the roof for the Men’s Singles final.
Can Carlos Alcaraz win MORE Grand Slams than Novak Djokovic? 🤔
One individual who perhaps has better insight into the talent of Alcaraz is David Ferrer, the former world number three who has captained Spain’s Davis Cup team since 2022.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s final, Ferrer revealed that he and Alcaraz had contested a tiebreak when the Australian Open champion was only 14 years old.
David Ferrer says Carlos Alcaraz ‘let him win’ a tiebreak when the young Spaniard was 14 years old
In an interview with SER Deportivos Valen, Ferrer described his shock when training with 14-year-old Alcaraz.
Ferrer said: “We started training, and I put pressure on him. He handled the first shot, the second one as well, but on the third one, he accelerated.
“It blew my mind because he was like Nadal. He was 14, and we played a super tiebreak, I won 10-8, but I think he let me win out of respect.
“I swear he was close to beating me. He’s like Nadal but with a different background. He’s a tennis genius and a great person.”
When Alcaraz was 14, Ferrer would have been in his twilight years on the ATP Tour. Ferrer retired from his playing career in 2019 following his loss to Alexander Zverev at the Madrid Open.
Almost a year later, Alcaraz made his ATP Tour debut at the 2020 Rio Open.
Carlos Alcaraz’s ATP debut
Alcaraz received a wildcard to compete in his first ATP Tour event at the 2020 Rio de Janeiro Open.
In the first round, Alcaraz stunned seventh seed Albert Ramos Vinolas 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 to claim his first ATP Tour victory.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
Alcaraz’s run was ended by Federico Coria, who defeated the Spaniard 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round.
Cristian Garin, who defeated Coria in the third round, won the tournament. Garin, of Chile, defeated qualifier Gianluca Mager in the final.
