Carlos Alcaraz recently became the youngest player in tennis history to win the ‘Career Grand Slam’ in men’s singles events.
After defeating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final, Alcaraz also became the youngest male player in history to win seven Grand Slams – usurping Rafael Nadal’s record.
Alcaraz’s achievement reaches new heights when considering that he has already equalled the Grand Slam total of two tennis legends: John McEnroe and Mats Wilander.
Winning seven Grand Slams before the age of 23 is certainly impressive; it is a feat unlikely to be matched by any player on the ATP Tour for the foreseeable future.
Which member of the ‘Big Three’ is Carlos Alcaraz most similar to? Let us know why below👇
Alcaraz’s accomplishment also makes Martina Hingis’ Grand Slam achievement look even more exceptional.
Martina Hingis’ incredible tennis achievement
In 1993, Hingis became the youngest junior Grand Slam champion in history, winning the French Open Girls’ Singles title at the age of 12.
A year later, Hingis made her WTA Tour debut at the Zurich Open in October 1994, two weeks after turning 14.
It did not take long for this prodigal talent to make her mark on the WTA Tour. In 1996, the Swiss star became the youngest Grand Slam champion in history, pairing with Helen Sukova to win the Wimbledon Women’s Doubles title.
In 1997, Hingis became the youngest Grand Slam singles champion of all time after defeating former champion Mary Pierce in the Australian Open final.
On March 31 of the same year, Hingis also became the youngest world number one in history at 16 years old; taking the top spot from Steffi Graf, who had held the position for a record 377 weeks.
Remarkably, Hingis went on to win five Grand Slam singles titles and seven major doubles titles before she turned 19 on September 30, 1999.
After her 19th birthday, Hingis did not win another Grand Slam singles title. However, she did win an eighth women’s doubles major and seven mixed doubles majors.
Hingis retired in October 2017 following the WTA Finals. Speaking about her retirement, she said: “I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead of me. I am not going to walk away [from tennis]. I will always be part of the game of tennis.”
| Tournament | Opponent[s] in the final | Score |
| 1996 Wimbledon Women’s Doubles | Meredith McGrath and Larisa Neiland | 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 |
| 1997 Australian Open Women’s Singles | Mary Pierce | 6–2, 6–2 |
| 1997 Australian Open Women’s Doubles | Lindsay Davenport and Lisa Raymond | 6-2, 6-2 |
| 1997 Wimbledon Women’s Singles | Jana Novotná | 2–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 1997 US Open Women’s Singles | Venus Williams | 6-0, 6-4 |
| 1998 Australian Open Women’s Singles | Conchita Martínez | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 1998 Australian Open Women’s Doubles | Natasha Zvereva and Lindsay Davenport | 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 |
| 1998 French Open Women’s Doubles | Natasha Zvereva and Lindsay Davenport | 6-1, 7-6 |
| 1998 Wimbledon Women’s Doubles | Natasha Zvereva and Lindsay Davenport | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 1998 US Open Women’s Doubles | Natasha Zvereva and Lindsay Davenport | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 1999 Australian Open Women’s Singles | Amélie Mauresmo | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 1999 Australian Open Women’s Doubles | Lindsay Davenport and Natasha Zvereva | 7-5, 6-3 |
Martina Hingis’ last Grand Slam title
Hingis won her 25th Grand Slam at the 2017 US Open, pairing with Chan Yung-jan to win the women’s doubles event.
The pair defeated Lucie Hradecká and Katerina Siniakova in the final, 6-3, 6-2.
The achievement came just a day after Hingis had won her 24th major title alongside Jamie Murray in the mixed doubles event.
Speaking about winning the two titles in New York, Hingis said: “Two in two days; I was Michael Jordan’s number 23 when I started here, and now 25 sounds even sweeter.
If you were in charge of tennis, what is the first rule you would change?
The triumph came 20 years after Hingis defeated Venus Williams in the 1997 US Open Women’s Singles final.
“It was an amazing feeling to play here in the singles final against Venus Williams,” Hingis said. “We were two teenagers making the finals playing here for the first time at Ashe Stadium, and coming back 20 years later, it is a wonderful journey.”
