MELBOURNE, Australia — He may have only celebrated his 21st birthday in May last year, but Carlos Alcaraz already has serious claims to being the best tennis player on the planet.
Over the past 30 months, the charismatic Spaniard has won more Grand Slam titles than anyone else in the sport, reached the semifinals in major competition in six of the eight events he’s competed in, and collected over $15 million in prize money.
Alcaraz also became the ATP’s youngest world No. 1 when he took the mantle from Daniil Medvedev in September 2022. Two-and-a-half months later, he became the youngest year-end world No. 1. In the blink of an eye, it seemed, he had joined tennis’ ultra elite.
“For me, the goal now is try to win Grand Slams,” Alcaraz, now the world No. 3, declared on the eve of the Australian Open, emphasizing his appetite for success and the lofty expectations he places on himself.
At this point in Alcaraz’s young career, the Australian Open has provided more frustration and heartbreak than fond memories. Not only does it remain the only major title he has yet to win, it’s a tournament that has never seen him at his ruthless best.
Ironically, it was the Australian Open in 2022 when Alcaraz first announced himself to the world. The 18-year-old fell agonizingly short in a gripping third-round encounter against eventual finalist Matteo Berrettini, a match that went five sets and lasted more than four hours. Alcaraz produced some mesmerizing tennis throughout the contest, making him an instant crowd favorite and leading to many pundits forecasting success in his near future.
Those predictions quickly proved accurate, with Alcaraz triumphing over Casper Ruud at the US Open later in the year, before adding a pair of Wimbledon crowns and a French Open title over the next two seasons.
But since that match against Berrettini at Melbourne Park, it’s been rough sledding for Alcaraz in Australia. In 2023, as the newly crowned world No. 1, he was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open after suffering a hamstring injury in the final stages of his training camp. He would return in 2024 to much fanfare but was ultimately undone by an ultra-efficient Alexander Zverev in a one-sided quarterfinal that failed to showcase Alcaraz at his best.
This fortnight in Melbourne presents Alcaraz with an opportunity to turn his Australian Open fortune around and add the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup to what’s already an eye-popping trophy collection. Winning the title would move him back ahead of Zverev in the ATP rankings and make him just the ninth men’s player in history to collect all four majors throughout their career. At 21, he would be the youngest to achieve the extraordinary feat.
“I really want to win this tournament. To one day put my name on that short list,” Alcaraz said during opening week of the Australian Open. “I’m working every day to be ready for that time. Hopefully it’s this year.”
If Alcaraz’s performances thus far are anything to go by, he may not have to do too much hoping. In his opening match, he cruised by Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets. Then, on Wednesday afternoon at Margaret Court Arena, Alcaraz produced a tennis clinic against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. At one stage of the match, Alcaraz had won 32 points to Nishioka’s five. In the end, he required just 81 minutes to dispatch his Japanese rival, winning 66% of total points and dropping only five games throughout what was, for the most part, his second consecutive non-contest.
“I think I played a really solid match today,” beamed Alcaraz after his latest conquest. “I improved the things I had to improve from the first match … a really good win, important for me. I’m really happy with everything today. Hopefully continue like this.”
Not only is Australia finally witnessing Alcaraz at full flight, but also it may be getting the best version of him yet.
This past offseason, Alcaraz rebuilt his serve, implementing a looser wrist technique in an effort to make it more fluid and find accuracy with greater consistency. It’s already paying dividends. Against Nishioka, he struck 14 aces and won 89% of points when his first serve landed in play. He’s also striking the ball harder than he did 12 months ago, leading to a greater number of winners. Tournament data shows Alcaraz has sacrificed around 4% of topspin on his forehand in exchange for more speed; now generating, on average, an extra 3km/h on those shots.
So far, Alcaraz’s decision to skip the Australian Open lead-in events — instead opting to focus on his own fitness and form to ensure it would stand up to the rigor of Grand Slam competition — is looking justified.
“I prefer to do a good preseason, a little bit longer. Instead of having two weeks of preseason, having four,” Alcaraz told reporters before the tournament in Melbourne got underway. “We don’t have too much period in December to have a long preseason. You have to think what’s better for you: stay at home and stay doing the preseason instead of playing any tournament, or not doing the preseason and playing some matches before the Grand Slam.
“I decided not to come. I think I’m in an age that I need weeks of practice. I need long preseasons just to be ready. The season is going to be long, so you have to be in good shape. [My aim is to] try to win as much Grand Slams as I can. [Those are] the most important tournaments of the world.”
