‘It’s going to be a big challenge’ – After winning his first Australian Open, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is now aiming for a Grand Slam on the calendar at all four tournaments in one year? ski sports Jonathan Overend believes he can become a GOAT!
One down, three to go! At 22 years and 272 days, Alcaraz became the youngest man in history to complete a career grand slam of all four major titlesbreaking the record set by American Don Budge in 1938.
The Spaniard, who possesses a rare combination of incredible talent and versatility, along with a relentless desire to win, cited winning all the Masters titles – he already has six of nine – and the ATP Finals, as well as the Davis Cup with Spain, as targets when asked if he could achieve a calendar year Grand Slam in one of the four years.
The legendary Steffi Graf was the last player (male or female) to complete a calendar grand slam
A man had not completed the feat since Rod Laver in 1969, while German legend Steffi Graf was the last player to do so in 1988. She also won the elusive Golden Slam by winning an Olympic gold medal the same year.
Alcaraz replied, “It’s going to be a big challenge. Those are big words, to be honest. I just want them to be one at a time.
“Right now, the next one is the French Open. I have great memories of that tournament. It feels really special every time I go there. So I don’t want to put myself in a situation where there’s any real pressure to do it, but it’s going to be great.”
Maureen Connolly and Margaret Court are the other players to have completed a calendar Grand Slam, but Court has also won every possible title – singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles – labeled a “box set” of Grand Slam titles.
Novak Djokovic failed to complete the calendar Grand Slam in 2021
Novak Djokovic just missed out on a calendar Slam in 2021 after winning his 10th title at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, but his hopes of achieving the feat were dashed by Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final.
Alcaraz is “way ahead of history”
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The best points are shared by the world’s best players, Carlos Alcaraz and Janik Siner…
ski sports commentator Jonathan Overend believes that the “historical context” of Alcaraz’s achievement is significant when analyzing it against other notable landmarks in the sport.
He said: “After Alcaraz’s win, the completion of a career grand slam and the seventh match, the historical context is everything because it really puts the magnitude of the achievement into perspective.
“He becomes only the ninth man to win a career Grand Slam and we’re talking about sporting history. This isn’t an Open Era record or a Premier League record like we’re talking about in football. This is history, and only nine people! You’ve got to let that sink in…
“Add to that conversation that three of the four Grand Slams used to be played on the same surface. The Australian Open and the US Open used to be on grass, so it’s an incredible achievement for all those players – Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic… now Alcaraz has won all four on different surfaces.”
“And for Alcaraz – he becomes the youngest. The youngest to complete a set at the age of 22, but also the youngest to win seven Grand Slam titles.
“Bjorn Borg turned 23 when he won his seventh, so we can already say that Alcaraz is way ahead in terms of winning these big titles. Way ahead of history.”
“Now we look at the significance of getting to seventh so quickly, and therefore the potential to go much higher. I always remember the day Peter Sampras won Wimbledon in 2000 and I was lucky enough to be on center court when he won his 13th Grand Slam title.”
“The significance of that more than 25 years ago was that it took him past Roy Emerson’s record of 12. A record that people thought would never be broken and that record stood for more than 30 years. Sampras goes ahead at Wimbledon and then wins the US Open in his last Grand Slam in 2002 – leading him to victory.”
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2025 US Open Final Alcaraz vs Sinner Highlights
Would Sampras’ 14 Slams ever be beaten?
Pete Sampras won his 14th and final Grand Slam title at the 2002 US Open.
Overend revisits the importance of Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam titles, which he won by defeating old adversary Agassi in the US Open final in what turned out to be his last professional match.
“I started following tennis in 2003 and I remember at the time how significant this number of 14 was and the feeling that it would never be beaten,” Overend said.
“That year was significant because it was the year Roger Federer won his first Wimbledon. The next year Sampras hit that mark of 14 and of course Federer broke that mark and then Rafael Nadal broke that mark with the Spaniard winning 14 at the French Open.
“And then Novak Djokovic surpasses that mark, and I always say that Djokovic’s success is best summed up by the fact that he won more Grand Slams than any other man in an entire career in which his two main rivals were the two previously considered the greatest players of all time.”
“Suddenly all that talk about Emerson’s 32-year record and Sampras’ achievement of beating it just seems average in the historical context.”
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Taylor Fritz explains the improvements he needs to make when he faces top seeds Alcaraz and Sinner…
Can Alcaraz become the GOAT?
Alcaraz is on course to not only break Sampras’ record, but the world No. 1 is on course to surpass the ‘Big Three’ with Djokovic’s mark of 24 Grand Slams which is a real possibility with so many years ahead of him.
“Could Alcaraz reach those numbers of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic? Absolutely, he can!” declared Overend.
“It is not out of the realm of possibility that he could even go further than Djokovic as he has now won all four Grand Slams and I have no doubt that he will eventually win more Slams in all four tournaments, but the speed of the achievement is what is astonishing.”
“He might even win all four this year! He’ll be in double figures very soon and will surpass Emerson’s record by age 25. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Alcaraz even passes Djokovic to become the most prolific Grand Slam winner of all time.”
“But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. There’s a long way to go in a young career. Anything can happen! He’s got to stay fit and healthy. And of course, there’s Yannick Sinner and other emerging rivals who will say how many Alcaraz wins in the end, but the trajectory chart suggests Alcaraz could become the greatest of all time.”
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