On May 5, 2021, the time had come. The then-only 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, on his birthday, was allowed to face his compatriot and role model Rafael Nadal in an official match for the first time in his career. On the clay courts of Madrid, the experienced Nadal proved just a tad too strong for the Spanish superstar (6-1, 6-2), who nevertheless captured the hearts of many tennis fans from that moment on. This first encounter with Alcaraz proved to be the prelude to what is already an incredible career for the Spaniard. Just three years after that match against Nadal, he has already won four Grand Slam titles. Carlos Alcaraz won the US Open (2022), Wimbledon (2023 and 2024), and Roland Garros (2024). The Australian Open will undoubtedly be high on his list now as well.
Name: Carlos Alcaraz
Nationality: Spanish
Born on: May 5, 2003
Tennis hand: Right
Current ATP Ranking: 3
Carlos Alcaraz and tennis are inextricably linked. From the age of four, the Spanish prodigy was already on the court. Born in Murcia, Alcaraz made his ATP Tour debut at sixteen, receiving a wildcard for the Rio de Janeiro tournament – naturally played on clay. He was eliminated in the second round by Argentinian Federico Coria, and little did anyone know at the time that this clay court prodigy would go on to win back-to-back titles just a few years later.
Strong on all surfaces
Because by now we know better. Carlos Alcaraz is much more than just a clay court player. Alcaraz can handle anything. It's no wonder he's already won Grand Slams on three different surfaces. The hard courts of the US Open, the (holy) grass of Wimbledon, and the clay of Roland Garros: wherever he plays, Alcaraz is now consistently among the favorites to win. It's no coincidence that he first became world number one on September 12, 2022, when Alcaraz was nineteen. This came after he claimed his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open. However, he had already achieved some "decent results" before that. For example, he claimed his first ATP title on the clay courts of Umag, Croatia, won the ATP Next Gen Finals in Milan in 2021, and won the tournaments in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Madrid, and Barcelona in 2022.
Indian Wells, Queens and Wimbledon
Most of these titles, with the exception of the Next Gen Finals and Miami, were won on clay. It was all the more spectacular, then, that he won the US Open in 2022 with a convincing final victory over Casper Ruud. As if that weren't enough, he continued to prove in 2023 that he was not limited to clay. Besides winning clay tournaments in Buenos Aires, Barcelona, and Madrid, Alcaraz also won on the hard courts of Indian Wells, and the highlight of his year came in the summer months of June and July. The Spaniard proved his prowess on grass with his final victory at Queens in London and continued his success story a tournament later at Wimbledon. Matteo Berrettini, Holger Rune, and Daniil Medvedev, among others, were convincingly defeated, bringing him to a final against seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic. Alcaraz won in five sets and once again demonstrated his world-class skills.
The 'double' in 2024
Still under the guidance of his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, who himself became world number one shortly after Alcaraz's birth in 2003, Alcaraz continued his form in the new year. And how: he once again topped the Indian Wells tournament, and shortly after, he joined an illustrious list by winning the iconic double, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, in quick succession. Something that, so far, only Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic had achieved. This is undoubtedly far from the end of Alcaraz's career. The Spaniard is still only 21 years old, and with four Grand Slam titles already under his belt, there's a good chance he'll chase records held by the likes of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
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