Alcaraz beats the Big Three with a quick poker | ATP Tour

Alcaraz shines like the Big Three with a quick poker in Grand Slam

Spaniard lifts record fourth Grand Slam trophy

July 14, 2024

Lifting four Grand Slam titles in the 21st century was a feat reserved for Big Three… until this Sunday. In a career drawn at breakneck speed, Carlos Alcaraz has crossed a threshold reserved for legends of the sport, confirming that his numbers continue to hold the gaze of the greatest in the locker room.

The Murcia native reclaimed the Wimbledon gold cup on Sunday, leaving an indelible mark on one of the main temples of tennis. At just 21 years old, an age typical of newcomers, Alcaraz already boasts a collection of successes worthy of the International Hall of Fame. His freshness in attacking Grand Slam tournaments, where the pressure is maximum, has made him the latest great icon of the circuit.

And the most striking thing about his arrival is the speed with which he has taken on the mantle, making his way through a generation that has already established itself at the top. Alcaraz has needed just 14 Grand Slam final draws to capture his first four titles, handling with impressive ease matches that would make any veteran tremble. The Spaniard, who has a 4-0 record in major finals, has entered a straight line with numbers rarely seen.

Final draws played after winning the 4th Grand Slam

The figures of the Murcian, a consolidated example of precocity on the circuit, gain strength when compared with the great names of his era. After participating in his first 14 Grand Slam main draws, Roger Federer had never reached the semi-finals, Djokovic had won one title and Nadal had three. majors in his showcase, all of them achieved on the clay of Roland Garros. Both in terms of the volume of his victories and their variety, signing his victories on three different surfaces, Carlos’ establishment in the big ones is placed in another dimension.

In addition, Alcaraz’s solidity has continued to take shape in 2024. The Spaniard, who has won at least one major in the last three seasons, a feat that only he holds at the moment, has managed to lift multiple Grand Slam trophies in the same season for the first time in his career. The double signed by linking crowns at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, something also exclusive to the Big Three In this century, it also places him at the forefront of modern tennis.

Now, with almost an entire career ahead of him, Alcaraz’s challenges are well and truly part of tennis history. Completing the collection of majors, the only remaining piece of which is the Australian Open, would be a giant step towards the sport’s Olympus. After more than half a century of the Open Era (since 1968) on the circuit, only Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have won the four legendary trophies.

For a player who has erased the word future to write present in capital letters, any imaginable horizon seems within reach.