Carlos Alcaraz and a record that only the Big 3 have in the 21st century | ATP Tour

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Alcaraz and a record that only the Big 3 have in the 21st century

The Spaniard is chasing three consecutive Grand Slam titles

August 24, 2024

There are very few players who have been able to string together two Grand Slam titles in a row throughout history, but even more select is the club of legends who have managed to win on three major stages in a row to end up collecting the champion’s trophy.

Carlos Alcaraz, who won the crown at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this season, is in a position to add his third consecutive Grand Slam title at the US Open, something that no one has achieved since Novak Djokovic did it in 2021: Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

The Serbian is the only player, along with fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal, to have won three Grand Slams in a row in the same year. The 22-time champion of a major, won in 2010 at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

To find another similar case in the Open Era, we have to go back to 1969, a year in which Rod Laver linked the four Grand Slams: Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open, for the second time in his career.

Champions of three or more consecutive Grand Slams in the Open Era

But who has ever won three consecutive Grand Slam titles in the 21st century? Besides Djokovic and Nadal, Roger Federer has also done it. The Swiss was the first to do so in 2005 and 2006 with the titles at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. He repeated the feat in 2006 and 2007 on the same stages: Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. On both occasions, Nadal was his executioner at Roland Garros.

Between 2004 and 2007, Federer managed to win eleven of the 16 Grand Slam titles he contested. Only Gastón Gaudio (Roland Garros 2004), Nadal (Roland Garros 2005, 2006, 2007) and Marat Safin (Australian Open 2005) were able to stand in his way.

Nadal became the first player to win three consecutive Grand Slam titles in a single year in the 21st century in 2010. In his first match of that season at the Australian Open, he had to retire in the quarter-finals against Andy Murray, but from then on he went on to win his next 21 Grand Slam matches at Roland Garros (without dropping a set), Wimbledon and the US Open.

However, if there is one player who has dominated this statistic time and again, it is the man with the most Grand Slam titles to date (24). Djokovic signed his first historic chapter between 2011 and 2012 by winning at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. But between 2015 and 2016 he went one step further by taking home four titles in a row: Wimbledon, the US Open, the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

In 2018 and 2019, he won three consecutive victories at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. At Roland Garros, when he was going for his fourth, Dominic Thiem stopped his streak of 26 consecutive semi-final victories in a dramatic five-set duel (6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5).

It was not until 2021 that the Serbian won three more Grand Slams without a mistake, but this time he did it for the first time in a single calendar year. And he came closer than anyone else to equalling Rod Laver, the only player in the Open Era capable of winning them all in a single season (1969).

Although Djokovic extended his winning streak at the Grand Slams to 27, in the US Open final it was Daniil Medvedev who prevented him from breaking the record, opening his career at the Grand Slams (6-4, 6-4, 6-4).

Finally, Pete Sampras completes this list of legends. The American managed to lift the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open trophies between 1993 and 1994.

Now, Alcaraz could sneak into this titanic saga of great ATP Tour champions, if next Sunday, September 8, he is able to repeat something he already achieved in 2022: winning the title at the Arthur Ashe stadium in Flushing Meadows.

Did you know that…?
Carlos Alcaraz has won three of the last five Grand Slam tournaments that have been held. The Spaniard won the title at Wimbledon 2023, Roland Garros 2024 and Wimbledon 2024. The US Open 2023 went to Djokovic, while the Australian Open 2024 went to Sinner.