Alcaraz becomes youngest man to complete Grand Slam with Australian Open win

Monday, 2 February 2026 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Carlos Alcaraz

Spanish world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam – lifting all four of the sport’s major trophies – with his maiden Australian Open triumph.

Yesterday’s victory over Novak Djokovic ensured the 22-year-old Alcaraz clinched the seventh major title of his career, just six years after making his senior debut.

Alcaraz has won five of the past eight slams and has astonishingly prevailed in all but one of his eight major finals.

He follows all-time greats Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, and Rod Laver as only the sixth man to achieve the career Grand Slam in the Open era.

The man he replaces as the youngest to achieve that feat is, fittingly, his sporting idol and 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal, who did so aged 24 in 2010 and watched his compatriot’s historic win over old foe Djokovic from the stands in Melbourne.

In tennis history, Alcaraz surpassed Don Budge, who had won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open by the age of 22 years and 355 days in 1938.

“Every year that I came to Australia I was thinking about winning but it didn’t happen. This year, I was hungry for more,” Alcaraz said. “It is a dream come true.”