By Richard Pagliaro Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Photo credit: Koji Watanabe/Getty
Ranking No. 1 in Australia and completing a career grand slam are his top priorities Carlos Alcaraz “2026,” the world number one said in a new interview.
Alcaraz, who is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week for the Six Kings Grand Slam exhibition, spoke to Spanish news agency Marca about his ankle injury, his ongoing rivalry with Jannik Sinner and his 2026 goals. read full Marca’s interview with Alcaraz can be found here.
Alcaraz, who lost to 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in the 2025 Australian Open quarter-finals, said he made Melbourne his main priority in January. Alcaraz has yet to advance beyond the Australian quarterfinals, but he is on pace to complete a career grand slam.
“I did mark it because Australia is always one of the targets at the beginning of every year,” Alcaraz told Marca. “In Melbourne I had been playing good tennis but getting into the final rounds was difficult for me.
“This year I’m going to be as prepared as possible to at least get to the quarterfinals.”
The six-time Grand Slam champion won his eighth title of the season in Tokyo this month, avenging his Laver Cup loss to Taylor Fritz in the Tokyo final despite an injured left ankle. Alcaraz said the ankle had improved before the Six Kings Slam.
“The ankle has been doing really well and is recovering well so far,” Alcaraz said. “It’s a grade two sprain and it always takes longer to recover if you don’t give him a lot of rest.
“Maybe I’ll still keep playing, not with discomfort, but with a little bit of doubt. It always takes time for those doubts to go away, but the fact is we’re doing a good job. The ankle is respecting me.”
At last month’s U.S. Open, Alcaraz and Yannik Sinner made history by becoming the first men in the Open era to reach three consecutive Grand Slam finals. Alcaraz believes that if the two meet again in the Six Kings Grand Slam final, the outcome will impact their ongoing rivalry.
“He has to win two games [matches] I have to win a game,” Alcaraz said. “Hopefully we can meet in the final. It’s not an official tournament, but we play like it’s an official tournament.
“On a mental level, whoever wins here can have an impact.”
Earlier this week, Nick Kyrgios says he believes Alcaraz will eventually break Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic’s record 24 Grand Slam titles. Alcaraz said it was too early to make such an assessment and that tennis was too complex.
“If we look at it ten years from now, that’s exactly what happened,” Alcaraz said. “I don’t take anything for granted because every year is different.
“Players improve, new players appear and things become more complicated. I hope he continues at this pace, but in tennis you have to do your best every season and that’s the most complicated thing.”
