By Richard Pagliaro Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Photo credit: Antoine Couvertcelle/ROLEX
Happy Slam is historic goal Carlos Alcaraz.
With the best season of his career ahead of him this year, No. 1 Alcaraz shared his No. 1 goal for next year: win his first Australian Open title and make history as the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz, who bowed out of the Davis Cup quarter-finals with a right leg injury after losing 7-6(4), 7-5 to Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s ATP Finals championship match, met with the media on a Zoom call today. alcaraz, promotion Racquet at the Rock exhibition vs. Frances Tiafoe on December 7 at Prudential Center in NewarkHe shared his mission statement for 2026: to overthrow the two-time champion Sinner, win the Australian Open championship, and complete a career Grand Slam.
“Certainly completing the calendar Grand Slam is a very good goal for me,” Alcaraz told the media during a Zoom call today. “To be the youngest player to complete this record would be a really good achievement and accomplishment for myself. So I’m really looking forward to 2026 making it happen.”
Six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, a champion on all surfaces, made history as the youngest man to win a Grand Slam title on three major surfaces: hard court (2022 and 2025 U.S. Open), grass (2023-2024 Wimbledon) and his home clay court at Roland Garros (2024-2025).
The worst position in tennis right now is to be behind Jannik Sinner in a major match. Sinner, the front-runner, can beat even the elite when leading in points. However, Alcaraz can be bolder and shine brighter when he’s feeling down. The Spanish striker showed his full potential in June’s Roland Garros final in his bid for the three-point title, leaving Sinner heartbroken.
The question is: can Alcaraz, who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals two years in a row in 2024-2025, beat Sinner in the best Italian Grand Slam match in Melbourne?
Alcaraz said Australia’s lack of adjustment to the game had hurt his pursuit of the Happy Slam in the past.
“Honestly, it could be a great record. I’m really looking forward to winning the Australian title one day,” Alcaraz said. “I’m very excited about it. That’s the good thing about it – it’s the first Grand Slam.
“I go straight into the majors at the start of the season, which can be tricky because there’s just no rhythm, no game rhythm, so to speak. But I’m going to have a great pre-season to prepare myself.
“Obviously, the record of being the youngest to complete a career Grand Slam is something that’s always stuck in my mind.”
Fifteen years ago, Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz’s tennis hero and Olympic doubles partner won the 2010 U.S. Open and completed a career Grand Slam at the age of 24. roger federerAlcaraz’s style was inspired by the 27-year-old who defeated Robin Soderling in the 2009 French Open final to win his first French Open title and complete a career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz fell to the ground Grand Slam King Novak Djokovic In a four-set AO quarterfinal last January, he won a career-best eight titles in 2025 and said he was better and smarter now than at the start of the season.
“I had some losses early in the season where I wasn’t playing my best tennis, and then I realized what I had to do on and off the court,” Alcaraz said. “After that, from Monte Carlo to the end of the year, it was my best year, the best tennis I’ve ever played. I’m very happy with the way I handled the pressure…
“I learned how to see situations on the court better. Mentally, I got stronger, and I think that’s the most important thing for me. I got stronger from losing, when I felt really bad. Those are the moments I’m really proud of, and that’s what I’ve learned this year.”
