Carlos Alcaraz of Spain has reaffirmed his status as the best youngster in tennis by winning the 2024 Wimbledon title, defeating Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) in the final. It was the way the 21-year-old dismantled Djokovic that made the entire world sit up and applaud.
Alcaraz has now won four Grand Slam titles, and is 4-0 in Major finals. That is an astounding record for a player of his age, but is he the most accomplished 21-year-old in the history of tennis?
There have been great young champions in tennis prior to Carlos Alcaraz too
Recency bias should not make us forget the exploits of past champions at a similar age. Boris Becker won a couple of Wimbledon titles as a teenager, Martina Hingis became the World No. 1 at the age of 16, and Monica Seles repeatedly overcame a player as great as Steffi Graf when she was a teenager. Graf herself won the Golden Calendar Slam as a teenager.
Then there is Rafael Nadal, who had won three French Open titles and reached a Wimbledon final as a 21-year-old, and also won the Channel Slam at 22.
Make no mistake about it – Alcaraz’s achievements at his age are staggering. But there have been a number of players before him who have achieved similar feats.
The quality of opposition is relevant to the discussion too
With due respect to other players, Carlos Alcaraz has got just two strong rivals – Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. And Djokovic was already past 35 by the time Alcaraz burst onto the scene with his US Open triumph in 2022. Sinner, meanwhile, is still not very comfortable on clay and grass; all of the Italian’s biggest feats have come on hardcourt.
On the other hand, Boris Becker won five Grand Slam titles before he turned 22 after having to contend with the likes of John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg. Nadal too had to deal with prime Federer at the start of his career and Seles had to deal with Graf, who in fact won nine Grand Slam titles before turning 21, more than twice Alcaraz’s tally. Hingis had won five Grand Slam titles before she reached the age of 19.
Alcaraz is a generational talent, and will likely win many more Grand Slam titles if he is able to stay fit. However, that should not blind one as regards the achievements of other past greats.
Yes, what the Spaniard has done is exceptional, but he is surely not as decorated as say Graf or Hingis at the same age.