When Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic to win the men’s singles draw at Wimbledon earlier this month, the image of the two shaking hands at center court felt symbolic in many ways.
For nearly two decades, men’s tennis has been ruled by three great players: Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. Nadal won 22 majors, Federer won 20 and Djokovic was vying for his 25th this year at the All England Club. They are the top three winners in men’s grand slam history, easily surpassing Pete Sampras’ previous record of 14 championships.
Still just 21 years old, Alcaraz is already building a potentially historic resume in the sport. He is known for a devastating forehand which is considered the best on the tour; some have gone as far as to say he has one of the best forehands in the history of the game. That shot allows him to play a strong baseline game, but he is also known for exceptional footwork and speed on the court.
He made his ATP main-draw debut as a 16-year-old as a wild card in the Rio Open in 2020. Winning a first-round match at the Madrid Open that year, while just 17, made him the youngest to win at that tournament—passing Nadal. Nadal eliminated him from that tournament on his 18th birthday.
Alcaraz has continued to win and climb the tour rankings. He reached No. 1 in the world in September of 2022 as a 19-year-old after winning his first career grand slam event, the US Open. The win made him the youngest men’s US Open champion since Pete Sampras in 1990. In doing so, Alcaraz became the youngest No. 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings at the age of 19 years, 4 months, and 6 days, and became the first teenager in the Open Era to top the men’s rankings. He closed the 2022 calendar year with the world No. 1 ranking, making him the youngest player and first teenager to earn that distinction in the Open Era.
He has since won the French Open (2024) and Wimbledon twice (2023, 2024). He needs only the Australian to complete a career grand slam. With his wins in the French Open and Wimbledon this year, Alcaraz became only the sixth man to win both in the same calendar year. He joined Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic in winning on both clay and grass in grand slam events.
In the coming weeks, Alcaraz could add another incredible trophy to his collection, putting him in more exclusive company. He will compete in the Paris Summer Olympics on behalf of Spain.
Full-time tennis professionals have only been allowed to compete in the Summer Olympics since 1998. The first man to complete a career “Golden Slam” (win all four Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic gold medal) was American Andre Agassi, who won gold in Atlanta at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Alcaraz’s fellow Spaniard, Nadal, won gold in men’s singles at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and gold in men’s doubles with Marc Lopez at the 2016 Rio Games
Among the all-time greats to never win Olympic gold in men’s singles are Sampras, who made his only Olympic appearance in 1992, and Federer, who took silver in London in 2012.
This year’s tournament field will include Nadal, who has missed a number of tournaments while rehabbing from injury, Djokovic, and Andy Murray. The path to gold will not be easy for Alcaraz.
Alcaraz enters the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics as the world’s No. 3 ranked men’s singles player; the Olympics do not have a seeded format. He enters the Games with 15 career titles and a 79–3 match win percentage for his young career.
If Alcaraz can top a very good field that includes two all-time greats in Paris this summer to add an Olympic gold to his collection, the career narrative that has already been building will have a better argument that he is on a path to join the greats in the history of the game.
One potential roadblock between Alcaraz and his date with history is someone with whom he is incredibly familiar. Current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner will represent Italy in the tournament. The 22-year-old Italian has faced Alcaraz nine times since 2021, and Alcaraz has just a 5–4 advantage in their head-to-head matchups.
Making matters more intriguing—and fun—at this year’s Summer Olympics, Alcaraz and Nadal will play doubles together, making them one of the most celebrated pairs in the history of the Games.
The draw for the Olympic fields will take place on Thursday, July 25. The men’s singles first round begins on Sunday, July 27, and will progress until the men’s final—the gold medal match—takes place on Sunday, Aug. 4. If Alcaraz and Nadal play for the men’s doubles gold, that match would be on Saturday, Aug. 3.
