“Carlos Alcaraz is the best thing for tennis in the past 20 years,” That is what Serena Williams’ childhood coach, Rick Macci, once declared, in 2023. In the last two years, the Spaniard has moved from strength to strength, becoming the undisputed face of the next generation of men’s tennis alongside rival Jannik Sinner. Of course, his six major titles have also helped. But how many more can he win? Well, according to this former ATP pro, he won’t be stopping anytime soon.

In a recent conversation with Tennis365, ex-British ATP pro Tim Henman was effusive about Alcaraz. He spent some time with the world No. 1 last month during the Laver Cup, and that’s when he got the chance to observe him closely. “His attitude, his energy, his values on and off the court were absolutely first class. He has really up his level,” he said. “You look at the way Alcaraz’s game has developed and it’s absolutely phenomenal.”

Moreover, Henman also compared Carlos Alcaraz with the Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, who went on to clinch 20, 22, and 24 majors, respectively. Henman reflected that the number of slams won by the Big Three is so huge that “it’s almost made it disproportionate for these other players.” He then noted how Alcaraz was breaking those barriers: “Then you have Alcaraz who is already at six (Slams) at such a young age and people are asking, will he go on to get 20. At this stage, it’s almost unfair.

Recalling his own days of professional tennis, he added, “Certainly, when I was playing and Pete Sampras got to 14 Slams, I would have bet my bottom dollar that no one would get past 14. Three of them did it and we will see how many Alcaraz and Sinner will get.”

Well, that’s something we have yet to see. However, Alcaraz himself has recently made an honest confession over this intriguing question.

Is Carlos Alcaraz thinking about the possibility of surpassing the Big Three’s Grand Slam wins?

At the ongoing Six Kings Slam, Carlos Alcaraz is continuing to show his impeccable run. After surpassing Taylor Fritz, he entered his second straight final of Netflix’s exhibition event. With that, he also locked his meeting with archrival Jannik Sinner. The two are set to fight it out in the rematch of last season’s final.

Ahead of the anticipated encounter, Alcaraz spoke about his future goals at a presser. Apart from mentioning his desire to stay the world No. 1 for a long time, he also talked about Grand Slams. “There are several records I would like to have, but obviously the one for most Grand Slam titles. It’s the one everyone wants. And then the weeks at number one that belongs to Djokovic and that is crazy because it takes 400 weeks and peak at the top,” he said, per Spanish outlet Marca.

It is the first time in recent history that Alcaraz has expressed his genuine interest in chasing Djokovic’s Grand Slam record. In fact, just last month, Alcaraz said, “It’s not something I’m thinking about right now,” when asked about potentially surpassing the Serb’s record.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, also believes the 22-year-old can go beyond. Following his US Open triumph last month, he noted, “The potential to win many titles, many Grand Slams, is there, but we take nothing for granted. Nothing is automatic; you have to make it happen.”

Now that the Spaniard has himself wished to top the Mount Everest of majors, it will be interesting to see how close he gets in the coming years. When the new season begins in January, he will be under pressure to win in Melbourne and carry the momentum beyond. In case anyone missed keeping track, winning the Australian Open—in case he makes it happen—will also complete his career Slam. He has already won the trophies in Paris, London, and New York.