Carlos Alcaraz Echoes Martina Navratilova While Declaring Career Grand Slam Dream: “No Matter When”

How many times have you seen a player win a slam final and also claim the top spot in ATP rankings? At the moment, the credit goes to Carlos Alcaraz, now a six-time slam champion who dethroned Jannik Sinner, ending his 65-week No.1 reign on Sunday. In front of more than 20,000 fans inside Arthur Ashe, the 22-year-old not only clinched his second US Open trophy but also issued a statement through his performance. The impact was such that even his Italian rival had to confess, “You were better than me. Congrats.” The summit clash in New York showed the world a different Alcaraz – one who knows how to dictate the court on his own terms, no matter if he’s playing against a near-no-fault “machine” like Sinner. But here comes the fun part. Alcaraz thinks he’s still far him delivering his best.

Yes, he won 21 sets throughout his triumphant US Open campaign; the only one he dropped was during the final. He’s the fourth man to do so in the last 25 years. Yes, he has won six slams while being the second-youngest ATP player (22 years and 125 days) to achieve this feat after Bjorn Borg. And yes, he’s the one who finally snapped Sinner’s hard-court winning streak on Sunday. Yet, the Spaniard believes he’s still not at his desired level. Interestingly, WTA icon Martina Navratilova mentioned this aspect while reacting to Alcaraz’s phenomenal win. “I didn’t win my first (slam) till I was 21 and he’s already at six, at 22, and he still hasn’t reached his peak. So, he came out-of-the-box, ready to compete against everybody,” remarked the 18-time major winner.

Well, Alcaraz has echoed similar sentiments while making a bold declaration. During the post-match conference, he did say, “I’m at the best version of my career so far” but admitted that he’s “not yet at 100%. At 22yo, it’s difficult to already be at your maximum level. Little by little I’ll keep improving to try and get there. The best Carlos hasn’t come out yet.” reported journalist Jose Morgado in an X post. So will his ultimate level get unleashed down under early next season? When asked regarding his target of completing a career slam with the Australian Open, Alcaraz couldn’t help but make his intentions clear. “I mean it’s my first goal to be honest. Australian Open is the first tournament of the year and it is always the main goal for me to complete career grand slam, calendar grand slam. So it’s going to be great.”

Of course, his rival Sinner is close to achieving this milestone too. He’s yet to win the French Open to make it happen. Before him, however, Alcaraz will get the chance to accomplish the feat in Melbourne. But he hardly cares “If I do first or second, for me, to be honest, I don’t mind. I just wanted to complete it. Obviously I am going to try to do it next year. But if it is not next year, hopefully two, three, four. So I will try to complete it. If he (Sinner) does it first, it’s a great achievement. But for me, all I want to think is to complete it no matter when.”

Right now, his main focus is to just bask in the glory of his victory in New York. After all, it is after three years he’s made it possible again. The moment he hit that unbeatable ace against the Italian, Alcaraz laid on the court to let the winning feeling sink in.

Carlos Alcaraz reacts to his US Open glory after besting Sinner

It took Carlos Alcaraz just 2 hours and 42 minutes to dismiss Jannik Sinner‘s challenge inside Arthur Ashe. With a dominating score line of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, the 22-year-old etched his name on that coveted trophy once again. His reaction? “It’s a privilege to be a part of this tournament. I just feel at home, feel the energy and feel the love, and I’m just trying to play my best for you guys. You made everything easy.” reported the US Open website on September 7.

Alcaraz’s one-sided sleight-of-hand was all over the court on Sunday. And the numbers are enough to tell the story. Compared to his rival’s mere two aces, he hit ten while committing zero double faults, with Sinner having four. Not to mention the Spaniard’s 42 winners against the Italian’s 21.

On reaching No.1 with his US Open win, Alcaraz added, “Doing it on the same day as getting another Grand Slam feels even better. It’s everything I’m working for, and I’m really happy to be able to live these experiences.”

Alcaraz has now become just the fourth player in history to clinch multiple Grand Slams on all three surfaces. He joins an elite club of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and, Mats Wilander who have done it already.