When Roger Federer became the first ATP player to touch the mark of 20 Grand Slams, everyone thought that was the pinnacle of greatness. But then Spanish icon Rafael Nadal surpassed this figure, clinching 22. Novak Djokovic buried these two records when he proved that nothing is permanent – not even the slam milestone – after he reached his 24th major title, which looks like a mountain task. But according to former WTA icon and a 23-time slam queen herself, the Serbian’s record may not be far from reach for one Mr. Carlos Alcaraz Garfia.

Williams is in Oviedo this week, where she is set to receive the 2025 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports. During interaction with the media, she revealed her admiration for Spanish ATP star and 22-year-old prodigy Carlos Alcaraz. In fact, she called herself an “unconditional fan” of the current World No.1. “Alcaraz is doing incredible things. I am an unconditional fan of Alcaraz. I always call him when he plays, to cheer him up.”

Moreover, Williams went on to make a big claim regarding Alcaraz’s potential to break records. Especially when it comes to winning the most slams in the long run. Currently he has six. When asked, “Can he match or surpass Djokovic’s record of 24 Grand Slams?”, the former World No.1 did not hesitate, “At this point, everything is possible. When Federer started, no one thought he could surpass Sampras, and he did. Then Rafa did the same, and then Djokovic. Carlos is very young, he has great rivals, but of course it is possible. The records are there to beat them.”

Lately, even several other notable tennis figures have alluded to this possibility. Take, for example, ex-British icon Tim Henman. He recently praised Alcaraz for how much he has already achieved in terms of slam titles. Henman was stunned to see that at 22, the Spaniard had captured six such trophies.

Recalling his past days of being a professional tennis pro, he said, “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 (Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic) and we will see how many Alcaraz and Sinner will get.” Now when it comes to Alcaraz himself, even he had a compelling response to this inevitable question.

Carlos Alcaraz on whether he is looking at the all-time slam milestone

Earlier this month, Carlos Alcaraz was in Riyadh to compete at the Six Kings Slam. After besting Taylor Fritz in the semifinal and booking his spot in the summit clash, he engaged with the media to discuss various aspects of his career.

Speaking about his future goals, he revealed his ambition to stay as the No.1 for a longer duration. Then he also talked about the 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 told.

Perhaps it was the first time that Alcaraz himself expressed a genuine zeal to chase Djokovic’s milestone. Just a month ago, he mentioned contrarily that, “It’s not something I’m thinking about right now,” when asked the same question. Now, it seems the priorities have changed.

After Alcaraz’s US Open triumph last month, even his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero teased this possibility. “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.”

It will be intriguing to see how long it takes for Alcaraz to actually reach Djokovic’s Grand Slam feat. When the new season begins in January, the world no.1 would want to take a step closer to the Serbian’s record with a win in Melbourne. Doing so will also help him complete his Career Slam after capturing Paris, London, and New York.