Carlos Alcaraz is on record for wanting to reach Novak Djokovic's Grand Slam tally, which currently stands at 24, but former ATP player Paul McNamee doesn’t think it will happen anytime soon.
McNamee is generally known as a strong supporter of Djokovic. He rarely says anything negative about the Serbian player, as he has always favored the 24-time major winner, and his stances over the years have certainly backed that.
He called Djokovic the greatest tennis player of all time, and while the Serbian has certainly lived up to that with all his achievements, it shows that McNamee has his clear favorite in the often-discussed 'GOAT Race'.
With that in mind, the former player doesn’t think Alcaraz will be able to reach 24 Grand Slams anytime soon. Alcaraz has expressed a desire to become the best in history, which means he will need to achieve some of the milestones Djokovic has reached.
Grand Slams are a clear example of that, but the Spaniard has made a quick start. He’s already up to four majors, winning two of them in 2024, which is a better mark than Djokovic had at that age.
The Serbian only won his fourth Grand Slam at age 24, while Alcaraz is only 21. He has plenty of time to accomplish his goals, but he will need to remain impressive and competitive for a very long time.
There is no guarantee that he will be able to do it, which is why McNamee has serious doubts about whether he can achieve it. In his talk with SportKlub, McNamee admitted that while Alcaraz's goals might be technically possible, they are unlikely to him because Alcaraz would need about 20 years, years that he likely won’t have in the sport.
"It will take 20 years for someone like Alcaraz to break Novak’s Grand Slam record – it’s not impossible, but it’s unlikely. So, in twenty years, Novak will be talked about as the greatest of all time. Forget all personal affinities, his biography is the greatest."
The former player also made his case for why Djokovic is the greatest of all time. According to McNamee, the 37-year-old's win at the Olympics settled the debate.
"An argument could be made that the Olympics are not that important, but I don’t think so, I think they were very important, especially for people who claimed that Novak was not the GOAT. It was definitely decided in Paris who is the GOAT."
"Personally, I never called him the greatest until the Olympics, I said that everyone should finish their careers first, but the gold at the Olympics cemented Novak’s status already now."
"An enormous success, not only because of the gold, but also the way he got it – he played a fantastic match against an outstanding tennis player like Alcaraz."
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