Why Carlos Alcaraz will complete Career Grand Slam in 2026

Carlos Alcaraz has the opportunity to become the youngest tennis player to complete Career Grand Slam in 2026. He will have another chance to claim the record in 2027, but the Spaniard is more likely to do it next year.

Alcaraz’s Grand Slam set is missing the Australian Open silverware. He has triumphed at the other three Majors twice already but hasn’t once progressed beyond the quarterfinals in Melbourne yet.

If he manages to win the Australian Open next season, he will replace his compatriot Rafael Nadal as the youngest Open Era player to win all Majors at least once. Nadal did it at the age of 24 years and 101 days by defeating Novak Djokovic in the 2010 US Open final.

Alcaraz missed the feat by three wins earlier this year as he lost to Djokovic at Melbourne Park in an enthralling quarterfinal clash. Now, at the age of 22 years and 218 days, he is left with two more attempts to better Nadal.

But the six-time Grand Slam champion’s recent statements suggest he might not need a third shot as he seems willing to sacrifice other Major trophies for the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup in 2026.

Alcaraz’s enthusiasm goes beyond his speeches. He has put together a solid stretch of form over the past few months. He will walk into the Australian Open main draw as the top seed and the reigning US Open champion for the first time.

Furthermore, he has lost only nine of his last 80 matches on the ATP Tour, converting eight of the 11 finals into titles during that stretch. He secured two Majors, three ATP Masters 1000 trophies and three ATP 500 titles to build his most successful tennis season to date.

Alcaraz hit the right notes in the hardcourt swing during the second half of the season. He produced three championship runs on the synthetic courts outdoors, prevailing in New York, Cincinnati and Tokyo.

The World No. 1's prospects of lifting the trophy rise considerably with similar playing conditions awaiting him at the Melbourne Park in January.

Carlos Alcaraz’s greatest challenge at the Australian Open will be Jannik Sinner, who hasn't lost a match at the Australian Open in two years, conceding just five sets throughout.

Sinner is the one who kept Alcaraz from a three-peat at Wimbledon this year. He also denied him a triumph at the season-ending ATP Finals.

However, Alcaraz still holds the edge over the Italian in the head-to-head with a sizeable 10-6 lead. Moreover, he has six wins over the World No. 2 on hardcourts outdoor to only two losses.

The two will headline the opposite halves of the Australian Open main draw as the first and second seeds, meaning they can only meet in the finals. Alcaraz also has the upper hand over Sinner in title matches with a 5-3 record, thus, if the Spaniard takes care of less-formidable opponents in his section, the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup and Career Grand Slam is his for the taking in 2026.