Since Alcaraz joined the ATP Tour as a 16-year-old, he has been lauded for the variety of his play, being able to combine cutting low slices with ferocious forehands and deft drop shots to consistently catch opponents off guard and win points in breathtaking ways.
But his ability to stitch together that kind of all-around quality on any surface is what is already setting him apart from anybody else.
Alcaraz has now won two Grand Slams on each of the hard, grass, and clay surfaces – only Rafael Nadal (when aged 24), Mats Wilander (aged 24), and Novak Djokovic (aged 34), have ever achieved the same feat in the men’s game.
The speed at which Alcaraz is racking up the majors is astonishing, too – he has taken only 19 tournaments to win six slams, second only to the record of 18 set by Bjorn Borg in 1978.
Only Borg has won six slams at a younger age than Alcaraz, doing so by winning three on clay at Roland Garros and three on grass at Wimbledon.
At 22 Nadal also had six (but won the last of those when he was a few months older than Alcaraz), while Pete Sampras was on five, and Wilander four.
The likes of eight-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer (three) and 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic (one) were way behind the pace of Alcaraz at his age.
