By winning the Australian Open, Alcaraz makes tennis history worldwide

At just 22 years old, Carlos Alcaraz has already matched the achievements of tennis legends.

World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz officially etched his name into tennis history by winning the 2026 Australian Open after a convincing victory over Novak Djokovic in the final held on the evening of February 1st, Vietnam time.

At 22 years and 272 days old, Alcaraz became the youngest player ever to complete a Career Grand Slam — winning all four major tournaments in his career. He broke the 88-year-old record previously held by Don Budge (who won Roland Garros in 1938).

Considering only the Open Era, Carlitos surpassed the record set by his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Rafa completed his Career Grand Slam at the 2010 US Open at the age of 24 years and 101 days, known as the "King of Clay."

Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open by defeating Casper Ruud, then went on to claim Wimbledon and Roland Garros titles in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Before participating in the 2026 Australian Open, the 22-year-old Spaniard had never advanced beyond the quarterfinals in the first Grand Slam of the year.

Carlitos was placed in an exceptionally favorable draw at Melbourne Park this year and he made no mistakes on his path to the semifinals. It was only in the match against Alexander Zverev that the top seed encountered real challenges.

Alcaraz dominated Zverev to take a 2-0 lead, but a cramp severely affected Carlitos' mobility. Sascha capitalized fully to level the match at 2-2, even securing an early break in the decisive fifth set and had the chance to serve for the match. However, the composure of the 6-time Grand Slam winner at age 22 helped him overcome adversity, breaking Zverev’s serve twice in a row to secure a spot in the final.

In the final, Alcaraz lost the first set but improved steadily, defending brilliantly to end Novak Djokovic’s hopes of securing his 25th Grand Slam title, thereby claiming the Australian Open crown for the first time in his career.