Nadal: 'Alcaraz is already a legend'

The achievements Carlos Alcaraz has reached at the age of 22 rival those of many tennis legends worldwide.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal affirmed that Carlos Alcaraz has become a legend in the tennis world after his historic victory at the 2026 Australian Open.

"Alcaraz is no longer a promising player; he has already won 7 Grand Slam titles. Alcaraz has become a legend in this sport. Looking back at history, very few have won 7 major titles.", Nadal stated.

"The 'King of Clay' also praised the performance in the final match: "It was a top-level, thrilling match. The age difference was obvious, but each player maximized their strengths. I truly enjoyed that match."

At Melbourne Park, Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 2-6; 6-2; 6-3; 7-5 in the men's singles final to complete the Career Grand Slam at age 22. He became the youngest male player in the Open Era to win all 4 Majors: Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open.

With this achievement, Carlitos became the sixth man in the Open Era to hold all 4 Grand Slam titles, joining legends like Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, and Rod Laver. The Melbourne title also raised the total number of Majors won by the Spanish player to 7: 2 Roland Garros, 2 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, and the latest Australian Open.

7 Majors put Alcaraz on par with Mats Wilander and John McEnroe among the most successful male players of the Open Era. Currently, only 8 players in this period have won more Grand Slams than him.

Although still quite far from matching the "Big 3" record, Carlos Alcaraz is poised to continue making history. If he wins his 8th Grand Slam, he will equal Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl. The milestone of 10 or more titles—achieved only by Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Pete Sampras, and Bjorn Borg in the Open Era—is also within reach for the current world No. 1.