Ferrero: 'Alcaraz could surpass Djokovic's Grand Slam record if...'

At 22 years old, Carlos Alcaraz has already won 7 Majors and is the youngest player in history to complete a Career Grand Slam.

Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero believes that his former student Carlos Alcaraz has the potential to conquer the Grand Slam record in the future, though he acknowledges it is an extremely difficult goal, requiring surpassing the milestone currently held by Novak Djokovic.

Currently, Djokovic is the male tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles in history, holding 24 championships. Following him are Rafael Nadal with 22 titles and Roger Federer with 20 titles.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz is only 22 but already has 7 Grand Slam titles. Carlitos recently created a historic milestone by becoming the youngest male player to complete a Career Grand Slam after winning the Australian Open 2026.

In an interview for the program El Cafelito, Ferrero – who coached Alcaraz from 2018 until the end of 2025 – was asked whether his former student could surpass Djokovic's Grand Slam record. The former Roland Garros champion believes it is entirely possible if Alcaraz maintains discipline over a long period.

"I really hope he can achieve that. I always think that if Carlos continues to train hard, he can reach this goal.", Ferrero shared.

According to the 46-year-old former player, the most crucial factor for tennis players to sustain long-term success is discipline. He cited Djokovic as a prime example of this.

"Initially, everything is full of passion, but there will be times when motivation declines. At that point, discipline will guide you. Novak has done this exceptionally well throughout his career.", Ferrero noted.

"JCF" also highlighted similarities between Alcaraz and the "Big 3": Djokovic, Nadal, Federer. He said Alcaraz's creative ability in every stroke reminds him of Federer, while his endurance and match-reading skills resemble Djokovic. Additionally, Carlitos' never-give-up fighting spirit reminds him of Nadal.

After Ferrero left his position at the end of 2025, Alcaraz is now guided by Samuel Lopez – who previously worked in the coaching team at his academy. The former world number one stated that he encouraged Lopez to take on coaching Alcaraz.

Since changing his coaching team, Carlitos has shown impressive form with an unbeaten streak in 2026, along with winning the Australian Open and Qatar Open titles. If he maintains this stability for many years ahead, the player born in 2003 has a real chance to approach the historic milestones set by Novak Djokovic.

Currently, Alcaraz is participating in Indian Wells – the ATP 1000 tournament he won consecutively in 2023 and 2024. The 22-year-old player received a first-round bye, then eliminated Grigor Dimitrov and Arthur Rinderknech, and will face Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals.