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How can Carlos Alcaraz top historic career Grand Slam?
Carlos Alcaraz. Mike Frey-Imagn Images

How can Carlos Alcaraz top historic career Grand Slam?

What's next for tennis star Carlos Alcaraz after completing the coveted career Grand Slam? 

World No. 1 Alcaraz beat world No. 4 Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 at the Australian Open final at Melbourne Park on Sunday. At 22 years and 272 days old, he became the youngest man to win all four major tennis tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open) and the ninth male to do so.

After the match, Alcaraz wrote "Job finished. 4/4 complete" on a TV camera lens. However, there's more work to do for the Spanish wunderkind. He may now be in a position to accomplish another rare feat: win all four Grand Slams in one year.  

How many players have completed the calendar Grand Slam? 

Only five players (male and female) have won all four singles titles in a year: Don Budge (1938), Maureen Connolly (1953), Rod Laver (1962, 1969), Margaret Court (1970), and Steffi Graf (1988). Djokovic — who holds the men's record for Grand Slam wins (24) — came close in 2021 but lost to Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final.

With that in mind, Alcaraz isn't guaranteeing he'll win any more majors this year. Instead, he's just focusing on enjoying his latest victory.

"Those are big words, to be honest," Alcaraz said of the calendar Grand Slam while speaking to reporters. "So, I don't want to put myself in a really pressure position to do it, but you know it's going to be great. Right now, I will try to be ready, to work hard, you know, to just recover and practice well to play a good tournament in the next Grand Slam."

Djokovic, meanwhile, didn't say he would do it but implied it's possible for a player of Alcaraz's skill. 

"I lost to a No. 1 in the world and already a legendary player," Djokovic, who's now 10-1 in Australian Open finals, said after the match, via ESPN's Jake Michaels. "He's constantly looking to innovate himself and his game. He's only 22. Everything is possible in his case, no question about it. I can't think of any other superlatives about him."

The next Grand Slam is the French Open, scheduled May 24-June 7. That gives Alcaraz plenty of time to prepare and potentially win the tournament's singles title for a third straight year. As of Sunday, FanDuel Sportsbook lists him as the favorite (+120).

If Alcaraz wins his second Grand Slam this year, that would give him even more momentum. That could propel him to two more victories at Wimbledon (June 29-July 12) and the U.S. Open (Aug. 31-Sept. 13) later this year.  

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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