Roger Federer Likens Carlos Alcaraz’s Australian Open Quest To Rory Mcilroy At Masters

6 jam yang lalu

When Carlos Alcaraz takes nan tribunal astatine nan Australian Open successful Melbourne, he will beryllium playing for much than conscionable a awesome title. Alcaraz, who has secured six fields astatine 3 different Grand Slam tournaments successful his young career, has ne'er won nan Australian Open, meaning nan profession Grand Slam is connected nan line.

What is nan profession Grand Slam successful tennis?

Winning each 4 Grand Slam tournaments successful a profession successful tennis is different known arsenic nan profession Grand Slam.

So, Alcaraz, having secured 2 fields astatine each of nan French Open, Wimbledon and nan U.S. Open, tin go conscionable nan ninth man—and nan youngest—to seizure nan profession Grand Slam by winning his first Australian Open.

Twenty-time awesome victor Roger Federer, who successful 2009 completed nan profession slam, likened Alcaraz's pursuit of nan feat to play prima Rory McIlroy's triumph astatine nan Masters, which secured him nan profession slam successful nan PGA Tour.

“He knows astir it. It's like Rory going for nan Masters, you know, those things are tough,” Federer said Thursday, according to BBC Sport. “His momentum shifts toward nan first round, and past it's constituent for constituent mentality. That's what it is. But it's true, astatine his young age, to beryllium capable to complete nan profession Grand Slam already now, I mean, would beryllium crazy.

“I dream he does because for nan game, that would beryllium an unbelievable typical moment.”

Alcaraz’s “first goal” successful 2026 is profession slam

The profession slam is front-and-center connected Alcaraz’s mind, and it was moreover truthful aft his triumph complete rival Jannik Sinner astatine nan U.S. Open successful September of 2025.

“It's my first goal, to beryllium honest,” Alcaraz said astatine nan time. “When I conscionable spell to nan preseason to [see] what I want to improve, what I want to achieve, Australian Open is there. It's nan first aliases 2nd tourney of nan year, and it is ever nan main extremity for maine to complete a Career Grand Slam, Calendar Grand Slam. So it's going to beryllium great.”

Alcaraz, world No. 1, is successful nan apical half of nan Australian Open draw, meaning he could spot world No. 3 Alexander Zverev successful th semifinal and won't look 1 of Sinner aliases 24-time awesome victor Novak Djokovic until nan final.