Carlos Alcaraz matches Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg feat after historic 2024
2024 proved to be another landmark year for Carlos Alcaraz.
There were ups and downs across the year for the Spaniard, but a first triumph at Roland Garros and a successful defence of his Wimbledon title make this season a remarkable one for him.
Completing the ‘Channel Slam’ is a hugely impressive feat, and he joins the likes of Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg in achieving that.
However, that is not the only way that he has matched the two tennis icons.
Alcaraz, Nadal, and Borg are now the only three men to achieve three year-end top-3 finishes at the age of 21 since the ATP Rankings were introduced.
Carlos Alcaraz (2022-24)
Alcaraz’s rise in recent years has been extraordinary, with the Spaniard – who only turned 21 this May – already a winner of four Grand Slam titles.
He won his first major at the US Open in 2022 and he became the youngest-ever ATP world No 1 following that victory, finishing the season atop the rankings – after starting the year as the world No 32.
Alcaraz backed up that season by winning Wimbledon for the first time in 2023 and would finish the year as the world No 2.
Despite inconsistencies and injuries across 2024, he has still managed to finish 2024 as the world No 3 thanks to his Grand Slam successes and will be highly-fancied to stay at the top of the game in 2025.
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Rafael Nadal (2005-07)
It is easy to forget just how young Nadal was when he broke through at the very top of the men’s game.
The Spaniard, who retired last month aged 38, celebrated his 19th birthday midway through his run to the first of 14 Roland Garros titles in 2005.
Having finished 2004 outside of the top 50, a run to a staggering 11 titles across 2005 saw the teen star finish the year as the world No 2.
Nadal would then finish 2006 and 2007 as the world No 2, with the 21-year-old successfully triumphing at the French Open twice more by the end of 2007, alongside reaching two Wimbledon finals.
He managed to stay inside the top three of the year-end rankings until 2012 when he finished the season as the world No 4.
Bjorn Borg (1974-77)
Swedish sensation Borg completed a historic fourth year inside the top three of the year-end rankings in 1977 – the year he celebrated his 21st birthday.
Borg had barely turned 18 when he won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 1974 and finished that season as the world No 3, having been 18th at the end of 1973.
A successful defence of his French Open title in 1975 saw him also finish 1975 as the world No 3, though he went one better in 1976.
Though he did not win Roland Garros that season, the first of five straight Wimbledon titles guided Borg to a year-end ranking of world No 2 at age 20.
Borg sealed his fourth consecutive year inside the top three of the year-end rankings in 1977 thanks to his Wimbledon title defence, though his run did not stop at the age of 21.
He finished the next three seasons inside the top three, before falling to world No 4 in 1981.
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