Carlos Alcaraz labelled ‘limitless’ as his hopes of ‘unfathomable’ feat at Australian Open are assessed
Renowned tennis analyst Mark Petchey has declared it is “absolutely crazy” and “unfathomable” that Carlos Alcaraz can complete the career Grand Slam at the 2025 Australian Open.
The former world No 80 believes the prospect of Alcaraz accomplishing the historic feat underlines the Spanish star’s “incredible” and “limitless” potential.
If Alcaraz triumphs at the Australian Open, he will become the youngest male player to win all four major titles in the Open Era by a significant margin.
Rafael Nadal currently holds the record, having completed the career Grand Slam at the age of 24 years and three months when he won the 2010 US Open.
Alcaraz, 21, will break his legendary countryman’s record if he wins any of the next three editions of the Melbourne Grand Slam.
The Spaniard claimed his maiden major crown at the 2022 US Open, while he has also secured the Wimbledon title in each of the last two years and won the 2024 French Open.
The world No 3 cruised to a 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 opening round Australian Open win over world No 77 Alexander Shevchenko. He then dismantled 65th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 in round two.
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Petchey, a former British No 1 who has coached Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu, shared his thoughts on Alcaraz’s quest for history.
“It’s absolutely crazy that we’re sat here with Carlos Alcaraz, with the potential to do the career Grand Slam at 21,” the Brit told casino.org.
“It’s unfathomable that someone could be in that position at such a young age. It’s unheard of, it’s unheralded. It just goes to show how incredible his potential is. He is limitless.
“He’s come into this tournament with a new service motion that they’ve been working on, trying to find a new edge. He’s also got a heavier racket, which could help his already-powerful groundstrokes.
“He is going to be such a handful, and comes here fresh after a long pre-season. The fact that these things are going on in the background, it’s a big deal here in Melbourne.
“There’s a lot of excitement behind the scenes that he could complete the career Slam here in just under two weeks’ time.”
Alcaraz will take on world No 33 Nuno Borges in the third round of the Australian Open.
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