Jimmy Connors predicts how many Grand Slams Carlos Alcaraz will win ‘if he doesn’t get too full of himself’
Tennis legend Jimmy Connors believes Carlos Alcaraz can win 15 Grand Slam titles in his career, but warned the Spaniard not to get “too full of himself”.
The former world No 1 also feels the biggest threats Alcaraz will face are players younger than him and argued the 20-year-old is “not afraid” of rivals “in front of him”.
The Murcia-born star claimed his second Grand Slam title by defeating 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon final earlier this month. He downed Casper Ruud in four sets to win his maiden major at the 2022 US Open.
Alcaraz, who turned 20 in May, has already won 12 ATP singles titles – a tally that includes four Masters 1000 events. He holds a superb 20-10 (66.7%) record against players ranked in the top 10 at the time the match was played.
The 20-year-old competed for Spain at the Hopman Cup team event last week, winning both his singles matches against David Goffin and Borna Coric in match tiebreak deciding sets.
Speaking on an episode of the Advantage Connors podcast, the American great predicted how many major titles Alcaraz could end his career with, but stressed he must keep his current mentality.
“If he [Alcaraz] plays 12 more years, that’s 48 Grand Slams. If he doesn’t get too full of himself, I’d say [he could win] 15. That is if he doesn’t think he doesn’t have to work hard and it’ll come easy. He needs to continue what he’s doing and looks like he will,” said the 70-year-old.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion also claimed the toughest rivals the Spaniard will face are young players yet to break through.
“There’ll be some young kids coming up now that will see him who are 17 or 18 who will believe that if he can do it, I can do it. He’s going to set the bench. It all depends on what comes behind him because he knows what’s in front of him. I don’t think he’s afraid of that,” added Connors.
Alcaraz is currently the youngest active ATP player to have won a Grand Slam title. Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev, who won the US Open in 2020 and 2021 respectively, are the only other active major champions in their 20s.
Connors holds the record for most ATP singles titles won with a remarkable total of 109. The American won the US Open five times, Wimbledon twice and the Australian Open once during his 24-year career.
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