Carlos Alcaraz recently broke fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal’s record by defeating Novak Djokovic to win the 2026 Australian Open. With this win, Alcaraz completed the Career Grand Slam, winning all four major titles, including the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.
He has become the youngest to accomplish the feat in tennis history at 22 years and 272 days old, surpassing the previous Open Era mark held by Rafael Nadal (who completed it at 24).
Two days after Alcaraz lifted his seventh Grand Slam trophy, Nadal’s uncle Toni Nadal made a bittersweet remark on the Spaniard’s achievement. While lauding the World No. 1, Toni also suggested the competition in the current era is not the same as it was when his nephew was playing.
“He can reach wherever he wants,” Nadal said. “He has a special physique and an excellent technique. Besides, he’s lucky: he has rivals of a lower level. Before, Nadal and Djokovic would go out to play and if they got Del Potro and the Argentine was having a good day, he could beat you.”
While doing so, Alcaraz also snapped Djokovic’s 10-final unbeaten streak in the Australian Open finals. The Serb was denied a historic 25th Grand Slam title.
Rafael Nadal Praises Carlos Alcaraz After Maiden AO Win
Rafael Nadal was in attendance at Rod Laver Arena as he witnessed Carlos Alcaraz come back in style after dropping the first set against Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard, who had never before even advanced further than the quarterfinals, won the finals 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in Melbourne.
After the victory, 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal took to social media and congratulated Alcaraz on his achievement.
“Congratulations @carlosalcaraz for winning the Australian Open and conquering the Career Grand Slam!” Nadal wrote on X.
Nadal also congratulated Djokovic for reaching another final and acknowledged his contributions to the sport.
“Congratulations @DjokerNole on reaching another final in Melbourne and continuing to make history in our sport,” Nadal added. “Thank you for your words during the ceremony!”
Alcaraz now looks forward to completing a three-peat at the French Open, as he will also be eyeing a benchmark set by Nadal, who has won the record 14 times at Roland Garros. Meanwhile, Djokovic will continue to chase his 25th Grand Slam title.
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