Carlos Alcaraz will complete a career Grand Slam if he wins the Australian Open next month, with former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash suggesting that level of success can affect the motivation of a player.
Alcaraz will join an elite band of players to win all four Grand Slams if he triumphs in Melbourne and he will join an elite band of A-list players who have achieved that remarkable feat.
Getting there at the tender age of 21 would add to Alcaraz’s level of achievement and 1987 Wimbledon champion Cash suggests the Spaniard will need to maintain his love of the sport to play for as long as great champions of the modern game like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz’s rivalry with world No 1 Jannik Sinner has the potential to be the dominant story in tennis over the next decade, but Cash warns injuries and dips in form are inevitable for the new ‘Big 2’ in the men’s game.
“I hope Carlos continues to enjoy his tennis and doesn’t feel burdened by it all,” Cash told Tennis365 in his role as an ambassador for the Bank of China Hong Kong Open 2025.
“He could look at it and think ‘I’ve done just about everything and I’m getting sick of this’, but you can see he loves it at the moment and it’s amazing that he is such a complete player at this age.
“Alcaraz has got everything. I’ve never seen a young player who has developed all his game at such a young age. There are normally some areas that need improving at that age. Not since Boris Becker came through and won Wimbledon have I seen a player as complete as Alcaraz at such a young age.
“Alcaraz is an incredibly complete. He’s lightening fast, he can play on any surface and at the moment, you would put him in there with Sinner as a favourite for every tournament he enters.
“You look at Roger (Federer) and he needed to fix his backhand when he came through and (Rafael) Nadal needed to work on his volleys. They worked on those things throughout his career, but Alcaraz looked like a complete player at the age of 20.
“Carlos has the variety to play on any surface and he has proved that by winning Grand Slams on three. Jannik hasn’t quite cracked the grass yet, but they are both hitting the ball great.
“It’s about putting it all together, staying healthy and enjoying tennis to see how far he can go. It can be a grind doing it week after week, so we’ll see how he goes.
“Sinner has a calmer personality and that tends to help for longevity. We like to see the passion that Carlos has got, but I hope he continues to enjoy it.”
Despite his glowing verdict on Alcaraz, Cash is backing Sinner to win defend his Australian Open title.
“It’s a new season and anyone can win the Australian Open, but it looks like Jannik Sinner is unstoppable on a hard court. He’s coming off the back of a huge year,” he added.
“He’s just playing absolutely phenomenal tennis. He’s moving really well, players can’t get the ball past him. He’s serving big, so Jannik is going to be the favourite for the Australian Open.
“I think we are talking about a two or maybe a two-and-a-half horse race at the moment.
“It’s a bit of a change from when we had Murray, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer all in contention, but it feels like Sinner and Alcaraz are in a league of their own now.
“Maybe Novak Djokovic has another Grand Slam in him and maybe Alexander Zverev could get hot on his serve and win one, but Sinner is the favourite.”
Alcaraz’s pursuit of a career Grand Slam will be one of the big stories at the Australian Open and if he can find a way to dilute Sinner’s brilliance, his legacy as one of the game’s all-time greats could be secured in double quick time.