Carlos Alcaraz has already established himself as the newest superstar in men’s tennis and the Spaniard has continued his remarkable rise by notching a new milestone not even achieved by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.
Collectively known as the ‘Big Three’, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have dominated the sport this millennium – winning 64 of the last 76 Grand Slam titles between them.
While the likes of Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka have managed to win a handful of majors between them, no player has been able to de-throne the ‘Big Three’ for more than a decade – that is until Alcaraz came along.
At the age of just 18 last year, the Spaniard became the first player to defeat Nadal and Djokovic consecutively on clay, when he beat both at the Madrid Open.
But the teenager wasn’t done there. Later in 2022, he claimed his first Grand Slam title at the US Open – becoming the youngest ever men’s number one in the process.
Despite missing this year’s Australian Open through injury, Alcaraz is now on the charge again, having won the Argentina Open and reached the final of the Rio Open last month.
And now, having reached the last-16 of the prestigious Indian Wells tournament – the 19-year-old has reached 100 wins on the ATP Tour, in just 132 matches.
To put this achievement into perspective, Alcaraz has now accumulated a century of wins faster than all but one player in men’s tennis history.
Indeed, the great John McEnroe is the only player to do so faster, having taken 131 matches.
Yet, despite narrowly missing out on top spot, this milestone proves that Alcaraz is more than deserving of being mentioned in the same league as the ‘Big Three.’
By comparison, it took compatriot Nadal 137 matches to reach 100 wins, while Djokovic and Feder took 143 and 169 matches respectively.
All things told, Alcaraz still has a long way to go to get anywhere near the level of success the ‘Big Three’ have managed, but he is certainly showing more than any other player born since 2000.
Next up for Alcaraz at Indian Wells is rising British star, Jack Draper.
The 21-year-old defeated Andy Murray in the previous round to set up a clash with Alcaraz, but has been making steady progress on the ATP Tour.
Speaking on his match against Draper, Alcaraz said: “I know that I’m going to have to play my best, give my 100 per cent on court.
“I played against him in Basel [and won] 7-5 in the third, I think. It’s going to be a really tough match and I’m going to enjoy it. I’m ready. I love playing those kinds of matches. I think it’s going to be a really beautiful match to watch for the crowd, and obviously, I’m going to enjoy the match.”
