By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday July 15, 2024
Carlos Alcaraz. The gift that keeps on giving.
The 21-year-old continued his romp through Europe this summer, finishing off his Wimbledon title with a glowing 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) takedown of Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final on Centre Court.
The Spaniard is now a four-time Grand Slam champion now, which moves him past Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray on the all-time major singles titles list, but it’s not so much the number of Alcaraz’s majors, as the age that he is winning them.
To celebrate the remarkable rise of the Spaniard, let’s get inside the numbers a bit:
Youngest Channel Double Winner
By winning Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in the same season Alcaraz become the sixth male player in Open Era to win the “channel double.” He joins a lofty list that includes Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the list.
Most impressive, of course, is the fact that he’s the youngest to ever complet the feat.
Back-to-Back at SW19
By winning back-to-back Wimbledon titles, Alcaraz becomes the ninth man to achieve that feat in the Open Era, and he’s one of just three players to have won a Wimbledon men’s singles title before turning 22, along with Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker.
Most Grand Slam Men’s Singles Titles Before Turning 22
Alcaraz is now tied for the record for most major men’s singles titles won before turning 22. The Spaniard’s four titles match Mats Wilander, Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg – and he still has two majors left to play as a 21-year-old.
Good morning! 💚
📸 @Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/nnt4NRAwho
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) July 15, 2024
Perfection in Finals
Alcaraz is the second player in Open Era history to win his first four major men’s singles finals, and he’s the youngest to achieve the feat.
Only Roger Federer, who won his first seven major finals, has had a longer streak, but Federer only won one of those majors before turning 22.
Crushing the Top-5
Alcaraz is a perfect 6-0 against the Top-5 (actuall the Top-3 if we’re being really specific) in 2024, including 3-0 against the Top-5 at Slams.
According to Eurosport, Alcaraz is the youngest player in history to win his first six matches against the Top-5 in a single season.
90 percent at Wimbledon
Alcaraz has won 18 of his first 20 matches on Wimbledon’s grass. For reference: Federer was 16-4 in his first 20, and he didn’t have to deal with Novak Djokovic back then; Borg was 17-3; Sampras was 16-4; Djokovic was 15-5.
Boris Becker, the youngest men’s singles champion in Wimbledon history, was also 18-2. He went on to win four titles at SW19. How many will Alcaraz win?
In the Open Era, only Rod Laver (19-1) has done better in his first 20 men’s singles matches at Wimbledon, but Laver went 16-4 in his first 20 matches at the Championships prior to Wimbledon.
