“Carlos Alcaraz: Achievements and Successes at 20 Compared to Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer”

The Royal Spanish Tennis Federation decided to create in 2021 the ‘National Tennis Day’. He put this very special celebration on June 3, coinciding with the birthday of the best player in our country’s history. It is also a very significant date, since entire generations have grown up watching Rafael Nadal celebrate this day season after season in Roland Garros.

A situation very similar to the one that Spanish tennis is experiencing again with Carlos Alcaraz, whose birthday is May 5. In this 2023, the Murcian celebrates his 20th birthday. And little by little he gets used to doing it in the Mutua Madrid Open, since sooner or later, the Masters 1000 in the capital of Spain always coincides with this date. This course will be in the semifinals against Borna Coric.

Another curiosity, that of celebrating his birthday season after season in one of the most important tournaments of the course on the clay court tour, which unites the two geniuses of Spanish tennis. Now, the player from El Palmar celebrates his 20th birthday in the Madrid tournament, a key moment in his professional career and in which it is convenient to compare how his career has been so far with that of the three great representatives of men’s tennis , the acquaintance Big-Three. Now we found out what they got Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic y Roger Federer upon reaching the age of 20.

What has Carlos Alcaraz achieved at the age of 20?

One could almost say before that Carlos Alcaraz has not achieved at 20 years of age. Little by little, the tennis player from El Palmar ceases to be a child to become a man. A process typical of life, but that the Murcian player will complete and become one of the biggest stars in world tennis.

Now that the Spaniard celebrates his 20th birthday, it is time to review his greatest achievements and his greatest successes. At the moment, he already accumulates 9 titles in his record. US Open, Madrid Masters 1000, Miami e Indian Wellstwo titles of Count of Godo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires y Umag.

[Borna Coric, la ‘bestia negra’ de Nadal que juega con dolor y reta a Alcaraz en su 20 cumpleaños]

But Carlos, in addition to an important list of titles, accumulates great achievements that are closely related to his precocity and his youth. For example, and surely above all these achievements, ‘Carlitos’ became the youngest tennis player to be number one in the world of all time. An absolute barbarity.

In addition, the tennis player from El Palmar is the youngest tennis player to win a tournament ATP 500, also the youngest to win the two top Grand Slam winners, Nadal and Djokovic, and the youngest to win tournaments like the Masters 1000 in Miami or Madrid. Furthermore, since 2005 there has not been such an early Grand Slam winner. And no one since 1990 had managed to win the US Open at such a young age. A list of successes that seems endless already at 20 years old.

What had Nadal, Djokovic and Federer achieved at the age of 20?

The numbers speak clearly. Carlos Alcaraz is on his way to becoming one of the best players in tennis history despite the fact that he is only 20 years old. His numbers confirm it. But even more if they are compared with those that Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer had harvested at his age.

In fact, the Balearic champion is the only one who still keeps up with ‘Carlitos’. At 20, Alcaraz already has a Grand Slam to his credit, while Rafa had already won twice at Roland Garros. Instead, Djokovic and Federer had to wait a little longer to succeed in a ‘Big’. The Serb would do it in Australia 2008 and the swiss in Wimbledon 2003.

The truth is that the comparisons with Rafa Nadal are not supported by almost anyone in the history of tennis. The Spaniard had 17 titles at the age of 20, with two Grand Slams, six Masters 1000, five ATP 500 and four ATP 250. For example, Federer only had one ATP 250 at that point in his career and later became, for many, the best in history.

The battle that gives Carlos Alcaraz the most revenue is the fight for the highest positions in the ATP ranking. No one beats the Murcian in his fight for number one since no one reached that position before him. Neither Nadal, nor Djokovic, nor Federer nor any other player. That US Open won in 2022 raised the Murcian tennis player to the top.

[Carlos Alcaraz y su versión más imparable: talento, esfuerzo y remontadas para ganarse a Madrid]

So far, he has led the world rankings in 22 weeks, a really high number. And more if one takes into account that Nadal and Federer did not manage to climb to the top of the table until they were 22 years old. For his part, ‘Nole’ took much longer, since he became number one in the world for the first time at 24.

Spanish tennis players have been demonstrating in recent decades that they are the true dominators of racket sport throughout the world. If Nadal did it before, now Carlos Alcaraz does it, and will do it. In fact, both have the highest number of wins at 20 years old and also the best percentage, since Djokovic and Federer were much more irregular.

[El plan de Carlos Alcaraz para encarar las semifinales del Mutua Madrid Open]

The Spaniard and the player from El Palmar achieved more than a hundred wins at the age of 20. Rafa had 159 victories with a 79% success rate in his matches while Alcaraz has already accumulated 107 wins with a 76% effectiveness rate. This Friday, May 5, his birthday, he will be able to add 108 if he manages to beat Borna Coric in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open. And the 109 could arrive on Sunday in that hypothetical fight for the title.

In this race, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are quite far from any fight with both Nadal and Alcaraz. At the age of 20, the Serbian had played 128 games on the professional circuit, of which he had won 88, having a 69% success rate in his appearances. For his part, Federer accumulated 91 victories in the 156 duels he had played at that age with 58% effectiveness. Numbers that show the brilliance with which Alcaraz is building his career and that right now are only compared to those of another genius like Rafa Nadal.

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