By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE, Jan 13 (Reuters) – World number one Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Melbourne with only one mission in mind — claim a first Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
The 22-year-old already owns titles at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and victory at Melbourne Park would see him eclipse Don Budge, who wrapped up the career Slam two days before his 23rd birthday by winning the 1938 French Open.
“I would rather win my first Australian Open than retain my French Open and U.S. Open titles next year,” Alcaraz, who turns 23 on May 5, said in November.
A first Melbourne triumph would be the Spaniard’s seventh Grand Slam crown overall, making him the first men’s player to do so before his 23rd birthday.
Yet for all Alcaraz’s global success, Australia has been a curious blank on his resume. His run to the quarter-finals in each of the past two seasons is the furthest he has advanced.
This year’s campaign carries an added layer of intrigue following his abrupt split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world number one who guided Alcaraz from teenager to multiple Grand Slam champion over seven years.
The breakup has been tennis’s biggest talking point in the new season, with neither party elaborating on the reasons behind it.
Whether Alcaraz will be affected without Ferrero in his corner is one of the tournament’s central questions.
He enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025, winning two Grand Slam titles and reclaiming the world number one ranking, but Melbourne will be the first proper test of his new setup under intense pressure.
Ferrero helped shape Alcaraz’s strategy to deal with arch-rival Jannik Sinner, who took his Wimbledon crown in 2025.
The pair had a two-week training camp focusing on how to break down the Italian before Alcaraz beat him in the U.S. Open final in four sets.
Despite that result, defending Australian Open champion Sinner is the favourite at Melbourne Park, rated slightly ahead of Alcaraz by bookmakers.
Alcaraz’s improved serve and variation in his game proved key to overcoming Sinner at the U.S. Open but the Italian will have made his own adjustments for the new season.
Apart from Sinner, it is hard to imagine any other players capable of stopping Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic knocked him out of last year’s quarter-finals but the 38-year-old Serb was no match in their last meeting, losing in three sets in the U.S. Open semi-finals.
Conquering Melbourne would see Alcaraz cross his last frontier in men’s tennis while setting the stage for a first tilt at the coveted calendar Grand Slam.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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