Why Carlos Alcaraz still has 900 days left before he can ‘complete’ tennis

Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam in Australia.

Defeating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open men’s singles final, Alcaraz completed the set of all four Grand Slams.

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He joins a short list of players to achieve that: Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic himself.

At just 22 years old, having already reached such heights, it raises the question: what else is there for him to chase?

There’s still the ATP Finals and a few Masters 1000 titles missing from his cabinet—both well within reach over the next couple of seasons. But if he wants to fully tick every box in tennis, that will have to wait a bit longer.

Alcaraz needs Olympic gold to finish the set

There’s no question about how much winning gold at the Olympics would mean to Alcaraz, even after everything he’s already achieved in his young career.

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The Games only come around once every four years, and most players get just three or four chances to win a gold medal.

He got there on his fifth attempt. Alcaraz has only played one Olympics so far — in Paris — but he’ll get another chance when the 2028 Games head to Los Angeles.

How Carlos Alcaraz nearly won Olympic gold in Paris

Alcaraz was brilliant throughout the tournament, reaching the final without dropping a set. In the gold medal match, he faced Djokovic on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Djokovic handled the pressure better and came through with a 7-6, 7-6 win to claim his first Olympic gold. Alcaraz took home silver and left with something still to chase at future Games.

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What’s left for Carlos Alcaraz to achieve?

By 22, Alcaraz has already accomplished more than most players dream of. But there are still a few boxes to tick before he can say he’s done it all, just like Djokovic.

He still needs three more Masters 1000 titles to complete the set: the Canadian Open, Shanghai Masters, and Paris Masters.

Those happen to be his weakest events in terms of win percentage. The ATP Finals is another title that has eluded him. Despite three appearances, he hasn’t managed to win in Turin yet.

He put in a strong performance last November but was outplayed by Jannik Sinner in the final. If Alcaraz wants that trophy, he’ll need to step up his game on indoor hard courts.

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The same applies to the Davis Cup Finals, also held indoors. Both he and Sinner missed the tournament recently, but Sinner has had more success overall.

Sinner’s Italy will return as three-time defending champions in 2026, while Alcaraz has never taken Spain past the quarterfinals. We’ll have to see if any of those gaps are filled over the next season or two—and whether Olympic gold follows later on down the road.

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