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When the 2025 season ended in Australia’s Abierto, the big number who had failed on her account 21 years ago was the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who had been waiting primarily to “win the Grand Slams” since she was four years old.

“My goal is to win Grand Slams, Masters 1000 – second circuit category… The most important goals in the world,” he said at the press conference before the first match in Melbourne.

“It is clear that the classification also took place from the beginning and with the intention of defeating and surpassing Jannik Sinner (1st ATP),” he said of the three-digit world rankings.

“But the most important thing for me is to be at the Grand Slams and I want to do everything I can,” he says, the winner of Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2024.

When Alcaraz reached the final in Melbourne on January 26, 2011, he moved to more recent history and completed the large collection.

The photograph comes from the state of Don Budge, who completed the great quarter of Roland Garros in 1938 at the age of 22 years and 363 days.

Alcaraz had also lost the balance between his wins and four defeats before the midfield of his rivalry with Sinner.

“As soon as I won the titles, I rose up the classification, I had to commit to it for more than a day,” he said.

“During the game I have a different mindset. It means that I am the best person when I need it. When I don’t have 99% of the options I need. This is always the case when I know what I have to do,” he concludes.

Alcaraz made his debut in Melbourne ahead of Alexander Shevchenko, who played with world number 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas at the United Cup.