'playing Perfectly' - How Does Alcaraz Rank Vs Tennis Legends At 22?

When Carlos Alcaraz won his sixth Grand Slam title connected Sunday, he did truthful by thoroughly outclassing nan world's number 1 subordinate successful astir apt nan champion capacity of his profession truthful far.

Defending US Open champion Jannik Sinner - whose grounds connected difficult courts complete nan past 2 seasons is among nan astir imperious of immoderate subordinate connected immoderate aboveground successful tennis history - was induced into a timid show successful which he was overawed by nan Spaniard.

The value of Alcaraz's capacity successful his 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory led to thing of an existential situation successful Sinner, who insisted afterwards that he needs to revamp crippled successful bid lucifer Alcaraz's level.

For his part, Alcaraz believes he is reaching caller heights.

"I played perfectly," he said aft lifting nan trophy. "This is nan champion tourney truthful acold that I person ever played. The consistency of my level has been really, really precocious - it's thing I've been moving on."

At property 22, Alcaraz is already talked astir among nan sport's top ever players. But conscionable really good does he rank against them truthful far?

BBC Sport has examined really he compares against nan men's game's legends astatine nan aforesaid shape of their careers.

Since Alcaraz joined nan ATP Tour arsenic a 16-year-old, he has been lauded for nan assortment of his play, being capable to harvester cutting debased slices pinch ferocious forehands and deft driblet shots to consistently drawback opponents disconnected defender and triumph points successful breathtaking ways.

But his expertise to stitch together that benignant all-around value connected immoderate aboveground is what is already mounting him isolated from anybody else.

Alcaraz has now won 2 Grand Slams connected each of nan hard, grass, and clay surfaces – only Rafael Nadal (aged 24), Mats Wilander (aged 24), and Novak Djokovic (aged 34), person ever achieved nan aforesaid feat successful nan men's game.

The velocity astatine which Alcaraz is racking up nan fields is astonishing, excessively - he has taken only 18 tournaments to triumph six slams, equalling nan grounds group by Bjorn Borg successful 1978.

Only Borg has won six slams astatine a younger property than Alcaraz, doing truthful by winning 3 connected clay astatine Roland Garros and 3 connected writer astatine Wimbledon.

At 22 Nadal besides had six (but won nan past of those erstwhile he was a fewer months older than Alcaraz), while Pete Sampras was connected five, and Wilander four.

The likes of eight-time Wimbledon victor Roger Federer (three) and 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic (one) were measurement down nan gait of Alcaraz astatine his age.

Alcaraz won nan first of his Grand Slam titles successful New York successful 2022 aged 19, and followed it up pinch his maiden Wimbledon triumph nan pursuing year.

In nan past 2 seasons he has won 2 fields per year. If he were to transportation connected astatine that trajectory, he would adjacent Djokovic's tally of 24 successful 2034, erstwhile he will beryllium 31 and should still person galore years of his profession up of him.

The complaint astatine which Alcaraz is winning matches connected nan biggest stages besides makes clear that he already belongs successful nan astir illustrious company.

During 2025 he has equalled Nadal's grounds for astir Grand Slams successful a almanac twelvemonth by a subordinate aged 22 aliases younger, and is 2nd only to Borg for lucifer triumph percent astatine Grand Slams astatine this age.

Alcaraz's service has ne'er been a weakness, but he rendered it 1 of his astir irrepressible weapons successful New York by expanding his powerfulness to levels he has ne'er earlier shown.

Against Sinner he served a stunning 10 aces, raising his mean service velocity from 113mph to 120mph betwixt his opening information triumph against Reilly Opelka and nan final.

During nan tourney Alcaraz won 84 percent of his first-serve points and 63 percent connected his second-serve, some higher than anybody other successful nan tournament, and deed nan fastest service of immoderate subordinate during nan final, clocking a whopping 134mph.

Compared to Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier this year, erstwhile Alcaraz hit and past mislaid to Sinner successful nan finals, nan quality successful service velocity is stark.

The group Alcaraz mislaid successful nan latest last was nan only 1 he dropped successful nan full tournament, and nan 3 breaks of service he suffered during nan fortnight are nan second-lowest successful Grand Slams since 1991 - Sampras was only surgery doubly erstwhile he won Wimbledon successful 1997.

And astir impressively of all, nan measly 10 break points he faced during nan fortnight are nan lowest of immoderate Grand Slam victor successful Open Era history.

Despite his glowing reappraisal of his ain capacity astatine Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz still believes he has a measurement to spell earlier he reaches his pinnacle.

"At 22-years-old, it's difficult to already beryllium astatine your maximum level", he said aft demolishing Sinner. "Little by small I'll support improving to effort and get there.

"The champion Carlos hasn't travel retired yet."

Aside from terrifying nan remainder of nan Tour, that connection begs a large mobility - really precisely tin Alcaraz perchance amended from here?

It's existent that nan Spaniard remains prone to occasional bouts of erratic shot-making during high-level matches, sometimes succumbing to half-an-hour aliases truthful spells successful which his touch and extent look to godforsaken him.

Indeed, successful nan group he mislaid to Sunday connected Sinner, Alcaraz made 11 unforced errors, compared to only 2 each successful nan erstwhile and pursuing sets.

Cutting those periods retired could beryllium a measurement to support his highest ruthlessness and restrict nan chance for apical value opponents to summation a foothold successful matches.

And if nan betterment successful nan service is thing to spell by, possibly Alcaraz could moreover adhd further improvement to immoderate of nan already immensely awesome skills he possesses.

During Sunday's last he deed a mates of groundstrokes that surpassed 100mph, a staggering level of velocity to beryllium reaching during rallies against immoderate player, ne'er mind 1 who hits arsenic difficult arsenic Sinner. Striking astatine that benignant of velocity connected a much regular ground would make him almost intolerable to beat.

No matter really he develops his crippled and really galore much fields he wins from here, Alcaraz has already demonstrated that he is among nan very champion players nan athletics has known.

Fans astir nan world tin now watch and spot whether, by nan extremity of his career, he is lauded arsenic nan undisputed top ever.