Carlos Alcaraz ended a phenomenal season, in which he won eight titles and showed a consistency that was unknown to him in the past. The young Spanish ace finished the year at the top of the ATP rankings for the second time in his career, with a lead of just 550 points over his huge rival Jannik Sinner who was devastating in indoor conditions.

The 22-year-old from Murcia lifted two Grand Slam trophies in 2025, at Roland Garros and the US Open respectively, while he was dethroned by Sinner in the final of the Wimbledon Championships. Although he is still very young, Carlitos has already won six Major titles and it is no secret what his next goal is.

He wants to be 100% of his shape for the start of the 2026 Australian Open, which will start on January 18 at Melbourne Park. The current world number 1 has not developed a particular feeling with this tournament up to this point in his career, considering that he has never gone beyond the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz has been eliminated in the quarterfinals in the last two editions, respectively by Alexander Zverev and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. He is trying to understand the reason that prevents him from playing his best tennis in Melbourne and hopes to solve the problem next year, finally wanting to win the only Grand Slam title he is still missing.

Alcaraz has a huge goal

In an interview a few days before his two exhibition matches in the United States, Carlos confessed that he is already thinking about the Happy Slam: “I don’t hide that it is one of my main goals next season, because I would like to complete the ‘career Grand Slam’ as soon as possible. I will try to succeed in this feat as early as 2026, but I know I still have a lot of time ahead of me to be able to do this.”

Before the start of the AO, the Spanish star will be the protagonist of an exhibition match with Sinner scheduled in Seoul on January 10.