Carlos Alcaraz's name is now etched on the four most coveted trophies in world tennis. At 22, the Murcian has won the Australian Open for the first time, becoming the youngest player to lift all four cups. Only the Melbourne title eluded him, a tournament in which he had never reached the final. But Alcaraz is poised to surpass the achievements of Rafa Nadal or his opponent in the final, Novak Djokovic, who at 38 years old thrilled with his competitive spirit. But his era came to an end, falling in four sets (2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5).

The Australian Open marks the start of the tennis season, a 2026 season overshadowed by the news that has shaken the sport: the split between Carlos Alcaraz and his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Murcian, winner of six Grand Slam titles at just 22 years old, decided to part ways with the former player from Ontinyent at the end of the year. Ferrero had been key to his success, and they had worked together since Alcaraz was 15. Until now, it was a seemingly solid partnership. Alcaraz shone on the court, and Ferrero watched from the stands, but behind the scenes, cracks had appeared and grown increasingly larger, culminating in the final breakdown just before Christmas.

Millions of people have dreamed of having New York at their feet, even for a single minute. Exactly what Carlos Alcaraz has achieved, that boy from Murcia who, thanks to tennis, has made the city that never sleeps his own. Alcaraz was crowned US Open tennis champion for the second time in his career by defeating his great rival, Jannik Sinner. Another episode in a rivalry that should continue for a long time, provided Alcaraz doesn't turn it into a tyranny. When he plays like he did yesterday, he seems far above everyone else. Sinner was defeated in four sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4).

The generation of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has earned the right to be considered the successors of the historic generation of Roger Federer (retired in 2022), Rafa Nadal (retired in 2024), and Novak Djokovic. The Serbian is the only one who still refuses to stop being present and become history. The results give him some support while his body accumulates complaints and insults. But Alcaraz and Sinner show no mercy, not even for their professional "fathers." The Murcian tennis player defeated Djokovic 4-6, 6-7 (4), 2-6 in 2 hours and 23 minutes to book a ticket to the US Open final (against Sinner, obviously) without the need to waste his most lethal weapon against the winner of 24 Grand Slams: extending the clock.

Top-level tennis players aren't resting. On Monday night, Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Masters 1000 after seeing his opponent, Jannik Sinner, withdraw from the final due to illness. The two players who dominate the world tour seem destined to fight to win the final Grand Slam of the season, the US Open, which begins this Sunday, but it's hard to know how they'll be in shape after seeing the Tyrolean player feeling dizzy. Furthermore, Alcaraz was supposed to play in the innovative US Open mixed doubles tournament launched this year by the U.S. Tennis Federation. Sinner was also supposed to, but decided to withdraw after his scare.

Carlos Alcaraz Garfia tastes the bitter taste of defeat in a Grand Slam final on the ATP circuit for the first time in his short professional career. He had won all five of them, and this Sunday his main rival, Jannik Sinner, found a way to defeat him at Wimbledon, where the player from Palmar (Murcia) had won the last two editions (2023 and 2024). The German-speaking tennis player from northern Italy, who went from strength to strength, triumphed for the first time in the glamorous British tournament and consolidated his position at the top of the world rankings (6-4, 4-6, 4-6 and 3-6).

"Tennis is in very good hands," said Rafa Nadal this week. Naturally, he was talking about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the two players who seem destined to fight for dominance in the sport over the next decade. After the beautiful five and a half hour final at Roland Garros, in which the Murcian emerged victorious with a comeback very reminiscent of those performed by the player from Manacor, both are now looking ahead to Wimbledon. To be in shape for the grass-court Grand Slam, they have chosen different paths: the Italian will participate in the Halle tournament, where he won in 2024, while Alcaraz is betting on Queen's, although he has not yet confirmed 100% whether he will be there. "The plan is to play, but in a few days we'll make a final decision. Halfway through the tournament we talked about it and Alcaraz told us he wanted to go. After these days of rest we'll do a test to see how he's physically and mentally. He'll resume his specific training for grass. We'll go to Wimbledon with great enthusiasm; he loves to play;

Roland Garros now has a new champion. Everything seemed set for a natural change of pace among Spaniards on Centre Court Philippe-Chatrier, with Carlos Alcaraz taking the Manacor native's place. And so it turned out, although at times it seemed Jannik Sinner would kick the ball out of the way. Alcaraz defended the title he won a year ago against Zverev in a beautiful final in which he even saved three match points. Just when everything seemed decided in Sinner's favor, the Murcian dressed up for Christmas with one of those comebacks that seems illogical. The trophy was already ready to be presented to the world number 1, who was hoping to become the first Italian to win in Paris since Adriano Panatta in 1976. He'll have to wait. Alcaraz rose from the ashes and, in a show of pride, won his fifth Grand Slam tournament at the same age Nadal had achieved it (4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6). He has yet to lose a Grand Slam final. He's won them all.

When you enter the Roland Garros grounds in western Paris, you're greeted by a giant, three-meter-high sculpture made of 800 kg of steel depicting Rafa Nadal returning a ball. The legend of the player from Manacor, a 14-stroke winner of the legendary Grand Slam on clay, seems to go on forever. If in the early years the Parisians, always proud, looked askance at the young Mallorcan who played sleeveless, over time they surrendered to his game and decided to take care of it. They dedicated this statue to him, the work of the Valladolid-based sculptor Jordi Díez, son of a Catalan father, and made him the main attraction of their tournament.

Holger Rune was crowned champion of the 2025 Conde de Godó Trophy after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in a hard-fought final that ended 7-6 (6) and 6-2. The Murcian, suffering from physical discomfort in his psoas during the second set, could not match the Dane's level. The first set was the charm for a Dane in the Godó final after 72 editions held, and just one year after a Nordic player, Norwegian Casper Ruud, made his debut. Rune, who is 21 years old, like Alcaraz, has become the first tennis player from his country to win in the history of the Catalan tournament.