Carlos Alcaraz Reveals If He is Aiming to Break Novak Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam Title Record

Carlos Alcaraz will be locking horns with Sebastian Baez to make his debut at the ATP 500 Japan Open.

Carlos Alcaraz Reveals If He is Aiming to Break Novak Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam Title Record

Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz, ATP Tour)

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If Carlos Alcaraz continues to win Grand Slam titles one after the other, then he could break Novak Djokovic‘s 24 Grand Slam titles. Alcaraz has already expressed his wish to achieve what Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic have done in their respective careers- have won a combined 66 Grand Slam titles.

The 24 Major titles goal, however, is not in Alcaraz’s mind. The young Spaniard is in Tokyo and will play Argentina’s Sebastian Baez to make his Japan Open debut on Thursday (September 25). During the pre-tournament press conference, Alcaraz made his feelings known about Djokovic’s record.

Many times you ask me about my goal as a tennis player, and I always say that I would like to sit at the same table as the great legends of this sport, but it’s not something I’m thinking about right now. I know I have achieved important things so far, but I take nothing for granted, and what will happen from now on is unknown. I’m not thinking about Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slams or anything like that.

Djokovic has skipped the ATP 500 event and was last seen in action at the US Open, where Alcaraz knocked him out in the semifinals with a straight-set win. He has confirmed that he will be going to Shanghai for the penultimate Masters 1000 tournament.

The Shanghai Masters was his last tournament in 2024. He reached the final but couldn’t go past World No.2 Jannik Sinner. The 38-year-old has also confirmed that he will feature in the first edition of the ATP 250 Hellenic Championship, scheduled to start on November 2.

Djokovic last won a title at the Geneva Open, which made him only the third man in the Open Era to clinch 100 or more singles titles after Jimmy Connors and Federer. The 24-time Grand Slam champion also played the final of the Miami Open but lost the title to Jakub Mensik.

The 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal was the last Big Title he won, while the 2023 US Open was the last time he clinched a Grand Slam title. This year, he played the semifinals of all four Majors.

Fernando Meligeni doesn’t want to coach Carlos Alcaraz

Fernando Meligeni is a retired tennis player from Brazil and is also a former World No.25. In his career, he produced his best Grand Slam performance when he reached the semifinal of the 1999 French Open.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

He turned pro in 1990 and hung up his racket in 2003. During an interview with Clay Tennis, the 54-year-old said the reason behind his retirement was traveling a lot. And this is the reason why if he’s asked to coach Carlos Alcaraz, he would only reject the offer.

I stopped because I didn’t want to travel. If you put Alcaraz in front of me, saying, ‘I love you, Fer,’ I’d say, ‘Give me a kiss then, because I’m not going to travel with you. It’s not arrogance, it’s just that I don’t see myself traveling 30 weeks a year, 20 weeks a year.

Alcaraz is currently coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez (who joined his team in 2024). Ferrero has been a part of the World No.1’s team since 2018, guiding his protege to six Grand Slam titles.

After the Japan Open, Alcaraz will shift his focus to the Shanghai Masters, where last year, he lost to Tomas Machac. The 22-year-old has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals in Shanghai. In Tokyo, the first seed is bidding to win his eighth title of the season as well as his third ATP 500 title after his victories at the Rotterdam Open and the Queen’s Club Championships.

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