“At 25, Bjorn and I cracked and almost ended our careers,” Mats Wilander issues a warning to Carlos Alcaraz after his Wimbledon triumph

Carlos Alcaraz has won four Grand Slam titles at the age of only 21.

“At 25, Bjorn and I cracked and almost ended our careers,” Mats Wilander issues a warning to Carlos Alcaraz after his Wimbledon triumph

Mats Wilander and Carlos Alcaraz (via Imago)

Carlos Alcaraz is rewriting the tennis history books. With his second Wimbledon title on Sunday, the Spaniard has now won four Grand Slam titles at the age of 21.

One of the tennis players who managed to reach that landmark was Mats Wilander, who is now an expert on Eurosport. The Swedish legend talked about the challenges he and Bjorn Borg faced while achieving greatness at an early age. Borg is another player to have won four Grand Slam titles at the age of 21.

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Carlos Alcaraz is now the third youngest player to win four Grand Slams, behind me and Björn Borg. But what happened to us? At 25, Björn and I broke down and almost ended our careers. Tennis was no longer the most important thing in our lives. That's why I think the next five or six years will be crucial for him. It's not so surprising that he won at a very young age: he was already very strong mentally when he was a kid, then a teenager. But this Wimbledon title is an explosion.
Mats Wilander said in an interview with L’Equipe

Alcaraz came into the spotlight at the age of 19 when he won his first Grand Slam at the US Open in 2022. That Grand Slam win propelled him to finish the season as the Year-End World No. 1. For the first time since 2003, a player outside of the Big 4 (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray) finished the season at the top of the rankings.

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The Spaniard continued to grow with his achievements in 2023, ending Djokovic’s invincibility on the grass by beating him in five sets to win his first Wimbledon title. This year, he has shifted into another gear by winning the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double for the first time in his career.

It's as if the hardest part has just begun for him. In fact, he should almost not react to this achievement. He should not realize what he's accomplishing. He's going to have to answer a whole bunch of questions: What do I want to accomplish? Win as many Grand Slams as possible? Stay number 1 for fifteen years in a row? Still be competitive at 37? Achieve the calendar Grand Slam?
Mats Wilander added
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Carlos Alcaraz Wimbledon (12)

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner involved in a titanic Year-End World No.1 battle

Carlos Alcaraz is in a close race with Jannik Sinner for the ATP Year-End No. 1 title. After winning Wimbledon, the World No.3 is now just 250 points behind the World No.1. The PIF ATP Live Race To Turin shows the current standings for this title.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner (via Imago)

Alcaraz was the youngest to ever be No. 1 at the end of a year in 2022 when he was 19. This year, he aims to do it again with big wins at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Sinner, who won the Australian Open, also had big victories in Rotterdam, Miami, and Halle, giving him a strong lead.

The rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner is exciting to watch. Alcaraz, 21, and Sinner, 22, have played nine times, with Alcaraz leading 5-4. Their matches are very popular with fans.

Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon final and moved up to sixth in the Live Race. He aims to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in November for the 17th time, tying Rafael Nadal’s record. Among the top eight, only Alex de Minaur has not competed in the season finale before. He is ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas, who holds the last qualifying spot.

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