Carlos Alcaraz is off to a winning start at the Australian Open after battling past Adam Walton in round one.
Alcaraz defeated Walton 6-3, 7-6(7-2), 6-2, with the top seed now taking on Yannick Hanfmann in the second round.
The ATP number one is the top seed at the Australian Open, which represents the only Grand Slam that he has yet to win.
At the age of 22, Alcaraz would be the youngest man to achieve the career Grand Slam with success in Melbourne this year.
The Australian Open is the best Grand Slam… discuss!
Boris Becker thinks Carlos Alcaraz can win the Australian Open
Tennis legend Boris Becker, who like Alcaraz is a six-time Grand Slam champion, has now shared his take on the Spaniard.
He told TNT Sports: “Carlos is good enough to win in Melbourne this year – absolutely. He’s probably the most talented player in the world.
“More talented than Sinner, more than [Alexander] Zverev. He had a fantastic 2025 and he and Sinner are equal right now in my eyes.
“But specifically in Melbourne, Sinner has won it twice and Alcaraz hasn’t won it yet. Without [Juan Carlos] Ferrero, the pressure is on Alcaraz to prove a point. On paper today, Sinner is the favorite.”
During the offseason, Alcaraz parted ways with Ferrero, his coach of seven years, having claimed all six of his major titles while working with his fellow Spaniard.
Boris Becker loves ‘healthy’ Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz rivalry
Of course, within the Alcaraz and Sinner rivalry itself is an intriguing debate around whether or not it is good for men’s tennis.
On the one hand, such dominance from the two could be viewed from the outside as boring and lacking in excitement, with no real threat from anywhere else on the ATP Tour.
But Becker is a fan of the current situation, saying: “I think it’s a very healthy rivalry. These two have completely different personalities and styles – they couldn’t be more different.
“[Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic played about 50 times; Djokovic and [Roger] Federer the same. Nobody got tired of that. I don’t think we’ll get tired of Sinner v Alcaraz in finals.”
Who will win the 2026 Australian Open?
Very fittingly, Sinner is the only other male player who needs just one more title to win the career Grand Slam.
He needs the French Open trophy to celebrate such success, falling short of clinching the title last year when he lost a thrilling final to Alcaraz.
In contrast, the Spanish superstar has only ever made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in his pursuit of tennis history.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
