Carlos Alcaraz added two major titles to his resume last year, leaving just the Australian Open for the Spaniard to complete the Career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz won Roland Garros alongside defending the Wimbledon title in 2024, but ended the year as world number three after collecting less ranking points than rivals Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev.
Ahead of the Australian Open, the four-time Grand Slam champion has elected not to play warm-up tournaments, with Alcaraz instead playing exhibition matches.
Boris Becker backs Carlos Alcaraz to win the Australian Open
Alcaraz will be bidding for history at the Australian Open, as he hopes to become the youngest man in history to complete the Career Grand Slam at just 21-years-old.
Someone who knows what it is like to get close to achieving that is Boris Becker, who won three of the four major tournaments.
Despite not being able to achieve the feat himself, Becker has suggested that Alcaraz can do it this year when exclusively speaking to Eurosport Spain.
“First of all, I think he can do it,” answered Becker. “For me, Carlos is the most talented player we have on tour right now, regardless of his ranking. When Alcaraz is playing his best tennis, I don’t think anyone can come close. But he doesn’t play his best tennis all the time; he’s still a bit up and down, he’s not as consistent as Sinner or Swiatek. But talent-wise, he’s on another level.”
Although Becker has heaped praise on Alcaraz, the former world number one believes that changes need to be made to help him be more consistent.
“Players with that quality and talent can do anything on the court; there is no blow that can resist them,” continued Becker. “The counterpoint to this is that sometimes, because they have too many options at their disposal, things get a little complicated for them.
“His team of coaches, with [Juan Carlos] Ferrero at the helm, have to help him adjust his season better than what he did last year. Yes, he has had years where he has finished as number one, but he has also had several resounding defeats, and he does not have that consistency when it comes to always being at the top.”
What has Boris Becker previously said about Carlos Alcaraz’s team?
It is not the first time that Becker has called out Alcaraz’s team, having recently criticised their scheduling for the 2024 season.
In this criticism of the Murcian’s team, Becker suggested that Alcaraz’s team were too focussed on making money and not enough on titles and ranking points.
Alcaraz has already made a major scheduling change in 2025, having elected to miss the golden swing following the Australian Open and will instead play in the Middle East and on European indoor hard courts.
Before turning his attention to later tournaments, Alcaraz will focus on his first round Australian Open match against Alexander Shevchenko.
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