“Lucky”: Carlos Alcaraz’s Grand Slam success comes with a caveat, says Toni Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz is riding the crest of a wave after completing the career Grand Slam at just 22, thanks to Sunday’s four-set victory over Novak Djokovic in the 2026 Australian Open final. However, Toni Nadal, the uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal, believes the young Spaniard has benefited from men’s tennis currently lacking top-quality players.

“Alcaraz has exceptional physical attributes, excellent technical skill, and on top of that, he’s lucky: his opponents are of a lower calibre,” Nadal told Spain’s Onda Cero radio station. “And I’m not saying this because I’m Rafael Nadal’s uncle, not at all. I try to be fair, but it’s clear.”

A new era at the top

Since Novak Djokovic won the US Open in September 2023, Alcaraz (five) and Jannik Sinner (four) have won the last nine Grand Slam titles on offer between them and have been widely tipped to dominate the sport for the next decade.

Nadal believes majors were considerably more difficult for his nephew, Roger Federer and a prime Djokovic to win, both because the trio were competing against one another and due to the greater strength in depth beyond them.

Fewer dangerous matchups?

“Before, when you went out to play against Juan Martín del Potro, Andy Murray or Stan Wawrinka, you knew you were going to suffer and that the match was going to be tough. If they had a great day, they could beat you.”

Murray and Wawrinka both won three Grand Slam titles during the height of the dominance of the “Big Three,” while del Potro was blighted by injuries following his 2009 US Open victory.

Since Rafael Nadal’s first French Open title in 2005, Marin Cilic (2014 US Open), Dominic Thiem (2020 US Open) and Daniil Medvedev (2021 US Open) are the only players not already mentioned to have won a major.

And it is hard to imagine that list expanding anytime soon.

Zverev’s closing window

According to Toni Nadal, Alexander Zverev, the current world No. 4, is “the only one who could take on Alcaraz and Sinner, as long as he changes some habits in his game and his character.”

Time, though, appears to be running out for Zverev, who is already 28. The German has won six of 13 meetings against Alcaraz but has lost each of the last four knockout matches between the pair.

Similarly, he is 4-6 against Sinner but has lost their last five encounters, coinciding with the Italian’s rise as one of the world’s most consistent top players.

Alcaraz or Sinner?

Nadal did make clear his preference for Alcaraz over Sinner, although he conceded the world No. 2 has the edge in one key area.

“I much prefer Alcaraz. When they face each other, the match depends more on what he does. Looking at the numbers, I think Sinner is a little more reliable, he’s a little more solid.”

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