Alcaraz sets sights on Australian Open

NEW YORK (AFP) — Carlos Alcaraz said winning next year’s Australian Open to seal a career Grand Slam is his main objective after securing a sixth major title in New York on Sunday.

Alcaraz beat chief rival Jannik Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to claim his second US Open crown and would become the youngest man to win all four majors if he lifts the trophy in Melbourne next January.

“It’s my first goal, to be honest,” said the 22-year-old Alcaraz, who has not made it past the quarterfinals in four trips to Australia.

“When I just go to the preseasons to what I want to improve, what I want to achieve, Australian Open is there.”

“It’s the first or second tournament of the year, and it is always the main goal for me to complete a career Grand Slam, calendar Grand Slam. So it’s going to be great.”

Alcaraz’s compatriot, Rafael Nadal, holds the record as the youngest man to win all four majors. He achieved the feat at the age of 24 in 2010 when he won the first of his four US Open titles.

“Obviously, I’m going to try to do it next year, but if it is not next year, hopefully in two and three and four. So I will try to complete it,” Alcaraz said.

He will reclaim the world number one ranking from Sinner on Monday, returning to the top of the men’s game for the first time since September 2023.

“When you achieve the goals you set up yourself at the beginning of the year, it feels amazing,” Alcaraz said.

“Since I got the chance to recover the number one, it was one of the first goals that I had during the seasons, just to try to recover the number one as soon as possible or end the year as the number one.

“For me, to achieve that once again, it is, as I said, it is a dream. Doing it the same day as getting another Grand Slam feels even better.”

Alcaraz dropped just one set throughout the tournament and continued his recent mastery of Sinner, getting revenge for his loss to the Italian in the Wimbledon final.

“The performance today was perfect,” Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said.

Alcaraz and Sinner are the torch-bearers of the current generation, sweeping the last eight majors between them and taking 10 of the last 13. Novak Djokovic has won the other three.