London: Carlos Alcaraz not only swept past Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, the charismatic Spaniard's fourth Grand Slam triumph confirmed a generational shift in men's tennis. He has won three of the past five majors and has joined Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker and Mats Wilander as the only men to claim four majors at the age of 21 or under. That is an achievement that proved beyond even Djokovic, the retired Roger Federer and injury-plagued Rafael Nadal, the three men who collected 66 Grand Slams in a golden age that appeared to have reached its end with defeat for the 37-year-old Serb on Sunday.
Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero once predicted that his compatriot would win 30 Grand Slams. He already has a comfortable head start. Djokovic may have 24 Slams but after capturing his first at the 2008 Australian Open as a 20-year-old he had to wait three more years for his second.
Federer, who finished his career with 20 Slams, managed the 2003 Wimbledon title as a 21-year-old. Alcaraz's compatriot Nadal, the holder of 22 majors, had three at 21 -- all at the French Open, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Alcaraz's Grand Slam collection currently comprises the 2022 US Open, the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon titles and last month's triumph at the French Open.
He is yet to lose a Slam final and is only the sixth man to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back. His win in Paris last month made him the youngest man to claim majors on all three surfaces -- clay, hard and grass -- a.