Carlos Alcaraz was born at the perfect time — how many Grand Slams would he have won in the Big Three era?

It is hard to remember for some that Carlos Alcaraz is only 23-year's-old when taking a look at what he has already achieved in tennis. The Spaniard is on a trajectory to be one of the greatest tennis players to ever compete as he nears a return to the sport.

In recent years, there has been an ominous trend occurring on the ATP Tour, linked to the competitive nature of this current era. Alcaraz has gone to another level, with seemingly only Jannik Sinner able to compete with him. This has seen the pair go on to dominate the sport and stamp their authority in remarkable fashion.

The question does remain whether he is enjoying this triumphant spell as of late due to the level of his rivals, when in a different era he may have stumbled upon a more stubborn field.

Still only 23, Alcaraz still has a couple more years of development before he reaches his absolute peak. A scary thought for the rest of the ATP Tour but one signalling the talent he poses. We could be in store for a decade of Spanish glory led by Alcaraz in his quest for global domination, but that may have had a different narrative to it if he was competing in a different era. Would a more elite group of challengers be able to topple Alcaraz off his perch or is this simply a future great we are witnessing?

His return is set to com at Flushing Meadows very soon. Having not played a match since April, Sinner has been able to grasp his control on affairs and has not seen anyone come close to his level, shown in his magnificent title count. With his title defence at the US Open around the corner along with a huge tally of points on the line, Alcaraz will be hopeful of reminding everyone of his astronomical quality on court once more.

The accolades Alcaraz has picked up in what he will believe and hope are the early stages of his career are incredible. Already a seven-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz took home the US Open at the tender age of 19 back in 2022, defeating Casper Ruud and debuting at World No.1.

His talent had been showcased beforehand. In 2021, he won his first ATP title at 18 while reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open. Titles at the Miami Open and Madrid Open at Masters 1000 level showcased that this was a talent that was going to climb to the top of the sport. He would lift a first Grand Slam title in New York put him in elite company.

He would go from strength to strength in the years to come. It felt like a passing of the torch moment at Wimbledon 2023 with Alcaraz downing Djokovic on Centre Court to win what would be back-to-back titles at SW19 against the Serbian. His versatility on all surfaces make him such a dangerous player. He clinched glory at Roland Garros for the first time in 2024 while a titanic battle against Sinner last year saw him save three match points enroute to one of the most incredible comebacks the sport has witnessed. This time last year, he would do the double against Sinner in Cincinnati and New York to take back the World No.1 spot and finished the year on top for the first time since 2022.

The Australian Open success that had been out of reach for so long finally came into view as he completed the career Grand Slam at 22, by far the youngest player to achieve one of the most coveted feats in tennis. Injury has prevented him from kicking on and securing even more silverware, at least for the time being.

Overall, Alcaraz has won seven Grand Slams from eight finals, eight Masters 1000 titles from 10 finals, 26 ATP titles from 36 finals and a total of 66 weeks as World No.1. There is still more to win. He is still yet to win an Olympic gold medal, losing in the 2024 Paris Games final to Djokovic, and still misses the ATP Finals trophy from his cabinet. He has won all the Masters 1000 titles aside form the Canadian Open, Shanghai Masters and Paris Masters, in collation with his tendency of having a slow end to the campaign as tennis makes the switch to indoor hardcourts.

There are countless areas in the Alcaraz game that is of the highest proportion in terms of level, and the scary thing is that he can get better. For a start, he can generate a huge amount of power which can leave his opponents scrambling for scraps.

His forehand has been well accounted for, one of the most powerful on tour which can obliterate opponents. This comes in handy when going on the attack, something that he has a tendency to do. When in defense, he can create power from absolutely nothing, turning the tables and forcing his opponent to retreat as he takes command of the point. Whatever variation he uses whether flat or with topspin, or whatever position on the court he is standing, tennis players usually expect a rocket coming back their way.

To excel in this attacking style of play, there are other factors. His lightning quick pace allows him to get around the court at tremendous speed reaching balls that other players would find impossible to get. Blink and you will miss him. His ability to change direction along with anticipating the next shot keeps him one step ahead on court.

His drop shots are on another level. From pushing opponents back, out of nowhere Alcaraz can disguise a cute drop shot, making his rival hurry towards the net where from that point on he has the upper hand. The consistency of these shots is ridiculous, and one of the main advantages he has over his rival Sinner in terms of that area. While a flashy and crowd pleasing shot, he uses it masterfully.

This comes into the topic of the variety. He can do it all on court, regularly adapting to whatever conditions or surfaces he is on. That makes him a crowd favourite to watch, simply due to the unpredictable nature of his play and the sheer class and entertainment on court. He has managed to make this his style on court where other players would get to the elite not playing as flamboyant tennis. Mentally if he is dragged into a battle, he finds solutions to get out of it. For example, the 2025 Roland Garros final.

If there is one area that can go to another level compared to other opponents, it is his serve. While vastly improved over the past few years, it is not on the same level as Sinner. The Italian can get a huge amount of power while pinpoint accuracy, making it at times impossible to make any inroads. For Alcaraz, this is not the case. That does not make it a weakness by any means. It is just that everything else is so highly regarded that the serve is the one just trailing slightly.

Alcaraz has the advantage that his rivals, aside from Sinner, just do not cut it in terms of a challenge. Djokovic has had moments with Alexander Zverev among the best of the rest. Aside from that, the drop off in level on court to the rest is clear as daylight.

That would not be the case if Alcaraz was competing in a different generation, say 10 years prior. Andy Murray ended the year as World No.1 with 'The Big Three' still dominating the landscape of men's tennis. Adding to that, you would have Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, Gael Monfils as the main challengers, to name a few.

Another contrasting difference is the speed of the courts. As the ATP shifts a lot of its courts to a slower pace, this in turn benefits Alcaraz in terms of the baseline exchanges and the power he can create, controlling the other player and making them move around as he creates an angle of attack. On a faster court, he would still excel with his serve and forehand proving too much to deal with for most.

The main factor in this is the 'Big Three' consisting of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. On clay, Alcaraz would not have had the success he would have done simply due to the dominance of Nadal, especially at Roland Garros. Alcaraz's favourite surface is clay, and to this day has enjoyed a lot of success but that would be limited in the years edging towards 2016.

Elsewhere, the big threat would have been Djokovic and Federer. The Serbian especially was in his pomp around now. His 2011 and 2015 seasons still get talked about to this day. If Federer and Nadal cannot cope, would Alcaraz stand a chance? Adding Murray into the factor who was the main threat to breaking into this group with numerous deep major runs.

With the door mostly slammed shut on clay, Alcaraz would have to search for success on the other surfaces. Grass could have been one that he found a lot of success on. Federer is the main threat, but he was not as dominant as he once was. This could be something that Alcaraz can capitalise on. His play is well suited to grass, as shown by his two Wimbledon titles and three finals at SW19, and if his serve is on song then he could very well be the one to beat. However, his best chance to better the Big Three may come on hardcourt. His power, precision, movement and variety could give them something else to think about.

At the age of 23, Alcaraz has already earned comparisons to the Big Three, but a huge reason for this and the success that he has enjoyed is due to the excellent timing of his arrival into the sport. Thanks to him being born in 2003, he avoided the worst of their rule and while still having the ever-present Djokovic bugging him from time to time, he has pounced on the weaker depth on the ATP Tour.

That does not mean he would have been successful. Take Murray in that 2016 season, for example. He defied the odds and ended the year as World No.1, the first player to be on the top step who was not named Djokovic, Federer or Nadal since Andy Roddick in February 2004. It would be much more of a challenge, but this is something that he relishes. As showcased with his rivalry with Sinner, the main factor in his dominance is them pushing each other on, consistently adding new strengths and components in their games to take that extra step ahead of the rest who become more of a spec in the distance. He would continue to improve and keep on pace with the best, and while his overall title tally may be a little bit less, there is no question that he could have competed at the highest level in a different era.

Grand Slams - Less than the seven he had now, Roland Garros largely affects tally - 3/4

Career ranking - Languishing anywhere between 1-5 in the world with the potential to be at the top, but much closer in terms of his rivals

Biggest variable - The Big Three and closer competition compared to now

In conclusion, Alcaraz has been fortunate to end up on the right side of the Big Three's dominance. However, that does not eradicate the fact that he would have been a huge threat if he was born 10 years earlier.