The Big Three of tennis - Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer seen together during an event. (Getty Images)
Carlos Alcaraz won his maiden Grand Slam title, defeating Casper Ruud at the US Open final last week – how old were The Big 3 when they won their respective first Grand Slam?
Carlos Alcaraz earned his first Grand Slam title at age of 19 to become the youngest man to be ranked No. 1 in ATP rankings. The 19-year-old has become the youngest Grand Slam champion since countryman Rafael Nadal, 19, lifted the trophy at Roland Garros in 2005, while he is the youngest U.S. Open titlist since Pete Sampras, 19, in 1990.
Alcaraz arrived at Flushing Meadows as the World No. 4. However, he leaves the hard-court major in the top spot, becoming the youngest player to rise to the top of the ATP Rankings (since 1973).
If we are to compare the teenager with the Big 3 of World tennis, we see that Alcaraz has started as well as the stalwarts if not better.
A look at how old the Big 3 were when they won their first Grand Slam – Like Alcaraz, fellow countryman Rafael Nadal was also 19 when he won his first Grand Slam title while Novak Djokovic won it when he was 20 and Federer at 21. Well, perhaps these comparisons are too early but it certainly shows a promising career for Alcaraz.
Let us take a look at a few of the reactions from fans on Twitter as Alcaraz joins the elite list.
“All 4 won for different slams and interestingly, Nadal, Djokovic & Federer’s first GS became their most successful grand slam. So could Alcaraz win a record number of USO?”, a fan pointed out a very interesting possibility.
“Getting started early is important. Federer’s late rise is one of a bunch of reasons that he lost the all-time slams race”, wrote another fan.
“HUGE potential here. Alcaraz has a rare chance where he could one day reach the Big Three. But it’s years from now. No guarantees”, read another tweet.
“As the GOAT, Federer offers an important reminder that slow and steady often wins the race”, tweeted another fan.
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