Carlos Alcaraz delivered one of his clearest declarations of intent during the 2025 ATP Finals, saying he hopes his career one day earns him a place alongside Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal at the sport’s most celebrated table.
The 22-year-old, already a six-time Grand Slam champion, explained that he measures his long-term ambitions against the standards set by the Big Three and believes that mindset fuels his hunger to keep climbing.
Carlos Alcaraz’s Pursuit of the Standard Set by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic
Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer reshaped modern tennis, collecting a combined 66 Grand Slam singles titles and setting records that once seemed unreachable. Djokovic owns 24 majors, Nadal holds 22, and Federer finished with 20. Alcaraz stepped into an era hungry for a new standard-bearer, and with his early success and electrifying style, he has quickly become the player many expect to carry the torch.
Speaking to El Partidazo de Cope during the ongoing year-end championship, Alcaraz explained that thinking on the level of the Big Three is essential to his competitive drive. “I can sit at the table with Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic,” he said, noting that belief is what pushes him.
“If I didn’t think that way, I wouldn’t have goals, I wouldn’t have ambition, I wouldn’t have anything. That’s a goal at the end of my career: to see that I can sit at that table with them and for people to think that I can also sit at their table at the end of my career. I think I can do it. It’s important to have ambition, to have goals, and I think I can achieve it.”
How Did Alcaraz’s Dominant Round-Robin Run Shape His ATP Finals Campaign?
His words landed after a dominant round-robin showing in the Jimmy Connors Group, where he went 3-0 with wins over Alex de Minaur 7-6(5), 6-2, Taylor Fritz 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3, and Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-1. The Musetti victory secured Alcaraz the Year-End No. 1 ranking for the second time in his career.
He now advances to the semifinals to face eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime as he continues to hunt for his first ATP Finals trophy. This will be their eighth meeting on the ATP Tour, with the Spaniard holding a 4-3 edge in their head-to-head record. The winner of this match will face defending champion and second seed Jannik Sinner.
