Spanish tennis star and world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz recently reached a remarkable milestone, recording his 87th victory in his first 100 Grand Slam matches. The achievement saw him draw level with Swedish legend Björn Borg while moving past icons such as John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and his compatriot Rafael Nadal.
While the feat may surprise many, tennis great Martina Navratilova was far from surprised, sharing her candid assessment of Alcaraz’s accomplishment.
Martina Navratilova Reacts As Carlos Alcaraz Moves Past Rafael Nadal And Others With Historic Grand Slam Mark
Alcaraz is currently competing at the 2026 Australian Open and continues to build momentum in his quest to complete a career Grand Slam. The Spaniard lit up Melbourne on Friday, producing a dominant display as he brushed aside France’s Corentin Moutet to cruise into the fourth round.
The six-time Grand Slam champion was rarely troubled by Moutet, playing with clarity and freedom throughout the contest. Although Alcaraz briefly lost momentum after surging to a 3-0 lead in the second set and dropping four games in a row, he responded with authority by breaking back at 4-4 before closing out the set on serve.
From there, the world No. 1 took complete control, storming to a double break in the third set and sealing a commanding 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 victory in just over two hours to book his place in the fourth round.
With the victory, Alcaraz moved to an outstanding 87–13 record in Grand Slam matches, drawing level with Björn Borg for the best win–loss mark after 100 major matches. Only the Swede shares that benchmark, with a host of legends trailing behind, including John McEnroe and Rafael Nadal on 86 wins, Jimmy Connors and Ken Rosewall on 85, John Newcombe on 84, and Arthur Ashe and Jim Courier on 83.
Alcaraz’s achievement soon became a talking point on Tennis Channel, where 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova offered her perspective. Speaking alongside Prakash Amritraj, Steve Weissman, and former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, Navratilova remarked that the Spaniard looked fully prepared from the very start of his journey on the main tour.
“When he first came on the tour, he was ready out of the box. It was not IKEA where you have to assemble him. He was fully assembled (laughed). There was no hole in his game, he had it all and then the combination of power and touch would changed the game with his drop shot,” she said.
Carlos Alcaraz wins *87* of his first 100 Grand Slam matches 😱
His record is better than the Big 3 AND Jannik Sinner 🔥 #AO26 pic.twitter.com/kvafYaVt4Q
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 23, 2026
Navratilova stressed that Alcaraz is not just setting new standards but also pushing the sport forward, with more players adopting his style.
“Everybody is drop-shotting more than before. And he is still getting better. And that’s the scary thought, okay this guy is really good and he is only getting better. So I am not surprised that’s just impressive nevertheless,” she added.
Still chasing his first Melbourne Major crown, Alcaraz will now look to carry his momentum deep into the tournament. Up next for the Spaniard is a fourth-round clash against American Tommy Paul, with PFSN’s exclusive simulator giving the former a 91 percent chance of progressing.
