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What is the 88-year-old record that Carlos Alcaraz will aim to beat in the Australian Open final on Sunday?

American Don Budge was 22 when he became the youngest man in history to complete a career grand slam

3 min readJan 30, 2026 05:06 PM IST

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts during his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev of Germany at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

When Carlos Alcaraz contests his first ever Australian Open final on Sunday, he would love to go all the way, to erase a record dating back to 1938.

Walking onto Rod Laver Arena, he will not just want to win at Melbourne where he never had before, but to claim his place amongst the mightiest legends of the greats, one from 88 years ago.

At 22, Alcaraz is attempting to become the youngest man in history to complete a career grand slam — eclipsing a record set by Don Budge from near 90 years ago.

Asked what that frontier would mean to his charge on a title he has never made finals for, Alcaraz joked, “Well, thank you for putting so much pressure on me right now,” he said during his on-court interview with his wide grin, alerted to history within his grasp.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. No, don’t worry. I’m just really, really happy to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne. It’s something that I’ve been pursuing a lot — chasing a lot — to finally have the chance to fight for this title,” he said.

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But the record has a time clock ticking on it, as he will be 22 years, 8 months, 26 days old on Sunday. Budge stands alone at 23 years, 3 months when he became the youngest to achieve the Grand Slam (four majors at same time) 2 days before turning 23. But he was 22 years 11 months when he reached the career grand slam (winning all 4) in 1937-38 to be the youngest to do so. In 1938, he beat John Bromwich at AO, Roderick Menzel at French, Henry Bunny Austin at Wimbledon and Gene Mako at US.

Alcaraz is aiming for the Grand Slam, but will need to nail the AO this year.

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The Melbourne crowd got behind Alcaraz when he was down 3-5 in the fifth set, and he duly appreciated their vocal support. “I think it’s been a great two weeks so far. My level has been increasing a lot, but one thing I have to say: I couldn’t be standing here right now doing this interview without these guys,” he said.

“It was a real pleasure playing in front of all of you. The way you pushed me back into the match, the way you pushed me every point… It’s been crazy.

“I’m really grateful for the support I’ve received, not only in this match but during the whole tournament. Hopefully, Sunday is going to have a great atmosphere. I just can’t wait. Obviously, right now, my head is about recovering as much as I can to be in good shape, to put on a show for you guys.

“See you on Sunday, I guess.”