Carlos Alcaraz began his bid to become the youngest man in history to complete the career Grand Slam with a – mostly – smooth win over a big-serving opponent.
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Alcaraz dazzled with his vast repertoire to beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-1 7-5 6-1 in the night session at Australian Open 2025 on Monday.
“Just really happy with the level I played,” he said on court afterwards. “Getting into competition again.”
The 21-year-old donned a sleeveless shirt at Margaret Court Arena – not an unusual look for him – but came to Melbourne Park with a new haircut, service motion and heavier racquet.
As great as he is – the owner of four Grand Slam titles already – tennis players always seek improvements, and Alcaraz is no different.
His toolkit certainly is.
Hailing from Spain will always lead to comparisons with Rafael Nadal, but as Alcaraz has routinely said himself, his game aligns closer with Roger Federer.
There might have been some nerves for the third seed in the early going since this was his first match of the season and first major since being upset by Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the US Open.
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