Carlos Alcaraz continues to cement his place among tennis greats as he storms into the Wimbledon semifinals, keeping his hopes alive for a third straight title at the All England Club. With his straight-sets win—6-2, 6-3, 6-3—over Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals, Alcaraz not only advanced to a high-stakes matchup with Taylor Fritz, but also etched his name into the record books, surpassing the legendary “Big Three” of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The 21-year-old Spaniard now has 76 main-draw match victories across his first 18 Grand Slam appearances—more than any of the Big Three at the same stage in their careers. He passes Nadal, who recorded 75 wins in his first 18 Grand Slams, while Djokovic had 37 and Federer 39, according to the ATP Tour official website.
Only two legends remain ahead of Alcaraz in this category: John McEnroe with 81 wins and Bjorn Borg with 78. Should Alcaraz defend his Wimbledon crown this weekend, he would tie Borg’s mark and close in on McEnroe’s record.
But the milestones don’t stop there. If the five-time Grand Slam champion is able to lift the trophy on Sunday, he and Borg would become the only players in the Open Era to win the Roland Garros–Wimbledon double in consecutive years.
Alcaraz prepares for a tough semifinal battle
Carlitos now faces World No. 5 Taylor Fritz in the semifinals—a matchup that promises fireworks. The American is coming off an impressive run that includes grass-court titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne and a strong quarterfinal win over Karen Khachanov.
“He’s playing great,” Alcaraz said of Fritz, via the ATP Tour. “He’s been really successful: Two titles, semi-finals here at Wimbledon. I’m just going to be ready for that battle. It’s always tough to play against him. I will just focus, but right now I want to enjoy and live this moment because it’s really not easy to play the semi-finals here”.
The defending champion enters the clash with a 2-0 record against Fritz and a remarkable 23-match winning streak—currently the longest of his career. With history on the line and momentum at his back, Alcaraz is poised to chase yet another iconic chapter in his young but already historic career.