Carlos Alcaraz Completes Grand Slam Tattoo Collection with Kangaroo Ink
Carlos Alcaraz has completed his set of grand slam tattoos just six weeks after lifting the Australian Open trophy for the first time. The Spaniard, already a tennis legend at only 22 years old, triumphed with a score of 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 over Novak Djokovic to secure his seventh major title. He had previously collected two each at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
Celebratory Tattoos Mark Each Major Victory
With each of his first grand slam trophies, Alcaraz got a celebratory tattoo to commemorate the feat. He initially had the date of his first US Open win tattooed on his left tricep, later adding the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge last year. For Wimbledon, he has a strawberry on the outside of his right ankle, and for Roland Garros, the Eiffel Tower on the outside of his left ankle.
To mark his Melbourne success, Alcaraz chose a kangaroo design, as he hinted in January. He said, "I say it's going to be a kangaroo for sure. A little kangaroo ... it's going to be on the leg for sure. I don't know right or left one. I gotta choose a good spot but it's going to be close to the French Open or Wimbledon, I have to choose."
Kangaroo Tattoo Revealed on Left Shin
Alcaraz teased the tattoo in an Instagram carousel this week following the Indian Wells Masters, sharing a photo of an artist leaning over his left shin. The first sighting came when he hit the practice court on Tuesday ahead of the Miami Masters. The tattoo features a distinct design of a kangaroo lifting the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup over an outline of Australia. The bottom half is covered by his socks, leaving it unclear for now whether Tasmania is included.
These commemorative tattoos have become such a significant part of Alcaraz's story that he even wore a fake tattoo during a match last year to promote the release date for his documentary. His parents initially had concerns about his tattoos, but Alcaraz assured them, "I'm not going to get one on my face or in the middle of my thigh or anything like that. And they're relatively small tattoos, medium-sized. That's why they don't raise any red flags. It's under control."
Historic Achievements and Career Milestones
Alcaraz's Australian Open win made him the youngest man to complete the career grand slam, surpassing Don Budge, who won all four in 1938, by 91 days. Additionally, Alcaraz is the youngest man to reach seven slams and was the youngest, at just 19 years and 130 days, to reach the world No. 1 ranking.
Speaking the day after the final in Melbourne, Alcaraz reflected on his achievements, saying, "I'm going to say tennis is really beautiful, but the bad part of tennis is we have tournaments week after week after week, and sometimes you don't realise what you've been doing lately. Because once you finish a tournament, you've got to be prepared and your mind is about going to the next tournament. So, sometimes you don't stop yourself and think about what you're doing."
He added, "What I've learned this year is to appreciate and enjoy every single second of the moment you're living. Not only lifting the trophies, but playing tournaments, playing tennis, getting victories, getting losses. Whatever it is, just enjoy and appreciate the life you're living. So right now I'm just trying to have a time to realise what I've been doing. I know I'm doing history with some trophies, some tournaments, some achievement that I've been getting. For me, it's an honour to put my name on the history books."
Recent Performance and Future Outlook
Alcaraz continued his winning streak after the Australian Open by lifting a trophy in Qatar last month. However, his run came to a sudden end when he lost in straight sets to former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells semi-finals, denying tennis another championship between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz commented, "I have never seen Daniil playing like this. I knew at the beginning that he was going to play aggressive, but how, the way he did it, surprised me a lot. He didn't even miss. I have been playing great tennis ... I have to see the good things about this loss. It is about the people and the players thinking that they need to play like this level if they want to beat me."
Sinner edged out Medvedev in two tiebreaks to join Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only players to win all six ATP Masters 1000 hard-court titles. Alcaraz, Sinner, and Medvedev—but not Djokovic, who withdrew citing a shoulder injury—will begin their tilt at the Miami title later this week.
