For the last couple of decades, a generation of men's singles tennis players were largely confined to also-rans in Grand Slams. Rafael Nadal gobbled up French Open titles for fun 14 times over. Novak Djokovic routinely soared Down Under as a 10-time Australian Open winner. Roger Federer and Djokovic shared 15 Wimbledon championships between them.

The Big Three would dominate, the other mortals would dream.

Not anymore. Carlos Alcaraz's straight-sets decimation of Djokovic in Sunday's Wimbledon final not only placed a definitive marker on their individual generational clash, but also potentially on the overall narrative in the men's game. Alcaraz, 21, holds this year's Wimbledon and French Open titles.

The season-opening Australian Open was captured by Jannik Sinner, 22. The last time the first three Slams of the season did not have a Federer, Nadal or Djokovic printed on its trophies was back in 2002, when Pete Sampras was still winning majors.

Starting from Alcaraz capturing the 2023 Wimbledon to him defending it, four of the last five Slams have been won by either Alcaraz or Sinner. Djokovic's 2023 US Open title is the exception.

With Federer retired, an injury-hampered Nadal spending more time off court than on it and Djokovic having his worst season in years -- the Wimbledon title clash was his first final of 2024 -- the younger guys are increasingly having their say, and time.

"Being over there with Jannik, at the top of the rankings, winning the Grand Slams, it is good for tennis to have new faces winning the big things and fighting for the big tournaments," Alcaraz said after his Wimbledon triumph. "I'm really glad to have him there. We have a really good rivalry. And many young players are coming up, fighting for these things as well. I think it's great for the sport, for tennis and for the players as well.”

Alcaraz for one appears to be on his way to greatness, even though he may well be just getting started. Already compared to those three giants, Alcaraz is achieving things at a pace and age even they couldn't. Like winning four majors at 21. Alcaraz has also taken fewer Slam matches to get there -- 69 compared to Federer's 79, Nadal's 81 and late-bloomer Djokovic's 134, according to the ATP.

Such record-spinning numbers and feats are great, felt Alcaraz, for now. The goal is to keep going, like the three greats did to create their own history-creating space.

“At the end of my career, I want to sit at the same table as the big guys," Alcaraz said. "That's my main goal. That's my dream right now. It doesn't matter if I've already won four Grand Slams at the age of 21. If I don’t keep going, all these tournaments for me, it doesn't matter. I will try to keep winning and end my career with a lot of them.”

What does that "lot of them" look like for an all-court player who became the youngest to capture Slams across all three surfaces in Paris last month?

"I don't know what is my limit. I don't want to think about it. I just want to keep enjoying my moment, just to keep dreaming. So, let's see if at the end of my career it's going to be 25, 30, 15, four. I don't know. All I want to say is I want to keep enjoying, and let's see what the future brings to me.”

What is evident for now is that Alcaraz is a quick learner. In the French Open semi-final against Djokovic last year, he crumbled after winning the second set due to tension-induced cramps. A month on at the Wimbledon final, he stayed composed to erase the opening set hammering and knock Djokovic down in a five-set marathon.

The defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the US Open semi-finals later that year particularly rankled Alcaraz. His body was exhausted, but the mind too had thrown in the towel, a mistake he vowed to not repeat this season.

"I had to grow up and be more mature in those situations. I remember perfectly. I gave up a little bit in the second set after losing the first one. It's something that is unacceptable playing in a Grand Slam. I knew that these things can't happen again," Alcaraz said about lessons from that loss. "It helped me a lot coming to the next Grand Slams, next tournaments to be better in the mental side, to be strong enough, playing (my) best tennis in the close and difficult situations."

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