FORTY years ago — in 1986, at the height of the People Power Revolution — our family moved from Bacolod, the City of Smiles, to Cebu, the Queen City of the South.
In Bacolod, my sporting world revolved around basketball. In elementary and early high school at La Salle, it was all about the big orange ball and aiming for a 10-foot rim. Then we transferred to Cebu. We lived just a few hundred meters from the Cebu Tennis Club, and my brother Charlie and I wandered into a different arena. Instead of dribbling, we swung. Instead of a Spalding, it was a fluffy yellow Slazenger ball. Instead of layups, it was slices and topspin. It was the sport of Boris Becker and Martina Navratilova.
Over the past four decades, I’ve followed the greats of tennis.
My first idol was Ivan Lendl. His compact (“flying” elbow) forehand punished his opponents. After Lendl came Pete Sampras. I idolized Pete over his Las Vegas rival, Andre Agassi, and tried to copy Sampras’ serve-and-volley and that elegant one-handed backhand.
When Sampras captured his 14th major at the 2002 US Open, it felt untouchable. Then came the “passing of the torch.” It happened at the fourth round of Wimbledon 2001. The only time Sampras and a 19-year-old Swiss named Roger Federer played each other. Federer won.
By 2009, Federer had claimed his 15th major at Wimbledon, surpassing Sampras. He would finish with 20. The GOAT, many said.
Until Rafael Nadal stormed through Paris. He amassed 14 titles at Roland Garros alone and a total of 22 majors.
First, Sampras with 14. Then Roger’s 20. Then Rafa’s 22. Surely no one would exceed these numbers in generations, right? Wrong. Closely following R & R was Novak Djokovic. The Serbian posted winning records versus the Swiss (27 vs 23) and the Spaniard (31 vs 29).
Djokovic, now 38 years old, has 24 major trophies. He almost made it 25 last Feb. 1 when he reached the Australian Open finals but lost.
Will Novak win the coveted 25th grand slam title? Maybe. Maybe not. But you and I will agree that his 24 majors is an elusive, not-to-beaten number, right? We may be wrong again.
Enter Carlos Alcaraz.
At 22, he is already the youngest man to complete a Career Grand Slam. Seven major titles before most players hit their prime. If he averages two per year, he reaches 27 by age 32. The math is simple. The journey, of course, is not. Injuries can interrupt destiny. Motivation can fade. And there’s Jannik Sinner.
But what makes Alcaraz different is not just the forehand. Or the drop shot. Or that surprise slice forehand when he attacks. Or the serve-and-volley he pulls out as a surprise.
It’s the joy. He smiles. He points to his ear to wake up the crowd. He plays as if tennis is a playground. Yesterday at the Qatar Open final, he dismantled Arthur Fils, 6-2, 6-1, in just 50 minutes. And he looked like he was having the time of his life.
We thought 14 was forever. Then 20. Then 22. Then 24.
Maybe — just maybe — by 2040, we’ll look back at 24 the way we once looked at 14. History to be rewritten by Carlos Alcaraz.