Alcaraz and the utopian challenge of winning all ATP 500 tournaments

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 22 Feb 2026 | 18.01

Carlos Alcaraz, option to win ATP 500. Photo: gettyimages

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It is often said that dreaming is free, but with Carlos Alcaraz, it also feels easy because it seems that even the most absurd challenge could become a reality. The Spaniard keeps adding trophies to his record and already knows what it's like to win in 7 out of the 16 ATP 500 events on the calendar. Will he end his career having reigned in all of them?

Reigning in the Doha tournament is an irrefutable proof of the maximum confidence that Carlos Alcaraz is currently immersed in. His dominance is starting to demoralize many rivals and allows fans to build castles in the air with possible records to beat and feats to conquer. One that comes to mind after his recent title in Qatar is the possibility of winning the title, at some point during his career, in all the ATP 500 tournaments.

It may sound far-fetched, and in a way, it seems like an impossible mission, but more due to logistical reasons. The first thing to note is that the ATP calendar is almost constantly evolving, adding new events to this category. In any case, it is worth mentioning that, to this day, there are 16 ATP 500 tournaments. With his title in Doha, the player from Murcia has 7 of those 16 trophies in his record, so the task, although colossal and apparently unattainable because some events may seem impossible for him to attend, would be feasible if he set his mind to it.

Alcaraz has won half of all the current ATP 500 tournaments at 23 years old

Champion in Rotterdam, Doha, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Queen’s, Tokyo, and Beijing, the Spanish player could set himself the long-term challenge of completing this particular and exciting puzzle. The events of Dallas, Acapulco, Hamburg, Munich, and Washington seem almost impossible for Carlitos to conquer since they do not fit into his calendar plans.

He did participate in Acapulco in past editions and competed in the Mexican tournament when he was a teenager, but currently, he has taken a step back from this event in terms of attracting top stars. Munich is held the same week as the Godó, he lost a final in Hamburg against Musetti years ago and now seems unlikely to return, while Washington and, especially Dallas, do not seem compatible with his schedule.

Regarding the Halle tournament, a similar situation arises, giving the impression that Carlos has committed long-term to Queen’s to compete there to prepare for his assault on Wimbledon, although this may change if his career extends for a long time. Both in Vienna and Basel, he has competed already and, due to their calendar placement, they could be places where he has his chances, as well as in Dubai, where the petrodollars could attract the Murcian in some edition.

In conclusion, the superiority of Carlos Alcaraz over his rivals currently leads us to these types of abstract and imaginative exercises. He may never succeed in winning all the ATP 500 events, nor does that necessarily represent a plausible or desirable goal for him, but having won half of all existing ones at only 23 years old gives us an idea of the magnitude of the athlete we are facing. Now, it's just about enjoying it.