The Tamesis
On a cool and windy night in Melbourne, men’s tennis made history. Carlos Alcaraz, 22, compiled a 7-1 record in major finals to become the youngest player ever to complete a career Grand Slam and beat the great Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to win his first Australian Open title. (The victory marked the Spaniard’s seventh Grand Slam title.) Compatriot Rafael Nadal, who beat Djokovic at the 2010 U.S. Open to complete his career Grand Slam at the age of 24, watched the final from the stands at Margaret Court Arena on Sunday.
The match between Alcaraz and Djokovic saw both players perform well in the semifinals. Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in five grueling sets on Thursday (including three tiebreaks), while Djokovic stunned Yannik Sinner with ease in both the fourth round and quarterfinals on Friday.
If things go differently on Sunday, Djokovic will become the first player to win 25 Grand Slam singles titles – in the Open era or otherwise – and the oldest player to win a Grand Slam. But in fact, the match actually marked Djokovic’s first loss in an Australian Open final. (Before today, he was 10-for-10 from the field, with his last appearance coming in 2023 against Stefanos Tsitsipas.)
The match got off to a promising start for the 38-year-old Serbian, who played well and moved well in the early going. (Djokovic had a 15-4 record at the start of the match when he won the first set.) But Melbourne’s cool temperatures, around 60 degrees, combined with severe blisters and Alcaraz’s unparalleled shot versatility, put him on the back foot in the next two sets. Despite making an impressive start in the fourth set, battling a series of break points and finding answers to Alcaraz’s big serves and tricky lobs, Djokovic was eventually overpowered. But, as an athlete, he crossed the court to hug Alcaraz after winning the championship.
