Carlos Alcaraz Wins Australian Open after defeating Novak Djokovic in men’s final
Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest man ever to complete a career grand slam on Sunday, adding the Australian Open title to his trophy cabinet after defeating Novak Djokovic in an enthralling men’s final.
Despite losing the first set to a rampant Djokovic, laser-focused on sealing a record-breaking 25th grand slam title, Alcaraz rallied to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 and confirm his status as the world No.1.
It was always going to be a monumental task for Djokovic to defeat his younger opponent, especially after he dug so deep to defeat world No. 2 Jannik Sinner in a five-set semifinal on Friday.
But at 38 years old, and against the continuing dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, there are fewer and fewer opportunities left for the Serb to win that elusive 25th title, which would take him clear of Margaret Court and make him the most decorated tennis player in history.
And, in Alcaraz, he was facing an opponent capable of returning almost every shot, whose athleticism allows him to extend rallies beyond what seems humanly possible, and whose creativity can catch even someone as experienced as Djokovic by surprise.
At just 22 years old, Alcaraz now joins an exclusive club comprising of just five other men who have won all four of tennis’ grand slams – the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open – in the Open Era.
He has reached that achievement at a far younger age than any of the “Big Three” – Rafael Nadal was 24, Roger Federer was 27 and Djokovic, the last man to complete the set before Alcaraz, was 29.
The Spaniard also become the youngest man in the Open Era to seal seven grand slam titles, surpassing the record previously held by Bjorn Borg.
Afterward, Alcaraz paid tribute to his team – who were under some pressure after he parted with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero six weeks ago – as well as Djokovic and his childhood hero Nadal, who was in the stands watching.
“I think (Djokovic) deserves some ovation for sure,” he said in his on court interview. “You are talking about how I’m doing the amazing things but that was you doing them and it was really inspiring.
“My team over there,” he added. “Nobody knows how hard I’ve been working to get this trophy, I just chase this so much, in preseason I was a little bit emotional.
“We didn’t hear what the people were saying before coming to Australia, we just did the right work.”
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