MELBOURNE, Australia — Carlos Alcaraz is the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam after securing the Australian Open title against Novak Djokovic, who had never lost in his 10 previous finals at Melbourne Park.
Alcaraz, at 22 years, 272 days old, showed no ill effects of the severe cramping that nearly derailed his 5½-hour epic semifinal win against third-seed Alexander Zverev just 48 hours earlier, as he outhustled and overwhelmed the 24-time Grand Slam champion to prevail 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in 3 hours, 2 minutes.
After securing the championship point, Alcaraz dropped his racket and fell to the Rod Laver Arena court. He soaked in the moment for a few seconds before shaking hands with Djokovic at the net then running to hug his coaching team seated courtside and his father up in the stands.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” Alcaraz said. “Every year that I came here to Australia, I was thinking about getting the trophy. It couldn’t happen. Couldn’t go further than quarterfinals.
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“Coming this year, hungry for more, ambitious for getting the trophy … and then just playing good tennis in this tournament means a lot. It means the world to me.”
Djokovic, 38, began Sunday’s final like a man who had succeeded on this Melbourne Park stage 10 times before. He raced to the opening set in 33 minutes, winning 16 of 18 points on serve and committing just four unforced errors.
But as the contest wore on, and daylight transitioned to darkness, the pendulum of momentum began to swing in favor of Alcaraz.
The Spaniard raised his intensity at the top of the second set, showcasing his uncanny ability to scramble and retrieve balls from all corners of the court. His speed and athleticism allowed him to turn defense into offense, forcing Djokovic to play with more aggression just to keep up, something that ultimately resulted in his unforced error count ballooning to 46 by the end of the match.
Alcaraz broke Djokovic’s serve in the third game and won 12 of the final 15 points of the second set to draw level. He carried the momentum into the third frame, where he again secured an early break of serve and controlled the remainder of the set, despite Djokovic emptying his tank in a desperate pursuit to regain the ascendancy.
Djokovic threw one final punch in the fourth set when he wrestled his way to 40-40 with Alcaraz serving at 4-4. But a pair of confidently struck crosscourt forehands from Alcaraz snuffed out the late challenge.
“I lost to a No. 1 in the world and already a legendary player,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz. “He’s constantly looking to innovate himself and his game. He’s only 22. Everything is possible in his case, no question about it. I can’t think of any other superlatives about him.”
The Australian Open title is the seventh major captured by Alcaraz, adding to his two titles each at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. He is the only man to have reached seven Grand Slam titles before his 23rd birthday.
As he was leaving the court, Alcaraz signed the lens of the TV camera with a recognition: “Job finished. 4/4 Complete.”
Alcaraz joined Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Don Budge, Fred Perry and compatriot Rafael Nadal — who was watching the final from the front row at Rod Laver Arena — as the only men in tennis history to win all four major titles in their career. Alcaraz is the youngest, breaking the mark set by Budge in the 1938 French Championships when he was 22 years, 363 days old.
“For me, it’s an honor to put my name on the history books,” Alcaraz said. “I know I’m doing history with some trophies, some tournaments, some achievement that I’ve been getting. Sometimes you don’t stop yourself and think about what you’re doing. So right now, I’m just trying to have a time to realize what I’ve been doing.”
Before Sunday, Djokovic was 93-2 at the Australian Open when he had won the first set. He was also a perfect 10 of 10 in finals at Melbourne Park and was aiming to become the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title.
Djokovic had also been seeking a record-extending 25th major title, one that would have broken the tie he shares with Margaret Court for most in history. Instead, he fell to Alcaraz for the third consecutive time in a Grand Slam final and the fourth straight match since his gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
“One or two shots can change the momentum of the match and switch things around, which happened,” Djokovic said. “I’m just very disappointed I wasn’t able to maintain that kind of feeling that I had in the first set. I felt great about myself and then … yeah … things changed. It is what it is. That’s sport.
“It’s [an] incredible achievement for me to be able to play finals, be a couple of sets away maybe to win a championship. I managed to beat Jannik [Sinner], who is double defending champion here and won the last five matches against me, in five sets. Incredible match.
“I knew that I’d probably have to beat two of them on the way to the title. I beat one, which is great, so it’s a step further than I have gone in Grand Slams than last year. Very nice … encouraging. But you know, not enough for me. I’m going to keep pushing and see if I get another chance.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
