Carlos Alcaraz Says Rafael Nadal’s Presence During Australian Open Final Against Novak Djokovic Gave Him ‘Good Spirit’
Carlos Alcaraz has improved his head-to-head record over Novak Djokovic to 5-5 after the Australian Open final.
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L-R: Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic (Image via X/H, Carlos Alcaraz 4K, It Was A Good Day)
Carlos Alcaraz broke Rafael Nadal‘s record in front of the 22-time Grand Slam champion inside the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday (February 1). Nadal watched the young Spaniard defeat his longtime rival, Novak Djokovic, in four sets to win the Australian Open for the first time in his career.
The 22-year-old has now become the youngest man in the Open Era to add all four Major titles to his trophy cabinet, beating Nadal’s record. Nadal did this at 24 after downing Djokovic in the 2010 US Open final.
I mean, this moment is really special, but having Rafa in the stands, it made it even more special, to be honest. Lifting the trophy for the first time in Australia was crazy. A dream come true. I dreamed about getting an Australian Open and completing the career Grand Slam.
Carlos Alcaraz told Wide World of Sports
At the beginning of the match, Alcaraz found it a bit difficult to find his rhythm and lost the first set quickly, but as the match progressed, he increased his intensity and did not look back.
After the semi-final, I just thought about that semi-final in 2009, he played against Verdasco, and then he came back physically and played such a great final against Federer and won. So I was thinking a little bit about it. It’s just about pushing through and having him there. I was like watching him, and he gave me some, like, good spirit, good mindset.
Carlos Alcaraz added
And Alcaraz won the Melbourne title without coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, proving those people wrong who questioned how he would perform this season without the guidance of the 2003 French Open champion, who had been a part of his team since 2019. Alcaraz made the semifinal in the event for the first time, and before this year, he lost twice in the quarterfinals (last year to Djokovic).
Tim Henman on how Novak Djokovic would react after the defeat to Carlos Alcaraz
Because he shocked the tennis world by knocking out Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Australian Open, many expected Novak Djokovic to pull off another such performance. As he couldn’t, former player Tim Henman on TNT Sports shared what he thinks about Djokovic’s reactions after the defeat.
I think he will tip his hat. He is 38. He has so much experience in this sport. He has lost in Slam finals before. Yeah, he will lick his wounds. You also take into account the conditions. When it has been this cold, it probably affects the penetration of Djokovic’s shorts by 5%. When it was warmer versus Sinner, he was getting that much more value, and that had a part to play.
Djokovic was chasing his 25th Major as well as his 11th title in the first Major of the season. The last time he won here was in 2023 against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic has now played two Grand Slam finals since lifting his 24th Major at the 2023 US Open against Daniil Medvedev (he lost to Alcaraz in the 2024 Wimbledon final).
Alcaraz has now tied his head-to-head record over the 38-year-old to 5-5, and the win was also his second consecutive victory against Nole. Before the final, they met in the semifinals of last year’s US Open, which Alcaraz won in straight sets before defeating Sinner in the final.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion also played his fourth consecutive Major final. Last year, he made the title clashes of the French Open, US Open, and Wimbledon, winning the former two against Sinner and losing at SW19 at the hands of the four-time Major champion.
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