Carlos Alcaraz Becomes Youngest Career Grand Slam Champion After Prevailing Over Novak Djokovic to Win Australian Open Final

Carlos Alcaraz is now a seven-time Grand Slam champion! On Sunday (February 1), the 22-year-old outlasted Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to become the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam.

In front of Rafael Nadal, Djokovic started the match and held his serve. As expected from a Djokovic match, he kept the points longer, while Alcaraz, at a pressure point, incorporated the drop shots. Djokovic kept putting pressure on the youngster, and after an incredible rally, the former broke him to take a 3-1 lead.

He held his serve next to improve the lead. Djokovic was mostly prevailing over Alcaraz in long rallies. On the back of Djokovic’s errors, Alcaraz won two points and was successful in holding his serve. While trailing 2-5, Alcaraz served to stay in the set but failed, and Djokovic ended the first set in his favor.

Djokovic also started the second set in an emphatic fashion and had an answer to whatever Alcaraz was throwing on his way. But Alcaraz broke Djokovic in the third game, and it seemed he was trying to claw back to put pressure on the veteran and shouted “Vamos” after taking a 3-1 lead on the back of an incredible point in a rally on his serve. Alcaraz, at 5-2, then served to tie the score, and Djokovic failed to break him.

Alcaraz was greatly unhappy when the officials were closing the roof of the Rod Laver Arena due to the possibility of rain, thinking it could have given some advantage to his opponent. The roof was not fully closed, however.

At 30-0 in the first game of the third set, they played another stunning rally, and it saw Alcaraz hit a tweener, but it went in vain. Momentum kept shifting in the third set, and the watchers of the game saw Alcaraz bring out several weapons to stun Nole in rallies.

At 4-3, Alcaraz served to increase his lead, and he did when Djokovic’s shot went wide. In the next game, Alcaraz was at 40-0 on Djokovic’s serve, and the latter saved four set points, but it went in vain. The set was longer than the previous two.

Djokovic, it seemed, was struggling with some physical discomfort. After winning the first game, Djokovic put pressure on Alcaraz through his serve, ending the game in his favor. The game lasted for more than nine minutes.

At 3-3, Alcaraz found himself at 40-0, but Djokovic could save just one break point. Djokovic somehow managed to hold his serve in the pressure point to tie the scores to 4-4, and after winning another point in the next game, the Serb asked the crowd for more encouragement.

Djokovic had the chance to break Alcaraz at 40-30, but his shot went wide. After that unforced error, Alcaraz increased his intensity and lo! He won. In the next game, Djokovic served, hoping to stay in the match.

Djokovic was ready to take risks. He also changed his racket. Djokovic was able to tie it to 5-5 but couldn’t match Alcaraz’s intensity in the next game. All Alcaraz needed to do was break Djokovic to script history. They played a 16-shot rally next, won by the Murcia-native. Alcaraz found himself at 40-15, match point, and he won.

In last year’s Grand Slams, Alcaraz played three finals, winning titles at the French Open and the US Open by defeating Jannik Sinner, who denied him a three-peat at Wimbledon. Djokovic made it to all the semifinals but couldn’t reach the title clash.

It was Alcaraz who knocked him out at the US Open, while Sinner beat him in the French Open and Wimbledon. In Melbourne, an injury forced him to give the walkover to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev. Djokovic, in fact, made a Grand Slam final for the first time since the 2024 Wimbledon.

More to come…

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