Novak Djokovic Says ‘Legendary’ Carlos Alcaraz ‘Deserves Every Bit of Praise’ After Losing Australian Open Final
Carlos Alcaraz lifted his career's seventh Grand Slam title by defeating Novak Djokovic.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)
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For the first time in his career, Novak Djokovic tasted defeat in the Australian Open final. It came at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday (February 1) in four sets.
Djokovic made the final of a Major for the first time since the 2024 Wimbledon (lost to Alcaraz). En route to the championship clash, he knocked out two-time Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner, who was bidding for the three-peat.
What Djokovic has been doing at this stage is quite incredible, and for the same reason, Alcaraz called him an inspiration. The 38-year-old, also the oldest finalist at Melbourne Park, was full of praise for Alcaraz’s career as the 22-year-old is now the winner of seven Grand Slam titles.
The results are a testament to his already stellar career. Can’t think of any superlatives about him. He deserves every bit of praise he gets. He’s a very nice young man. Good values. Nice family. Already a legendary tennis player who made a huge mark in the history books of tennis at only 22 years of age.
Novak Djokovic said at the press conference
The first time the Serb met the Spaniard was in the semifinal of the 2022 Madrid Open, which Alcaraz won. The 22-year-old has now improved his head-to-head record over Djokovic to 5-5.
The first time I played with him, he was 11 or 12 years old. No, he was 18 or 19… You could already see he was destined for great things.
Novak Djokovic added
Alcaraz also played a marathon semifinal on Friday. After squandering a 2-0 lead, he overcame cramps and eked out a five-set win over last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev after five hours and 27 minutes – the longest semifinals in the history of the Australian Open.
Carlos Alcaraz says continuous play doesn’t give players time to reflect much
Carlos Alcaraz has now become the youngest man in the Open Era to win four Grand Slam titles. Rafael Nadal achieved this at the 2010 US Open final by defeating Novak Djokovic.
The long tennis calendar doesn’t give much time to Alcaraz to reflect on his achievements, and he wants to change it this year. At the press conference, Alcaraz said he will enjoy his life to the fullest.
I’m trying. I’m trying. Tennis is really beautiful, but the problem is we have tournaments week after week after week. Sometimes you don’t really realize what you’ve been doing lately… Sometimes you don’t stop yourself and think about what you’re doing. What I’ve learned this year is about appreciating and enjoying every single second of the moment you’re living. Not only lifting the trophies, but playing tournaments, getting victories, having losses, whatever it is, just enjoy and appreciate the life you’re living.
Alcaraz also responded to his doubters, who questioned his split with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, wondering how he would play this season without the guidance of the 2003 French Open champion, who had been part of Alcaraz’s entourage since 2019.
Before this season, Alcaraz had never reached the semifinals of the first Major of the season. He made the quarterfinals twice and lost both times in four sets.
The Murcia native has won two French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open titles, in addition to the Australian Open. Last year, he added two Grand Slam titles to his tally, defeating Jannik Sinner in the finals of the French Open and the US Open. At Wimbledon, Sinner knocked him out. It was Djokovic who stopped his progression at the Australian Open by knocking him out in the quarterfinals in four sets.
Also read: Elena Rybakina Opens Up on Experiencing the Stefano Vukov Saga After the Australian Open Win
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