On a cool and windy evening in Melbourne, history was made in men’s tennis. Going 8-1 in his major finals appearances, 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player ever to complete the Career Slam, winning his first Australian Open title against the great Novak Djokovic, 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7–5. (The win marked the Spaniard’s seven major title overall.) Fittingly, his countryman Rafael Nadal—who completed his own career Grand Slam at 24 in 2010, when he beat Djokovic at that year’s US Open—was in the stands at Margaret Court Arena on Sunday, looking on during the final.
The match between Alcaraz and Djokovic followed striking semifinal showcases from both competitors. While on Thursday, Alcaraz faced down Alexander Zverev in five grueling sets (including three tiebreaks), on Friday, Djokovic pulled off a jaw-dropping upset over Jannik Sinner after walkovers in both the fourth round and the quarterfinals.
Had things gone differently on Sunday, Djokovic would have become the first player to win 25 major singles titles—in the Open Era or otherwise—as well as the oldest player to win a Grand Slam. As things were, however, the match actually marked Djokovic’s first loss in an Australian Open final. (Before today, he was 10 for 10, with his last appearance coming in 2023 against Stefanos Tsitsipas.)
The match got off to a promising start for the 38-year-old Serbian, who was hitting big and moving well through the early rallies. (Going into the match, Djokovic boasted a 15–4 record when winning the first set.) But the cool conditions—it was around 60º in Melbourne—combined with bad blisters and Alcaraz’s nonpareil shot variety, put Djokovic behind over the next two sets. Even after an impressive start to the fourth set, battling off a string of break points and finding answers to Alcaraz’s big serve and tricky drop shots, Djokovic was ultimately overpowered. But, ever the sportsman, he headed across the court to embrace Alcaraz after championship point.