Australian Open 2026: Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic in Melbourne to complete career Grand Slam
The history of both superstars was on the line in a highly anticipated final that ensured a rather underwhelming Australian Open ended in style.
After Friday’s grueling semi-final, neither player practiced on Saturday, leaving everyone wondering how they would recover on Sunday.
Djokovic pointed out that Alcaraz had an advantage in this regard given the 16-year age gap, but the veteran made fun of that gap with a stunning start.
Djokovic was quick on his feet, using his superior tennis IQ to carefully construct points in ways that Alcaraz couldn’t calculate – similar to how he beat the Spaniard in last year’s quarterfinals.
Djokovic easily held serve with his precise tee shots and ball landings, laying the foundation for breaking Alcaraz and taking a 3-1 lead.
Djokovic continued to steal angles and space from his opponent, easily consolidating a 4-1 lead and breaking serve again to seal the first set.
How long Djokovic can maintain this level is the next question.
Djokovic had received a lot of attention for his good fortune over the fortnight, but his luck ran out in the third game of the second set when a brilliant net string broke Alcaraz’s serve.
This approach was brutal and, at 1-1 15-15, crucial to changing the momentum.
From that point on, Djokovic’s serve lacked the same precision and his groundstrokes were no longer as powerful.
Alcaraz won four of the next five games to level the match and broke serve twice in the third set to take the lead.
However, Djokovic is not someone who is easily defeated.
He saved six break points in the second game of the fourth set and then created his own chance on Alcaraz’s serve in the ninth game.
Alcaraz kept his cool in the baseline duel with Djokovic and eventually hit a forehand long – something that proved crucial.
When the game entered the end, the exchange between the two sides was still fierce, but Djokovic blinked first.
After being shocked by Alcaraz’s deep return at 15-30, he hit a forehand into the net again to earn the championship point.
