Against the man who has turned the tennis history book into his personal wishlist, Carlos Alcaraz wrote a chapter of his own in Melbourne.
The 22-year-old Spaniard defeated Novak Djokovic to claim his first Australian Open title and become the youngest man ever to win all four Grand Slams.
He confirmed that a tattoo of a kangaroo will shortly be joining those of a strawberry, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.
‘It’s an honour to put my name in the history books,’ he said.
Djokovic was bidding to become the oldest player – man or woman – to win a major and the first – man or woman – to win a 25th.
He was also attempting to climb the Everest of modern tennis by being the first to beat both Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz in a Slam.
Carlos Alcaraz (pictured) defeated Novak Djokovic to be crowned the 2026 Australian Open men’s singles champion
The world No 1 also made history, becoming the youngest ever male Career Grand Slam champion
Djokovic (pictured) came agonisingly close to winning his 25th Grand Slam title, mounting a late comeback in the fourth set, but would ultimately suffer a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 defeat
The 38-year-old played a sublime opening set but ran out of steam, unable to back up that monumental semi-final victory over Sinner, and went down 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
In the final with the largest age gap since Jimmy Connors faced Ken Rosewall in 1974, the force of youth and the genius of Alcaraz was simply too much.
The world No 1 adds £2.06million to his warchest and a seventh Grand Slam to his tally.
For all the scale of the achievements Djokovic was chasing here, it was easy to forget the significance of this match for Alcaraz.
He is the ninth man in history to have won all four majors and has achieved by the age of 22 what for most is the pinnacle of their careers. Roger Federer was 29 years old and Djokovic was 27.
Rafael Nadal held the previous record at 24 years old and the great leftie was in attendance here – the fiercest rival of one finalist and the idol of the other.
Djokovic began in the same vein as he ended against Sinner, describing the opening set as ‘one of the best I’ve played in the last few years’.
His ball-striking was flabbergastingly good and Alcaraz was heard muttering ‘No es posible’ to his player box.
And then, things changed. Djokovic’s serve declined and he began to struggle on the forehand; playing like a man possessed over the last three days, he lost a little fire in the eyes. He had a visit from the doctor and was prescribed a few pills, showing signs of nausea.
Djokovic joked that it was bizarre seeing Rafael Nadal (centre) watching on from the stands
Despite the loss, Djokovic (pictured) hailed Alcaraz’s achievements as ‘legendary’ before joking that the pair will meet again
This was Alcaraz’s seventh Grand Slam, with the 22-year-old having now won two Wimbledon titles, two French Open titles, two US Open titles and now an Australian Open
‘I remain disappointed with the way I felt in the second and third sets after an incredible start,’ he said afterwards.
‘I never like to talk about things I go through physically or health-wise, because it’s going to come across as I’m looking for excuses and taking away the credit of the winner, so it’s not going to change this time.
‘I’m just going to congratulate Carlos. He was the deserved winner.’
He certainly was. Alcaraz has occasionally in the past looked unsure of his gameplan against the great Serb but he cracked the code here.
In the Sinner semi-final, Djokovic held his own in a relentless baseline slugfest: Sinner’s main adjustment when his hard, clean hitting isn’t cutting the mustard is to hit it harder and cleaner.
Alcaraz has more strings to his bow: in fact he has a crossbow and sling-shot as well, and if all else fails he can roll out the trebuchet.
Rather than trying to hit through Djokovic, he went around him. This prodigious tennis geometrician brought out all the angles to drag his opponent out of shape.
Djokovic’s elastic body is not quite as stretchy as it once was and Alcaraz – the baby-faced torturer – put him on the rack.
Alcaraz ran over to celebrate with his team after the victory, with the Spaniard paying tribute to all those who have helped him claim victory after the match
It took Roger Federer 11 years from competing in his first Grand Slam to completing the set; Djokovic 12 years. Alcaraz has done it in six
Djokovic’s serve – so good against Sinner – dipped in the second set and that gave Alcaraz the space to re-centre himself and win a one-sided set of his own
In his 11th Australian Open final, Djokovic (left) tasted defeat for the first time. But in doing what he did against Sinner he has proved his chances cannot be discounted in the other three Slams this year
The stroke which did the most damage was his cross-court angled forehand – a mirror image of the shot which the other Spaniard, watching on, made his southpaw trademark.
He was also happy to go into defence mode, as he did spectacularly in one extraordinary counter-attacking point which drew a thumbs up from the old master.
In the second game of the fourth set Djokovic staved off six break points to hold in a 12-minute game.
He restricted himself initially to a wry smile before thinking better of it and launching a massive fist pump towards the Serbian flags in the crowd.
That raised the tension of the occasion but Alcaraz’s superpower in such moments is his smile. He grins away despite the suffocating pressure and that relaxation allows him to soften his hands when a drop shot or deft angle is required.
This was a victory of huge historical but also personal significance for Alcaraz. In January, he split from Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coach who has guided him from child to champion.
The Spanish press swirled with rumours of disagreement over money matters, and speculation over how the player would fare without his mentor. In winning his first major without the former world No1 in his box, Alcaraz has silenced those murmurs.
He made an oblique reference to that in his winner’s speech, saying: ‘What we went through…let’s say not listening to what the people were saying before coming to Australia, we just did the right work.’
He is now one of only nine men in history to have won all four majors and has achieved by the age of 22 what for most has been the pinnacle of their careers
There is a huge amount of respect between Alcaraz and Djokovic, who lumpred praise on each other after the match
After some sweltering conditions this fortnight – it was distinctly autumnal for the final, at 14°C with wind gusting at up to 40mph
Drama unfolded after the second set as Alcaraz (centre) became confused as why Tennis Australia bosses were closing the roof on Rod Laver Arena
Speaking on making his 11th Australian Open final, Djokovic added: ‘I didn’t think I would be standing in the closing ceremony at a Grand Slam again. So I think I owe you the gratitude’
The odds are that Djokovic will remain on 24 Grand Slams, a figure we were convinced no one would ever challenge
Alcaraz, meanwhile, has 17 Grand Slams to go before he usurps the great Djokovic
Before leaving the court, Alcaraz signed one of the TV cameras at Rod Laver Arena: ‘Job finished 4/4 complete’
Back to Djokovic, in his 11th Australian Open final he tasted defeat for the first time, and afterwards raised the possibility he may not be back next year. ‘God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in 12 months,’ he said during a typically gracious speech. ‘So…it has been a great ride, I love you guys.’
If these last few days are to be his last in Melbourne then what a way to go. In doing what he did against Sinner he proved his chances cannot be discounted in the other three Slams this year. The odds are, though, that he will remain on 24 Grand Slams, a figure we were convinced no one would ever challenge.
And then Carlos Alcaraz came along. Seven down, 17 to go.
‘He’s only 22, I mean… it’s unbelievable,’ said Djokovic. ‘In his case, everything is possible.
‘Then there’s Sinner. The two of them are going to be fighting for the biggest titles, and the youngsters like myself are going to try to catch up.’
