Carlos Alcaraz didn’t just win the 2026 Australian Open but also made history doing it.
On a nervy, high-voltage Sunday night in Melbourne, the 22-year-old world No. 1 outlasted Novak Djokovic in a gripping
four-set final to claim his maiden Australian Open title.
Alcaraz put away the 24-time Grand Slam champion 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, denying Djokovic a shot at an unprecedented 25th major and stamping his authority on tennis’s biggest stage.
In the process, the Spaniard became the youngest player ever to complete the Career Grand Slam — lifting all four majors — eclipsing a record previously held by Rafael Nadal.
History was in the air before a ball was struck. Alcaraz and Djokovic were separated by 15 years and 349 days, the biggest age gap between men’s singles finalists in the Open Era at the Australian Open. Youth versus experience. Power versus precision. Past versus future.
Both arrived battle-hardened, fresh off five-set marathons. Neither showed any signs of wear. Djokovic, chasing one more slice of immortality, was also hunting a familiar feeling. The only time he’d beaten the world No. 1 in a Grand Slam final? Wimbledon 2011, against a Spaniard named Rafael Nadal.
The opening set followed a familiar script. Serves dominated, games flew, and the score raced to 1-1. Then Djokovic struck. In game five, he dragged Alcaraz into a nervy service game, converted his first break point, and never looked back — dictating play and wrapping up the set 6-2 in just 33 minutes.
First punch: Djokovic.
Alcaraz barely flinched.
The second set saw the Spaniard crank up the intensity, finally cracking Djokovic’s serve in the third game. The momentum flipped instantly. Alcaraz controlled the rallies, broke with intent, and closed the set 6-2 in a brisk 35 minutes.
One set apiece. Game on.
As the tension rose, officials shut the roof — a move that usually tips the scales Djokovic’s way.
It didn’t this time.
Drop shots, fearless winners, and relentless pressure kept the third set tight until game six, when Alcaraz broke through after a breathtaking exchange, capped by a brutal 16-shot rally that left Djokovic stranded. The Spaniard never let go, sealing the set 6-3 and moving within one set of glory.
The final was fully ablaze, though Djokovic wasn’t done fighting.
He dug deep in the fourth, surviving multiple deuces and holding serve under pressure as the two traded blows game after game.
Drop shots met drop shots. Perfect service games were answered in kind. The margin for error vanished.
At 5-5, Djokovic found one last surge, whipping up the crowd as he pressed Alcaraz for a break.
But Carlitos didn’t blink.
In the 12th game, Alcaraz found the break point he needed and took it. Djokovic’s dream of a 25th Grand Slam ended there.
Game. Set. Match.
Carlos Alcaraz was an Australian Open champion. A Career Grand Slam winner. And unmistakably, the future of men’s tennis had arrived.
