Alcaraz defeated Djokovic for the first Australian Open title and the Grand Slam of his career
At just 22 years old, Carlos Alcaraz completed a career Grand Slam on Sunday night in Melbourne.
Alcaraz won his first Australian Open title, defeating Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 after three hours and two minutes. He is the youngest man to win all four titles and has seven such titles – and more than any man before he was 23 years old.
“What you’ve been doing, I think the best words to describe it is history, it’s legend,” Djokovic told Alcaraz during the trophy ceremony. “So I congratulate you and wish you luck in all your endeavours.”
Djokovic was looking to cap his impressive career with a 25th Grand Slam victory, which would have put him at the top of the men’s and women’s singles rankings on Margaret Smith Court. The Serbian was seeking his 11th Aussie Open title, and previously had a 10-0 career record in Aussie Open finals.
For a while it looked like that perfect record might continue. Building on his stunning five-set semi-final win over Jannik Sinner, Djokovic came out of the gates on fire to take control of the first set. However, it was a level the 38-year-old could not sustain – and Alcaraz’s form has improved dramatically.
Alcaraz did not lose a single serve in the last three sets. That’s why it didn’t matter that the world No. 1 was only 5-for-16 of his break points; the few chances he took were more than enough. His fifth break ended the match with Djokovic serving to force a one-set tiebreaker.
“I don’t think anyone (else) knows how hard I’ve been working to get this trophy,” Alcaraz said to his team. “I’m in a hurry this time.”
But he didn’t have to chase it that long. Alcaraz won the US Open at 19, Wimbledon at 20, the French Open at 21, and now the Australian Open at 22.
