It all started tentatively for the 22-year-old world number one.
Veteran and icon Novak Djokovic started at a furious pace and set the tone immediately. The Serb easily secured the first set.
But then the match turned and Alcaraz took over completely.
Youngest of all time
The Spaniard picked up the pace, controlled the duels and won three straight sets. The winning numbers were (2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7–5) and Alcaraz was crowned champion of the Australian Open for the first time. In doing so, he also made history.
At just 22 years and 272 days old, Alcaraz became the youngest male player ever to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments.
He broke an 88-year-old record, previously held by American Don Budge, who was 22 years and 363 days old when he completed the same feat.
"No one knows how hard I've worked to get this title. I've been chasing this moment for so long," Alcaraz said in a victory interview.
“An honor”
The road to the final in Melbourne was almost flawless for Alcaraz, who lost his first set of the tournament as late as the semifinals against Alexander Zverev.
For Djokovic, the journey was considerably more thorny. The Serb advanced after a walkover in the round of 16, had his quarterfinal opponent retire injured, and then beat world number two Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.
Alcaraz heaped praise on his final opponent after the match.
"First I just want to talk about Novak. He deserves a standing ovation. What you're doing is inspiring. All the hard work you're putting in," Alcaraz said, continuing:
It has been an honor to share the locker room and the tennis courts with you.
Despite the final loss, Novak Djokovic cemented his unique place in tennis history. The 38-year-old remains the most successful player in Australian Open history with ten titles and also tops the list of most Grand Slam victories of all time with 24.
2026: Carlos Alcaraz, Spain.
2025: Jannik Sinner, Italy.
2024: Jannik Sinner, Italy.
2023: Novak Djokovic, Serbia.
2022: Rafael Nadal, Spain.
