Carloz Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic to complete career Grand Slam
What's the story
Spain's 22-year-old sensation Carlos Alcaraz has been crowned the 2026 Australian Open champion. Alcaraz became the first-ever man to defeat Serbian ace Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final. He bounced back after losing the first at Rod Laver Arena. The Spaniard, who won 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 after over three hours, is the youngest man to win a career Grand Slam (Open Era).
Summary
Match summary and stats
Right from winning the first point on his serve, Djokovic dominated Alcaraz in the first set. He converted two of his four break points. The Spaniard made a remarkable comeback as the rallies produced some uncanny shots. Throughout the match, Alcaraz had a win percentage of 76 on his first serve. Although Djokovic hit Alcaraz back despite being jaded, the latter prevailed.
Career Slam
Alcaraz completes career Slam
As mentioned, Alcaraz has completed the career Grand Slam, winning at least one singles title at all four Majors. The Spaniard, 22, is now the fastest to attain the feat. He surpassed Rafael Nadal, who reached the landmark at the 2010 US Open (24 years and 88 days). Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, and Rod Laver are the other men with this set.
Information
Four successive singles Major finals
According to Opta, Alcaraz earlier became the youngest man in the Open Era to reach four consecutive singles Grand Slam finals, surpassing Jannik Sinner (23 years and 318 days). Notably, Aclaraz beat Alexander Zverev in a five-set semi-final.
Titles
Seven Major titles for Alcaraz
In only 20 appearances, Alcaraz has raced to seven singles Grand Slam titles. He has won two titles each at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Alcaraz, who hadn't gone past the Australian Open quarter-final earlier, is now 24-4 at Melbourne Park. Overall, he has a 97-13 record at Grand Slams. Notably, Alcaraz has won three of his last four Slams.
Run
Alcaraz ends Djokovic's quest
As mentioned, Alcaraz has finally beaten Djokovic's unbeaten run in the Australian Open finals. Before this event, the Serb was 10-0 here. Djokovic was also eyeing his 25th Grand Slam, which would have taken him past the legendary Margaret Court. Both Djokovic and Court currently have 24 titles. Earlier in the tournament, Djokovic completed his 100th Australian Open win.
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Alcaraz 5-5 Djokovic
Alcaraz and Djokovic are now level (5-5) in the ATP head-to-head series. Last year, the latter beat Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarter-final. The Spaniard later avenged the defeat by winning the US Open semi-final.
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Historic age gap
According to Opta, Alcaraz (22) and Djokovic (38) have the biggest age gap (Open Era) for the Australian Open men's singles finalists (15 years and 349 days).