Carlos Alcaraz makes history with Australian Open title after defeating Novak Djokovic in enthralling men’s final

By Issy Ronald, CNN

(CNN) — Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest man ever to complete a career grand slam on Sunday, adding the Australian Open title to his trophy cabinet after defeating Novak Djokovic in an enthralling men’s final.

Despite losing the first set to a rampant Djokovic, laser-focused on sealing a record-breaking 25th grand slam title, Alcaraz rallied to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 and confirm his status as the world No.1.

It was always going to be a monumental task for Djokovic to defeat his younger opponent, especially after he dug so deep to defeat world No. 2 Jannik Sinner in a five-set semifinal on Friday.

But at 38 years old, and against the continuing dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, there are fewer and fewer opportunities left for the Serb to win that elusive 25th title, which would take him clear of Margaret Court and make him the most decorated tennis player in history.

And, in Alcaraz, he was facing an opponent capable of returning almost every shot, whose athleticism allows him to extend rallies beyond what seems humanly possible, and whose creativity can catch even someone as experienced as Djokovic by surprise.

At just 22 years old, Alcaraz now joins an exclusive club comprising of just five other men who have won all four of tennis’ grand slams – the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open – in the Open Era.

He has reached that achievement at a far younger age than any of the “Big Three” – Rafael Nadal was 24, Roger Federer was 27 and Djokovic, the last man to complete the set before Alcaraz, was 29.

The Spaniard also become the youngest man in the Open Era to seal seven grand slam titles, surpassing the record previously held by Bjorn Borg.

Afterward, Alcaraz paid tribute to his team – who were under some pressure after he parted with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero six weeks ago – as well as Djokovic and his childhood hero Nadal, who was in the stands watching.

“I think (Djokovic) deserves some ovation for sure,” he said in his on court interview. “You are talking about how I’m doing the amazing things but that was you doing them and it was really inspiring.

“My team over there,” he added. “Nobody knows how hard I’ve been working to get this trophy, I just chase this so much, in preseason I was a little bit emotional.

“We didn’t hear what the people were saying before coming to Australia, we just did the right work.”

Even with his powers waning, Djokovic presented a formidable challenge. He is a 10-time Australian Open champion and, before Sunday, had never lost a final in Melbourne before.

Perhaps sensing that the longer the match went on, the less chance he would have against Alcaraz, Djokovic went all out in the first set. Behind an accurate first serve and some powerful ball-striking, he dominated the match’s opening exchanges, and took a one-set lead after just 33 minutes.

Alcaraz, after all, had contested his own five-set semifinal on Friday against Alexander Zverev, during which he battled cramps and struggled physically.

Then, with the scores tied at 15-15 in the third game of the second set, the momentum began to shift. First, Alcaraz hit a forehand winner which freakishly clipped the net cord and dropped beyond Djokovic’s reach. Then Djokovic hit an unforced error off his forehand, suddenly offering Alcaraz two break points. The Spaniard converted at the first opportunity, and gave himself a foothold in the match.

He consolidated that break immediately, and sealed the second set with relative ease.

From that moment on, Alcaraz seemed the more assured player, utilizing his favorite dropshot to lethal effect and capitalizing on Djokovic’s uncharacteristic unforced errors.

He won the third set and pushed Djokovic almost to breaking point at the start of the fourth set, forcing him to fend off six break points during a mammoth 12-minute long game. Such was the magnitude of that hold that Djokovic celebrated first with a wry smile before turning to the crowd and pumping his fist.

But although he battled hard to remain on serve, he faltered at the last possible moment, giving Alcaraz two championship points as he served to stay in the match before firing a forehand long as he attempted to go on the offense.

“Congratulations Carlos,” Djokovic told his opponent afterward. “An amazing tournament and an amazing couple of weeks. What you have been doing, the best word to describe it is historic. Legendary.

“I wish you best of luck for the rest of your career. You’re so young you have a lot of time, like myself,” he joked.

“I’m sure we will be seeing a lot of each other over the next 10 years… not!”

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