Australian Open Men's Final Round-up | Carlos Alcaraz makes history as he defeats Novak Djokovic to complete career Grand Slam

Carlos Alcaraz has competed the career Grand Slam after defeating Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to win the 2026 Australian Open title.

A lot of the talk was surrounding Alcaraz going into the Australian Open, with the Spaniard looking to become the youngest player to achieve the infrequent career Grand Slam, taking the record off fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal who was watching on in the stands as were many on Rod Laver Arena.

It was also his first event without his long-term coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, with may doubting how he would cope without his mentor. It turns out pretty well. After the pair played out two incredible five-set battles in Friday’s semi-finals, they both found the energy to play out another outstanding match with a very high level.

Djokovic came reaching out of the blocks, dictating the play with some aggressive tennis to combat the world number one. From then, Alcaraz motored up the gears. He ticked off two very combative sets to move within one of the title, and after a very tense set with drama near the end, Alcaraz managed to break as he sealed the title Down Under, kicking off 2026 in the best way possible.

Djokovic showed his intentions from the start, playing the same aggressive tennis he showcased in his semi-final triumph against Jannik Sinner. He dropped just one point on his serve in his first two service games before creating a chance to sneak in front. In their last meeting at the 2025 US Open semi-final, the Serbian managed to muster up just one break point opportunity. In the fourth game of the final, he was up to three. He took the third one and raced into a 3-1 lead.

He backed this up with a domineering hold to love before going 0-30 up against the Alcaraz serve. The world number one needed to find a boost from somewhere to get him going, as he shouted ‘Vamos’ after winning four points on the trot to close the gap back to two. This word was replaced by ‘impossible’ to his box as Djokovic doped only his second point on serve enroute to a 5-2 lead before taking the first set in truly supreme fashion.

Djokovic had dropped just one point when his first serve went in and was completely controlling the match from the baseline. This form would slightly fall off in the second set, and Alcaraz was there to pounce.

After holding to love, Alcaraz created his first two break chances of the match. He only needed one to get a foot hold in this final and even rebuffed a break point by the Serbian shortly after. The same pattern repeated itself later on in the set, as Alcaraz backed up a hold to love with a significant double break to move 5-2 in front.

The Djokovic level had dipped, with him hitting more unforced errors by the fourth game of the second set than the whole of the first set. This was compounded by Alcaraz resisting the immense return game of Djokovic to get the breaks, with his serve also becoming more lethal. This was proved to be the case as he levelled up proceedings.

Both players were showcasing a very high level in the third set, with some incredible shots and rallies occurring with the Rod Laver Arena crowd in awe of these incredible athletes. The most significant game so far came in the fifth game, where Alcaraz managed to take the lead of the match for the first time as he broke the Djokovic serve.

Alcaraz still had to get the job done and looked like it would come in emphatic circumstances. He went 0-40 ahead, but Djokovic was able to hold on. Four deuces later, and a fifth set point was not going to be squandered by the six-time Grand Slam champion as he moved within one set of completing the career Grand Slam.

He had six break point opportunities in a mammoth game which took over 12 minutes and saw six deuces. In the end, Djokovic survived to live another day, letting out a big celebration to send a message that he is not done yet.

The set was relatively comfortably controlled by the server. This was until 4-4, when Djokovic created a hugely important break point, letting out a big roar while gesturing to the crowd for support as he looked to get back into the match. However, he threw it away with a long forehand. Alcaraz let out an even louder roar as he won three points on the trot to move within touching distance of the only major trophy he has yet to loft high above his head.

Djokovic kept himself in the match as he held to move the score to 5-5, with an 11th consecutive hold in the set saw Alcaraz once more sit within one game of history. He managed to end the holds of serve, creating two championship points. He only needed one, watching a Djokovic forehand go long as he collapsed to the ground in disbelief and delight as he finally secures the one Grand Slam eluding him. Djokovic comes over to his side of the court, sportingly congratulating the 22-year-old on making history. While his wait for a 25th Grand Slam prolongs, Alcaraz continues to make strides in this sport.