Preview ATP Australian Open Final | Carlos Alcaraz aims for Career Grand Slam as Novak Djokovic stands one win from a historic 25th major

The first Grand Slam of the year reaches its conclusion with Sunday’s men’s final for the Australian Open title. Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will face each other, both carrying big ambitions and the possibility of making history on Day 15 at Melbourne Park.

While voices had emerged suggesting that this Australian Open had lacked great battles, the semifinal day delivered a pair of classics that will remain in the tournament’s history. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated the 2025 runner-up in five sets, in a battle lasting more than five hours that entered the record books as the third longest match in the history of the tournament.

After the delay before the second match, Novak Djokovic secured an unexpected victory against Jannik Sinner, also requiring five sets. The Italian arrived as a two-time defending champion and riding a streak of 19 consecutive wins in Melbourne (in addition to five straight victories against Djokovic), but he could not overcome a masterful performance from the 38-year-old player, who will now seek on Sunday to become the oldest player to ever lift a major trophy.

From early in the season, Alcaraz had warned that his main objective of the year was the Australian Open title. With two trophies at each of the other Slams (French Open, Wimbledon and US Open), the 22-year-old Spaniard is missing only the Australian Open to join the select group of players who completed the Career Grand Slam — and to become the youngest player ever to achieve it.

The world No. 1 advanced through the rounds without major complications until the semifinals. He defeated opponents such as Adam Walton, Yannick Hanfmann, Corentin Moutet, Tommy Paul and Alex De Minaur in straight sets. He arrived at the semifinals with a 15–0 set record and three tie-breaks won, before facing the epic clash against Alexander Zverev.

After taking a two-set lead, it appeared that Alcaraz would secure another quick victory. However, the German reacted, claiming two consecutive sets in tie-breaks and pushing the match to a fifth set. Despite having the chance to serve for the match at 5–3 in the deciding set, Alcaraz ultimately produced his best tennis at the end, showing nerves of steel to win four games in a row and seal the victory.

For Alcaraz, this marks his first Australian Open final and the eighth Grand Slam final of his young career (6–1 record in major finals). What has defined Alcaraz’s feats is not only his extraordinary shot-making, but also the mentality with which he has escaped complicated moments — reminiscent of the competitive spirit of Rafael Nadal or even Djokovic himself. The win over Zverev undoubtedly recalls the three match points saved in the Roland Garros final against Sinner, or the Wimbledon 2023 final against Djokovic, when he came back from a set down after more than four hours of battle.

The world No. 1 is seeking to become the youngest player to complete the Career Grand Slam — an achievement reached only by the Big Three and Andre Agassi — and to claim his seventh major title, which would place him among the top 10 Grand Slam champions in history, equalling John McEnroe and Mats Wilander.

Pure history continues to be written by the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who has reached the 38th Grand Slam final of his career and will once again face Carlos Alcaraz. There had been serious doubts about Djokovic’s level during the tournament, particularly throughout a complicated second week before reaching the semifinals.

In the early rounds, he advanced without problems, earning straight-set wins against Pedro Martínez, Francesco Maestrelli and Botic van de Zandschulp. At the start of the second week, he did not have to take the court, following the withdrawal of his Round of 16 opponent Jakub Menšík, who retired before the match due to an abdominal injury that will keep him out of competition for several months.

However, the reality check arrived in the quarterfinals for the 38-year-old. In an irregular performance, he found himself two sets down against world No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, who appeared on the verge of delivering a major upset by eliminating the 10-time Australian Open champion. However, an injury forced Musetti to retire with the score in his favour at 6–4, 6–3, 1–3. Not only did the score favour Musetti, but also the level of play and match rhythm, with Djokovic clearly being outplayed. Djokovic himself later acknowledged that fortune helped him and admitted that, based on the level shown, Musetti deserved the victory more.

The semifinals produced an epic battle to remember for Djokovic, who defeated the world No. 2 and four-time Grand Slam champion in five sets. He exacted revenge for three Grand Slam semifinal defeats at the hands of Sinner and spent more than four hours on court to secure a special victory at this stage of his career. However, there is still one task remaining before any celebration — and it will come against the current world No. 1.