Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic both played admirably to reach the Australian Open final, but there could only ever be one winner.
The unique part about this particular clash was that whoever came out on top would be rewriting history.
The 38-year-old was seeking to break Margaret Court’s record of 24 major titles, whilst Alcaraz aimed to be the youngest player to ever win the career Grand Slam.
In the end, youth prevailed, but the 22-year-old had nothing but praise for his legendary opponent in the aftermath.
Carlos Alcaraz gives his opinion on Novak Djokovic after the Australian Open final
Speaking in Melbourne Park as he spent his day taking photos with his new trophy, Carlos Alcaraz was asked to deliver his honest verdict on Novak Djokovic.
He was open in his assessment of the Serbian, first speaking about his emotions during the match: “This is a dream come true.
Can Carlos Alcaraz win MORE Grand Slams than Novak Djokovic? 🤔
“At the point of the match, I was really nervous, I must say that my whole body was shaking. When I saw the ball go into the net, it was a great feeling. I felt that I had achieved what I had fought so hard for. Only my team and my family are aware of how hard I have worked to achieve this.”
Alcaraz then underwhelmed as he answered questions about how he celebrated the title: “I didn’t have the energy to do anything, I finished very late. I spent some time with my brother and some friends enjoying some board games, nothing more.”
However, he concluded with glowing praise for Djokovic, noting: “It is a great honour for me to join the legends who have won all the great tournaments.
“I will continue working to be in the best possible shape and do well in the most important events. Winning all four Grand Slams in the same year are bigger words; I prefer to go little by little.
“The truth is that it doesn’t cross my mind to play until I’m 38, but Novak is a great inspiration for me in terms of the power of his desire to continue competing and everything he works to achieve his challenges.
“It’s really impressive to see how he continues to compete for the big titles and challenge the youngest. The way he believes in his possibilities and puts in all his effort is really impressive.”
This came after Alcaraz revealed what he spoke to Rafael Nadal about just after the final.
All of Carlos Alcaraz’s seven Grand Slam titles
Alcaraz is now arguably the greatest youngster in tennis history, but that was not assured when he first burst onto the scene.
However, people could certainly tell that something special was brewing when, at 19, he won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open.
In doing so, he also became the youngest ever year-end world number one.
Do you believe Carlos Alcaraz is already the greatest tennis player of all time?
Alcaraz followed that up with the Wimbledon title in 2023, before winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2024 to bring his total major tally up to four.
Whilst unable to defend his title at the All-England Club as successfully as he did the French Open last year, he did add another US Open to his cabinet, with this Australian Open marking a fine start to 2026 and his seventh Grand Slam.
There are surely many more to come as his career continues to progress.
