Novak Djokovic was defeated in the Australian Open final on Sunday, ending his hopes of winning a 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz, who has equalled a Bjorn Borg record and became the youngest male player in tennis history to complete the Career Grand Slam in Men’s Singles events.
The Serbian star had been hoping to win a 25th Grand Slam title; a title that would move him one clear of Margaret Court.
Djokovic began the contest in emphatic fashion against Alcaraz, winning the first set 6-2. However, Alcaraz quickly re-established control of the match, winning the next three sets 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
Do you believe Carlos Alcaraz is already the greatest tennis player of all time?
And, following the contest, Djokovic has hinted at a possible physical issue which may have hampered his ability to perform at the highest level in the second set.
Novak Djokovic hints at a ‘sudden’ physical issue vs Carlos Alcaraz
Djokovic’s level certainly appeared to drop midway through the second set against Alcaraz, and now tennis fans have some insight into why that decrease in level may have occurred.
In the Serbian portion of Djokovic’s post-match press conference, he first discussed the impact of the wind on the contest, before suggesting that he had suffered a physical issue after the first set.
Djokovic said: “It surely affected it [the wind]. I lost that last game playing against the wind; missed first serves, pressure, and then forehand errors. You feel it on the court, though people watching on TV might not see it.
“It’s not an excuse, it’s the same for him and me. But other health-related things happened that unfortunately caused a sharp turn in energy and the feeling on the court. That is what annoyed and disappointed me the most.
“Of course, the result matters—you can’t always win or lose against the world number one at this level—and I’m proud of my fight, but it irritates me that this has been happening often in the last two years: things change in a moment and I’m just not myself anymore.
“I was in a perfect state, 6-2, everything going well, and then a sudden drop in energy. It is what it is. We move on.”
When asked by a journalist for the specifics in regard to the ‘sudden drop in energy,’ Djokovic refused to expand on his points.
The Serbian star concluded: “I can’t. I don’t want to. I’m sorry.”
Djokovic moves up the rankings
Djokovic’s run to the Melbourne final has resulted in him catapulting Alexander Zverev into the world number three spot.
Zverev, the finalist in 2025, was knocked out in the semi-finals of the 2026 event, resulting in a loss of 500 points.
Can Carlos Alcaraz win MORE Grand Slams than Novak Djokovic? 🤔
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic improved on his quarter-final run at the 2025 tournament by reaching the final in 2026. This improvement earned him an extra 900 ATP points.
Djokovic now sits on 5,280 points while Zverev is on 4,605.
Lorenzo Musetti, who was forced to retire from his Australian Open quarter-final match against Djokovic, is in fifth place on 4,405 points.
Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton and Alexander Bublik round out the top 10.
