MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz had Novak Djokovic on the other side of the net and Rafael Nadal watched from above at Rod Laver Arena.
His inspiration and his idol.
Alcaraz had visions of this as a child – not that long ago, in the scheme of things – so there was no better time to show them what he had learned from watching the two all-time greats, or what he had borrowed from their aura.
He staged a comeback, winning four sets against Djokovic and walking away from Sunday’s Australian Open final as the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam – that is, winning all four tennis majors.
At 22 and 272 days old, he is considerably younger than Nadal (24) and Djokovic (29) when they reached that milestone, putting him a level below Don Budge in 1938, when he was a few days shy of his 23rd birthday.
As soon as he completed the career Slam – adding his first win in Australia to his two victories at Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the US Open – the question of a run on the Grand Slam calendar was raised. That’s all four major titles in one season, something no one has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969.
“Those are big words, to be honest,” said Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion at Roland Garros. “You know, I just want to take it one by one. Right now the next one is the French Open. I have great memories of that tournament. Every time I go there I feel very special.
“I don’t really want to put pressure on myself to have to do it, but you know, it’s going to be great. Right now I’ll try to be ready… to play a good tournament in the next Grand Slam.”
Alcaraz, down a set after Djokovic’s opening salvo, channeled the legends and changed his play to disrupt the rhythm. It worked. He is now the only man to win seven major titles before his 23rd birthday.
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the majors since Djokovic won the last of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the 2023 US Open, with one or the other winning the last nine.
Sinner was aiming for a third consecutive title in Australia, but lost in five sets to ten-time Australian champion Djokovic in the semi-finals.
There were many who questioned the decision when Alcaraz and former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero parted ways after the young Spaniard won the last US Open, and who doubted his chances of being ready to win a first title in Australia.
Samuel Lopez stepped up to manage the team and Alcaraz admitted that the pre-season had been ’emotionally a rollercoaster for me’.
“A lot of people had doubts about my level in this tournament,” he said. “Every year I came here to Australia I thought about getting the trophy but I couldn’t get past the quarter-finals.”
In 2026, he said he arrived at Melbourne Park “hungry for more, ambitious for the trophy, and mentally strong enough, without hearing anything or any words” from critics.
“And then just playing good tennis in this tournament means a lot, everything to me,” he said, “and it’s a dream come true for me.”
With his latest bid for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title stymied, Djokovic could at least joke about the 16-year age difference between himself and Alcaraz.
“Well, the first time I played him, he was, what, 11 or 12 years old?” he said smiling. “No, he was, I think, 18 or 19. You could already see that he was destined for great things.
“He’s improved physically, mentally and game-wise. I mean, he’s constantly looking to renew himself and his game, and that’s exactly the kind of mentality that needs to be fostered for a champion.”
Asked about the potential for Alcaraz to be counted among the greats of the sport, Djokovic said the Grand Slam career is “a testament to his already great career.”
“Of course already a legendary tennis player who has already left a big mark in the history books of tennis,” he added. “Anything is possible in his case, there is no doubt about that.”
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