Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final to complete his career as a grand slam

Carlos Alcaraz was a ghost for the first 45 minutes of his first Australian Open final. While the Spaniard was painfully hesitant in one of the most important events of his career, he was stifled by the undying brilliance of Novak Djokovic, who stormed into this historic match desperate to take the initiative and set the tone.

A younger version of Alcaraz may have compounded his slow start by hitting too much, as was the case during parts of their ill-fated Olympic battle in Paris eighteen months ago, but here he calmly worked his way into the match and then took control. In doing so, he achieved one of the great sporting achievements of recent years, recovering from defeat by beating Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 and triumphing at the Australian Open for the first time in his career.

This sport has produced many legendary young champions, from Bjorn Borg to Rafael Nadal, a witness from the front row at Rod Laver Arena. However, Alcaraz continues to claim that he is the greatest young male tennis player who ever lived.

At just 22 years old, the Spaniard is the youngest man in history to complete the grand slam in his career, a record set by Don Budge in 1938, 87 years ago. Only eight other men have won all four Grand Slam titles in history.

Djokovic’s stunning five-set defeat to Jannik Sinner on Friday made this a historic event regardless of the outcome. By beating Djokovic, he denied the Serb what would have been a crowning achievement of his peerless career as he sought to become the oldest grand slam champion in the open era and owner of a record 25 all-time grand slam titles.

This was a mature, composed performance from a remarkable athlete who has already established himself as a legend of the game. Alcaraz started slowly against dazzling levels from Djokovic, who served accurately and tried to get every last ball in the rise, hitting his forehand so cleanly as he took the first set.

Alcaraz slowly eased his way into the match, but instead of simply blasting through the 38-year-old, he intelligently forced Djokovic off the court with his width and absorbed the Serb’s extreme aggression with his peerless defense. Even as he faltered physically toward the end, Djokovic fought admirably, but Alcaraz withstood his pressure to seal a monumental win.

While some players would have publicly backed away from the pressure of completing the grand slam in their career, Alcaraz has welcomed it. In recent months he has repeatedly emphasized that he wants this title more than any other tournament in the world right now, and that he would trade multiple titles at the other three Grand Slams for his first Australian Open title. Once again, his inner conviction is much stronger than the pressure that follows his lofty ambitions.

There’s an extra layer of satisfaction here. It was just six weeks ago that Alcaraz shocked the tennis world by parting ways with his longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former ATP No. 1, and promoting Samuel López, previously Ferrero’s deputy, as his head coach. Much criticism and doubt followed. Alcaraz has responded to the noise by winning the next major, the tournament he most desperately wanted. It was the perfect response and in the process Alcaraz became the youngest man in history to win seven Grand Slam titles.

As in their fateful Olympic gold medal match, Djokovic knew what a rare opportunity this was. He stormed into the match and hit the ball majestically from the first point. He served brilliantly, rolling through his opening service games and his forehand was on fire as he tore through a troubled Alcaraz.

Djokovic could do whatever he wanted with the ball for the first 45 minutes, but by the start of the second set he had fallen to the ground again. This time his ultra-aggressive approach yielded three unforced errors and a first break for Alcaraz. Although still far from his best, the Spaniard remained solid, defended well and found his first serve at key points to separate himself from Djokovic.

Drizzly conditions earlier in the day had prompted the tournament organizers to start the match with the roof of Rod Laver Arena only half open, in some of the coldest and windiest conditions of the fortnight. The roof was closed even further between sets, which led to some complaints from Alcaraz.

However, there was no chance that Alcaraz would let his displeasure affect his focus. After taking over the momentum in the match, he refused to let it go. Alcaraz established his lead by using the width of both wings to force Djokovic into him from the center of the field. As Djokovic looked increasingly tired and the number of unforced errors continued to rise, Alcaraz powered through two service breaks.

At the start of the fourth set, the ten-time Australian Open champion didn’t seem to have much left to give. Anyway, he kept fighting like he always does.

Djokovic dug so deep when he somehow emerged from a breathless marathon service game at 0-1 after saving six break points. He kept himself in the match by somehow holding his serve throughout the set. At 4-4, his enormous efforts were rewarded with a break point on Alcaraz’s serve. However, he was too tired and exhausted, and after Alcaraz steeled his nerves to close the hold, the Spaniard regained control to secure his final piece of the grand slam puzzle.