Carlos Alcaraz defeats Novak Djokovic to win Australian Open, becomes youngest player to complete career Grand Slam
- - Carlos Alcaraz defeats Novak Djokovic to win Australian Open, becomes youngest player to complete career Grand Slam
Yahoo Sports StaffFebruary 1, 2026 at 5:49 AM
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Carlos Alcaraz defeats Novak Djokovic to win Australian Open, becomes youngest player to complete career Grand Slam
Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in four sets, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, to win the 2026 Australian Open on Sunday, dashing Djokovic's hopes of a 25th Grand Slam victory and cementing his status as the No. 1 player in the world.
The win gave Alcaraz his career Grand Slam and his seventh major win at just 22 years old. He joins Djokovic, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who did it at 24 years old, as the only men to complete the Grand Slam in the Open era.
CARL1TOS ☝️ Carlos Alcaraz claims his FIRST Australian Open title 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Irp0Ji3zXr
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 1, 2026
Djokovic dominated the first set, but Alcaraz gained momentum in the second set, breaking Djokovic in the third and seventh game, and never lost the advantage. In the third set, Alcaraz didn't lead until the fifth game, and Djokovic kept it close until the decisive ninth game. Djokovic didn't let Alcaraz off easy in the fourth set, trading points until the 11th and 12 games, where a string of unforced errors gave Alcaraz the match point and the win.
Until now, Djokovic had never lost an Australian Open final, winning a whopping 10 since 2008.
THE MOMENT CARLOS ALCARAZ BEAT NOVAK DJOKOVIC AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN TO BECOME THE YOUNGEST MAN TO COMPLETE THE CAREER GRAND SLAM. 22 years old. History. 🥹🥹🥹 pic.twitter.com/KU7P7U1WiA
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 1, 2026
After the match, Alcaraz called Djokovic "inspiring," and the runner-up heaped praise on Alcaraz while joking about the future.
"What you’ve been doing ... the best word to describe it is historic, legendary," Djokovic said. "So congratulations. I wish you [the] best of luck for the rest of your career. You’re so young. You have a lot of time, like myself. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other many times in the next 10 years."
While he's been reticent to talk about retirement, Djokovic did offer somewhat of a farewell, possibly in case this is his final Australian Open.
“God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in six months or 12 months, so it has been a great ride,” Djokovic said. "I love you guys."
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Source: “AOL Sports”
