Serbian tennis player Novak Đoković failed to win his 25th Grand Slam title, losing in the Australian Open final to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz 3-1 in sets.
The Spanish player became the youngest tennis player to achieve a Career Grand Slam.
We hoped, we wanted, we kept our fingers crossed for Novak, but he did not make it to the end, to the 11th Grand Slam title in Australia. In his eleventh final in the iconic Rod Laver Arena, he faced an in-form challenger, world number one Carlos Alcaraz, and for the first time in a title match in Melbourne, in his 38th Grand Slam final, he yielded.
Two hours and 182 minutes of play were enough for the young man from El Palmar to realize his dream and become King of Australia for the first time, succeeding two years later the great rival, Jannik Sinner. The final score was 3:6, 6:2, 6:3, 7:5.
This marked Alcaraz’s Career Slam, a title at all four Grand Slams. It was his seventh Grand Slam overall, first in Australia, while he has two each at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. In the Open Era, he now equals Mats Wilander and John McEnroe in total Slam count.
It was their tenth meeting, bringing their head-to-head to 5-5. It was also their sixth meeting at a Grand Slam, with Alcaraz now leading 4-2. While this triumph marks the continuation of the “Sincaraz era,” Đoković’s semi-final win over Sinner showed that the story this season may not be so one-sided, as it has been in the last two seasons. There will be more drama in Paris, London, and New York, and the pursuit of the 25th Grand Slam in tennis will continue.
The match began masterfully. As in his best days, Novak dominated the court from the start. This was the polar opposite of his slow start against Sinner, when the Italian earned an early break. This time, Novak dictated the pace, while Alcaraz fell behind.
During this period, Novak served excellently. Alcaraz could not handle the serves, and Đoković seized every opportunity to attack—risking deeply placed shots just as he had against Sinner. In the fourth game, he failed to convert the first break point; Alcaraz responded with a flawless drop shot. Novak missed the second chance as well, but converted the third.
Alcaraz won only two points on Novak’s serve in that opening set, highlighting the imbalance of power. After just 33 minutes, Đoković secured the first set 6:3.
However, it was only a matter of time before the young player from Murcia woke up and played at the level of the world number one. He did not falter after losing the first set; instead, he stepped forward courageously, seemingly drawing strength from the cheers of idol and former rival Rafael Nadal in the stands.
or Alcaraz, it was all about the game. Once he entered that “magic circle,” he played without thinking of the moment, the stakes, or the previous set. He began striking from every position, changing the pace of play with powerful shots to the sidelines and precise drop shots, constantly improvising and reaching even seemingly impossible balls.
Early on, the Spaniard broke for 2-1. The key moment of the set came when Đoković failed to immediately counter with a re-break. That encouraged Alcaraz to attack even harder, securing another break in the seventh game for 5-2, after which he served out to level the match at one set apiece.
The focus was on Alcaraz’s serve, which mirrored Novak’s style, and he served more reliably in the following sets. However, Novak struggled against Alcaraz’s deadly diagonals—sometimes short, sometimes long—which pushed him off the court. Even Novak’s signature stretches weren’t enough to retrieve or return those shots precisely.
Alcaraz knew he could not repeat past mistakes, like last year’s Melbourne quarterfinal or the Olympic final, where mental barriers cost him key points. This time, he maintained composure.
Novak had no chance on Alcaraz’s serve, and with breaks in the fifth and ninth games, the Spaniard secured a 2-1 set lead after exactly two hours of play.
It was clear that, as in the semifinal against Sinner, Novak had to find a solution to extend the final. The usual thread of drama, so often present in his title matches at this venue, was missing.
In the fourth set, Novak held serve, even saving six break points to reach 4-4. At 4-4, 30-40, he failed to convert the opportunity. Alcaraz spectacularly escaped, while Novak overplayed and missed twice, giving the Spaniard a 5-4 lead.
At 6-5, they played a 24-shot rally, won by Alcaraz due to a Novak error. This signaled the end. Novak even attempted a serve-and-volley approach to change momentum, but it failed. Alcaraz converted his first match point and made history.
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Source: Mozzartsport, Foto: Instagram/AO