Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will face off for the Australian Open title tomorrow.
In addition to being the first Grand Slam tournament of the new year, both the Spaniard and the Serbian have the chance to make tennis history. The 22-year-old from Murcia wants to complete the 'Career Grand Slam' before he turns 23, while the legend from Belgrade is keen to become the oldest player ever to lift a Major trophy. Both are coming off tough battles in the semi-finals and it will be interesting to see how they recover from such an intense effort.
The world number 1 needed almost five and a half hours to beat Alexander Zverev, also overcoming cramps and reacting when he was really one step away from losing in the fifth set. Carlitos proved to be almost unbeatable in long matches once again, considering that he won 15 matches in the fifth set in his career out of 16 played.
The 38-year-old from Belgrade – on the other hand – achieved a memorable feat by breaking Jannik Sinner's winning streak in this tournament. The former world number 1 unleashed a performance that almost no one expected by obtaining a very special win, which he himself equated to winning a Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz and Djokovic will meet for the 10th time
Nole has already beaten Carlitos in this tournament, more precisely in the quarterfinals of the last edition, as well as being ahead 5-4 in the h2h. However, Alcaraz prevailed in their last clash staged in the semifinals of the 2025 US Open (he won in three sets in New York).
During the latest episode of the 'Nothing Major' podcast, former American aces Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson made their prediction on the AO men's final.
“I think Carlos,” said Querrey. “But I don’t feel comfortable saying it. After what I saw from Novak, I am excited.”
Johnson added: “We get something different. I think it’s good to see something different. I love watching the Sinner vs Carlos finals, but it’s nice to have something different.”
