25. Grand Slam-Career title or earliest career Grand Slam? It’s not just because of this question that the final of the… Australian Open on Sunday (02/01/2026, 9:30 a.m., live in the Sportschau ticker) between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will be a very special one.
What else is supposed to happen in a final when the two semi-finals actually leave no room for improvement? What Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner in the fight for the final of the Australian Open on the hard court in Melbourne who performed magic and fought must have been unique. Both games were high-class, dramatic, unpredictable, surprising, emotional – they were perfect. Especially for the two winners, one of whom will achieve something historic.
Before Alcaraz and Djokovic advanced to the final with their five-set victories, they were part of a tournament that had offered good tennis but little excitement. The favorites were too confident and didn’t allow for any surprises. That was actually only different for Djokovic, who was lucky but made it to the semi-finals. He had only had to play nine sets up to that point because Jakub Mensik had to fold before the round of 16 and Lorenzo Musetti had to give up afterwards when he was 2-0 in the set lead.
Instead of an early exit, there could be the Djokovic party
“I was basically on my way home”Djokovic admitted after reaching the semifinals, for which he didn’t have to win a set. Now it could be that the record Grand Slam winner even travels home with his anniversary victory after winning the 25th major title of his career. The fact that this could happen, given the dominance of the two world number one Alcaraz and Sinner, is a big surprise. But also a clear signal to the tennis world.
The fact that a 38-year-old can defeat a 24-year-old after being 1-2 down in five thrilling rounds after more than four hours is extraordinary. Before the tournament, Djokovic also said: “I don’t have the strength in my legs to be able to keep up with these guys later in the tournament.” The former world number one has proven to himself that this is not true. Of course, he benefited from his previous savings.
Djokovic with a statement on and off the court
Defeating Sinner, who had previously won 19 games in a row as champion of 2024 and 2025 in Melbourne, was a huge surprise despite this advantage. But it was also the message that you should never write off Djokovic. It is also a special success for him because of a press conference of his that previously went viral. In which he was asked how it felt to be the hunter of Alcaraz and Sinner, after having previously been the hunter of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“I’m chasing them both?”Djokovic asked indignantly and made it clear: “I find that disrespectful. I used to chase Roger and ‘Rafa’ and now Jannik and Carlos. But in between there is a period of about 15 years in which I dominated the Grand Slams. I don’t feel like a hunter, I’m writing my own story.” After the big words, his playful statement followed Rod Laver Arena.
Whether hunter or not – the hunt for his 25th Grand Slam title is on. But on the other side there is also a hunter. Alcaraz has the chance to become the youngest tennis player in history to win all four major tournaments on Sunday. The 22-year-old triumphed twice at the French Open, at Wimbledon and at the US Open, and with a Melbourne masterpiece he would replace Don Budge as the record holder. In 1938, at the age of 23, the American completed the complete package.
Title in Melbourne is above all else for Alcaraz
“I would rather win the Australian Open now than the other three Grand Slams this year to become the youngest player in history to complete the career Grand Slam.”said Alcaraz, making it clear how much he cares about this possible record. At that moment the Spaniard didn’t know who he would face in the final.
Like Djokovic, Alcaraz also survived moments against Zverev in which a victory seemed almost impossible. He had cramps, said afterwards that it was “The most physically difficult game of my career” been. Neither of the two finalists can go into this historic game on Sunday without heavy legs; it will once again be about pushing the limits of resilience further than the opponent. Both want something historic, only one will achieve it.
