Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic in Australian Open 2026 final to become youngest man to complete career Grand Slam; watch winning moment

Australian Open 2026 Final: Carlos Alcaraz etched his name in history on the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park after he defeated Serbian legend Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday (February 1, 2026) to clinch his first ever Australian Open title.

The Spaniard swept past Djokovic, who had never lost in his 10 previous finals, to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam with the Melbourne title now under his belt. His victory denied the Serbian great an unprecedented 25th major.

Alcaraz achieves a rare feat

At 22 years and 272 days, Alcaraz is the youngest man to complete a set of all four major singles titles. He broke the mark set by Don Budge in the 1938 French championships, when he was 22 years and 363 days. The Spaniard now has seven major titles, his first in Australia, along with two each at Wimbledon and the French and U.S. Opens.

Australian Open 2026 Final: Key Moments

The top-seeded star was imperious after a slow start in dismissing the 38-year-old Serbian legend to claim a seventh Slam title and cement himself as the undisputed world number one.

Alcaraz dropped the first set as Djokovic went out hard in pursuit of a record 25th major title, but he rallied to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. The 22-year-old Spaniard scrambled to retrieve shots that usually would be winners for Djokovic, and he kept up intense pressure on his 38-year-old rival.

After securing the crucial win, Alcaraz let his racket slip out of his hand and fell to the ground on his back, putting his hands to his head. He stayed there for a few seconds before going to the net to shake hands with Djokovic.

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Djokovic's wait for 25th major continues

The wait for the 25th major continues for Djokovic, who is considered the 'king of Melbourne', having won the Australian Open title 10 times in his career. He pushed hard to secure an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title but fell short. He has now been denied a Grand Slam title by either Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner on nine occasions.

Djokovic edged Sinner in the semi-finals and was aiming to be the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era but didn’t quite make it against Alcaraz.