Carlos Alcaraz Makes History by Winning the Australian Open
Australian Open
February 1, 2026
Carlos Alcaraz lay flat on his back and covered his face with his hands.
The sheer ecstasy of achieving the toughest feat in tennis so very early was clearly powerful. It seemed to overwhelm him for a moment.
His 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic reminded us of basic biological realities. Truths we’d been tempted by recent events to discard.
Even the greatest can’t defy time every day of the week. The Serb must be wondering when to call it quits.
Carlos Alcaraz will surely want Novak Djokovic to play Wimbledon 2026. So do we!
With majors still within touching distance, why wouldn’t Novak give it one more go on grass?
Or does Djokovic think this was the closest he will ever come to pulling off the miracle of one more Grand Slam? Maybe it was. But while there is still hope…
Carlitos could be forgiven for feeling a tiny tinge of uncertainty over the coming days, too.
What now for the champion? Alcaraz has already done it all at 22 years and nine months old. He knows what it’s like to win all four Grand Slam titles.
The Australian Open completes the much-anticipated Carlitos Career Slam. But he still has at least three-quarters of his career to play!
‘Historic and legendary,’ said the vanquished Novak Djokovic generously when asked to describe the enormity of the youngster’s success.
‘It’s a dream come true for me,’ admitted Alcaraz simply.
What remaining targets are there for the young man who has everything? Well, there’s the Olympic Games going forward. That must remain a burning ambition for the man so painfully denied last time.
One look at the rival standing on the other side of the net in Melbourne will have served as a reminder of the sorrow Carlitos felt at Paris ’24 when Djokovic took gold and left him in tears.
Perhaps that experience served as extra motivation on Sunday, if indeed any were needed. But you sense that Alcaraz will always find fresh motivation.
Carlos Alcaraz will arrive at Wimbledon 2026 wanting his title back, for example. He won’t be happy that Jannik Sinner is reigning champion.
Up until last English summer, Carlos was king of the All England Club. He had been crowned twice and must have thought he was heading for a hat-trick.
Sinner excelling so unexpectedly on grass gave the golden boy from Spain a nasty jolt. He’ll want to put that right on Centre Court if he can.
But for now, Alcaraz deserves to feel satisfied that all his hard work has borne such glorious fruit.
He explained: ‘Nobody knows how hard I’ve worked to get this trophy. I chased this moment so much. I appreciate it was a rollercoaster emotionally.’
Carlitos had plenty of fun over the Christmas break – as documented on social media. He laughed it off, saying he had needed to recharge the batteries.
Maybe he tried to compensate too much when he got back to training – and became too intense. The cramps he suffered against Sascha Zverev were certainly a surprise.
But when it came to the final, youth and extra energy were on his side once more. And we saw it in the final game, when Alcaraz was the one to prevail at the end of a 24=shot rally.
Djokovic had looked leggy from the business end of the second set. But his astounding opener had confirmed something.
Novak at his physical peak is every bit as good as Alcaraz and Sinner – maybe better. He just beat Jannik at the age of 38, after all. Maintaining thar peak is the issue these days.
Djokovic didn’t find that elusive 25th Grand Slam title, because time caught up with him. But what a player. What a competitor.