Carlos Alcaraz took issue with one big decision made by the Australian Open, midway through his final against Novak Djokovic.
Having fallen into a one-set deficit, the Spaniard looked nervous and lost at times, powerless against his experienced opponent.
Naturally, many of his mistakes were brought about by the supreme ball-striking of the 38-year-old, but there were also countless unforced errors that saw him surrender the first set 6-2.
Being the champion that he is, Carlos Alcaraz re-emerged for the second set with renewed vigour, and would take it with ease by the same scoreline.
Where does that performance rank out of Novak Djokovic’s best of all time?
Aiming to maintain this momentum, he was stunned to see that the decision had been made to close the roof despite no rain having yet fallen.
Tim Henman gave his opinion as it happened.
Tim Henman questions big Australian Open final decision
Speaking live on TNT Sports, the British pundit sympathised with the world number one, who actually called for the Australian Open supervisor as he protested the decision.
Henman argued: “That seems somewhat bizarre. If it’s going to rain, close the roof completely and get it over with. If it’s not going to rain, why have they closed it so significantly?”
He would go on to note: “Closing the roof that amount is taking away the element of the wind because the wind won’t be able to get in.
“We have talked about the four breaks of serve coming from the umpire’s right, that’s because there has been a breeze down the court.
“That very well may eradicate that breeze and mean that we are playing in what is more like indoor conditions.
“The next question is, who does that suit? I think if I had to choose one, I would choose Djokovic.”
Before the match, another former British number one predicted whether Djokovic might retire after the Australian Open final. Thus far, he has proven he can still compete with Alcaraz, even after a gruelling semi-final with Jannik Sinner just before.
Carlos Alcaraz’s record in Grand Slam finals
Before last year, Alcaraz had a completely unblemished record when it came to Grand Slam finals.
However, having reached three of the four played in 2025 and faced a player as talented as Sinner in all of them, eventually, he had to come unstuck.
Surprisingly, that came at Wimbledon, an event which he had dominated for the two years prior.
Were the Australian Open too lenient with Carlos Alcaraz?
It marked his first and only loss in a Grand Slam final, as he boasts a 5-1 record on such a stage.
Were he to beat Novak Djokovic, that would extend to 6-1, but if he were to lose, his win rate in major finals would drop to 71%.
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