Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final on Sunday, with history on the line for both players.
For the Serbian, he is still chasing that elusive 25th major title, whilst his junior opponent aims to become the youngest player in tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam.
With these two wonderful storylines pitting two of the game’s most respected and exciting individuals against one another, we should be guaranteed fireworks.
Novak Djokovic, speaking at his press conference after beating Jannik Sinner earlier today, has now previewed the clash.
Novak Djokovic previews his Australian Open final vs Carlos Alcaraz
Referencing the two respective records that he and Carlos Alcaraz are seeking to break, the 38-year-old was asked to put such huge moments of potential history into the context of Sunday’s Australian Open final.
Djokovic responded by admitting: “For me, I think also obviously for Carlos because of his age and everything that he was able to achieve so far, history is on the line for both of us every time we play. The finals of Grand Slam, you know, there’s a lot at stake, but it’s no different from, you know, any other big match that I play.
Where does that performance rank out of Novak Djokovic’s best of all time?
“My preparation is as it should be, and I won against him last year here, you know, also in a gruelling match. Let’s see. Let’s see how fresh we are both able to be.”
He then touched on how they will naturally recover at different rates given the 16-year age gap between them, adding: “He also had a big match, but he has 15, 16 years on me. You know, biologically, I think it’s going to be a bit easier for him to recover.
“But, yeah, I look forward to it. Look, I play tennis competitively mainly to be able to reach the finals of Grand Slams. Here I am, so I cannot complain about anything. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment that I’m experiencing tonight. I’ll think about finals later, but for me, this is a win that almost equals winning a Grand Slam.”
Djokovic revealed what he told Sinner at the net after their match, having actually spoken to Alcaraz straight after he claimed an emphatic five-set win of his own over Alexander Zverev.
Novak Djokovic’s head-to-head record against Carlos Alcaraz
Djokovic is one of the few players on the ATP Tour who actually boast a positive head-to-head record over Alcaraz, and will hope to extend his slender lead when Sunday comes around.
And, this will not be the first final that these two have contested; in fact, it will be the sixth, and a third at the Grand Slam level.
The Spaniard has bragging rights in major finals, having won the two they had at Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024.
However, Djokovic gained revenge for the former of those two by beating Alcaraz in Cincinnati later that summer.
Arguably, the greatest and most dramatic triumph of the 38-year-old’s career remains his Olympic gold medal, where again he conquered Alcaraz in the final.
Who will win the Australian Open men’s singles final?
He will have to summon all that strength and more if he is to do the unthinkable again on Sunday, which would extend his winning record over the youngster to 6-4.
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