Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are set to do battle in a blockbuster final at the Australian Open.
After the two emerged victorious in their respective semifinals at Melbourne Park, Djokovic and Alcaraz will face off for the title, with both stars chasing history.
At 22 years of age, the Spaniard is looking to become the youngest player in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam by winning each of the four major trophies at least once.
Djokovic, 16 years his senior, is bidding to become the player with the most Grand Slam titles of any man or woman in history.
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The Serb currently has 24 majors to his name, as many as Margaret Court, and has been chasing number 25 since 2024.
Previewing the final, former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski told Djokovic exactly what he needs to do to beat Alcaraz.
Greg Rusedski previews the 2026 Australian Open men’s final
In an episode of ‘Off Court with Greg‘, Rusedski said: “One thing that is going to be key for Novak, he has to serve exceptionally well.
“And the nice thing is, Alcaraz doesn’t return quite as well as Jannik Sinner. So he will have this tactically down what he needs to do.
“The question mark for me [is] will he physically be strong enough to go back-to-back against Sinner and Alcaraz? Alcaraz is 23 (actually 22). Yes, he was throwing up. Yes, he was cramping, but you’re like an elastic, you bounce back.
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“And that’s why, to me, this is one of the most intriguing finals we’ve had in a long time. Tactically, Novak will know exactly what he needs to do.
“It’ll be interesting because Samuel Lopez has done a great job throughout these championships so far, but here’s the ultimate test for him.
“Can he beat Novak in the finals of his most successful slam? Will he get the tactics right? Will he find the solution? If he does, no more talk about Juan Carlos Ferrero as well.”
Novak Djokovic’s record against Carlos Alcaraz in major finals
Djokovic and Alcaraz have played each other in two Grand Slam finals over the course of their careers, the first of which came at Wimbledon in 2023.
In the championship match at the All England Club that season, Alcaraz beat Djokovic in a thrilling five-set match to secure his second major.
They met in the final of Wimbledon again the year after, with Alcaraz enjoying a much more comfortable victory over Djokovic in straight sets.
Now, they will go toe-to-toe in the final of a hard-court Grand Slam for the very first time.
Djokovic leads Alcaraz 3-1 on the surface, but lost their most recent hard-court matchup at the 2025 US Open.
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