Novak Djokovic issued a reminder of his ability by reaching the final of the Australian Open, which he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic proved he is arguably the greatest ever with his run in Melbourne, which was ended only by the ATP number one.
He even took the first set against the top seed, but Alcaraz recovered to win the Australian Open final 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
Alcaraz completed the career Grand Slam with his success, which denied Djokovic an 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam title.
There was a 16-year age gap between the two finalists, with 22-year-old Alcaraz defeating 38-year-old Djokovic after three hours and two minutes.
Who finishes their career on more majors – Alcaraz or Djokovic?
Pat Cash thinks Novak Djokovic is a threat to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash has now shared his take on the veteran following his impressive run in Melbourne.
“Nobody knows what it’s like for a 38-year-old to be able to come out, play at this level and then recover,” said Cash, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“Are you supposed to play more matches or do you play fewer? Do you train less or more?
“If he can find that right balance – and really nobody knows what that is – he can continue to be a threat.
“You don’t have to always play the number one and number two – somebody can get knocked out.
“If he has a bit of luck, which he did in this tournament, he’s definitely a threat to the top two guys.”
Grade Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open performance out of 10…
Novak Djokovic’s run to Australian Open runner-up finish
Djokovic certainly had huge luck during his run at the Australian Open, where he received back-to-back walkovers.
But along with that fortune, the veteran showed his class time and again, particularly when he knocked out Jannik Sinner.
It was a display for the ages from the Serbian, with John McEnroe thinking Djokovic produced his best-ever display against the Italian.
With 24 Grand Slam titles, there have been too many world-class performances over the years to count, but he couldn’t quite pull out one more against Alcaraz.
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| First round | Pedro Martinez | 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 |
| Second round | Francesco Maestrelli | 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 |
| Third round | Botic van de Zandschulp | 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(7-4) |
| Fourth round | Jakub Mensik [16] | Walkover |
| Quarterfinal | Lorenzo Musetti [5] | 4-6, 3-6, 3-1, RET. |
| Semifinal | Jannik Sinner [2] | 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Final | Carlos Alcaraz [1] | 6-2, 2-6, 3-6, 5-7 |
But the lengthy stay should provide the 38-year-old with plenty of confidence that he can indeed still push Alcaraz and Sinner all the way.
The pair have now combined to win each of the last nine Grand Slam titles, with Djokovic fittingly representing the last champion outside of the Spanish and Italian superstars, winning the 2023 US Open.
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