Novak Djokovic has suffered rare heartache at the Australian Open, losing the final to Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic congratulated Alcaraz shortly after their clash at Rod Laver Arena, in which Alcaraz defeated the Serbian 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
The ATP rivals battled it out for more than three hours in a hugely exciting Australian Open final in Melbourne, before the 22-year-old overcame the 38-year-old.
It may not have been an all-time classic, but fans were able to witness history as Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
In the process, he denied a record 25th title for Djokovic, although the veteran has to hold his head extremely high after a stunning run in Melbourne.
Who finishes their career on more majors – Alcaraz or Djokovic?
Novak Djokovic ends greatest of all time debate as Australian Open concludes
Tennis fans named Roger Federer as the greatest male player ever ahead of the Australian Open, with the Swiss icon having retired as a 20-time Grand Slam champion.
He is just behind Rafael Nadal in second place with 22, but both are behind all-time leader Djokovic thanks to his 24.
Of course, there are various factors at play in the greatest of all time debate, but the Grand Slam title count certainly plays a major role.
But even with that status as the best-ever arguably already confirmed, Djokovic has now ended the debate once and for all.
With two walkovers at the Australian, he was definitely fortunate en route to the final, but there can be no debating his greatness in his semifinal win over Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic battled fatigue, the tough conditions and, of course, the two-time defending champion to win an all-time classic after four hours and nine minutes.
And despite the 16-year age gap, he continued that phenomenal form early on against Alcaraz, only for the world number one to recover in superb fashion.
He may not have secured his Grand Slam dream, but Djokovic stepped up when it mattered in Melbourne, sending a timely reminder that he absolutely hasn’t gone away just yet.
That suggests that clinching the dream remains possible, although the 101-time ATP champion quite simply owes nothing more to the sport at this stage of his career.
His impending new world ranking of third place epitomises his fantastic efforts, with Djokovic behind only Alcaraz and Sinner.
In a world crying out for a genuine contender to the duo for some time now, the Serbian remarkably represents the closest thing to such a player.
Grade Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open performance out of 10…
Novak Djokovic delivers classy speech despite Australian Open final loss
Being considered the greatest of all time predominantly focuses on efforts on the court, and there can be no questions asked of Djokovic in that regard.
But very importantly, he has the attitude to match it, showing his admirable character once again in his runner-up speech despite a heartbreaking loss.
A gracious and humble Djokovic allowed his opponent to steal the limelight, saying in his interview at Rod Laver Arena: “Congratulations Carlos on an amazing tournament and an amazing couple of weeks.
“To your coach, family and team, what you have been doing, I think the best word to describe it is historic, legendary. So congratulations and I wish you the best of luck for the rest of your career.
“You are so young, you have a lot of time. Like myself! So I am sure we will be seeing each other many times in the next 10 years.”
Djokovic even managed to see the funny side of things despite the defeat, again raising his stock in world tennis even further.
He’s a true champion and one that tennis will never quite be able to replicate once the veteran decides to call time on his extraordinary career.
Hopefully he won’t make that decision any time soon, although he could undoubtedly retire now as the greatest male tennis player of all time.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
