Carlos Alcaraz made tennis history on Sunday, defeating Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in the 2026 Australian Open final to become the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam. The 22-year-old Spanish champion captured his first Melbourne title in three hours and two minutes at Rod Laver Arena, adding the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup to his trophy collection.
The victory marks a historic milestone as Alcaraz, at 22 years and 272 days old, shattered Don Budge's 88-year-old record for the youngest career Grand Slam. The American had achieved the feat at Roland Garros 1938, just before his 23rd birthday. In the Open Era, Rafael Nadal previously held the record at 24 years and 101 days when he completed his Grand Slam at the 2010 US Open.
Alcaraz is now the ninth man in tennis history to win all four major championships and the first to complete the career Grand Slam by winning in Melbourne. Coincidentally, Djokovic was the last player to achieve this milestone, accomplishing it at the 2016 French Open. The young Spaniard also became the youngest player in the Open Era to hold seven Grand Slam singles titles, surpassing Bjorn Borg who achieved this mark at age 23.
The match began with Djokovic showing vintage form as the 38-year-old Serbian dominated the opening set 6-2. However, Alcaraz responded with characteristic resilience, leveling the contest by taking the second set with the same scoreline. The Spaniard then seized control in the third set, winning 6-3 to move within one set of the title.
In the fourth set, Alcaraz maintained his momentum despite Djokovic's attempts to extend the match. The world number one broke serve at crucial moments and served out the championship 7-5 to deny Djokovic his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and 11th Australian Open crown. The defeat keeps Djokovic tied at 24 major titles.
Alcaraz's road to the final was equally dramatic, having survived a grueling five-set semifinal against Alexander Zverev that lasted five hours and 27 minutes, the longest semifinal in Australian Open history. Despite battling cramps and fatigue, the Spaniard rallied from two sets down in the fourth set tiebreak to prevail 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5. His previous six Grand Slam titles were evenly distributed between Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open, making Australia the final piece of his collection.
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