As Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz eye history, the blueprint for both is clear

As Djokovic bids for the grand slam singles record of 25 titles, Alcaraz can become the youngest man in history to complete the career set

Sometimes, a sporting contest comes along that is so seismic, so loaded with narrative, that history is guaranteed either way. On Sunday evening in Melbourne, one of Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz will claim a career-defining achievement. Djokovic, at 38, stands a win away from a 25th grand slam singles title that would given him the sole ownership of the all-time record, and make him the oldest grand slam champion in the Open era. Alcaraz, at 22, can become the youngest man in history to complete the career grand slam, should he win the Australian Open title that completes the set.

With 15 years and 348 days between them, Djokovic and Alcaraz continue to chase records at opposite ends of their careers. This will be their third grand slam final. Alcaraz has won the previous two, denying Djokovic an eighth Wimbledon title in 2023 and 2024. But Djokovic defeated the Spaniard to win an elusive Olympics gold medal in Paris, rising to the occasion. A year ago, he defeated Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. It is a tournament Djokovic has won a record 10 times and he has never lost a final on the Rod Laver Arena. And, in the semi-finals, Djokovic reminded everyone why.

In one of the greatest performances on his career, Djokovic proved his doubters wrong by stunning the two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in five sets and across four hours and nine minutes. After five losses in a row to Sinner, Djokovic ensured there would not be a sixth, raising his game right as the insipid nature of his display against Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals suggested it was beyond him. A defiant Djokovic thanked those who had counted him out. “They gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong, which I have tonight,” he said. “This is win that almost equals winning a grand slam.”

(AFP via Getty Images)

But Djokovic has not won yet and, at his age, how he recovers from his efforts against Sinner will be key. Yet, in a tournament where many things have gone Djokovic’s way, from his fourth-round walkover against Jakub Mensik to the quarter-final retirement of Musetti as Djokovic trailed by two sets, his opponent must also recover from a marathon effort. Alcaraz’s semi-final victory over Alexander Zverev, in five hours and 27 minutes, was the third-longest Australian Open match of all time, and the world No 1 was hampered by cramp from the third set. “He also had a big match,” Djokovic said. “But he has 15, 16 years on me. I think it's going to be a bit easier for him to recover.”

The pressure on Alcaraz, though, will be enormous. He will have many more opportunities to complete the career grand slam - but, at 22 year and 272 days, he will never again have the chance to break Don Budge’s 1938 record and become the youngest man in history to win all four major titles. When Alcaraz arrived in Melbourne a few weeks ago, he was asked what he would do if given the choice between this Australian Open title or victories at the three other grand slams this year. After reaching the final for the first time, he finally gave an answer: “I would choose this one. I would say I rather win this one than the three and complete the grand slam and be the youngest ever to do it.”

Alcaraz’s determination and resolve in overcoming his physical struggles and Zverev in the fifth set of Friday’s epic was admirable, as he extended his remarkable record of winning his last 12 matches that have gone to five sets - “I had to put my heart into the match,” he said. But the fact that he struggled with leg cramp and pain around his right adductor, just as he was closing in on the final, was significant. It was reminiscent of the first time Alcaraz faced Djokovic at a grand slam, in their French Open semi-final in 2023 when, at the age of 20, he admitted tension got the better of him. Despite accumulating so much experience so early in his career, if there is one player who make Alcaraz feel overawed, it’s Djokovic.

The veteran has the slight advantage in their head-to-head, too, despite those defeats in Wimbledon finals. Before September’s US Open semi-finals, when Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in straight-sets, the Serbian had won their previous three meetings on hard-courts. One of those matches included Alcaraz’s greatest lesson of the 2025 season, when a distracted performance allowed an injured Djokovic to mount a comeback in their Australian Open quarter-final. What defined Alcaraz’s win against Djokovic in New York was its efficiency. Can he replicate that mindset against Djokovic while under the pressure of a grand slam final? Alcaraz did not have the weight of history to deal with when they met on Centre Court.

Carlos Alcaraz will also have to recover from his own marathon effort in the semi-finals (Getty Images)

Djokovic, too, will know what he has to replicate. In the past few years of his career, the 38-year-old has risen to his best level when he has stepped up his forehand speed and ripped it from the baseline. It was devastating against Sinner in the semi-finals, just as it was against Alcaraz in last year’s quarter-final, and in their epic Olympics final 18 months ago. He could not reproduce it in New York but Melbourne, the scene of 10 of his 24 grand slam titles and some of the most important moments of his career, is a different stronghold.

To reach 25 and surpass Margaret Court for the standalone singles record, he will have to suppress the younger generation yet again. With all his 38 years and 255 days of experience, he would also become the oldest player to win a grand slam title in the Open era. One way or another, history will be made.