Novak Djokovic was two sets away from winning a 25th Grand Slam title, but he was denied by a defiant Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serbian drew first blood in the Australian Open final, but Alcaraz fought back to win the tournament and complete the career Grand Slam.
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At 22, the Spaniard became the youngest player to win all four major titles, with a total of seven Grand Slam tournaments to his name.
Despite the defeat, Djokovic received widespread praise for his efforts from sports stars around the world, including UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic responds to Khabib Nurmagomedov on Instagram
After the conclusion of the championship match, Khabib took Instagram to say: “@djokernole legend. »
Djokovic, who was appearing in an 11th Australian Open final, responded to the Russian on his story by saying: “Thank you, brother.”
The 24-time major champion had a fantastic run in Melbourne, during which he knocked out defending champion Jannik Sinner.
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He beat Sinner for the first time since 2023, defeating the Italian in a five-set marathon at Rod Laver Arena.
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How Carlos Alcaraz’s all-time Grand Slam total now stands
Alcaraz winning the number seven major means he has now won as many Grand Slam titles as tennis legends John McEnroe and Mats Wilander.
He overtook Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, who both won six in their careers.
If he wins another Grand Slam trophy, as many expect, he will match the totals of Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors and Ken Rosewall.
Alcaraz is on track to win as many Grand Slam tournaments as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic.
