Carlos Alcaraz picked up his first career win in Melbourne to beat Novak Djokovic in just over three hours.
Carlos Alcaraz came from a set down to beat Novak Djokovic to win the Australian Open 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. The 22-year-old shatters the record held by fellow countryman Rafael Nadal to become the youngest player in the Open era to complete a career slam.
Alcaraz does it two years earlier than the iconic tennis star, who did so in 2010 when Nadal beat Djokovic in four sets, aged 24 and 88 days. The Spaniard had to do it the hard way against the 38-year-old Djokovic, some 16 years his junior, coming from a set down and surging into a two-set lead.
The third and final set wasn’t as smooth sailing with the Serbian showing incredible resistance to fight back, taking it to a decider but Alcaraz made history, winning 7-5 in a set that lasted over an hour. The world number one slumped to the floor as the 38-year-old’s forehand was long, prompting wild celebrations in the crowd.
The 22-year-old joins an esteemed group of male tennis icons to complete Career Slams and becomes the first player since Sunday’s opponent, Djokovic, to do so, when he beat Andy Murray at Roland Garros in 2016.
Fittingly, the seventh major for Alcaraz, and a historic one, was achieved at the Rod Laver Arena – named after the famous Australian who became the first player to complete the Career Slam with his US Open win in 1969.
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