History is on the line in Sunday’s Australian Open men’s final featuring top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz against No. 4 Novak Djokovic, who’s going for his record-extending 25th career grand slam. Djokovic won a thrilling five-setter over Jannik Sinner in the semifinals after a walkover in the fourth round and a “lucky” quarters win while Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in five after trailing 5-3 in the fifth to reach the final.
On the women’s side, Elena Rybakina overpowered top-seed Aryna Sabalenka for her second grand slam title early Saturday, 6‑4, 4‑6, 6-4.
Djokovic is a 10-time Australian Open champion, last winning the tournament in 2023. Alcaraz is gunning for his first career title in Melbourne, which would give him the career grand slam. Djokovic, 38, hinted at retirement last year after losing to Sinner in the French Open and his words following his US Open loss in September mirrored those remarks.
However, given his prowess on the hard courts at the Australian Open, many considered Djokovic a legitimate threat to win in 2026 and he’s matched up with a phenom he’s 5-4 against in his career. Alcaraz and Djokovic have split their last four matches, including Alcaraz’s win in the US Open semifinals last year.
They’ve met once at the Australian Open with Djokovic winning in the quarters last year, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Sunday marks Djokovic’s first grand slam finals appearance since 2024 when he lost to Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
“I never stopped believing in myself,” Djokovic said after beating Sinner. “There’s a lot of people that doubt me. A lot of experts wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years. I want to thank them all, because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong, which I have tonight. For me, it’s not a surprise, to be honest.”
Where to watch Australian Open men’s final
- Date: Feb. 1
- Location: Melbourne Park Sports and Entertainment Precinct — Melbourne, Australia
- Time: 3:30 a.m. ET
- TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
Djokovic using ‘chasing’ remark as motivation
Following his semifinals win, Djokovic did not appreciate a question from a reporter suggesting that he spent much of early career “chasing” Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and is now spending the back half doing the same with Sinner and Alcaraz.
Djokovic made the semifinals at every grand slam last year in his quest for No. 25. Sinner or Alcaraz has won the last four major titles.
“I’m chasing Jannik and Carlos? In which sense?” Djokovic said. “So, I’m always the chaser and never been chased? I find it a little bit disrespectful that you kind of miss out on what happened in between where the times when I started ‘chasing’ as you say Rafa and Roger and now that I’m chasing Carlos and Jannik.
“There’s probably about a 15-year period in between where I was dominating the Grand Slams. I think it’s important to put that in perspective. I don’t feel like I’m chasing to be honest. Roger and Rafa will always be my greatest rivals. I have tremendous respect for what Jannik and Carlos are doing and they will continue to do for the next 10, 15, 20 years, God knows how many years they are going to play. They are so young.”
Alcaraz coming off grueling match
Alcaraz is a win shy of becoming the youngest to complete the career Grand Slam, but he’ll have to do it after a five-hour, 27-minute marathon in the semifinals. Zverev was serving for the match at 5-4 in the fifth before Alcaraz got a break and momentum carried on.
“I’m just really happy to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne,” Alcaraz said. “It is something that I was pursuing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.”
It was the third-longest match in Australian Open history.
“I’ve been in this kind of match before, so I knew what I had to do. I had to put my heart into the match. I think I did it. I fought until the last ball,” Alcaraz said. I knew that I was going to have my chances. I was passionate, you know, in the fifth set, but just extremely proud about myself, the way that I felt and the way that I came back.”
Men’s final prediction
FanDuel Sportsbook has Alcaraz (-320) as a considerable favorite over Djokovic to win his first Australian Open title. However, this feels like destiny for Djokovic considering there may not be many more chances at history for the Serbian star. If he can get a lead against Alcaraz early and not have to play from behind where age could be a factor in a four- to five-hour match, Djokovic would hold a clear advantage. There’s considerably more pressure on Alcaraz to get it done inside Rod Laver Arena than Djokovic, who’s a clear underdog. With a win, Djokovic would become the oldest grand slam winner in the Open era and surpass Margaret Court for the most grand slam titles all time. Pick: Djokovic in four sets.
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