Australian Open: Djokovic and Alcaraz to battle for title in Sunday's final

(AFP) After a semifinals to remember, everything is set for a high-level final: Novak Djokovic, 38, and Carlos Alcaraz, 22, will meet on Sunday in a generational duel for the Australian Open title.

Friday's two duels were decided in five sets, with Djokovic beating Italian Jannik Sinner by 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and 6-4, after Alcaraz had beaten German Alexander Zverev by 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7) and 7-5.

Whoever wins on Sunday, will add a historic chapter to the sport of tennis. Alcaraz seeks to become the youngest player to conquer all four Grand Slams, while Djokovic pursues his coveted 25th title at a major, a feat unheard of in the sport.

For the moment, the Serbian figure - former world number one and today fourth in the ATP rankings - remains the player with the most Grand Slam titles (24), a figure that keeps him on par with Australia's Margaret Court in the women's category. Court, 83, was in the stands at Rod Laver Arena on Friday.

"This is unbelievable. We've played over four hours, it's almost 2 a.m..... This reminds me of the 2021 final against Rafa (Nadal)," Djokovic said just after his triumph, recalling the five-set duel that at 5 hours and 53 minutes is the longest match in the tournament's history.

"The intensity has been very high, but I knew that was the only way I had to beat him. He pushed me to the limit," he admitted after his win over Sinner, with whom Djokovic had lost in their last five matches and whom he came back after going down 2 sets to 1.

A long wait

Djokovic has not won a Grand Slam tournament since the 2023 U.S. Open. Since then he only reached one final at a major, that of Wimbledon in 2024, where he lost to Alcaraz, precisely his last hurdle now before a 12th title in Australia and the glory of the record 25 Majors.

That goal eluded him throughout 2025, where Djokovic made a full four semifinals, but without ever reaching the final match.

In this Australian Open, Nole had a big scare in the quarterfinals, when he found himself two sets down with Lorenzo Musetti, who ended up leaving due to injury when the score was in favor of the Italian by 6-4, 6-3 and 1-3.

With his defeat, Sinner, 24 years old and number two in the world, prevents a new reunion with Alcaraz in a final. Both starred in the previous three in Grand Slam events, with titles for the Spaniard at the last Roland Garros and the American Open, and for the Italian at Wimbledon last July.

Physically at the limit

The first semifinal had also been one of strong emotions and Alcaraz won it against German Alexander Zverev (3rd) also in five thrilling sets.

The Spaniard, number one in the world, began to vomit and cramp from the great effort, and was losing 5-3 at one point in the last set but staged an impressive comeback.

Alcaraz can now boast of having become the youngest player in history to have reached the final in all four Grand Slam tournaments, and the Australian Open is precisely the only one of them missing from his trophy cabinet.

At 22 years and 272 days old on the day of the final, he is assured of surpassing Jim Courier as the youngest to reach the finals in all four majors, as the American was 22 years and 321 days old when he achieved it at Wimbledon in 1993.

"Today I won because I believed in my chances, you always have to believe. Physically I can say that it is one of the most demanding matches I have ever played," said Alcaraz after his victory.

The Spaniard took the first two sets and then Zverev leveled him at two sets, before breaking his serve in the fifth set and taking the initiative in it, until Alcaraz delivered the killer blow.