Carlos Alcaraz captured his seventh major title on Sunday by beating Novak Djokovic in four sets at the Australian Open. Alcaraz became the youngest men’s player to accomplish the career grand slam at age 22.
There has been no doubt that Alcaraz is becoming the next great men’s tennis star, but Sunday’s achievement cemented this narrative.
Djokovic even gave his opponent quite the shoutout in his post-match press conference. There’s been plenty of talk about Djokovic metophorically “passing the torch” to the next generation of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have combined to win the last nine major titles now. While this tennis duo still has a lot of catching up to do to stand in the ranks of the Big Three, Djokovic seemingly has faith in their ability to achieve greatness.
“Everything is possible in his case, no question about it,” Djokovic said about Alcaraz. “If he was able to achieve at already such a young age, seven slams and all the other accolades, he’s steering forward big time. Well, of course there’s Sinner—the two of them, I guess, are going to be fighting for the biggest titles. And then the youngsters like myself are going to try to catch up.”
"The youngsters like myself are still trying to catch up." 😉@DjokerNole still has his sense of humour even after a first #AusOpen Final loss. pic.twitter.com/qlzMEGt6Qb
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 1, 2026
The last comment Djokovic gave about catching up to Alcaraz and Sinner is interesting, given that he went off on a reporter a few days prior when asked about chasing the young tennis stars and their achievements. Djokovic corrected the reporter by saying Alcaraz and Sinner are the ones chasing him because of all he’s accomplished (he does have 24 major titles to his name). After facing Sinner in the semifinal and Alcaraz in the final, maybe Djokovic is more understanding of this comment now.
The 38-year-old did joke in his runner-up speech that he and Alcaraz will be seeing each other more on the court.
“What you’ve been doing, the best words to describe it is historic, legendary,” Djokovic said. “You’re so young, you have a lot of time, like myself. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other many more times in the next 10 years ... not!”
Djokovic did hint in his runner-up speech that he’s eyeing retirement somewhat soon, as he appeared to give a goodbye message to the Australian Open fans. We’ll see what this year brings for him.
More on Sports Illustrated
- DP World Tour Nearing Deal to Drop Future Fines for LIV Golf Members
- Everything We Know About a Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade
- Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame Snub Is a Wake-Up Call for His North Carolina Tenure
- Patrick Reed Announces Stunning Return to PGA Tour
- Why No. 3 Michigan Hoops Losing Its Dominant Early Form Isn’t a Reason to Panic
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Novak Djokovic Gives Carlos Alcaraz High Praise After Australian Open Final.
