Carlos Alcaraz finally won his first Australian Open title!
The world No.1 crushed Novak Djokovic's dream of claiming a record 25th Grand Slam title by defeating him with a score of 2-6 6-2 6-3 7-5 on Sunday, February 1.
With this victory, the 22-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam, surpassing Don Budge's long-standing record who achieved the feat just before turning 23 in 1938.
After winning the match, Alcaraz said, "My team in the corner, nobody knows how hard I've been working to get this trophy. Pre-season was a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally," as per BBC Sports.
Newly crowned Australian Open champion Alcaraz added, "We just did the right work, you pushed me every day to do the right things and I'm really grateful for everyone in my corner. This trophy is also yours."
Alcaraz further praised Djokovic, saying he deserve huge recognition for his achievements and his accomplishments are inspiring not only to tennis players but to all the athletes globally.
The Spanish star became only the ninth male player in history to win all four Grand Slam tournaments including the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
Djokovic, while congratulating Alcaraz said, "First and foremost of course congratulations Carlos. An amazing tournament and an amazing couple of weeks. What you have been doing, the best word to describe it is historic. Legendary. I wish you best of luck for the rest of your career."
Men's players who have achieved the career Grand Slam in the Open era include;
* Rod Laver - 1969 US Open at age 31
* Andre Agassi - 1999 Roland Garros at age 29
* Roger Federer - 2009 Roland Garros at age 27
* Rafael Nadal - 2010 US Open at age 24
* Novak Djokovic - 2016 Roland Garros at age 29
* Carlos Alcaraz - 2026 Australian Open at age 22
