A Slam four years in the making – Rybakina's return to top
Why ‘unstoppable’ Elena Rybakina will believe her Australian Open triumph can begin a period of sustained success after ending a four-year wait for her second major title.
Why ‘unstoppable’ Elena Rybakina will believe her Australian Open triumph can begin a period of sustained success after ending a four-year wait for her second major title.
Whoever wins the Australian Open men’s singles final will create history – but it feels like Novak Djokovic needs victory more than Carlos Alcaraz.
After losing another Grand Slam final – this time to Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open – BBC Sport asks if Aryna Sabalenka is underachieving at the majors.
Elena Rybakina beats Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne to win her first Australian Open final.
Elena Rybakina inflicts further Grand Slam final heartbreak on Aryna Sabalenka with a stunning third-set fightback to win the Australian Open.
Great Britain’s Neal Skupski and American partner Christian Harrison win the Australian Open men’s doubles title in their first Grand Slam together.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will face off Sunday in the 2026 Australian Open final, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. local time/8:30 a.m. GMT. Alcaraz is chasing his first Australian Open title, with which he would become the sixth man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam. Meanwhile Djokovic seeks a record-extending 11th Melbourne crown and a record-extending 25th major title overall.
Read all about Alcaraz and Djokovic’s results, records, statistics, and more at the Australian Open and Grand Slam tournaments.
Since making his Australian Open debut in 2021, Alcaraz has tallied a 17-4 win-loss record at the tournament.
Since making his Australian Open debut in 2005, Djokovic has tallied a 104-10 win-loss record at the tournament, including a record 10 titles.
Alcaraz’s run to the final at this year’s Australian Open is his best result in Melbourne.
Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023.
[NO 1 CLUB]Alcaraz lost 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 4-6 to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals in 2025 (Read more).
Djokovic lost to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals at the Australian Open in 2025. The Serbian was forced to retire due to injury after losing the first set 6-7(5) (Read more).
Alcaraz’s Record at Grand Slam Tournaments
| Tournament | Win-Loss Record |
| Australian Open | 17-4 |
| Roland Garros | 22-6 |
| Wimbledon | 25-3 |
| US Open | 24-3 |
Djokovic’s Record at Grand Slam Tournaments
| Tournament | Win-Loss Record |
| Australian Open | 104-10 |
| Roland Garros | 101-14 |
| Wimbledon | 102-13 |
| US Open | 95-15 |
Alcaraz has won six Grand Slam titles.
| Tournament | Year Won | Final Opponent |
| US Open | 2022 | Casper Ruud |
| Wimbledon | 2023 | Novak Djokovic |
| Roland Garros | 2024 | Alexander Zverev |
| Wimbledon | 2024 | Novak Djokovic |
| Roland Garros | 2025 | Jannik Sinner |
| US Open | 2025 | Jannik Sinner |
Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles.
| Tournament | Year Won | Final Opponent |
| Australian Open | 2008 | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
| Australian Open | 2011 | Andy Murray |
| Wimbledon | 2011 | Rafael Nadal |
| US Open | 2011 | Rafael Nadal |
| Australian Open | 2012 | Rafael Nadal |
| Australian Open | 2013 | Andy Murray |
| Wimbledon | 2014 | Roger Federer |
| Australian Open | 2015 | Andy Murray |
| Wimbledon | 2015 | Roger Federer |
| US Open | 2015 | Roger Federer |
| Australian Open | 2016 | Andy Murray |
| Roland Garros | 2016 | Andy Murray |
| Wimbledon | 2018 | Kevin Anderson |
| US Open | 2018 | Juan Martin del Potro |
| Australian Open | 2019 | Rafael Nadal |
| Wimbledon | 2019 | Roger Federer |
| Australian Open | 2020 | Dominic Thiem |
| Australian Open | 2021 | Daniil Medvedev |
| Roland Garros | 2021 | Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| Wimbledon | 2021 | Matteo Berrettini |
| Wimbledon | 2022 | Nick Kyrgios |
| Australian Open | 2023 | Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| Roland Garros | 2023 | Casper Ruud |
| US Open | 2023 | Daniil Medvedev |
| Round | Result |
| First Round | d. Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2 |
| Second Round | d. Yannick Hanfmann 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2 |
| Third Round | d. [32] Corentin Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 |
| Fourth Round | d. [19] Tommy Paul 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 |
| Quarter-finals | d. [6] Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 |
| Semi-finals | d. [3] Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 |
| Round | Result |
| First Round | d. Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 |
| Second Round | d. [Q] Francesco Maestrelli 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 |
| Third Round | d. Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) |
| Fourth Round | [16] Jakub Mensik via walkover |
| Quarter-finals | d. [5] Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 3-6, 3-1 ret. |
| Semi-finals | d. [2] Jannik Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
Alcaraz and Djokovic have already contested two major finals. Their first Grand Slam championship match came at 2023 Wimbledon, where Alcaraz prevailed 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. A year later, Alcaraz downed Djokovic in the SW19 final again, claiming a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) triumph.
Djokovic leads Alcaraz 5-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Five of their nine meetings have come at majors (3-2 Alcaraz), and four of the nine meetings have been finals (2-2). Alcaraz and Djokovic’s most recent meeting came in the 2025 US Open semi-finals, where Alcaraz won 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski did not wait long to add a milestone moment to their fledgling partnership.
Competing in just their second tour-level event together, the American-British duo defeated home favourites Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans 7-6(4), 6-4 to claim the trophy Saturday at the Australian Open. Harrison and Skupski, who made their team debut in Adelaide just two weeks ago, held their nerve at key moments in front of a raucous afternoon crowd inside Rod Laver Arena to earn a one-hour, 49-minute championship-match triumph.
There were emotional scenes between two sets of brothers after match point. Harrison celebrated securing his maiden major title with his brother Ryan Harrison, who was courtside. Meanwhile former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings Skupski, whose sole previous Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon in 2023, embraced his own brother and coach, Ken Skupski.
All the emotions 🤩@charrison94 & @nealskupski are your 2026 Australian Open Doubles Champions!
They dismissed Kubler/Polmans 7-6(4), 6-4 en route to the title.@AustralianOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/G9IDvlwX1Y
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 31, 2026
“It’s obviously nice to get another Grand Slam,” said Skupski in the pair’s post-match press conference. “I was very close last year at the US Open and lost narrowly in the French. I look back on last year and kind of went over to see where it went wrong in the moments, and I learned from it.
“Christian has given me a new lease of life this year. We started obviously last week in Adelaide. He came to Baton Rouge for a week of training in December, which was amazing to get on court with him and get to know him a little bit more. It all feels well worth it now, picking up this trophy.”
Harrison said: “Unreal experience. This place is unreal to play. The crowds are incredible. For me, though, it was just simple. Just focused on just enjoying the moment with my partner. He brings a lot of experience. His level is just so high, and it really felt easy for me to just play my best tennis. So credit to him.”
Wild card pairing Kubler and Polmans battled admirably throughout the final, and they delighted the home fans by rallying from 2-5 in the opening set to force a tie-break. Yet the momentum of the match shifted dramatically after Harrison and Skupski won four consecutive points from 3/4 to move a set ahead.
The sixth-seeded Harrison and Skupski built on that tie-break success by crucially breaking serve in the third game of the second set, and they sealed victory on their second match point after Harrison fired an ace down the T.
That finish reflected how precise serving formed the foundation to Harrison and Skupski’s final victory. The duo won 80 per cent (43/54) of points behind their first serves, according to Infosys Stats.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]After producing Houdini-like escapes in the semi-finals, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are now seeking their own piece of history in Sunday’s Australian Open final. Separated by 16 years, Alcaraz and Djokovic stand on opposite ends of their career, pursuing vastly different milestones.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz is aiming to become the youngest player to complete the Career Grand Slam. In his way is the 38-year-old Djokovic, the most decorated men’s Grand Slam champion in history. The Serbian boasts as many Australian Open trophies as he does losses (10) at the season’s first major and now seeks to become the oldest champion in tournament history.
“History is on the line for both of us every time we play,” Djokovic said of his rivalry with Alcaraz. “The final of a Grand Slam, there’s a lot at stake, but it’s no different from any other big match that I play.”
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The highly anticipated final also begs the question: Which player can dig into his deepest reserves and rise for one more effort? Alcaraz on Friday won the longest semi-final in tournament history, ousting last year’s finalist Alexander Zverev in a five-hour, 27-minute thriller. “We pushed our bodies to the limit,” the Spaniard said afterwards.
Meanwhile, Djokovic survived two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner after four hours and nine minutes, an instant classic that the Serbian described as “one of [my] best performances in the last decade or so”.
Who can deliver one more heroic effort?
“Biologically, I think it’s going to be a bit easier for him to recover,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz. “My preparation is as it should be, and I won against him last year here, also in a gruelling match. Let’s see how fresh we both are able to be.”
Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in their most recent encounter at last year’s US Open, yet was full of praise for the Serbian’s physicality after the match, saying “He looks 25 years old physically, so to maintain that level at 38, it’s impressive”.
The margins between Alcaraz and Djokovic have been razor thin throughout their inter-generational rivalry. Just 12 months ago, Djokovic downed Alcaraz inside Rod Laver Arena, where they will battle Sunday, beginning at 7:30 p.m. local time / 3:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. CET. Djokovic leads Alcaraz 5-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but has dropped three of their five encounters at the majors.
After falling to Alcaraz in New York last September, Djokovic spoke candidly about facing Alcaraz and Sinner, who together have combined to win the past eight majors.
“It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner, Alcaraz, in the best-of-five on the Grand Slams,” Djokovic admitted at the time. “I think I have a better chance at best of three, but best of five, it’s tough.”
But as Djokovic reminded on-court interviewer Jim Courier on Friday, he said it would be “difficult, but not impossible”.
With a $4,150,000 champion’s payout at stake, the showdown between Djokovic and Alcaraz promises to be a tug of war from the baseline. If last year’s clash in Melbourne is any guide, Alcaraz and Djokovic will take large cuts at the ball and lean on first-strike tennis, dictating play with ferocious hitting. Look for both players to stretch their opponent corner to corner, testing the physical capacity of their rival in the early stages.
Return points could prove decisive, potentially swinging momentum and making all the difference. In their most recent meeting, Djokovic won just 16 per cent (8/50) of his first-serve return points, less than half of what Alcaraz achieved at 34 per cent (19/56) en route to a straight-sets win.
Regardless of who wins, the record books will be rewritten.
“I look forward to it,” Djokovic said. “I play tennis competitively mainly to be able to reach the finals of Grand Slams.”
Alcaraz added: “I am really happy to play my first final in Melbourne. It was something I was chasing a lot, pursuing a lot — having the chance to fight for the title.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]THIS IS NOT A DRILL‼️@carlosalcaraz vs @DjokerNole for the 2026 Australian Open title. Who’ve you got? 🏆#AO26 pic.twitter.com/JpSXvJO0bZ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 30, 2026
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are set for a thrilling showdown in Sunday’s Australian Open final. Djokovic, 38, is seeking his record-extending 11th Melbourne crown and 25th major trophy while the 22-year-old Alcaraz aims to complete the Career Grand Slam.
The final between Djokovic and top-seeded Alcaraz will begin at 7:30 p.m. local time / 3:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. CET on Sunday.
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Djokovic leads Alcaraz 5-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, including a four-set win over the Spaniard in last year’s Australian Open quarter-finals. Alcaraz has won three of their five major meetings. Sunday will mark their third Slam final encounter, having met in the Wimbledon final in 2023 and 2024, both of which were won by Alcaraz.
Both Djokovic and Alcaraz competed in marathon semi-finals on Friday. Alcaraz overcame Alexander Zverev in a five-hour, 27-minute thriller, the longest semi-final in tournament history. Djokovic escaped two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner after four hours and nine minutes.
Read more from Melbourne:
Alcaraz outlasts Zverev in record 5h27 SF marathon
Djokovic defeats Sinner in five-set classic
Djokovic: ‘I want to thank all the doubters’
How much prize money will the champion earn?
Alcaraz vs Djokovic: The Rivalry