GB's Skupski wins Australian Open doubles title
Great Britain’s Neal Skupski and American partner Christian Harrison win the Australian Open men’s doubles title in their first Grand Slam together.
Great Britain’s Neal Skupski and American partner Christian Harrison win the Australian Open men’s doubles title in their first Grand Slam together.
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
Djokovic and Alcaraz win five-set thrillers to set up a historic final on Sunday.
Discount Novak Djokovic at your peril.
Just when Jannik Sinner looked set to book a fourth consecutive Grand Slam final with Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, the ageless Serbian produced a comeback for the ages to earn the chance to play for a 25th Grand Slam crown.
“I never stopped believing in myself,” said the 10-time Australian Open champion, who will play Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final at Melbourne Park. “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.”
Djokovic rallied from two-sets-to-one down to snap a five-match losing streak against two-time defending champion Sinner, winning 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the four-hour and nine-minute thriller that finished at 1:30 a.m.
[NO 1 CLUB]Djokovic, who said he will not practise Saturday, made the most of his good fortune to reach the semi-finals. In the fourth round he received a walkover from his Miami Open final conqueror Jakub Mensik; in the quarter-finals he trailed Lorenzo Musetti by two sets before the Italian retired with a right leg injury.
But against Sinner, an opponent 14 years his junior, Djokovic’s resilience, conviction and courage underpinned his deserving victory, in which he saved 16 of 18 break points, including all eight in the final set.
“I rate it as the best [win] of the last couple of years,” Djokovic said. “For sure, one of the best performances in the last decade or so…
“I was lucky that obviously Lorenzo got hurt and retired that match. Two days later, obviously different opponent. I knew exactly what to expect and had great clarity and strategy and game plan and what needs to be executed.
“One thing is to imagine how you want to play, and the other thing is to deliver it and execute it on the court against Sinner, that we all know is playing an extremely high level.
“I’m just thrilled to be able to experience something like this tonight.”
The victory was Djokovic’s first five-set match since Roland Garros in 2024, when he survived against Francisco Cerundolo.
Djokovic has not lifted a major trophy since the US Open in 2023, watching Alcaraz and Sinner split the eight majors during the past two years.
On Sunday, as Djokovic attempts to become the oldest Australian Open champion, 22-year-old Alcaraz seeks to become the youngest men’s player to complete the career Grand Slam.
Djokovic leads Alcaraz 5-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, winning three of their four hard-court meetings. But when Alcaraz broke through for his lone hard-court win in the 2025 US Open semi-finals, Djokovic candidly expressed doubts about his ability to topple the Spaniard and Sinner over five sets at the majors. He’ll now have the chance to prove himself wrong in back-to-back matches in what would be one of the most remarkable feats in his unparalleled career.
“History is on the line for both of us every time we play,” said Djokovic, who has spent a record 424 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings during his career… My preparation is as it should be, and I won against him last year here [in the quarter-finals], also in a grueling match. Let’s see. Let’s see how fresh are we both able to be.
“He also had a big match, but he has 15, 16 years on me. You know, biologically I think it’s going to be a bit easier for him to recover.
“I’m just trying to enjoy the moment that I’m experiencing tonight. I’ll think about finals later, but for me, this is win that almost equals winning a Grand Slam.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet in the Australian Open final on Sunday, following remarkable semi-final victories.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz is trying to become the youngest player to complete the Career Grand Slam, while Djokovic is aiming to capture a record-extending 25th major and 11th at the Australian Open.
Sunday’s champion will also depart Melbourne with a hefty payday. The winner will claim $4,150,000, while the runner-up will earn $2,150,000. Look below for a full prize-money breakdown of the singles field at the season’s first major.
2026 Australian Open Singles Prize Money (Men & Women)
| Round | Prize Money |
| Champion | $4,150,000 |
| Finalist | $2,150,000 |
| Semi-finalist | $1,250,000 |
| Quarter-finalist | $750,000 |
| R16 | $480,000 |
| R32 | $327,750 |
| R64 | $225,000 |
| R128 | $150,000 |
A slow-burning Australian Open looks set for a final weekend flourish after Novak Djokovic takes the limelight once again in Melbourne.
Novak Djokovic will meet Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final for the chance of winning a 25th Grand Slam title after winning a five-set epic against defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Novak Djokovic will meet Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final after both players maintain their respective bids for history by coming through five-set epics on an extraordinary day in Melbourne.
Carlos Alcaraz had to rouse every last ounce of energy to overcome Alexander Zverev on Friday in an Australian Open classic. After five hours and 27 minutes of back-and-forth semi-final action inside Rod Laver Arena, the Spaniard’s focus quickly turned to physical recovery for Sunday’s championship match.
The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alcaraz struggled with an injury in his upper right leg from the closing stages of the third set of his 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 triumph against Zverev. He later revealed he thought the problem was with his adductor muscle but expressed confidence that he would be raring to go for the title match against Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic.
“Well, obviously I feel tired,” said Alcaraz, who would become the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam by lifting his maiden Australian Open title on Sunday, in his post-match press conference. “Obviously my body could be better, to be honest, but I think that’s normal after five hours and a half. [After the match] I just did whatever it takes just to try to be better, to feel better tomorrow. Ice bath… I’m going to have treatment with the physio now, and we will see.
“Hopefully it’s not going to be nothing at all, but after five-hours-and-a-half match and that high level of physically, I think the muscles are going to be tight, and I just got to do whatever it takes to be as good as I can for the final.”
The @carlosalcaraz mentality 🔥@AustralianOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/GmNYvBObdL
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 30, 2026
Against Zverev, Alcaraz could barely run for the tail end of the third set and much of the fourth, but loosened up in time to rally back from 3-5 in the decider to prevail in the longest semi-final in Australian Open history.
“This one was one of the more demanding matches that I have ever played in my career so far,” said the 22-year-old. “I think physically we just pushed each other to the limit today. We pushed our bodies to the limit. I think the level of the fifth set was really, really high.
“I’m just really, really happy to get the win, that I came back. I rank this one in the top position, [among] one of the best matches that I have ever won.”
Alcaraz is now 15-1 in fifth sets, and he has become the youngest man to reach the final at all four Grand Slam events. If he wants to go on to complete the Career Grand Slam on Sunday, he may need to reproduce some of the remarkable battling qualities he showcased to overcome Zverev.
“When I was younger, there were a lot of matches that I just didn’t want to fight anymore or just I gave up,” said the six-time major champion. “Then I just got mature, and I just hate that feeling… Every step more, even just one second more of suffering, one second more of fighting is always worth it. So that’s why I just fight until the last ball and always believe that I can come back in every situation.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]