Carlos Alcaraz made his way to his seventh Grand Slam title after defeating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. It may have been a slow start for Alcaraz, but he picked it up over the course of the match, and it was obvious that Djokovic didn't have much to give after his semifinal match against Jannik Sinner.
At the same time, Djokovic is one of the best to ever play the game, and Alcaraz respects that. After the final, Alcaraz showed respect to Djokovic and what he's doing at this point in his career.
“It's unbelievable what he's doing. If he maintains this level of tennis during the whole season, he's going to win great things, probably a Masters 1000 [tournament] again,” Alcaraz said. “He's going to come to a Grand Slam final again. It depends on how physically he is or how demanding the tournament is physically for him, but I think he's ready to keep winning the big tournaments on the tour.”
As for Alcaraz, it seems like he's just getting started with accomplishing many things in his career. With the win, he became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam at 22 years, eight months, and 28 days old.
Coming into the season, Alcaraz had doubters after he and his trainer split, but he was able to answer the call and deliver.
“It was a different preseason for me, so I just had to come back from an unusual situation for me, which was difficult,” Alcaraz said. “A lot of people were talking about everything and doubting my level in this tournament. I didn't think about those people who had doubts about it. I came here just playing for myself, playing for my team.”
