The history-shaking stakes in titanic men's final with special Australian implications for Alcaraz, Djokovic

MELBOURNE: History will be made no matter the outcome of Sunday night's mouthwatering Australian Open men's final.

If the favourite, Carlos Alcaraz, triumphs then the 22-year-old world No.1 would become the youngest men's player to complete the 'Career Slam.'

Alcaraz says he would then get a kangaroo tattoo to complete the set alongside the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty, a Wimbledon strawberry and the Eiffel Tower.

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If Novak Djokovic wins a 25th grand slam title he would overtake Australia's Margaret Court's record for the most singles titles in tennis history.

Djokovic, 38, was paying $9 to beat Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals and is again a big underdog against Alcaraz.

"Why do we ever doubt what is possibly the greatest of all time on the men's tour?" John Millman said on Stan Sport's Grand Slam Daily.

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"I don't know why we do it, we continue to do so... history's on the line, isn't it? I'd love to see Novak get the job done. I'd love him to make that type of history. I know he's been chasing 25 for a long, long time.. he'll be motivated to do so.

"I'm going Novak, I'm going the champ. Too many people have doubted him throughout this tournament. People say he should have retired.

"He's No.4 in the world, off only 13 tournaments in 2025. I'm going for the GOAT."

Modern men's tennis has not lacked for champions pushing for the next frontier of greatness but the stakes have rarely been higher in a single match.

With 24 major trophies and a record 10 at Melbourne Park, Djokovic's legacy is already secure and few can argue there have been better players to grace the men's game.

And yet Djokovic's record remains bracketed with Australian icon Court, who also won 24 titles in the women's game, including 13 in the amateur era.

With different eras, opponents and technology, their records are as comparable as apples and oranges - but fourth seed Djokovic has long craved the elusive 25th title to take top spot alone.

Clinching it at Melbourne Park, where he claimed his first major trophy in 2008, would be a fitting coup de grace for a 20-year career at the top.

Having taken Ken Rosewall's record as the oldest man to reach the final by beating defending champion Sinner, Djokovic can top the Australian again as the oldest to win any grand slam title.

No other man has dominated Melbourne like Djokovic, who has hoisted the trophy four times more than the next-best duo of Roy Emerson and Roger Federer.

The success has spoilt the city's strong Serbian community who reliably turn up in droves and bring football-like fanaticism to centre court and its surrounds.

Djokovic's dominance has not meant universal adulation from all at Melbourne Park in a country which, incredibly, once detained and deported him for not being vaccinated for COVID-19.

But judging by the deafening cheers at Rod Laver Arena on Friday when he knocked out Italian Sinner in a five-set classic, plenty of fans will be in the fourth-seeded Serb's corner.

He may need all their support as he looks to scale another Everest against world number one Alcaraz.

The 22-year-old Spaniard has had Melbourne on his mind since winning his second US Open title last year.

He said he would gladly trade winning the three other majors this year if it meant hoisting the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup alone at the end of Sunday's final.

With two trophies at each of the French Open, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows, victory over Djokovic would make Alcaraz the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, eclipsing Don Budge, who wrapped up his at the 1938 French Open two days before his 23rd birthday.

He would also become the first men's player under 23 to win seven grand sam titles, a tally that eluded Djokovic until he was 27.

Remarkably for such a young career, Alcaraz has already racked up a slew of classic matches against Djokovic, who holds a 5-4 record against him.

They have both inflicted bruising defeats, with Alcaraz denying Djokovic in back-to-back Wimbledon finals in 2023-24 and the Serb snatching the gold medal in the Paris Olympic final.

While Djokovic knocked Alcaraz out of last year's Australian Open quarter-finals, he was well-beaten the last time they faced on a grand slam hardcourt, losing 6-4 7-6 6-2 in the US Open semis.

Both enter Sunday's final after taxing, five-setters.

Alcaraz struggled with a cramp before edging third seed Alexander Zverev in five hours and 27 minutes, the tournament's longest-ever semi-final.

Djokovic needed a bit over four hours to see off Sinner.

"Anyone who was lucky enough to be there is going to remember it for a long, long time. These matches had a little bit of everything," four-time grand slam champion Jim Courier said on Nine.

Facing a man who will turn 39 in a few months, Alcaraz should be better equipped to handle a long slog.

With 18 fewer grand slam titles than Djokovic, he should be more hungry than the Serb.

Boasting incredible athleticism and arguably the game's purest shot-making, he should have faith that his talents will get the job done.

But try telling that to 24-year-old Sinner, whose hopes of a fifth grand slam title were crushed in the fifth set on Friday as Djokovic gave him a pummeling from the baseline.

"It was without question the most aggressive that we've ever seen him consistently," Courier said.

"His forehand was absolutely electric. He dominated in that category, and Jannik Sinner's forehand is massive, and Novak knew he had to fight fire with fire. He did so.

"I didn't think he'd be able to control it, going that big, time in and time out, but through four hours of play, he did, and he finds himself on the verge of creating even more history."

Like Nadal at the French Open, there is something magical beneath Rod Laver Arena's blue centre court that only Djokovic can mine.

In all 10 of his previous finals, he has never exited without the trophy.

Alcaraz will fight to avoid joining the ranks of forlorn challengers who leave Melbourne Park feeling that destiny and Djokovic have conspired against them.

"I think he played one of the top five matches of his career to win. For him to be able to up the ante and find the pace and the consistency and the ground strokes to go toe to toe with Jannik Sinner - playing in the fifth set has to be one of his best," doubles legend Todd Woodbridge said on Nine.

Nadal also continues to marvel at the longevity and competitive spirit of his legendary rival Djokovic.

Nadal, the 22-time major winner, is in Melbourne to headline the Australian Open's Night of Legends event on Sunday.

The 39-year-old, who retired in 2024, said that Djokovic shares his pure love of tennis.

"I really believe that he is here for one simple reason – because if I don't get injured, probably I will be here playing, too," Nadal told reporters on Saturday.

"When you like to do this thing, if you are not injured and if you are not, I mean, super tired mentally, why wouldn't you be here? I think it's a positive example of commitment, of resilience…

"I mean, Novak, for obvious reasons, he's not at his prime, but he is still very, very competitive at an age that is difficult to be very competitive. So, full respect."

Nadal backed Spanish compatriot Alcaraz to be fine after cramping in his own five set semi-final slug-fest against Alexander Zverev.

"I'm sure he will recover even if it has been a long battle, the other semi-final wasn't a short battle either," Nadal said.

"I think Carlos has more possibilities of recovering almost better than Novak. If Novak wins, I will be happy for him because in some ways, it is spectacular what he's doing at this stage of his career.

"So I will be happy, it will not be a drama for me. But if I have to support someone, I feel I have to support Carlos."

Nadal had no idea how long Djokovic would continue playing for but expected 20-year professional careers to become more common.

"When I arrived on the circuit, the idea of the professional player was that when you were 28, 29, 30 already, well, you were a super veteran and practically, you had to retire," Nadal said.

"I think this generation has given it one more step, a turn of the screw to what it is to be able to lengthen the professional career, and it hasn't been one player, but it has been many.

"I think this is a bit of a legacy for the next generations.

"We have shown that by doing things well, being professional, having the excitement, the motivation and the passion for what you do and a good team behind you, well, you can go further."