'History complete': Carlos Alcaraz achieves rare feat in Novak Djokovic dethroning
Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest player ever to win all four grand slams, defeating Novak Djokovic to claim the Australian Open title.
Djokovic threw his best punch in the first set, playing near flawless tennis, but the 38-year-old simply didn't have it in him to maintain that level in the 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 win.
The storyline coming in clearly revolved around the five-hour epic semi-finals both men endured to get to this point.
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Carlos Alcaraz of Spain wins the Australian Open. Getty
And while Djokovic started strong, it was the 22-year-old Spaniard who had the staying power and looked every bit a man at the peak of his powers.
The Serbian 10-time Australian Open champion gave everyone on Rod Laver Arena a reminder of his apex in the first set, breaking Alcaraz twice and barely making an error - forced or unforced.
"Novak looks sharp. Both the backhand and the forehand are firing," Jim Courier told Nine early in the first set.
"He's playing almost flawlessly so far."
It was a clinical start and took just 30 minutes, but things flipped early in the second set.
Alcaraz was the one who broke early this time, cruising to a 6-2 second-set victory.
"It was one-way traffic. Alcaraz was never really challenged in that set," Courier said.
And it was clear that Djokovic was the one struggling most with the recovery, after his near-3am finish in the semi final.
"Novak's forehand has fallen off. He hasn't had a (forehand) winner since the first set," Courier said early in the third set.
"You have to wonder whether the legs are where they need to be. You need legs to generate power."
Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the first set against Carlos Alcaraz. Kelly Defina via Getty Images
After the first set, Djokovic had only made four unforced errors compared to Alcaraz's nine, but the stats flipped on their head across the second and third sets.
Five games into the third set, and once again finding himself down a break, Djokovic had now committed 22 unforced errors compared to Alcaraz's 18.
The Serbian's first serve points won percentage sat at 93 per cent after the first set. It dropped to just 64 per cent.
"Novak is just starting to run out of gas in his legs," Todd Woodbridge said on Nine.
Courier added: "I think it's because of the late hour he finished the semi final and the fatigue and the lack of speed. He's 38. Carlos is 22. He's recovering better."
Alcaraz took the third set 6-3, pushing Djokovic to the limit on every service game, something that continued into the fourth set.
The Serbian star faced another 12-minute service game to start the fourth, but this time managed to fight off six break points to hold serve.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Getty
He roared and turned to the crowd, looking to pull as much energy as he could from them.
Djokovic poured everything into the fourth set, using a red-hot crowd to fuel himself. He found break point opportunities for the first time since the first, and his serve was back on track.
But Alcaraz had another level too, fighting off those break points and proving his mettle on the biggest stage and with the crowd reaching fever pitch.
It turned the set into a bit of a stalemate for the most part, with neither star able to land a serious blow.
That all flipped at 6-5, with Alcaraz finally landing the winning blow and collapsing to the ground in elation, before running over to embrace his team.
"History complete at Melbourne Park. It's a career Grand Slam for Carlos Alcaraz," Woodbridge announced.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates his victory. Getty
It was truly new ground for Novak. Melbourne Park is his playground. He was 10 for 10 in Australian Open finals.
But age catches up with everyone, and Alcaraz dominated Djokovic like nobody ever has in a final on Aussie soil - after the first set heroics.
The Spaniard doesn't just become the youngest to win all four slams, but he joins eight other all-time greats in doing so on the men's side.
Don Budge, Fred Perry, Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic himself.
Alcaraz beats rival Jannik Sinner to that finish line as well, with the Italian still needing the Roland Garros crown.
The pair have also combined for the last nine grand slams, highlighting their complete dominance.
