Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz highlights, Australian Open 2026: Alcaraz wins maiden Australian Open title

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz LIVE Score, Australian Open 2026: Alcaraz won a grand total of TWO points on the Djokovic serve in the opening set. In the first game of the second set, he already wins three to get to deuce. Something to build on for him, but Djokovic holds with some nice touch and deftness.

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz LIVE Score, Australian Open 2026: He has been absolutely sensational. Is simply not missing anything, painting the lines, finding the corners, not letting Alcaraz find any rhythm at all.

He goes into the set break with the early advantage – but the big question is, how long can he stave off Alcaraz?

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz LIVE Score, Australian Open 2026: Djokovic now a game away from claiming the opening set. Serving at 4-2, he holds to love. He's not even breaking a sweat in some of these service games. It's what worked against Sinner, who has a better return of serve than Alcaraz… not shocking that if you serve like that, it will work here too.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: That's how you back up a break of serve. Alcaraz just consistently on the back foot as Djokovic hammers the lines with his serve. It's going his way at the moment, and Alcaraz needs to find answers quick if he wants to get back in this set.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Third time of asking, Djokovic does convert after a phenomenal early rally where Alcaraz clips one off the net cord.

The Serb with the advantage early on!

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Waking up now! Alcaraz with a double fault and then a tame error to present Djokovic break point – but Alcaraz pulls out a sublime angled drop shot which Djokovic doesn't even bother to chase down! Saves the first break point of the match.

But here's another for the Serb…

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Clinical early on. Lands all his serves in that game, and consistently can just stroke the +1 shot into the open court for a winner. That's exactly what Djokovic needs to do – quick efficient service games.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Good service game, lands his serves and rifles a couple of winners. 1-1.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Djokovic has served first in each of his last nine Australian Open final and got off to a flier in each of them. Serve will be key for the Serb as it was in the match against Sinner on Friday in the semifinal.

The Serb makes a solid start, holds to 15.

Djokovic* 1-0 Alcaraz

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: The finale gets underway on Rod Laver Arena. Djokovic is chasing an unprecedented 25th career major, while Alcaraz is looking for his maiden Australian Open haul and become the youngest man to complete Career Grand Slam. Win predictor says 59 per cent in favour of Alcaraz.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Alcaraz won the coin toss and chose to start the match against Djokovic by receiving.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Carlos Alcaraz, world No. 1, makes his way out into the Rod Laver Arena, followed by Novak Djokovic, making his 11th walkout for an Australian Open final. And guess what…the crowd was loud on both their entrances. They have no collective favourites here in Melbourne Park.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: The Australian Open trophy is displayed on the court by Hollywood actress Chloe Grace Moretz and tennis legend Marat Safin di

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: How often do we get to see Rafa in a suit? But there he is…

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Novak Djokovic's forehand against his two Italian opponents over the last two rounds was a tale of contrasts. Against Musetti, it was loose, error-prone, and peppered time and again to pile on the pressure. Against Sinner, it was rock-solid, powerful, capable of moving around Sinner and taking control of the point.

If the former comes to play today, it's game over even before it begins against Alcaraz's hammer on the forehand side. It simply must be as airtight as it was in the semifinal.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: To be fair, the world feels very split on who they would like to see win this match. Djokovic has many of his own fans, but Alcaraz's personaality and style has earned him hordes of fresh new fans too. There are also plenty of Federer/Nadal fans who might root for Alcaraz, and many Sinner fans who could root for Djokovic.

But who does Rafa Nadal, who has close connections to both, want to see win this final?

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Conversely, Alcaraz will also be keenly aware of what went wrong a year ago – a toothless serve, and far too many cheap errors. Errors will always be a part of his high-risk high-reward game, and he must simply back himself, and his serve has improved leaps and bounds over the last 12 months – including by taking notes from Djokovic himself.

Alcaraz simply cannot let Djokovic take control of too many rallies in the match. He must ensure that the crucial points are being played on his terms and not the Serb's. Much easier said than done.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Djokovic knows how to beat Alcaraz – he's done it five times in the past, and hasn't suffered the kind of losing streak as he did against Sinner before that semifinal win.

The key for Djokovic will be to serve well – he hit all his spots against Sinner, which allowed him to win pressure point after pressure point. Can't slip even a bit.

Next will be to force errors from Alcaraz. The Spaniard can be erratic when he doesn't find his rhythm early. Playing with variety and angles early on in the match will be crucial.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: It's a tough one to call. The number one player in the world, arguably the most talented the sport has ever seen, against the experienced champion who has 10 titles at this venue but is now 38. Djokovic did beat Alcaraz at the AO in the quarterfinals in 2025 – but a year is a long time at this stage of Alcaraz's development. Alcaraz has gone on to reach each of the next four slam finals. It's difficult to call – but given how much Sinner stretched Djokovic, Alcaraz has just a little bit more to offer, and a little bit more strength in his legs in the long run. He will be considered the favourite.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Similarly for Novak Djokovic, history could be his tonight. Combining open area and amateur era stats, there are two players tied on 24 singles grand slam titles – Novak Djokovic, and Margaret Court, for whom the second showcourt at Melbourne Park is named.

Today, a win for Djokovic takes him to 25, where no tennis player in history has ever gone before. Can he take his chance at age 38 and cement his legacy yet again?

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Carlos Alcaraz goes into this match with a chance of some real history. The career grand slam – winning all four events – is his for the taking, just three sets away. He would also comfortably be the youngest man to achieve that feat if he gets over the line, at 22 years old, short of Rafael Nadal achieving it at 24. This would be his 7th major title, joining John McEnroe and Mats Wilander; only eight men in history have more.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Ahead of Sunday’s Australian Open final in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic holds a narrow edge over Carlos Alcaraz in their growing rivalry. The Serbian leads the head-to-head 5–4, underlining just how evenly matched the two have been across surfaces and stages. With another major title on the line, that slim advantage adds an extra layer of intrigue to their latest showdown.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Their rivalry took a new turn in Melbourne when Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz crossed paths in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Australian Open — their first meeting since the Olympic Games, and notably not on a final-stage stage. Djokovic found himself on the back foot early, dropping the opening set and battling through clear physical discomfort. What followed, however, was vintage resilience. Despite playing through what was later confirmed as a torn muscle in his left thigh, the Serbian dug deep to script a remarkable comeback, grinding out a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win in a gruelling contest that stretched beyond three and a half hours.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: Alcaraz looked to be struggling physically halfway through his semifinal against Alexander Zverev, a combination of cramp and fear regarding a potential strain. From a comfortable position, Alcaraz’s level suddenly dipped. He went on to drop the next two sets, and had Zverev serving for the match in the fifth set. But as he has already done so often in his short career, he raised his level when it mattered the most, looking like his best self as he roared back to clinch that match with a simple note to himself: ‘Believe.’

Alcaraz's road to final:

Semifinal: beat Zverev 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5

Quarterfinal: beat De Minaur 7-5, 6-2, 6-1

Round of 16: beat Tommy Paul 7-6, 6-4, 7-5

Round 3: beat C Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 6-1

Round 2: beat Hanfmann 7-6, 6-3, 6-2

Round 1: beat Walton 6-3, 7-6, 6-2

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Australian Open Final LIVE Score: It hasn’t been a seamless run. Djokovic got very fortunate as Lorenzo Musetti suffered a freak injury while leading him two sets to none in their quarterfinal match, and then was 2-1 down to Sinner as well. However, it will be his resilience in that contest, his ability to roll back the years and go toe-to-toe with a player who had the rub of the green on him in the last 15 months, that will give him confidence.

Djokovic's run to final -

Semifinal: beat Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

Quarterfinal: walkover Musetti 4-6, 3-6, 3-1

Round of 16: walkover Jakub Mensik

Round 3: beat van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4)

Round 2: beat Maestraelli 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Round 1: beat Predro Martinez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2