&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Australian Open final: Carlos Alcaraz reflects on historic feat, says 'dream come true'")
Carlos Alcaraz was at the top of his game on Sunday (Feb 1) as he won his maiden Australian Open title by defeating Novak Djokovic at the Rod Laver Arena. The 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 win also saw Alcaraz become the youngest player to clinch a career Grand Slam. After the win, Alcaraz reflected on his journey and gave a special mention to Rafael Nadal, who was in attendance for the championship clash.
Alcaraz reflects on Australian Open win
"I mean, this moment is really special, but having Rafa in the stands made it even more special, to be honest," said Alcaraz.
"Lifting the trophy for the first time in Australia was crazy. A dream come true. I dreamt about getting an Australian Open and completing the career Grand Slam."
Alcaraz reflected on Nadal’s 2009 semifinal win over Fernando Verdasco, which set the pace for the Spaniard to win his maiden title. Alcaraz stated he took inspiration from the epic 2009 run where Nadal would later beat Roger Federer in the summit clash.
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"After the semi-final, I just thought about that semi-final in 2009, he played against Verdasco, and then he came back physically and played such a great final against Federer and won," said Alcaraz.
"So I was thinking a little bit about it.
"It's just about pushing through and having him there, I was like watching him and he gave me some, like, good spirit, good mindset."
What happened in the match?
In the final that lasted more than two hours, Djokovic made a bright start by pocketing the opening set; however, Alcaraz came back to win the next three sets and won the 2026 Australian Open men’s singles final 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. The win meant Alcaraz won his maiden Australian Open and completed his career Grand Slam at 22. Overall, he now has seven major titles and is the defending champion at the Australian Open, French Open and the US Open.
