Australia may have seen the last of Novak Djokovic.
On Sunday, he was one win away from a record-breaking 25th major title, but Carlos Alcaraz took that dream away after defeating the 38-year-old in four sets, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, across three hours and two minutes for the Australian Open title, becoming the youngest man to achieve a career Grand Slam at 22 years old.
A year ago, Djokovic turned his attention to only the majors, focusing on winning one more title before walking away from the sport. After the chance slipped away from him in Australia, he was ominous in his runner-up speech about his future in tennis.
“I tried to give you back with good tennis over the years,” Djokovic said on the court. “… I must be very honest and say that I didn’t think that I would be standing in a closing ceremony of a grand slam once again, so I think I owe you the gratitude as well for pushing me forward the last couple weeks.”
“God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in six months or 12 months,” he added. “It has been a great ride. I love you guys.”
Last year, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner emerged as the next great rivalry to take over men’s tennis. They split the four majors — facing each other in three finals — and traded the world No.1 ranking back and forth. Both have won the last nine major titles combined, including Sunday, and have proved to be in a league of their own.
While Djokovic has shown he is the most suitable player to get past the two young talents, he had not seen a major final since Wimbledon in 2024, when he lost to Alcaraz. His last title came at the 2023 U.S. Open, when he defeated Daniil Medvedev.
Given Djokovic’s age and fitness, Sunday very well could have been the legend’s last best shot at a major title, given his lucky draw of two walkthroughs in the fourth round and quarterfinal, and his big efforts to get past Sinner in a five-set thriller semifinal.
Djokovic is the last player standing from the Big 3 after Roger Federer retired at 41 in 2022 and Rafael Nadal retired at 38 in 2024.
