Alcaraz arises as undisputed No.1 as Novak steps aside, but not without a fight |
The improbable met the inevitable on Rod Laver Arena.
At 38, Novak Djokovic ceded to the years and to the man who has taken his serve, his game and might one day take his title as the most prolific grand slam winner of all time.
It was a changing-of-the-guard moment when Carlos Alcaraz usurped Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final on Sunday night.Credit: Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz did something he had not done before in winning the Australian Open to claim the most youthful career grand slam, and he did it by doing something no one else had ever done before; beating Djokovic in a final here.
At his age, Djokovic should be at a stage of life where he is feted on centre court, like Rafael Nadal was, before the final, not during it. That he was here at all was astonishing.
In the week leading up to the tournament Djokovic said he understood the lens through which matches he and Alcaraz played were unlike any other matches, for they spoke to a place in history. Losing, he graciously acknowledged the generational shift.
“The best word to describe it is historic. Legendary,” he said, only after the crowd calmed from chanting his name and drawing a tear to his eye.
“You are so young, you have a lot of time – like myself – so I am sure we will be seeing each other many times over the next 10 years … not.”
As for the idea he could win again, even he acknowledged how unlikely that was.
“I must be very honest. I didn’t think I would be standing in a closing ceremony of a grand slam once again.”
It begged the question of retirement, something he looked ready to hint at before pulling his line. Because Jannik Sinner has four grand slam titles, and has shared all slam titles for the past two years with Alcaraz, it is........