Novak Djokovic will meet Carlos Alcaraz in the 2026 Australian Open final after the two players went through an epic five-set match to defend their respective attempts to make history at Melbourne Park.
Djokovic, who is from Serbia, was forced to come back from behind to beat two-time defending champion and world number two Jannik Sinner with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday, January 30 WIB.
"To be honest, I'm at a loss for words. It feels like a dream, playing more than four hours, it's almost 2am. I remember 2012 when I played against Rafa [Nadal] in the final," said Djokovic, quoted by BBC.
The victory gives Djokovic, 38, his latest chance to claim a 25th Grand Slam title of his career and set a record as the most successful player in history.
If he manages to climb to the highest podium at the end of the weekend, Djokovic will automatically overtake Australian legend Margaret Court to become the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles in the history of women's and men's singles.
It will be Djokovic's first Grand Slam final appearance since Wimbledon in 2024 and if successful it will be his first major title since the US Open in 2023.
However, Djokovic's bid to make history is unlikely to be easy as his opponent Alcaraz is the world number one at the moment and beat him in the Wimbledon final two years ago.
Alcaraz is currently chasing his maiden title at the Australian Open to become the youngest player in history to win all four Grand Slam titles at the age of 22.
If achieved, the Spanish tennis player will surpass the record of his mentor and compatriot Rafael Nadal, who won all the Grand Slam titles at the age of 24. Currently, Alcaraz has collected six Grand Slam titles, two each at the French Open, Wimbledon, and also the US Open.
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