Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz must recover from marathon efforts as they prepare for a blockbuster Australian Open final where history will be on the line.
While Djokovic, at 38, is one win away from the standalone record of 25 grand slam singles titles and Alcaraz, at 22, can become the youngest man of all time to complete the career grand slam, both must push themselves to the limit physically after one of the most dramatic semi-final days the tournament has seen on Friday.
After Alcaraz triumphed in five hours and 27 minutes to beat Alexander Zverev in the longest semi-final in the tournament’s history, Djokovic stunned defending champion Jannik Sinner in five sets late into the night. The 10-time champion did not report to the site on Saturday, and said he would not train before the final.
Earlier, Elena Rybakina stunned top seed and rival Aryna Sabalenka to win the Australian Open women’s final and her second grand slam title, overturning the world No 1 in a rollercoaster final set where she won six of the final seven games.
In doing so, she denied Sabalenka a third Australian Open title and handed the world No 1 another tough defeat in a major final. “I had my opportunities. It feels like I missed couple, but it’s tennis,” Sabalenka said. “Today you’re a loser. Tomorrow you’re a winner.”
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Another brutal Australian Open defeat highlights Aryna Sabalenka’s contradiction
Aryna Sabalenka’s consistency in reaching grand slam finals is undeniable. Four in a row at the Australian Open and three in a row at the US Open, making it seven consecutive finals at the hard-court slams, is a generational achievement. Only two other players in the Open era, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis, can match it.
But her mixed record once getting there is unavoidable. In her eight grand slam final appearances, Sabalenka has four defeats to her four wins. Since rising to No 1 in the world, this glaring vulnerability has also become more pronounced, losing three of her last four and now two in a row at the Australian Open following last year’s collapse against Madison Keys.
Carlos Alcaraz responds to controversy over medical timeout after Australian Open epic
Carlos Alcaraz said he did not know if he was cramping or had suffered a more specific injury when a medical timeout was called during the third set of his Australian Open win over Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz’s stunning five-set epic to reach his first Australian Open final did not come without controversy as the German fumed at the decision to allow his opponent a three-minute medical timeout at 5-4 in the third when he was struggling with his movement.
“He has cramp! He can’t take a medical, he is cramping. What else should it be? This is absolute bull****! This is unbelievable,” Zverev said in German to supervisor Andreas Egli. Players are not allowed medical timeouts due to muscle cramping issues.
How does Djokovic recover / prepare for Sunday’s final?
Djokovic: “I don’t know. Let’s see. You know, it’s almost 3am… Yeah, let’s see.
“I cannot make any predictions right now. Definitely not going to train tomorrow, just going to use every hour I possibly can to recover.
“Hopefully get out on the finals day feeling somewhat refreshed.”
Djokovic’s four-word response reveals motivation behind epic run
Djokovic seemingly hit back at his critics on Friday, with a subtle message in the aftermath of his Australian Open win against Sinner.
In the moments after his win against Sinner, Djokovic wrote on a camera lens on Rod Laver arena – a customary move for most players at most tournaments. However, while most players sign their names, Djokovic took the opportunity to send a message.
“Nesto ste rekli?” he wrote in Serbian, which translates to: “Did you say something?”
The message has been interpreted as a response to his Djokovic’s critics, whom he later addressed during a post-match press conference.
How Carlos Alcaraz made history with Australian Open fightback
Carlos Alcaraz’s recovery made history, with the chance of another significant record to come as he chases a first Australian Open title. At 22, Alcaraz is the youngest man in the Open Era to reach the final at all four grand slam tournaments – ahead of Jim Courier, who achieved the feat in 1993.
Alcaraz also moves one win becoming the youngest man in history to complete the career grand slam – ahead of Don Budge, who achieved the feat in 1938. Rafael Nadal is the youngest player to complete the career grand slam in the Open era, and was 24 when he did so in 2010.
Jim Courier was courtside and interviewed Alcaraz after his latest epic, and pointed out the history he can create on Sunday. Thank you for putting so much pressure on me right now,” Alcaraz laughed. “Kidding, kidding!
“I’m just really, really happy to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne. It’s something that I was pursuing a lot, chasing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.
“Hopefully on Sunday it’s gonna be a great atmosphere. I can’t wait. Right now my head is about recovering as much as I can, just to try to be in a good shape, to put a show for you guys. See you on Sunday!”
How Novak Djokovic proved us all wrong in vintage Australian Open comeback
The 38-year-old Djokovic stunned defending champion Jannik Sinner in an epic five-set stand to keep his dream of a 25th grand slam alive by returning to the Australian Open final.
Britain’s Neal Skupski wins Australian Open men’s doubles with Christian Harrison
Neal Skupski continued Britain’s impressive recent record in men’s doubles by winning the Australian Open title alongside American Christian Harrison.
The newly-formed pair, playing in just their second tournament together, defeated Australian wild card pair Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans 7-6 (4) 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena.
It is the third time in the last five grand slam tournaments that there has been at least one British winner, with Henry Patten lifting this trophy last year alongside Finn Harri Heliovaara before the home duo of Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool triumphed at Wimbledon.
Elena Rybakina to return to career-high No 3 ranking
On Monday, Elena Rybakina will return to the world’s top three for the first time since June 2023.
She swaps places with No 3 Coco Gauff, who drops to No 5. Aryna Sabalenka remains ahead of Iga Swiatek at No 1 and No 2.
Elena Rybakina’s strong run to Australian Open title
Elena Rybakina is the first player to win the Australian Open title while beating three top-10 opponents since Naomi Osaka in 2019.
She defeated No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No 2 Iga Swiatek and No 6 Jessica Pegula, continuing her winning streak against top-10 opponents to 10 matches.
Elena Rybakina’s coach presented with trophy after Australian Open victory
Elena Rybakina’s coach, Stefano Vukov, was presented with his own trophy after her Australian Open triumph, a year on from being banned from attending the event amid an investigation into his conduct.
Former Wimbledon winner Rybakina won her second grand slam title by defeating world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets, three years on from her last appearance in a grand slam final when she lost to Sabalenka in Melbourne.
Last year, Vukoc was provisionally suspended by the WTA pending an investigation into a potential breach of its code of conduct. Due to the investigation, he was unable to be accredited for the Australian Open.
