Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Carlos Alcaraz, the youngest person in history to win trophies from all four major tennis tournaments, completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open.
The Australian Open semi-final was the longest ever in Australian Open’s history. It lasted five hours, 27 minutes. Alcaraz, 22, defeated Novak Djokovic, 2-6 6-2 6-3 7-5, in the Melbourne Final.
Alcaraz, after a dominating opening set by Djokovic who began with the same aggression and clarity which had helped him defeat Jannik Sinner in earlier rounds of the tournament, changed his pattern of play. Instead, he used heavy forehands across the court to extend rallies, and sap his opponents’ legs, instead going down repeatedly the line.
The conditions and Alcaraz’s pace became more evident as the match progressed. Djokovic’s initial plan to avoid an extended battle failed as the Spaniard took control and levelled out the contest.
The organizers explained that they were taking precautions against rain. Alcaraz, who accepted the explanation, maintained his intensity and mixed defence with deft drops shots to force Djokovic onto increasingly small margins in order to stay within the points.
Djokovic ended the match with a long forehand after three hours and twenty-two minutes. Alcaraz collapsed on the court and then celebrated with his teammates, while the Serb congratulated him across the net, realizing that he had missed the chance to earn another major.
Alcaraz has now won seven Grand Slams, including in Melbourne, Paris and London. He is the youngest player ever to do so, surpassing Rafael Nadal.
