Generations apart: On the Australian Open, Djokovic-Alcaraz final

Ever since Carlos Alcaraz won his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open and scaled the pinnacle of ATP rankings as a tender 19-year-old, he was said to be on a fast lane to success. On Sunday, with his first Australian Open singles crown and seventh Major overall, the Spaniard proved that those predictions were not ill-founded. The four-set triumph over the legendary Novak Djokovic drew Alcaraz level with greats such as John McEnroe and Mats Wilander in the all-time Slam tally. At 22 years, eight months and 28 days, Alcaraz is also the youngest to complete the career Grand Slam (acquiring all four Majors at least once), surpassing 22-time Slam winner Rafael Nadal’s record of 24 years, three months and 10 days. Melbourne had long been Alcaraz’s Achilles heel. He had not gone past the quarterfinals in four prior attempts, and this time, he had arrived Down Under without his long-term coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, from whom he recently split. But the World No.1 thrived, often under pressure, not just in the final where he fended off a resurgent Djokovic aiming for his 25th Major, but also in the semifinals where he battled from the brink — both tennis-wise and health-wise — to outlast Germany’s Alexander Zverev in a five-hour, 27-minute humdinger.

The fortnight also served as a timely reminder of Djokovic’s enduring genius. The rousing four-hour, nine-minute semifinal victory over World No.2 and two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner — his first over the Italian in six attempts — showed that even at the grand old tennis age of 38, the Serb is among the very best. He may have benefitted from a walkover in the fourth round and a retirement in the quarterfinals, but what shone were his technical mastery and the ability to hit peak level when needed. Djokovic is now up to No. 3, and such is his recent record — four semifinals and a final in the last five Majors — that any talk of retirement appears incongruous. However, it will be in the best interest of men’s tennis if a contemporary star can be unearthed to challenge the Alcaraz-Sinner duopoly than just depending on a seemingly timeless patriarch. The women’s game does not suffer from such lacuna as Elena Rybakina captured her second Slam title — after Wimbledon 2022 — with a stunning three-set defeat of World No. 1 and four-time Major winner Aryna Sabalenka. The 26-year-old Kazakh is now ranked No. 3, and the fact that she beat No. 2 Iga Swiatek — who was on her own mission to achieve a career Slam — and No. 6 Jessica Pegula en route will halo her achievement.