Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic Preview & Prediction | 2026 Australian Open | Final
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Carlos Alcaraz faces Novak Djokovic in a high stakes final at the 2026 Australian Open.
Start date/time:
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Surface: Outdoor hard
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN
How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & Tennis Channel
Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic ticket information
Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic prediction
Novak Djokovic will aim to win a stand-alone record 25th Grand Slam singles title when he faces Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2026 Australian Open.
The 38-year-old Serbian defied the odds to end two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner’s reign in an epic five-set semi-final lasting over four hours on Friday.
It saw the ten-time Melbourne champion reach his 11th final at the tournament and his first since triumphing at the 2023 US Open.
Standing in the way of him creating history by moving beyond the tally of 24 majors - a number he shares with Margaret Court - is top seed Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spaniard is also hoping to achieve a significant record as victory in his maiden Australian Open final on Sunday would see the 22-year-old become the youngest man to achieve the Career Grand Slam.
The world number one overcame physical issues in the third set of his semi-final with Alexander Zverev to also prevail in five sets after five hours and 27 minutes on court.
It begs the question how much these two warriors will have left in the tank for the showdown for the trophy, but you can be sure they will leave everything out there as it will be another hugely significant meeting in their rivalry.
Djokovic leads the head-to-head 5-4 and defeated Alcaraz in four sets in the quarter finals of this tournament just 12 months ago.
The Spaniard responded with a straight sets victory over the Serbian at the US Open in their most recent battle to suggest he had finally got the edge over the man who also beat him to Olympic Gold in Paris back in 2024.
There’s every chance this will be another heavyweight tussle despite their energy-sapping exploits in the last four and it’s hard to see this being won in straight sets.
If Djokovic is going to land major number 25 anywhere, it’s likely to be here and given he spent less time on court heading into his win over Sinner, this may be his best chance.
The Serb's aura at Melbourne Park is pretty much only second to Rafael Nadal's at Roland-Garros and he is flawless in finals here.
However, this isn’t just any final for Alcaraz either and he will be the clear favourite to complete the set of Grand Slams, with the only caution being to try and gather information on his fitness and practice sessions to ensure he does not have any lingering physical concerns heading into the showdown everyone wants to see.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic tip: Over 3.5 sets
