Carlos Alcaraz One Win Away From Shattering Rafael Nadal's Career Grand Slam Record
Carlos Alcaraz put on a show against Germany's Alexander Zverev in the men's semifinals of the 2026 Australian Open, winning a five hour, 27 minute thriller that went into the early hours of Friday morning after the tennis phenom had battled back from what he described as cramps or an adductor issue halfway through the five-set extravaganza.
In a match that was hardly short on highlights, the hobbled Alcaraz managed to fight through injury and somehow found a way to victory that now sets the table for the 22-year-old to win his seventh major, along with some impressive tennis history on the line in becoming the youngest ever to win a career Grand Slam.
Standing in Alcaraz's way for what should be an epic showdown in Sunday's Australian Open final will be Novak Djokovic, the 38-year-old living legend who has a record 24 tennis majors under his belt.
Carlos Alcaraz Could Become the Youngest Tennis Player to Win a Career Grand Slam
Stunningly enough, despite the great Rafael Nadal having set the record for youngest tennis player to win a career Grand Slam at the age of 24 after winning the 2010 U.S. Open, the 22-year-old Alcaraz has a chance to break said record by a pretty wide margin.
With such rare and special history on the line come Sunday, what might be even more impressive is how Alcaraz navigated his way to match point on Friday in order to allow this opportunity to break Nadal's record.
In the dizzying and decisive fifth set against Zverev, things were looking relatively bleak for Alcaraz as he was down 5-3 and more or less hanging on by a thread, yet somehow escaped in electric fashion, taking four straight games to win the five hour, 27 minute marathon of a match, 7-5.
The following shot does an excellent job in summarizing what many of the back-and-forth moments between Alcaraz and Zverev felt like in that fateful final frame:
Carlos Alcaraz hits one of the shots of the tournament ???? pic.twitter.com/gEk5daMd9b
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 30, 2026
However, despite still being so young — and frighteningly still improving as a player — these stunning returns like the one above from Alcaraz have already become nearly an expectation for tennis fans.
Here's Alcaraz this past September, putting on the cape once again with a truly absurd shot:
STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 28, 2025
CARLOS ALCARAZ HITS ONE OF THE SHOTS OF THE YEAR
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS, YOU DON'T LIKE TENNIS
????????????????????????????????????pic.twitter.com/x1ooAXxGD6
Alcaraz Offers Hilarious Response About Possibly Breaking Nadal's Record
In the post-match, on-court interview with ESPN's Jim Courier, Alcaraz dropped an excellent response to the incredibly weighty question of, "You'll be attempting [in Sunday's Final] to become the youngest man to win a career grand slam, what would it mean to you?"
Without missing a beat, an exhausted but smiling Alcaraz replied by saying, "Well thank you for putting so much pressure on me right now."
The six-time major champion went on to offer up a sincere answer, giving a ton of credit to the lively crowd that pushed him "every time, every ball, every point."
The Health Outlook For Alcaraz in Australian Open Final
While the fallout from a five hour, 27 minute match — the third longest in Australian Open history — would likely give its truest indicator of Alcaraz's muscle issues that surfaced in the third set over the course of the next 24-plus hours, it's probably a safe bet he'll be there on Sunday.
An #AO26 Final fitness update from Carlos Alcaraz ???? (hint: he'll be there) pic.twitter.com/sACA9mxn9S
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2026
"It's not gonna be nothing ... I just gotta be whatever it takes to be as good as I can for the final," Alcaraz said after discussing the expectation of forthcoming muscle tightness.
What is Alcaraz's Career Record Against Novak Djokovic?
Alcaraz and Djokovic, aka "The Joker," have faced each other head-to-head a total of nine times, with the remarkably resilient 38-year-old veteran holding the slight edge of 5-4.
Their most recent match occurred in the 2025 U.S. Open semifinals in New York last summer that Alcaraz impressively dominated, winning in straight sets.
It's probably also important to mention that Alcaraz took down Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in both 2023 and 2024.
But regardless of who wins on Sunday, what's become very clear is that the two have forged a friendship over the course of their battles on the court and hold great respect for one another.
Look no further than Djokovic's actions just moments before taking the court for his match against Jannik Sinner on Friday.
All class, @DjokerNole ????
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2026
Minutes before his own semifinal, Novak took out the time to congratulate Carlos Alcaraz on his epic victory. pic.twitter.com/ES9cfudVy2
The highly anticipated Australian Open final between Alcaraz and Djokovic will take place on Sunday, February 1, at 3:30 a.m. ET/12:30 a.m. PT on ESPN.