Novak Djokovic won the first set of Sunday’s Australian Open final against Carlos Alcaraz.
The greatest big-match winner in tennis history may never win another championship set Down Under.
Alcaraz stormed back to take the final in four sets and claim for himself a career Grand Slam, the youngest to ever do it.
Djokovic, meanwhile, was left to reflect after the match.
Speaking to the on-court interviewer, Djokovic expressed legitimate doubt about what his future might hold:
“God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in 6 months or 12 months. It has been a great ride. I love you guys.”
Djokovic has been at his best inside Rod Laver Arena. He has won the Australian Open a remarkable 10 times.
This was a bit of a bonus, a totally unexpected five-set win over Jannik Sinner in the semifinals just to reach this stage. At 38 years old, even Djokovic wasn’t necessarily expected to topple the two best players in the world back to back.
And so he had to settle for runner-up honors. It may not add to his record 24 major titles, but it was quite the feat all the same.
Now, Djokovic will continue to contemplate his future. There’s no suggestion that he won’t compete in this season’s other Grand Slam tournaments.
But at some point, Djokovic will sign off from the sport for good. And he’ll leave the court, whenever that is, with a case as the best to ever do it.
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