<figure id="attachment_3272255" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3272255" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3272255" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/c660eea4-tennis-novak-djokovic-afp-01_02_26.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3272255" class="wp-caption-text">Novak Djokovic gestures during a press conference after his defeat against Spain&#8217;s Carlos Alcaraz in their men&#8217;s singles final match of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. (AFP pic)</figcaption></figure>
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic said it had been &#8220;a great ride&#8221; and &#8220;God knows what happens tomorrow&#8221; after losing Sunday&#8217;s Australian Open final to Carlos Alcaraz.
The 38-year-old Serb crashed in four sets to the 22-year-old Spaniard at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
It leaves Djokovic stuck on 24 Grand Slam titles, equal with Margaret Court and one short of the all-time outright record.
Afterwards he admitted he had not expected to reach a major final again and suggested the future was uncertain.
The former world number one has not always had an easy relationship with the fans in Melbourne, but told the crowd: &#8220;I want to just say in the end that you guys, particularly, the last couple of matches, gave me something that I have never experienced in Australia.
&#8220;That much love, support, positivity. I tried to give you back with good tennis over the years.&#8221;
Djokovic, whose last major final was defeat to Alcaraz at Wimbledon in 2024, added: &#8220;I must be very honest and say that I didn&#8217;t think that I would be standing in a closing ceremony of a Grand Slam once again.
&#8220;So I think I owe you the gratitude as well for pushing me forward throughout the last couple of weeks.
&#8220;God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in six months or 12 months. So it has been a great ride. I love you guys.&#8221;
Djokovic&#8217;s last major crown was the US Open in 2023 and he has seen world number one Alcaraz and number two Jannik Sinner dominate men&#8217;s tennis since.
However, he beat Sinner in five gruelling sets in the semi-finals, and said Sunday he considered reaching the title-decider to be &#8220;an incredible achievement for me&#8221;.
&#8220;Of course, after a loss it&#8217;s a bitter feeling, but nevertheless, I have to be content with this result,&#8221; said Djokovic, a record 10-time champion in Melbourne.
It is the first final there he has lost.
He said that beating Sinner had been &#8220;encouraging&#8221;, but added: &#8220;You know, not enough for me. Yeah, let&#8217;s see.
&#8220;I&#8217;m going to keep pushing and see if I get another chance.&#8221;
Djokovic had some lucky breaks in Melbourne.
His fourth-round opponent, Jakub Mensik, withdrew injured and he was facing defeat in the quarter-finals when Lorenzo Musetti had to retire hurt.
With age and injury catching up with Djokovic, he conceded that he has &#8220;lowered my expectations last couple of years&#8221;.
&#8220;I think (that) allows me to be able to let go of some of that unnecessary additional stress,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;It also feels good a little bit not being always the main favourite to win Slams.&#8221;

MatchPoint Times

Djokovic says ‘been a great ride’ after Melbourne final loss

Novak Djokovic admitted he had not expected to reach a major final again and suggested his future in the sport was uncertain.

Dalai Lama’s ‘gratitude’ at first Grammy win

Airline sector falling behind on clean fuel switch – IATA