Great Sporting Moments 7: Carlos Alcaraz, 2026 Australian Open Champion

I’m dusting off my rarely used sporting segment to highlight Carlos Alcaraz’s magnificent seventh Grand Slam victory, achieved at the 2026 Australian Open yesterday. The win makes the 22-year-old Spaniard the youngest player in history to complete the career Grand Slam, having now won all 4 mayors – the French Open, Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.

I’ve taken a keen interest in tennis ever since I was a kid, largely because our family played so often. My mother was a tennis coach, and we would regularly play at a local tennis centre near our home in Kurrajong Heights in Western Sydney, where Mum also coached. I also remember watching Wimbledon documentaries on VHS tapes. With my trusty Emrik wooden tennis racquet and trying to look like a hot-shot, I used to copy John McEnroe’s awkward, side-on serving style, complete with a sharp twisting motion. Unlike today’s players, whose technique is clean and direct, mine was anything but. I was also a bit high-strung on court like Johnny Mac, but shhhh – we’ll keep that to ourselves.

My mother, Rosemary, also has some interesting tennis history that fans of the sport might enjoy. As a youngster, she was coached by Vic Edwards, who was the long-time coach of Australian legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley. On another occasion, while Mum was hitting balls against a brick wall near the flats where she lived, Ken Rosewall appeared and handed her a tennis ball. Mum described her reaction to me: “I ran home and told Nanny – she was beside herself. He was such a lovely man.”

Back to Alcaraz and his most recent remarkable accomplishment at just 22 years of age. Not only is he the most entertaining tennis player I have ever watched, but his movement, speed, shot selection, and tactical awareness are on another level. As someone who has followed the game fairly closely for most of my life, I can say without hesitation that I have never enjoyed watching a tennis player more than Carlos Alcaraz.

As a kid, I got a kick out of watching John McEnroe for his natural talent, creativity, and fiery temperament. Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, plays with explosive athleticism, fine touch and a high level of sportsmanship and affability. He has been my favourite player for some time now, and even if he were to stop tomorrow, I would still consider him the greatest tennis player I’ve ever watched, and one of the very greatest sportspeople of my lifetime.

Alcaraz’s opponent in yesterday’s final was Novak Djokovic, who needs no introduction. At 38 years of age, Djokovic won his first ATP title in 2006, when Alcaraz was just two years old. He remains the most successful men’s player in Grand Slam history, with 24 major titles. Djokovic’s ability to reach another Australian Open final at his age – and to challenge Alcaraz strongly in the early stages – is a clear testament to his durability, discipline, and competitive spirit.

One of the great memories I’ll have of the final wasn’t even from the game itself; rather, it was Djokovic’s post-game speech as he accepted the runner-up trophy – the first time he’d ever held that plate at the Australian Open, too. It was one of the funniest, most respectful, and humble speeches I’ve ever seen post-game, and in case you didn’t see it, I’ll forward it at the end of this post. How he’s able to joke around so much and be so gracious and warm in defeat is really something else, and he truly deserves all the cheers and respect from tennis fans worldwide.

Thanks for reading.

About observationblogger

“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand