2026 Australian Open final start time: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz to battle for title
History is at stake in Australian Open men’s final on Sunday featuring top seed Carlos Alcaraz against No. 4 Novak Djokovic, who is seeking his record-equalling 25th career Grand Slam. Djokovic won a thrilling five-setter against Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals after a fourth-round withdrawal and a “lucky” victory in the quarters while Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in five after trailing 5-3 in the fifth to reach the final.
Djokovic is a 10-time Australian Open champion, with his last victory at the tournament coming in 2023. Alcaraz is seeking his first career title in Melbourne, which would give him the career grand slam. Djokovic, 38, hinted at retirement last year after losing to Sinner at the French Open and his comments after his defeat at the US Open in September reflected those remarks.
However, given his prowess on the hard courts at the Australian Open, many saw Djokovic as a legitimate threat to win in 2026 and he is facing a phenom against whom he is 5-4 in his career. Alcaraz and Djokovic have split their last four matches, including Alcaraz’s victory in the US Open semifinals last year.
They met once at the Australian Open and Djokovic won in the quarters last year, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Sunday marks Djokovic’s first appearance in a Grand Slam final since 2024, when he lost to Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
“I never stopped believing in myself,” Djokovic said after beating Sinner. “A lot of people doubt me. A lot of experts wanted to retire me or retired me several times in recent years. I want to thank them all, because they gave me strength. They gave me the motivation to prove them wrong, which I did tonight. For me, it’s not a surprise, to be honest.”
Let’s take a closer look at how you can catch Sunday’s action as well as what you can expect from Djokovic and Alcaraz in the match before moving on to a prediction and expert pick below.
Where to watch the Australian Open men’s final
- Date: February 1
- Location: Melbourne Park Sports and Entertainment District – Melbourne, Australia
- Time: 3:30 a.m. ET
- TV: ESPN | Flow: Fubo (try for free)
Djokovic uses ‘chase’ remark as motivation
After his semifinal victory, Djokovic did not appreciate a question from a reporter suggesting that he spent much of his early career “chasing” Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and now spends the back half doing the same with Sinner and Alcaraz.
Djokovic reached the semifinals at every Grand Slam last year in his quest for No. 25. Sinner or Alcaraz have won the last four major titles.
“Am I chasing Jannik and Carlos? In what direction?” » said Djokovic. “So I’m still the chaser and I’ve never been chased? I find it a little disrespectful that you’re kind of missing what happened between the times when I started ‘chasing’ like you say Rafa and Roger and now where I’m chasing Carlos and Jannik.
“There’s probably a period of about 15 years between where I dominated the Grand Slams. I think it’s important to put that in perspective. To be honest, I don’t feel like I’m chasing. Roger and Rafa will always be my biggest rivals. I have immense respect for what Jannik and Carlos are doing and they will continue to do it for the next 10, 15, 20 years, God knows how many years they will play. They are so young people.”
Alcaraz comes off a grueling match
Alcaraz is one win away from becoming the youngest person to complete the career Grand Slam, but he will have to do it after a five-hour, 27-minute marathon in the semifinals. Zverev was serving for the match at 5-4 in the fifth before Alcaraz got a break and the momentum continued.
“I’m really excited to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne,” Alcaraz said. “It’s something I was chasing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.”
It was the third longest match in Australian Open history.
“I’ve been in this kind of match before, so I knew what I had to do. I had to put my heart into it. I think I did it. I fought until the last ball,” Alcaraz said. I knew I was going to have my chances. I was passionate, you know, in the fifth set, but extremely proud of myself and how I felt and how I came back. »
Men’s final prediction
FanDuel Sportsbook has Alcaraz (-320) as a considerable favorite over Djokovic to win his first Australian Open title. However, this looks like destiny for Djokovic given that there may not be many more chances in history for the Serbian star. If he can gain an advantage against Alcaraz early on and not have to play from behind where age could be a factor in a four-to-five hour match, Djokovic would hold a clear advantage. There is a lot more pressure on Alcaraz to get this done inside Rod Laver Arena than on Djokovic, who is clearly an underdog. With a victory, Djokovic would become the oldest Grand Slam winner of the Open era and surpass Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam titles of all time. Choice: Djokovic in four sets.
