MELBOURNE, JAN 31: History is on the line in the Australian Open men's final on Sunday with tennis gladiators Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz each vowing no surrender.
Separated by 16 years, the pair stand at opposite ends of their careers and are pursuing significant but different milestones.
The 38-year-old Djokovic is striving to win a record-extending 11th Melbourne crown and with it a 25th major title to finally surpass Margaret Court's long-standing landmark.
Should he do so, he will also become the oldest man to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz has already won six Grand Slams and is bidding to become the youngest man to complete a career sweep of all four majors. Fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal did it at 24.
"For me, I think also obviously for Carlos because of his age and everything that he was able to achieve so far, history is on the line for both of us every time we play," said Serbia's Djokovic.
"The finals of a Grand Slam, you know there's a lot at stake, but it's no different from any other big match that I play."
Both men conjured Houdini-like escapes in gripping five-set semi-finals.
Djokovic survived two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner after 4hrs 9mins for his first win in six encounters against the world number two, fending off an incredible 16 of 18 break points.
Alcaraz spent even more time on court to tame Alexander Zverev in a titanic 5hrs 27mins, the longest semi-final in tournament history with both matches instant classics.
Recovery will be key, with Alcaraz cramping badly in his match while Djokovic has no plans to train on Saturday to give his body enough time to refresh.
The Serbian great will be making a first major finals appearance since Wimbledon in 2024, having last claimed a Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023.
Since then, Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the majors.
A defiant Djokovic said he never doubted that he could relive past glories.
"I never stopped doubting. I never stopped believing in myself," he said after pulling through against the more fancied Sinner.
"There's a lot of people that doubt me. I see there is a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years. "AFP
