Jannik Sinner, of Italy, answers a reporters’ question during a press conference at the Italian Open at the Foro Italico in Rome, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
| Photo Credit: Alessandra Tarantino

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic will meet the titan of the new era Carlos Alcaraz in the 2026 Australian Open final on Sunday, Feb. 1. Hailed as the clash of two eras, the Djokovic-Alcaraz summit clash will be played at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. 

After playing two high-intense semi-finals on Friday, Jan. 30, the Serbian legend will be taking on the Spanish giant in what promises to be one of the biggest Australian Open finals ever. 

Djokovic made it through after defeating two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semi-final bout. The legend, who is eyeing a landmark 25th Grand Slam and his 11th Australian Open title, will be hoping to give a befitting reminder of his great prowess on the court.

For Alcaraz, it will be yet another opportunity to stamp his authority and reinforce his status as the world number one. The 22-year-old strengthened his quest for a maiden Australian Open crown by winning against Alexander Zverev following a marathon fixture spanning 5 hours and 27 minutes. 

The victory gave Alcaraz a place in the Australian Open final for the first time, bringing him close to his seventh major title. The Spanish superstar has also won 24 ATP championships.

The final could be a defining moment in both the tennis champions’ careers. While Djokovic would be keen to flex his greatness inside the court and prove to himself more than anyone that he is still the best, Alcaraz would be determined to etch his place in tennis history. He can become the youngest man to complete a Career Grand Slam.

ALSO READ: Australian Open 2026: History-Chasing Novak Djokovic To Meet Carlos Alcaraz In Men’s Final After Epic Wins

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz Australian Open Final: Head-to-Head Record 

Djokovic and Alcaraz have faced each other in nine previous high-stakes battles, including the quarter-final of the 2025 Australian Open. The Serbian great has won five times in the rivalry, while his Spanish counterpart has emerged victorious on four occasions. 

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz Australian Open Final: Date, Time, Venue 

The exciting final for the 2026 Australian Open will be played on Sunday, Feb. 1, at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The match will start at 2:00 p.m. Indian Standard Time. 

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz Australian Open Final: Live Streaming Details 

The Djokovic-Alcaraz final will be televised live in India on the Sony Sports Network channels. Fans can also tune in for the live streaming services on the Sony Liv app and website. 

World number five Jessica Pegula believes the handling of high-profile doping cases involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek has shown that the “process is completely broken”. And top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka admits she cannot trust the tennis anti-doping system and has become “too scared” of it. Sinner’s long doping saga came to an end on Saturday after he agreed to a three-month ban from tennis, the world number one admitting “partial responsibility” for team mistakes which led to him twice testing positive for traces of clostebol in March last year.

Sinner was facing a potential ban of two years after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his initial exoneration by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), announced in August.

In a surprising move, WADA withdrew its appeal and came to an agreement with Sinner to accept a three-month ban.

In a statement, WADA said “Sinner did not intend to cheat” but would serve his suspension as he is responsible for the actions of his entourage.

Swiatek accepted a one-month ban after testing positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine (TMZ) late last year.

The 23-year-old Pole had pulled out of the WTA’s Asian swing in September-October citing “personal matters”.

Pegula, last year’s US Open finalist and a member of the WTA Players’ Council, said the inconsistencies in the way cases are being processed and judged is creating an unfair environment for all tennis players.

“I think my reaction is that, whether you think he did or you don’t, or whatever side you’re on, the process just seems to be completely not a process,” the American told reporters in Dubai on Sunday.

– ‘Make up ruling’ –

“It seems to just be whatever decisions and factors they take into consideration, and they just make up their own ruling.

“I don’t really understand how that’s fair for players when there’s just so much inconsistency and you have no idea.”

Pegula added that any emails the players have been receiving regarding anti-doping cases contain explanations that are too easy to come up with, and are just ways for anti-doping organisations to justify their inconsistent rulings and processes.

“If you’re clean or not, the process is completely broken,” she stated.

“I think it needs to be seriously looked at and considered. I feel like they have so much power to ruin someone’s career, as well. I think there needs to be something done about that because it just seems really unfair.

“I don’t think any of the players trust the process at all right now. Zero. It’s just a horrible look for the sport.”

– ‘Too scared’ Sabalenka –

Sabalenka refused to comment on the outcome of the Sinner case but says she has become too wary of falling foul to the sport’s strict anti-doping rules.

“You just start to be more careful. For example, before I wouldn’t care about leaving my glass of water and go to the bathroom in a restaurant. Now, I’m not going to drink from the same glass of water,” said the Belarusian world number one.

“You just become a bit more aware of stuff and this thing gets to your head that, like, if someone used a cream on you and you test positive, they’re going to go for you and they’re not going to believe you or anything.

“You just become too scared of the system. I don’t see how I can trust the system.”

Swiatek said she trusts that the process ultimately “went fair”, when asked about her reaction to the Sinner decision.

“Every case is different. Every story is different, for sure,” said the second-ranked Swiatek.

“Because of Jannik’s or my situation, we are kind of even celebrities, besides playing tennis. Everybody thinks of it from a hundred different perspectives.

“But I just try to stick to the facts and read the documents. I trust that the process at the end went fair. That’s the only thing I do because I try not to judge.”

Sinner’s three-month sanction was described as “ridiculous” by Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios.

“Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist,” Kyrgios posted on X on Saturday.

And three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka was equally damning of the deal, writing: “I don’t believe in a clean sport anymore.”

Unseeded Indian Ramkumar Ramanathan pulled off an upset win against top seed Elias Ymer of Sweden to enter the final qualifying round of the Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 tennis championship in Pune on Sunday. The 30-year-old Ramanathan took revenge of his Davis Cup loss last year against the top seeded Swede, winning 5-7,6-1,6-4 in the match that lasted one hour and 52 minutes. The 28-year-old Ymer played solid tennis to wrap up the first set. But Ramanathan fought back with his attacking serve and volley game to win the second set.

The Chennai player couldn’t break Ymer in the third game, but did manage to get a break in the fifth to win the match.

Ramanathan, currently ranked 403, served nine aces in the match to move into the final round qualifying.

In other matches, sixth seeded Russian Ilia Simakin took one hour 15 minutes to get past India No. 2 Mukund Sasikumar, winning 6-4, 6-3 to also advance to the final round qualifying.

Twelfth seeded Matthew Dellavedova of Australia proved too experienced for 16-year-old wildcard Arnav Vijay Paparkar, winning 6-2, 6-3. Paparkar showed glimpses of his quality but could not get past the experienced Australian.

Former winner of the Maha Open ATP Tour and currently ranked 35 in the world, Jiri Vesely, who is making a comeback, proved strong for local wildcard Siddhant Banthia, winning 6-2, 6-3.

Eleventh seeded South African Kris Van Wyk had to toil hard against wildcard entrant Nitin Kumar Sinha before eventually winning 7-5, 7-5, while fourth seeded Blake Ellis of Australia quelled a first set challenge before accounting for another Indian wildcard Sidharth Rawat 7-5 ,6-2.

In the other two upsets of the day, Russian Petr Bar Biryukov beat second seeded Oleksandr Ovcharenko of Ukraine 6-3, 7-6(6), while Japanese Hiroki Moriya ousted fifth seeded Jacopo Berrettini of Italy 7-5, 6-3.

World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev on Friday expressed concern over the rising number of injuries among Indian cricketers, attributing it to the demanding schedule that keeps players in action for almost 10 months each year. The National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru has turned into a rehabilitation hub, with players spending more time recovering than training. The latest casualty being India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah who was forced to sit out of the second innings of the final Test in Sydney due to a back injury. Initially named in the Champions Trophy squad, Bumrah has now been ruled out.

Mohammed Shami, India’s top wicket-taker in the 2023 ODI World Cup (24 wickets), suffered a leg injury post-final and underwent surgery.

His 14-month recovery ruled him out of the BGT series, which India lost for the first time in a decade. Shami’s absence left Bumrah without a reliable bowling partner.

“The only thing that worries me is that they play for 10 months a year — injuries will be much more common,” the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper said at the Tata Steel Golf prize distribution ceremony here.

Asked whether Bumrah would be missed in CT, Kapil urged players to focus on supporting each other rather than dwelling on injured players.

“Why talk about someone who is not in the team? It’s a team game, and the team has to win, not individuals. This is not badminton, tennis, or golf; we are playing a team sport in the Champions Trophy. If we play as a team, we will definitely win,” said the 66-year-old.

“You never want your main players to get injured, but if it happens, you can’t do anything about it. Good luck to my Indian team — go and play well,” he added.

India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.

Kapil said he’s excited to see so much rising talents in the Indian cricket team these days.

“When you see the youngsters, their confidence is unbelievable. We didn’t have this much confidence when we were young. Good lluck to them.” A known golf enthusiast and the current PGTI president, Kapil also made a playful pitch for the sport.

“Tell everyone to play golf. If they are not playing cricket, they should come and play golf. If they do, their performance will be better. There is a lot of fun in golf.” Emphasising on the importance of infrastructure for young golfers, he said: “If young players get the right facilities, they will improve. We are trying our best.”

‘LIV Golf will do what IPL did for cricket’

The PGTI head further likened Saudi-backed LIV Golf’s rise to the IPL’s impact on cricket, stressing that more tournaments would only benefit players.

“When the IPL came, everyone benefited. So, whenever there is change, everyone will benefit. The more tournaments, the better. The more events that happen, the better it is for the players,” Kapil said.

Launched in 2021, LIV Golf is a rival to the PGA and DP World Tours, offering lucrative contracts, shorter 54-hole events, team-based formats, and no cuts. It has attracted top golfers but also sparked significant controversy.

Kapil further called for more golf courses to boost India’s Olympic prospects.

“You have to build more golf courses — only then can we play and do well in the Olympics. If you go to Scotland, there are about 100 courses. Here, in Kolkata, you have only two or three.

“There should be more driving ranges; more players will emerge. If you have more schools and colleges, only then will children study, right? Players need opportunities to express themselves.” Dismissing the notion that golf is exclusive to the elite, he gave example of cricket’s transformation.

“Ninety per cent of the top players come from caddie backgrounds. If top players are caddies-turned-pros, then we should remove this notion that golf is an elite game.

“About 60 years ago, only royals played cricket — look at it now! The same will happen with golf; common people will play. This game is for everyone,” he signed off. 

Alexander Zverev refused to be drawn after a spectator shouted the names of two women, one of whom had settled assault accusations against him, during the Australian Open 2025 trophy presentation on Sunday. While addressing the crowd at Melbourne Park following his final defeat to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Zverev’s speech was interrupted after a spectator shouted the names of two women who had put domestic abuse allegations on Zverev in recent years, leading to boos and whistles from the crowd.

The German World No. 2 was well beaten in three sets by defending champion Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles final in Melbourne. Zverev was outclasseed 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-4 by Sinner, who won his second straight Australian Open title and third straight hard court Grand Slam.

Following the game, a woman began shouting out as the 27-year-old Zverev stepped up to give his speech afterwards at Rod Laver Arena. There were a few boos and whistles, but eventually the spectator’s voice was shut out by cheers and claps from the rest of the crowd.

“Australia believes in Olya and Brenda,” shouted the spectator, interrupted Zverev’s speech.

It was a reference to Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea, two of Zverev’s ex-girlfriends. Patea, who also has a daughter with Zverev, had brought a criminal case against Zverev. However, it was settled off court.

Sharypova, who is also a former tennis player, had alleged domestic abuse against Zverev, but never went to police over it.

A German court in June dropped a case against the player over allegations he assaulted his ex-girlfriend, after a settlement was agreed hours before he was due to play in the semi-final of the French Open.

Zverev, who has denied wrongdoing, was asked in a post-match news conference to comment about what he heard.

He said: “I believe there are no more accusations. There haven’t been for, what, nine months now?

He added: “I think I’ve done everything I can, and I’m not about to open that subject again.”

With AFP inputs

Alexander Zverev refused to be drawn after a spectator shouted the names of two women, one of whom had settled assault accusations against him, during the Australian Open 2025 trophy presentation on Sunday. While addressing the crowd at Melbourne Park following his final defeat to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Zverev’s speech was interrupted after a spectator shouted the names of two women who had put domestic abuse allegations on Zverev in recent years, leading to boos and whistles from the crowd.

The German World No. 2 was well beaten in three sets by defending champion Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles final in Melbourne. Zverev was outclasseed 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-4 by Sinner, who won his second straight Australian Open title and third straight hard court Grand Slam.

Following the game, a woman began shouting out as the 27-year-old Zverev stepped up to give his speech afterwards at Rod Laver Arena. There were a few boos and whistles, but eventually the spectator’s voice was shut out by cheers and claps from the rest of the crowd.

“Australia believes in Olya and Brenda,” shouted the spectator, interrupted Zverev’s speech.

It was a reference to Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea, two of Zverev’s ex-girlfriends. Patea, who also has a daughter with Zverev, had brought a criminal case against Zverev. However, it was settled off court.

‘Australia believes Olya & Brenda’ pic.twitter.com/A7zowZo812

— Adam (@AdamJoseph____) January 26, 2025

Sharypova, who is also a former tennis player, had alleged domestic abuse against Zverev, but never went to police over it.

A German court in June dropped a case against the player over allegations he assaulted his ex-girlfriend, after a settlement was agreed hours before he was due to play in the semi-final of the French Open.

Zverev, who has denied wrongdoing, was asked in a post-match news conference to comment about what he heard.

He said: “I believe there are no more accusations. There haven’t been for, what, nine months now?

He added: “I think I’ve done everything I can, and I’m not about to open that subject again.”

With AFP inputs

Jannik Sinner won his second successive Australian Open title in emphatic fashion, crushing opponent Alexander Zverev in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3. While Zverev was largely overpowered by a relentless Sinner, his slightest hope came when he forced a tie-breaker in the second set. However, the tie-breaker did not go to plan. Tied at 4-4, Zverev lost a crucial point off his own serve, as the ball took a deflection off the net and bounced before he could reach. As Zverev ended up losing, his frustration was evident and the German could be seen smashing his racquet.

Having been beaten in the first set of the Australian Open 2025 final, Zverev kept himself alive in the second set right down to the tie-breaker. In the tie-breaker, Zverev took the lead as well a couple of times, and had the chance to maintain that with the tie-breaker score tied at 4-4.

However, Sinner’s return for the next point deflected off the net and fell before Zverev could reach it. It was a decisive point, meaning that Sinner took a 5-4 lead with two serves to follow.

As it turned out, Sinner closed out the tie-breaker 7-4, and took a two-set lead in the Australian Open 2025 final.

Zverev did not look pleased. The World No. 2 angrily smashed his racquet repeatedly against his seat, and then on top of other racquets that had been kept near it.

Photos: Alexander Zverev smashes his racquet

The fury was evident. Zverev did not manage a single break point against Sinner in the entire final, and this was a big opportunity lost to clinch a set.

World No. 1 Sinner dominantly closed out the third set 6-3 to win the final in straight sets, and secure a second consecutive Australian Open title.

He now joins Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only players to win consecutive Australian Open titles in the 21st century.

A clinical Jannik Sinner swept past Alexander Zverev to retain his Australian Open title Sunday and cement his status as the world’s dominant player, becoming the first Italian to win three Grand Slams. The 23-year-old came through a tense battle between the world’s top two players 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena, raising his arms in the air and looking to the sky in celebration. In doing so he became the first Italian, man or woman, to win three Grand Slams, surpassing Nicola Pietrangeli’s two.

The victory also thrust him alongside Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to successfully defend their Melbourne Park titles this century.

But it proved more misery for Germany’s Zverev, who remains one of the world’s best players never to taste Grand Slam glory, falling short once again in his third big final.

Ice-cool Sinner proved to be a tower of mental strength in Australia, with his defence coming against the backdrop of an ongoing doping case after he twice tested positive for traces of the steroid clostebol last year.

Hanging over his head has been a World Anti-Doping Agency appeal against his exoneration, with the global body seeking a long ban.

A hearing is scheduled at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for April.

But he cast all the worries aside to notch a 19th career title and extend his incredible win streak to 21 matches.

Last year, Sinner needed five sets to tame Daniil Medvedev and win his first Grand Slam, but it never looked like going the distance this time.

He opened with a statement ace and won his first two service games to love, with Zverev struggling to get himself into the contest.

The German fought back to save two break points and hold for 2-2, serving his way out of trouble.

He began to find his radar, taking four points off the next Sinner serve in a game that went to deuce twice as the rallies built.

Racing clear

But the dam finally burst in the eighth game.

Zverev saved three break points but had no answer to a fourth when he was beaten by a blazing passing shot to slump 5-3 behind.

Sinner took the set in 46 minutes and kept the pressure on in the second as cracks began to appear in his opponent’s game.

The Italian has a phenomenal ability to turn recovery shots into momentum-changing ones and he raced 15-40 clear on the Zverev serve at 1-1.

Once more, the second seed dug deep to cling on.

From then on they couldn’t be separated and it went to a tiebreak where Sinner got a lucky net cord that dribbled over to break for 5-4 and he streaked to a two-set lead.

Sinner has won all four tiebreaks he’s played in Melbourne and 16 from his last 18.

Zverev smashed his racquet in frustration at the changeover, and it didn’t get any better in the third set, worn down by the relentless Italian.

Sinner broke for 4-2 when Zverev sent a forehand long and there was no way back for the increasingly disillusioned 27-year-old.

Zverev came into the clash with a 4-2 record over Sinner, but all of those wins came before the Italian won a Grand Slam or rose to world number one.

Sinner won eight titles last year, including the US Open and season-ending ATP Finals, and was the first player since Federer in 2005 to go through a season without a defeat in straight sets.