Australian Open live: Novak Djokovic skips practice ahead of Carlos Alcaraz showdown and historic final after Elena Rybakina beats Aryna Sabalenka

This will be the 10th tour-level match between Djokovic and Alcaraz and their sixth over best of five sets. Djokovic currently leads the head to head 5-4, but Alcaraz won their last meeting at the US Open semi-finals, winning in straight-sets.

Before then, Djokovic had won all three times they had met on a hard-court and Alcaraz’s previous two wins over Djokovic had come in the Wimbledon final, in 2023 and 2024. They have met at the Australian Open once before, with Djokovic winning in the quarter-finals last year.

The men’s final at the Australian Open between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will begin from 8:30am GMT (UK time).

The tournament will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK as well as online on Discovery+.

In the US, it will be shown live on ESPN and Tennis Channel.

Rafael Nadal has picked his favourite for the Australian Open final as he prepares to witness history in the match between compatriot Carlos Alcaraz and long-time rival Novak Djokovic.

Nadal, the two-time Australian Open winner and 22-time grand slam champion, will be court-side at the Rod Laver Arena to witness history on Sunday, returning to the tournament for the first time since his retirement from the sport in 2024.

Sometimes, a sporting contest comes along that is so seismic, so loaded with narrative, that history is guaranteed either way.

On Sunday evening in Melbourne, one of Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz will claim a career-defining achievement. Djokovic, at 38, stands a win away from a 25th grand slam singles title that would given him the sole ownership of the all-time record, and make him the oldest grand slam champion in the Open era. Alcaraz, at 22, can become the youngest man in history to complete the career grand slam, should he win the Australian Open title that completes the set.

Aryna Sabalenka’s consistency in reaching grand slam finals is undeniable. Four in a row at the Australian Open and three in a row at the US Open, making it seven consecutive finals at the hard-court slams, is a generational achievement. Only two other players in the Open era, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis, can match it.

But her mixed record once getting there is unavoidable. In her eight grand slam final appearances, Sabalenka has four defeats to her four wins. Since rising to No 1 in the world, this glaring vulnerability has also become more pronounced, losing three of her last four and now two in a row at the Australian Open following last year’s collapse against Madison Keys.

Carlos Alcaraz said he did not know if he was cramping or had suffered a more specific injury when a medical timeout was called during the third set of his Australian Open win over Alexander Zverev.

Alcaraz’s stunning five-set epic to reach his first Australian Open final did not come without controversy as the German fumed at the decision to allow his opponent a three-minute medical timeout at 5-4 in the third when he was struggling with his movement.

“He has cramp! He can’t take a medical, he is cramping. What else should it be? This is absolute bull****! This is unbelievable,” Zverev said in German to supervisor Andreas Egli. Players are not allowed medical timeouts due to muscle cramping issues.

Djokovic: “I don’t know. Let’s see. You know, it’s almost 3am… Yeah, let’s see.

“I cannot make any predictions right now. Definitely not going to train tomorrow, just going to use every hour I possibly can to recover.

“Hopefully get out on the finals day feeling somewhat refreshed.”

Djokovic seemingly hit back at his critics on Friday, with a subtle message in the aftermath of his Australian Open win against Sinner.

In the moments after his win against Sinner, Djokovic wrote on a camera lens on Rod Laver arena – a customary move for most players at most tournaments. However, while most players sign their names, Djokovic took the opportunity to send a message.

“Nesto ste rekli?” he wrote in Serbian, which translates to: “Did you say something?”

The message has been interpreted as a response to his Djokovic’s critics, whom he later addressed during a post-match press conference.

Carlos Alcaraz’s recovery made history, with the chance of another significant record to come as he chases a first Australian Open title. At 22, Alcaraz is the youngest man in the Open Era to reach the final at all four grand slam tournaments – ahead of Jim Courier, who achieved the feat in 1993.

Alcaraz also moves one win becoming the youngest man in history to complete the career grand slam – ahead of Don Budge, who achieved the feat in 1938. Rafael Nadal is the youngest player to complete the career grand slam in the Open era, and was 24 when he did so in 2010.

Jim Courier was courtside and interviewed Alcaraz after his latest epic, and pointed out the history he can create on Sunday. Thank you for putting so much pressure on me right now,” Alcaraz laughed. “Kidding, kidding!

“I’m just really, really happy to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne. It’s something that I was pursuing a lot, chasing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.

“Hopefully on Sunday it’s gonna be a great atmosphere. I can’t wait. Right now my head is about recovering as much as I can, just to try to be in a good shape, to put a show for you guys. See you on Sunday!”

The 38-year-old Djokovic stunned defending champion Jannik Sinner in an epic five-set stand to keep his dream of a 25th grand slam alive by returning to the Australian Open final.