But 22-year-old Spaniard Alcaraz, a player who grew up idolising Nadal, also has a date with history, looking to become the youngest player to win all four grand slam singles events.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistory is on the line for both of us every time we play,\u201d Djokovic said during his post-match press conference at 3am on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe finals of grand slams, you know, there\u2019s a lot at stake, but it\u2019s no different from, you know, any other big match that I play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won against him last year here, you know, also in a gruelling match. Let\u2019s see. Let\u2019s see how fresh are we both able to be. He also had a big match, but he has 15, 16 years on me. You know, biologically I think it\u2019s going to be a bit easier for him to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Rafael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/c4c1d42874df10a264e275affd2c7c87d68d67ab.jpeg\")
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Rafael Nadals is in Melbourne for the men\u2019s final.Credit: Aaron Francis\/Tennis Australia<\/p>\n
All attention will be on which player recuperates better from their semi-final contest.<\/p>\n
Nadal expects Alcaraz to overcome the cramps that hindered him during his five-set semi-final victory over German Alexander Zverev.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m sure he will recover even if it has been a long battle, the other semi-final wasn\u2019t a short battle either,\u201d Nadal said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Carlos has more possibilities of recovering almost better than Novak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nadal will be at Rod Laver Arena for the men\u2019s final and said he would be supporting Alcaraz, his doubles partner from the 2024 Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Novak wins, I will be happy for him because in some ways, it is spectacular what he\u2019s doing at this stage of his career,\u201d Nadal said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I will be happy, it will not be a drama for me. But if I have to support someone, I feel I have to support Carlos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nadal, who flew into Melbourne on Friday, said he was enjoying retirement, having played his last match in November 2024 when Spain lost the Davis Cup final.<\/p>\n
![\"Novak](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/b6f951539eefac6588101469bba2f2a88cebc020.jpeg\")
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Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open final.Credit: The Age<\/p>\n
He credited his generation of players for extending the careers of tennis professionals such as Djokovic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I arrived on the circuit, the idea of the professional player was that when you were 28, 29, 30 already, well, you were a super veteran and practically, you had to retire,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this generation has given it one more step, a turn of the screw to what it is to be able to lengthen the professional career, and it hasn\u2019t been one player, but it has been many.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a bit of a legacy for the next generations \u2013 we have shown that by doing things well, being professional, having the excitement, the motivation and the passion for what you do and a good team behind you, well, you can go further.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more on the Australian Open<\/p>\n