Serbian great Novak Djokovic said he will be fuelled by a desire to prove his doubters wrong when he takes on Spanish challenger Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final.
Stakes will be high at Melbourne Park on Sunday as Djokovic chases a record 25th Grand Slam title while the Spanish World No1 aims to become the youngest man to win all four majors.
At 38, Djokovic is the oldest male player in the Open era to reach the final in Melbourne. If he wins, Djokovic would surpass Ken Rosewall as the oldest major champion in men's singles.
All of it seemed a long way away when Djokovic trailed Lorenzo Musetti by two sets to love in the quarter-finals. Then, miraculously, his Italian opponent was forced to quit due to a thigh injury. It was the second match at the Australian Open where Djokovic received a walkover, allowing him to remain as fresh as possible for the semi-final.
In the last-four clash, Djokovic turned back the clock to defeat two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in a five-set classic.
Stopped in the semi-finals of the last four Grand Slams, Djokovic overpowered Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in another intense semi after Alcaraz had earlier defeated Alexander Zverev in the longest Australian Open semi-final that lasted almost five and a half hours.
“I never stopped doubting,” the Serbian said while interacting with the media at the Rod Laver Arena at nearly 3am.
“I never stopped believing in myself. 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.
“I want to thank them all because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong.”
Djokovic has garnered many accolades during a stellar career but if he manages to prevail on Sunday, it would be right up there as one of the most remarkable achievements.
“History is on the line for both of us every time we play,” added Djokovic, who has won all of his 10 previous finals at Melbourne Park.
“The finals of a grand slam, there's a lot at stake, but it's no different from any other big match that I play. My preparation is as it should be, and I won against him last year here, also in a gruelling match.
“Let's see how fresh we are both able to be. He also had a big match, but he has 15, 16 years on me. Biologically I think it's going to be a bit easier for him to recover.”
His opponent Alcaraz also overcame a dramatic battle to make it to the final.
Alcaraz fought through a leg cramp to deny Zverev and will be aiming for a first Melbourne title.
The semi-finals overwhelmed Alcaraz and Djokovic physically, with both throwing up during the matches.
“I always say you have to believe in yourself no matter what,” Alcaraz said.
“I was struggling in the middle of the third set. Physically it was one of the most demanding matches I've played in my short career. But I've been in this situation before.”
