Rafael Nadal returned to Melbourne not as a competitor this time, but as a supporter -- backing fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the Australian Open final.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Melbourne with only one mission in mind -- claim a first Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
The flawless performance means Djokovic has reached a century of match wins in three of the four Grand Slams, with 95 at the U.S. Open.
Jannik Sinner admits the Australian Open semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic hurt, but says he was not surprised by the 10-time champion's level after a gripping five-set battle.
Novak Djokovic, the 10-times Australian Open champion, will continue his quest for a record-extending Melbourne Park title and a 25th Grand Slam crown to surpass the record he currently shares with Margaret Court.
Australian Open organisers invoked their extreme heat policy as temperatures soared at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, prompting the suspension of play on outer courts and the closure of roofs on the main showcourts.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz clash in the Australian Open final with history on the line as Djokovic chases a record 25th Slam and Alcaraz eyes a career Grand Slam.
Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Grand Slam ahead of her scheduled third round match on Saturday, citing a fitness problem.
'Doesn't matter what the head-to-head looks like. It's always a new match, always a new battle.'
Australian Open defending champion Madison Keys raised her game in the Melbourne Park heat to beat Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-3 and reach the fourth round.
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next week's Australian Open warm-up tournament in Adelaide to focus on being ready for the year's first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park.
Tennis greats Laver and Federer were seated in the front row of the Rod Laver arena when Sabalenka demolished French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah in her first-round encounter at Melbourne Park.
Novak Djokovic went down fighting 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to Alcaraz, who bagged his first Melbourne Park title and became the youngest man to win all four majors.
Aryna Sabalenka swept to her fourth successive Australian Open final with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.
It will be an all-American quartet in the last eight at Melbourne as fourth seed Amanda Anisimova beat China's dark horse Wang Xinyu in their fourth round match on Monday.
Zeynep Sonmez is the first woman from Turkey to reach the second round of the Melbourne Park Grand Slam.
World number eight Mirra Andreeva warmed up for the Australian Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory over fellow teenager Victoria Mboko in the Adelaide International final on Saturday to claim her fourth WTA Tour title.
The opening Grand Slam of the year begins at Melbourne Park on Sunday.
Carlos Alcaraz raced into the Australian Open fourth round after a clinical victory France's Corentin Moutet.
'The only reason I come back is because of the love you (fans) give me'
The day session attendance of 51,048 was some 10,000 short of day six on Friday and even less than last year's corresponding session.
World number two Iga Swiatek joined a growing chorus of players demanding more privacy off the courts at the Australian Open after cameras captured Coco Gauff in a post-match meltdown that the American said should have been a personal moment.
A defiant Novak Djokovic is adamant he can still beat any player on his day but at 38 the Serb is no longer focusing on the Grand Slam record, saying he does not need the pressure it brings.
Coco Gauff's bid for a third Grand Slam title went up in smoke at the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat by Ukrainian Elina Svitolina on Tuesday, after the third seed enduring a nightmare on serve.
Carlos Alcaraz charged into the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time in his career with a dominant victory over local favourite Alex de Minaur.
American Jessica Pegula defeated compatriot and defending champion Madison Keys to make the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Jannik Sinner battled cramp in extreme heat in a gutsy win over American Eliot Spizzirri to enter the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday
Sabalenka primed for Rybakina rematch with eyes on third Australian Open crown
Iga Swiatek heads into Melbourne Park with the Australian Open title the only gap on her Grand Slam resume, but the world number two is keen to avoid setting herself targets for the new season and says her main goal is to improve her game.
Jannik Sinner brushed aside heat concerns to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, while Iga Swiatek ended home hopes by overpowering Maddison Inglis in Melbourne.
Carlos Alcaraz said winning the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam is the main goal of his season.
Coco Gauff started her quest for a maiden Australian Open title with a straight games win over Kamilla Rakhimova to reach the second round.
India's N Sriram Balaji and his Austrian partner Neil Oberleitner, who entered the Australian Open men's doubles draw as an alternate pair, bowed out in the second round.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka began her 2026 campaign with a thumping victory at the Brisbane International on Tuesday while her "Battle of the Sexes" opponent Nick Kyrgios fell short on his return to singles action after nearly a year out.
Fifth seed Elena Rybakina booked her place in the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday with a dominant second set display to hand six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek a 7-5, 6-1 defeat at Melbourne Park.
The four-times Grand Slam champion, who is eyeing her third Australian Open trophy when the tournament begins on January 18 at Melbourne Park, was pushed harder in the next set but edged ahead again at 5-4 to wrap up the win on serve.
Russian-born Daria Kasatkina said she is ready to embrace the "good pressure" of a home Grand Slam when she steps onto the Melbourne Park court as an Australian citizen for the first time.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the matches played at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
Keys, who captured her first Grand Slam title at the tournament last year, said she was still getting used to the surreal experience of seeing herself immortalised around Melbourne Park.
Fresh off Australian Open glory, Carlos Alcaraz plans a kangaroo tattoo after becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
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