Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz won three straight sets after losing the first to defeat Novak Djokovic in the 2016 Australian Open final, adding to his impressive tennis record.

Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in just over three hours with scores of 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, and 7-5 to complete his career Grand Slam, becoming the youngest man in history to do so at only 22 years old.

The Murcia-born tennis player, who came into the match after playing five and a half hours in the semifinal, prevented the legendary Djokovic from reaching 25 Grand Slam titles, which would have been a new record surpassing that of Australian Margaret Court.

For reference, Rafael Nadal completed his career Grand Slam at 24 years old. None of the other recent greats did so before the age of 27. Alcaraz, the world No. 1, is the undisputed king of tennis today, winning his seventh Grand Slam title in the last 13 tournaments played. Alcaraz did so in Melbourne with a display of power, speed, versatility, and consistency in his shots against a man 16 years his senior. Djokovic appeared to be struggling with a hip or leg injury throughout the match, even requiring medical attention in the third set. Djokovic bows to Alcaraz: “Historic, legendary.” After Djokovic's spectacular first set, Alcaraz took control of the court with numerous rallies that brought the crowd at Rod Laver Arena to his feet. The Serb committed many unforced errors between the second and third sets. And when Alcaraz goes up two sets to one, he is literally invincible: 30-0 in his career. “I think the best way to describe it is historic, legendary,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz's victory during the awards ceremony, before joking: “I'm sure we'll face each other many more times in the next 10 years.” During the ceremony, Djokovic also addressed Rafael Nadal, who watched the final from the front row.

“Obviously, it feels very strange to see you there and not here (on the court). I just want to say that it has been an honor to share the court with you, and having you watching the final here is a first for me. It's a little strange,but thank you for being here,” said Djokovic, one of Nadal's historic rivals. “So many Spanish legends, it feels like two against one, but that's okay.”

In turn, Alcaraz thanked Djokovic: “For me, it has been an honor to share the locker room, to share the court… thank you so much for what you are doing, because it is very inspiring for me.” He also thanked Nadal for being there and noted that it was the first time the greatest Spanish tennis player had seen him in a match as a professional.

Other tennis players who won the Grand Slam in their careers

Carlos Alcaraz became the ninth man in history to complete the Grand Slam. The previous ones were, in alphabetical order, Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Novak Djokovic, Roy Emerson, Roger Federer, Rod Laver, Rafael Nadal, and Fred Perry.

Before Alcaraz (22 years and 272 days), the youngest to achieve the Grand Slam was American Don Budge, who completed it at the 1938 French Championships at 22 years and 363 days.