Djokovic suffers first Australian Open final loss but sets a record! Among the top three in both youngest and oldest champions, the only king spanning nearly 20 years

In this year's Australian Open final, Djokovic initially seized the lead by winning the first set 6-2, but was ultimately overturned by the strongest post-2000s player, Spain's Alcaraz, who triumphed 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, handing Djokovic the runner-up spot. Remarkably, this marked Djokovic's first loss after making it to the Australian Open final. Although he had to settle for runner-up in the 2026 Australian Open, Djokovic still ranks among the top three youngest and oldest champions at the tournament! So, which players appear on these lists? And why does Djokovic make the cut? Today, this article will take you through it all.

In 1982, the under-18 Swedish player Wilander stormed through the French Open, defeating four top 10 players consecutively to claim his first Grand Slam title. That year, he also won three tour titles. In 1983, although Wilander lost straight sets to Frenchman Noah in the French Open final, he captured the Australian Open title in late November as the third seed, at just 19 years and 3 months old. This victory made him the youngest champion in Australian Open history.

In 1983, Swedish player Edberg won the junior titles at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open consecutively, becoming the first and only player ever to secure all four Grand Slam junior titles in a single year. At the end of 1985, Edberg battled his way to the Australian Open final, where his opponent was fellow Swede Wilander.

By that time, Wilander had already won four Grand Slam titles, while Edberg had only five tour titles. In this match, Edberg defeated Wilander 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, avenging his 1983 Australian Open loss to him. With this win, Edberg became the second youngest Australian Open champion at the age of 19 years and 10 months.

In 2008, Djokovic reached his first Grand Slam final as the third seed at the Australian Open. He advanced to the semifinals with unstoppable momentum, defeating Swiss legend Federer to reach his second Grand Slam final. Despite losing the first set in the final, Djokovic rallied to win the next three sets against French player Tsonga, claiming his first Grand Slam title. At 20 years and 7 months old, he became the third youngest Australian Open champion.

In 1972, Australian Roswell successfully defended his Australian Open title as the second seed. At that time, Roswell was already 37 years and 1 month old, making him the oldest champion in Australian Open history. In 2018, Swiss legend Federer won the Australian Open final against former US Open winner Croatian Cilic, securing his last Grand Slam title at 36 years and 5 months old, ranking as the second oldest Australian Open champion.

In 2023, Serbian star Djokovic defeated Greek player Tsitsipas in the Australian Open final to win his tenth Australian Open title. Alongside 2022 champion Spanish legend Nadal, both aged 35 years and 7 months, they share the record as the second oldest Australian Open champions. Spanning nearly 20 years of victories, Djokovic is the only player in Australian Open history to rank in the top three youngest and oldest champions simultaneously, showcasing unmatched dominance. That concludes today’s tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)