MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — History is on the line in the Australian Open men’s final on Sunday with tennis gladiators Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz each vowing no surrender.

Separated by 16 years, the pair stand at opposite ends of their careers and are pursuing significant but different milestones.

The 38-year-old Djokovic is striving to win a record-extending 11th Melbourne crown and with it a 25th major title to finally surpass Margaret Court’s long-standing landmark.

Should he do so, he will also become the oldest man to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup at the Australian Open.

The 22-year-old Alcaraz has already won six Grand Slams and is bidding to become the youngest man to complete a career sweep of all four majors. Fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal did it at 24. 

“For me, I think also obviously for Carlos because of his age and everything that he was able to achieve so far, history is on the line for both of us every time we play,” Serbia’s Djokovic said. 

“The finals of a Grand Slam, you know there’s a lot at stake, but it’s no different from any other big match that I play.”

Both men conjured Houdini-like escapes in gripping five-set semifinals.

Djokovic survived two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner after four hours and nine minutes for his first win in six encounters against the world No. 2, fending off an incredible 16 of 18 break points.

Alcaraz spent even more time on court to tame Alexander Zverev in a titanic five hours and 27 minutes, the longest semifinal in tournament history with both matches instant classics.

Recovery will be key, with Alcaraz cramping badly in his match while Djokovic has no plans to train on Saturday to give his body enough time to refresh.

The Serbian great will be making a first major finals appearance since Wimbledon in 2024, having last claimed a Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023.

Since then, Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the majors.

A defiant Djokovic said he never doubted that he could relive past glories.

“I never stopped doubting. I never stopped believing in myself,” he said after pulling through against the more fancied Sinner.

“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.”

“You know, I want to thank them all because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong.”

“For me, it’s not a surprise, to be honest. I know what I’m capable of.”

Djokovic leads Alcaraz 5-4 in their head-to-heads, but the margins have often been razor-thin.

Alcaraz won their most recent clash, at the US Open last year, but Djokovic came out on top at the Australian Open in 2025 with a gutsy four-set quarter-final victory.

“He looks 25 years old physically, so to maintain that level at 38, it’s impressive,” said top seed Alcaraz.

“I just hate giving up,” added the Spaniard after overcoming cramp and battling back from a 5-3 deficit in the deciding set against Zverev.

The lure of becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam is driving him forward.

He has made clear it is his main goal this year and reiterated that it was on his mind again after beating Zverev.

“I would choose this one,” he said when asked which of the Grand Slams he most wanted to win this season. 

“I’d rather win this one than the other three and complete the Grand Slam and be the youngest ever to do it.”

Regardless of what happens on Sunday, Alcaraz will remain world number one and Sinner two, with Djokovic moving up a place to three ahead of Zverev.