Novak Djokovic admitted he was “bitter” after losing in the final of the Australian Open for the first time in his career. The Serbian superstar was 10-0 in championship matches here and got off to a strong start against Carlos Alcaraz in his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam title. But Djokovic’s level dropped, and the world No. 1 clinched a 2-6 6-2 6-3 7-5 victory, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.

While Djokovic will rue his missed opportunities, including a break point at 4-4 in the fourth set, the 38-year-old knows this has still been a positive tournament. And he’s now looking forward to heading home and reuniting with his wife and two children.

The No. 4 seed was full of praise for Alcaraz during his runner-up speech, and continued that in his post-match press conference. “He makes you play your best tennis in order to beat him, so you know, it’s what I’ve done for, like, set and a half, but then, yeah, things changed, and he deserved to win,” Djokovic said.

The 38-year-old missed out on arguably his best opportunity to win a 25th Grand Slam title. He came into the semi-finals feeling fresh after a walkover in the fourth round and a mid-match retirement in the quarters. It allowed him to beat 2024 and 2025 champion Jannik Sinner in an epic five setter. But his energy dipped against Alcaraz, and he never recovered.

Djokovic continued: “I always believe I can. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be competing, and I said this numerous times. It’s great that I was able to beat Jannik in five and really battle Carlos in four close sets. Yeah, I remain disappointed with the way I felt in second and third after an incredible start, and I felt great about myself and then, yeah, things changed. It is what it is.

“That’s sport, but of course, when you draw a line and you make, you know, assessment of what happened last couple of weeks, it’s incredible achievement for me to be able to play finals, be couple of sets away maybe to win a championship. Of course, after a loss, it’s a bitter feeling, but nevertheless, I have to be, yeah, content with this result.”

The 10-time Australian Open champion also alluded to some other issues on the court and briefly saw the trainer before the fourth set. “I never like to talk about things that, you know, I go through physically or health-wise, because it’s going to come across as I’m looking for excuses and taking away the credit of the winner, so it’s not going to change this time,” Djokovic later explained.

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“I’m just going to congratulate Carlos. He was the deserved winner on the court today. Game-wise, you saw it. I mean, for the first set was one of the best sets I’ve played the last couple years. Then, you know, I kind of regained my energy back and momentum in mid-fourth. Asked the crowd to get involved. They did.

“Yeah, just a bad miss at 4-4 and break point, and that forehand, I had a good look at that forehand. Yeah, my forehand broke down in important moments. Yeah, that’s what happens. I mean, one or two shots can change the momentum of the match and switch things around, which happened.

“Yeah, I’m just very disappointed I wasn’t able to maintain that kind of feeling that I had in the first set. You know, a lot of what-if scenarios in my head, and yeah, I guess it is what it is. You have to just accept it as it is.”

Djokovic is now looking forward to spending some well-earned time off with his family. His wife, Jelena, and children, Stefan and Tara, did not make the trip Down Under this year.

The runner-up added: “I expect this feeling obviously to settle or to not be present with me in that intensity for too long. You know, I’ve had many matches in my career, big matches, that I lost as well and many that I won. More that I won, thankfully. So I know how to deal with this from the mental or emotional standpoint.

“For me, the best way to deal with anything after I finish competition is to be with my family, so that’s something I’m looking forward to, and that’s only thing I’m thinking about right now is just go back to hug my close ones.”