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Carlos Alcaraz has opened up about the touching moment he shared with Novak Djokovic after clinching the Australian Open title. The world No. 1 fought back from a set down to defeat the 10-time former champion 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5, before collapsing to the ground in sheer disbelief.

It marked a heartbreaking defeat for Djokovic, who had never been closer to securing a record 25th Grand Slam crown. Instead, Alcaraz etched his name into tennis folklore, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.

The No. 4 seed Djokovic demonstrated his sportsmanship by approaching the net to embrace Alcaraz immediately after the final point. The pair exchanged words as they made their way back to their benches.

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The newly-crowned Australian Open champion has now revealed the embrace centred on "respect". Alcaraz said: "He just told me, 'Congratulations, you deserve it'. I just told him, 'It is always a pleasure.' It is always a pleasure to share the court with him, even more especially if it is in a final for a Grand Slam; it doesn't matter if I won this time.

"Every time that I'm able to feel that aura from him on the other side of the net, for me it's a privilege. It's an honour, and it is like a masterclass for me to try to learn as much as I can. I have huge respect for him as an athlete, as a person, and I'm just really grateful to be able to live experiences on and off the court. That embrace was about respect, I guess."

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Alcaraz demonstrated his respect for Djokovic in his victory speech, praising the 24-time Major winner's inspirational career. He reiterated these sentiments during his press conference, predicting a successful season for the Serbian tennis legend. The seven-time Grand Slam champion shared: "As I said in the speech, what he's doing is inspiring. It is inspiring for all athletes; it's not just for tennis players.

"Even myself, what he's putting his body and his mind, his life, [through] to feel playing a final of a Grand Slam again, going against everyone saying that he was not going to play another Grand Slam final or he was not going to beat Jannik [Sinner] or myself. Then he comes and plays great tennis, beats Jannik in the semi-final, and here in the final, he plays great tennis.

"It's unbelievable what he's doing. If he maintains this level of tennis during the whole season, he's going to win great things, probably a Masters 1000 [tournament] again.

"He's going to come to a Grand Slam final again. It depends on how physically he is or how demanding the tournament is physically for him, but I think he's ready to keep winning the big tournaments on the tour."

Alcaraz spectacularly silenced his critics during the tournament. The Spanish sensation sent shockwaves through tennis circles when he parted ways with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero in the off-season, ending a hugely successful seven-year partnership.

Plenty of pundits were left wondering how the young star would cope without the former world No. 1 guiding him courtside. He answered emphatically by lifting the trophy and becoming the youngest player ever to claim all four Grand Slam titles.

Alcaraz said: "It was a different preseason for me, so I just had to come back from an unusual situation for me, which was difficult. A lot of people were talking about everything and doubting my level in this tournament. I didn't think about those people who had doubts about it. I came here just playing for myself, playing for my team.

"We all know how hard I worked in the preseason to be ready for this tournament, and I had too many things to think about during this tournament. Just focus on my game style, focus on myself, being passionate, and that's all I thought about during this tournament, but once I get it, I'm just happy to prove all the people were wrong."