Novak Djokovic responds to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s praise after reaching the Australian Open final

Novak Djokovic was two sets away from winning a 25th Grand Slam title, but he was denied by a defiant Carlos Alcaraz.

The Serb drew first blood in the Australian Open final, but Alcaraz fought back to win the tournament and complete the Career Grand Slam.

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At 22, the Spaniard became the youngest player ever to win all four major titles, with a total of seven Grand Slams now to his name.

Despite the defeat, Djokovic received plenty of praise for his efforts from sports stars around the world, including UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Novak Djokovic replies to Khabib Nurmagomedov on Instagram

Following the conclusion of the championship match, Khabib took to Instagram to say: “@djokernole legend.”

Djokovic, who was competing in an 11th Australian Open final, responded to the Russian on his story, saying: “Thank you, brother.”

The 24-time major champion put together a fantastic run in Melbourne, during which he knocked out defending champion Jannik Sinner.

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He defeated Sinner for the first time since 2023, overcoming the Italian in a five-set marathon on Rod Laver Arena.

How Carlos Alcaraz’s Grand Slam tally now stacks up all-time

Alcaraz winning major number seven means he has now won as many Grand Slam titles as tennis legends John McEnroe and Mats Wilander.

He has surpassed Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, who both won six during their careers.

Should he win another Grand Slam trophy, as many expect him to do, he will match the totals of Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors and Ken Rosewall.

Alcaraz is well on track to win as many Grand Slams as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic.

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