Carlos Alcaraz was a phantom for the first 45 minutes of his maiden Australian Open final. While the Spaniard was painfully tentative on one of the most significant occasions of his career, he was suffocated by the eternal brilliance of Novak Djokovic, who burst into this historic match desperate to take the initiative and set the tone.

A younger version of Alcaraz may have compounded his slow start by overhitting, as was the case during parts of their fateful Olympic battle in Paris 18 months ago, but here he calmly worked his way into the match and then took control. In the process, he pulled off one of the great sporting achievements in recent years, recovering from a set down to defeat Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 and triumph at the Australian Open for the first time in his career.

This sport has produced many legendary young champions, from Bjorn Borg to Rafael Nadal, a witness from the first row on Rod Laver Arena. Alcaraz, however, continues to make his claim as the greatest young male tennis player that has ever lived.

At just 22, the Spaniard is the youngest man in history to complete the career grand slam, a record that had been held by Don Budge in 1938, 87 years ago. Only eight other men have won all four grand slam titles in history.

Thanks to Djokovic’s astounding five-set defeat of Jannik Sinner on Friday, this was a historic occasion regardless of the outcome. By defeating Djokovic, he denied the Serb what would have been a crowning achievement of his peerless career as he tried to become the oldest grand slam champion in the open era and owner of an all-time record 25 grand slam singles titles.

This was a mature, composed performance from a special athlete who has already established himself as a legend of the game. Alcaraz started slowly against a staggering level from Djokovic, who served precisely and looked to take every last ball on the rise, striking his forehand so cleanly as he snatched the first set.

Alcaraz slowly worked himself into the match but, rather than simply blasting through the 38-year-old, he intelligently forced Djokovic off the court with his width and soaked up the Serb’s extreme aggression with his peerless defense. Even as he wobbled physically towards the end, Djokovic fought admirably but Alcaraz withstood his pressure to close out a monumental win.

While some players would have publicly shied away from the pressure of trying to complete the career grand slam, Alcaraz has welcomed it. In recent months, he repeatedly stressed that he wants this title more than any other tournament in the world right now, and he would trade multiple titles at the other three grand slams for his first Australian Open title. Once again, his inner belief is far stronger than the pressure that follows his lofty ambitions.

There is an added layer of satisfaction here. It is still only six weeks since Alcaraz shocked the tennis world by splitting with his longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former ATP No 1, and promoting Samuel López, previously Ferrero’s deputy, as his head coach. Plenty of criticism and doubt followed. Alcaraz has responded to the noise by winning the very next major, the tournament he was most desperate to win. It was the perfect response and, in the process, Alcaraz became the youngest man in history to win seven grand-slam titles.

Just like in their fateful Olympic gold medal match, Djokovic knew what a rare opportunity this was. He burst into the match striking the ball majestically from the first point. He served brilliantly, rolling through his opening service games and his forehand was on fire as he tore through an unsettled Alcaraz.

Djokovic could do anything he possibly wanted to with the ball for the first 45 minutes, but by the start of the second set he had fallen back down to earth. This time, his ultra-aggressive approach yielded three unforced errors and a first break for Alcaraz. Although the Spaniard was still far from his best, he remained solid, defending well, and found his first serve in key points to separate himself from Djokovic.

Drizzly conditions earlier in the day had prompted the tournament organisers to begin the match with the Rod Laver Arena roof only half open in some of the coldest and windiest conditions of the fortnight. Between sets, the roof was closed even further, prompting some complaints from Alcaraz.

There was no chance, however, that Alcaraz would allow his displeasure to affect his focus. Having taken the momentum in the match, he refused to let it go. Alcaraz established his lead by using width off both wings to force Djokovic him from the centre of the court. With Djokovic looking increasingly worn down and tired, his unforced error count continuing to rise, Alcaraz eased through two service breaks.

By the beginning of the fourth set, the 10-time Australian Open champion already looked like he did not have much more to give. No matter, he kept on fighting as he always does.

Djokovic dug so deep as he somehow emerged from a breathless, marathon service game at 0-1 with a hold after saving six break points. He kept himself in the match by somehow keeping hold of his serve throughout the set. At 4-4, his immense efforts were rewarded with a break point on Alcaraz’s serve. However, he was too tired, too worn down, and after Alcaraz held his nerve to close out the hold, the Spaniard regained control to secure his final piece of the grand slam puzzle.