Australian Open Men’s Throphy Name: Carlos Alcaraz did not just win a lot of money by winning the Australian Open this weekend. He also got to lift a very famous trophy called the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. This cup is named after one of Australia’s greatest tennis players from the past.
On Sunday, inside Rod Laver Arena, Alcaraz held the trophy for the first time in his life. He won the 2026 men’s singles final by beating Novak Djokovic in four sets. Djokovic is a 10-time Australian Open champion, so the win was very special. With this victory, the 22-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest man ever to win all four Grand Slam singles titles.
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What is the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup?
The Norman Brookes Challenge Cup is a silver trophy that was made in the UK more than 100 years ago. It was first given to a player in 1934. The first man to win it was Fred Perry, who beat Jack Crawford in the final that year.
The shape of the trophy is inspired by an ancient Roman object called the Warwick Vase. The real Warwick Vase is very big, almost 10 feet tall. The tennis trophy is much smaller and easier to lift. It is about 16 inches wide but still looks very grand and old.
Norman Brookes 🏆 is a beaut 😍 pic.twitter.com/YgyZvEo6Wt
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 1, 2026
The cup is given every year to the winner of the Australian Open men’s singles final. When Alcaraz lifted it, he joined a long list of tennis legends who have done the same before him.
Who was Norman Brookes?
Sir Norman Brookes was an Australian tennis star known as “The Wizard.” He made history in 1911 by becoming the first man from outside Britain to win Wimbledon. He won Wimbledon again in 1914 and also won the doubles title twice.
Later in life, Brookes became very important in Australian tennis. He served as president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia for around 30 years. He was knighted in 1939 and passed away in 1968 at the age of 90. In 1977, he was added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
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Do Winners Keep the Real Trophy?
The men’s singles winner does not keep the real Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. Instead, he is given a full-size copy to take home. The same rule applies to the women’s trophy, called the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
In the past, rules were different. Before 1934, “if you won the title three times in a row or five times in all, you got to keep the trophy,” explained Geoff Pollard, the former president of Tennis Australia. Because of this rule, some early champions were allowed to keep the original cups.
