Melbourne : Novak Djokovic was very good in the most crucial moments and defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the final to win his 10th Australian Open Championship and 22nd Grand Slam title overall. Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night.
The victory allows Djokovic to return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
The 35-year-old Serbian player did not compete at the Australian Open after being deported from the country a year ago because he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Government restrictions have since been eased, and he was able to obtain a visa this time, despite not having received a vaccine against the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Now Djokovic continues his winning streak of 28 matches in hard-court tournaments.
His 10th trophy in Australia has added to his already tally. His 22 major championships – including seven from Wimbledon, three from the US Open and two from the French Open – are tied with Rafael Nadal for the most by an individual in the history of tennis.
He was better against Tsitsipas throughout the round, but especially in the two tiebreakers.
Djokovic took a 4–1 lead in the first and held the last three points after 4–all. He led 5–0 in the closing tiebreaker and when it was over, he pointed to his temple, then climbed into the stands, pumped his fists and, along with his coach Goran Ivanisevic and other members of the squad, Before falling, jumped crying.
Djokovic returned to the court, sat on his sideline bench, buried his face in a white towel and held back a few more tears.
Margaret Court, with 24, Serena Williams, with 23, and Steffi Graf, with 22, have the most championships among women.
It was also the 93rd ATP Tour-level title for Djokovic, allowing him to break a tie with Nadal for the fourth most. Jimmy Connors is ranked 109th.
Djokovic was competing in his 33rd major final, Tsitsipas in his second – and the 24-year-old from Greece also lost to Djokovic at the 2021 French Open.
A win for Tsitsipas would have allowed him to reach No. 1 for the first time, unseating Carlos Alcaraz, who reached there after winning the US Open last September but pulled out of the Australian Open with a foot injury.
No doubt it’s no consolation to Tsitsipas, but there’s no shame in failing to beat Djokovic in Melbourne. Challenging his dominance on those blue hard courts is every bit the monumental task that Nadal has to take on the red clay at Roland Garros.
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