By Tony Fairbairn
- Novak Djokovic [4] def Stefanos Tsitsipas [3] 6-3 7-6(4) 7-6(5)
- Novak Djokovic admitted he was relieved after he claimed his tenth Australian Open title with victory over Tsitsipas.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Novak Djokovic is the Australian Open champion for the tenth time after a straight sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas ensured he would be world number one once again.
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Novak Djokovic [4] def Stefanos Tsitsipas [3] 6-3 7-6(4) 7-6(5)
Novak Djokovic is Australian Open champion for a historic tenth time as he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. Djokovic started the match with authority as he tested Tsitsipas’ nerve and composure with some brutal groundstrokes from the baseline. After a quick opening hold, Djokovic went right to work on Tsitsipas’ backhand with the Greek playing some fairly passive and tense tennis in the early stages.
The Serb failed to convert his two break points in the second game but would eventually break in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead courtesy of a Tsitsipas double fault. The third seed made a casual start to the match but grew in confidence towards the end of the set, finding his range on the forehand and making approaches to the net to finish off points.
However there was no sustained pressure from Tsitsipas as Djokovic dictated the tempo of the points on the serve as the forehand pushed the Greek further away from the baseline. A comfortable set for Djokovic was sealed with a powerful wide serve that produced a rash Tsitsipas forehand.
There needed to be more aggression from Tsitsipas in the next two sets if he wanted to have any chance of victory and some fine backhand down-the-line winners was the perfect start to the set for the third seed. More aggression and more proactive tennis from Tsitsipas as he had a couple of half-chances to break in the fourth and eighth games but Djokovic’s clutch serving denied him the break.
Djokovic had been dictating the baseline rallies for most of the contest, by targeting the Tsitsipas backhand but the nine-time champion was beginning to lose control towards the end of the set. A big opportunity came up for Tsitsipas in the tenth game as he had set point to level the match at one set all. However once again Tsitsipas was too passive and tentative with a Djokovic forehand winner denying the break to hold for 5-5.
In the end a tiebreak would decide the second set with Djokovic’s forehand doing the early damage as he created a 4-1 lead. However what wasn’t in the script was nerves from the Serb as some double faults and loose errors saw Tsitsipas get back into the tiebreak as the Greek recovered the deficit to 4-4.
A theme of this match would be Tsitsipas faltering when it mattered most and two nervy points handed the initiative back to Djokovic. It was an opportunity that Djokovic couldn’t refuse to take as an accurate wide serve gave him a crucial two sets to love lead and control of the final.
Momentum was firmly on the side of Djokovic but that momentum was temporarily halted as Tsitsipas started the third set with a few aggressive backhands as he broke in the opening game. The champion that Djokovic is, it wasn’t long before he responded in powerful fashion as Tsitsipas went back to his tentative style. An immediate break back was exactly what was required as he maintained a high level on serve which Tsitsipas couldn’t neutralise consistently enough.
Tsitsipas didn’t give up with a fight as he battled on, holding serve and producing consistently good angles on the forehand side. Eventually the third set would go to a tiebreak and Djokovic’s clutch and solid baseline play was too much for Tsitsipas. The Serb sealed a tenth Australian Open and a 22nd Grand Slam title with a wicked forehand that clipped the line as he ensured his place at the top of the ATP rankings once again.
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Djokovic relieved after capturing more history
More history awaited Djokovic then after winning his tenth Australian Open title and claiming a 22nd Grand Slam title. The win also meant that Djokovic would return to the top of the ATP rankings, replacing Carlos Alcaraz as world number one.
Speaking after the match Djokovic talked about the reasons as to why this win was so special to him.
“It required an enormous mental energy really to stay present, to stay focused, to take things day by day, and really see how far I can go,” Djokovic admitted to the Australian Open website.
“When I went into my box, I just think emotionally collapsed there and teared up with especially my mother and my brother when I gave them a hug, because up to that moment I was not allowing myself to, I guess, be distracted with things off the court or whatever was happening in dealing with an injury, things happening off the court, as well, that could easily have been a big disturbance to my focus and to my game.
“Yeah, was a huge relief and release of the emotions in the end. Just difficult to find any additional words really. It’s been a long journey, but very special one.”
It was a dominant second week performance from Djokovic as he solidified his status as becoming one of the greatest players of all-time. Now level with Rafael Nadal, Djokovic has an eye on number 23 in Paris as he searches for more Grand Slam success at Roland Garros.
Reflecting on his career Djokovic doesn’t know how much longer he has at the top of the game but stated that he played some of the best tennis he’s ever played in Melbourne.
“In terms of the quality of the tennis, it’s honestly some of the best tennis I’ve played on this court,” Djokovic said.
“As good as I’ve played maybe in 2011 or 2015 or 2016 or those years where I really had some very strong, strong seasons and strong Australian Opens.
“I would rank it right up there. Maybe top two, three of all time of performances on Slams in general, particularly here. At this stage of my career, these trophies are the biggest motivational factor of why I still compete.
“I don’t know how many more years I’m going to play or how many more Slams I’m going to play. It depends on various things. It doesn’t depend only on my body. I think it’s extremely important for me to be, of course, first to have the support and love from the close ones, and ability to go and play and keep the balance with the private life, but at the same time have the mental clarity or – how should I say – aspirations to really strive to chase these trophies.
“Physically I can keep myself fit. Of course, 35 is not 25, even though I want to believe it is. But I still feel there is time ahead of me. Let’s see how far I go.”
Desire still strong for Tsitsipas despite defeat
As for Tsitsipas it was a disappointing performance as he fell short of his Grand Slam dream once again. However the result does mean that Tsitsipas will climb to world number three in the rankings and is evidence of a strong start to the season.
Speaking after the match Tsitsipas claimed that his desire to achieve Grand Slam success remains strong and is looking forward to the rest of the season.
“I’m just happy that I’m in another Grand Slam final,” Tsitsipas told the ATP website.
“Of course, I was dreaming about the trophy, lifting that trophy. I even dreamt it last night in my sleep. The desire is really there. I really, really want it badly. But just dreaming about it won’t make it happen. You got to act. You got to do something out there. You got to be present even more and do better.
“[It is] definitely much better playing finals than being stuck behind in the semi-finals. I’ll take that for sure. I just need to take that one more step where I can consistently lift trophies and win Slams and Masters 1000 events.”
Tsitsipas will look to take that next step over the next few months as he looks to make deep runs at Indian Wells and Miami. Speaking about future goals, Tsitsipas spoke about becoming world number one and the work he will need to put in to achieve the ultimate goal.
“I want to max out in what I do in my profession. No. 1 is on my mind,” Tsitsipas admitted.
“It doesn’t come easy, I know that. I got to work harder to make that happen. Today was my opportunity to be a World No. 1. I had a better opponent on the other side of the net who did things much better than me. He deserves that spot currently.
“I am born a champion. I can feel it in my blood. I can feel it as a competitive kid that I was when I was young. It’s something that is within me. I want to harvest that, make it bloom, make it even stronger and fonder, work hard towards those goals.
“I’m looking forward to scoring more points during this season, making bigger results, fighting for bigger trophies. I very much enjoy the way I play, my attitude on the court, my mental stability, my concentration levels. There’s still a little bit more to add to the whole structure of my game. I couldn’t be more excited to be heading towards that path.
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