By Tony Fairbairn
- Stefanos Tsitsipas [3] v Novak Djokovic [4]
- H2H: Djokovic leads 6-2
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas will clash in the men’s final at the Australian Open for Grand Slam glory and the opportunity to become world number one.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas [3] v Novak Djokovic [4] H2H & Match Fundamentals
Stefanos Tsitsipas has been highly impressive at the start of the year and on his fourth attempt is now into his maiden Australian Open final. Having beaten Jannik Sinner and Karen Khachanov in tight matches, the Greek will truly believe that now is his time to claim a first Grand Slam title. Standing in his way is Novak Djokovic who cruised past Tommy Paul to reach a tenth Australian Open final. Djokovic has never lost at this stage and a win in the final will see him tie Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slam titles heading into Roland Garros.
| Stefanos Tsitsipas [3] v Novak Djokovic [4] | H2H: Djokovic leads 6-2 |
| Australian Open 2023 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $1,625,000/$2,975,000 |
| Second on Rod Laver Arena (Not before 08:30 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
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Djokovic may lead their head-to-head but some of the Serb’s victories have been tight battles including the Roland Garros final in 2021 where the fourth seed came from two sets down to win in five sets.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Stefanos Tsitsipas (WR 4) | Novak Djokovic (WR 5) |
| Tournament Previous Best | SF (2019, 2021, 2022) | Winner (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021) |
| 1st Serve % | 66.5 | 63 |
| Service Games Won % | 91.4 | 94.4 |
| Break Points Saved % | 83 | 78.4 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.3 | 56.4 |
| Break Points Converted % | 48.1 | 41.8 |
Tsitsipas has shown more consistency on serve but will need to be careful on second serve against Djokovic’s efficient returning.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
Tsitsipas is playing some of the best hard court tennis of his career and his confidence on pressure points against Sinner and Khachanov was evidence of that. Now Tsitsipas looks to take that confidence and use that in the biggest challenge of his career as he is one win away from a Grand Slam title and becoming the new world number one.
Speaking after his semi-final win Tsitsipas says he believes in himself more and dealing with frustration has helped him reach this point.
“I’m playing great tennis, I’m enjoying myself. I just see no downside or negativity in what I’m trying to do out there,” Tsitsipas told the ATP website.
“Even if it doesn’t work, I’m very optimistic and positive about any outcome, any opponent that I have to face. This is something that has been sort of lacking in my game. I genuinely believe in what I’m able to produce. That is more than enough. I go about [it] this way… I strive for it every single day. It might not go the way I want it to, but I put 110 per cent out there.
“I think it starts with confidence, your capabilities, what you can do out there. I think frustration also builds when you start panicking or you feel completely off and completely not OK with your game. It has this tendency to build up over time, especially when you’re unable to find some sort of solutions within yourself.
“I definitely believe this is something that hasn’t been reoccurring. I have a good relationship with myself on the court. I think this is something that has given me that sort of attitude. Of course, less frustration than before.”
Standing in Tsitsipas’s way is a ruthless Djokovic who has stormed through the second week and remains on course for a tenth Australian Open title in Melbourne. After missing out on the tournament last year, winning a 22nd Grand Slam title as well as becoming world number one would feel special for the Serb who continues his search for more history.
After his semi-final victory over Paul, Djokovic said he’s looking to use his record in Australian Open finals to his advantage as he looks for a tenth title in Melbourne.
“I’m of course very satisfied and pleased to be in another Grand Slam final,” Djokovic admitted to the ATP website.
“I mean, this is exactly what I’ve imagined and hoped that will happen when I came to Australia, with the intention to be in a position to fight for another Australian Open trophy. I think that the experience of being in this particular situation and circumstances before helps. I think also the fact that I never lost the Australian Open finals definitely serves as a great confidence booster prior to Sunday.
“[A] personal reason is that I feel on the tennis court I always have an opportunity to learn something new about myself [and] fight with my own demons, that I guess we all have. When we’re on the tennis court in the midst of a battle, some of the things surface, and I have to deal with it. So, it’s a great school of life for me.
“Then at the same time, of course, I have professional goals and ambitions. Those are Grand Slams and being No. 1 in the world. Those two [are] probably pinnacles of the professional tennis world [and they] have always been there as goals for me. So, I do want to make more history of this sport, no doubt.”
Tsitsipas will look to be aggressive from the start and use his forehand in particular to remain in control of the rally and set up winners on his backhand. Meanwhile Djokovic will look to be solid from the baseline and use his serve as a focal point to testing Tsitsipas’ defensive skills.
Djokovic needs to get off to a quick start otherwise he could run out of energy towards the end of the match. However the Serb has the edge in this match given the experience he has as a tenth Australian Open title looks to be in his grasp.
Prediction: Djokovic in four sets.
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