Novak Djokovic beats Stefanos Tsitsipas to win twenty second Grand Slam title, tying Rafael Nadal
It took an additional yr, however Novak Djokovic is strictly the place he supposed to be: on the prime. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) to win the 2023 Australian Open, his record-tying twenty second Grand Slam victory.
Djokovic was dominant in opposition to Tsitsipas for your entire match, particularly in the course of the tiebreakers, He scored the ultimate three factors of the primary tiebreaker to win 7-4, then constructed a 5-0 lead within the second. It acquired as shut as 6-5 earlier than Djokovic closed out the match — and ascended to the No. 1 rating on the planet.
And his reactions after the win have been priceless.
“I’ve to repeat it time and again, however this trophy is as a lot yours as it’s mine,” Djokovic stated to the cheering crowd after the win. “Thanks from the underside of my coronary heart in your great help.
“I’ve to say this has been some of the difficult tournaments I’ve ever performed in my life … Solely the group and household know what we have been via the final 4 or 5 weeks. This in all probability is the most important victory in my life, contemplating the circumstances.”
The final 12 months have not been simple for Djokovic. A yr in the past he was deported from Australia simply days earlier than the event began attributable to his selection to stay unvaccinated in opposition to COVID-19. As an alternative of profitable his record-setting twenty first Grand Slam title, as many anticipated him to, Rafael Nadal received his record-setting twenty first Grand Slam title as a substitute. Nadal then went on to win his twenty second main championship on the 2022 French Open.
Whereas Djokovic managed to win his twenty first main title at Wimbledon about six months later, his vaccination selection additionally prevented him from coming into the US, which doesn’t permit unvaccinated guests into the nation. He missed a number of occasions on the Tour and could not compete on the US Open, which Carlos Alcaraz ended up profitable.
Djokovic could have been absent over the previous yr, however that was due to his personal choices and never the standard of his tennis. His sweep to the highest over the previous two weeks is actually an announcement that he is again and selecting up the place he left off, casually asserting his dominance over the game like few of his friends can. The trail to each main trophy nonetheless goes via him.