By Victor Kanayo
Tennis star, Novak Djokovic, on Sunday overcame tight contest at Melbourne against Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the 2023 Australian Open.
The victory equally ensured that he won his 10th Australian Open and 22nd Grand Slam.
It was a gruelling match which later produced a winner, with the Serbian eventually coasting home with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) victory against Tsitsipas to equal Rafael Nadal’s all-time record for most Grand Slam men’s singles titles at 22.
Djokovic dropped just one set all tournament despite saying he feared a left hamstring problem might force him to withdraw.
He then finished with a superb win over first-time Melbourne finalist Tsitsipas to become the fifth player to win 22 Grand Slam singles titles, after Margaret Court (24), Serena Williams (23), and Steffi Graf and Nadal (both 22).
His status in Australia, meanwhile, is unmatched, with the 35-year-old winning a 28th consecutive Australian Open match and a 41st in a row in the country as a whole.
Djokovic, who came from two sets down to defeat Tsitsipas in the 2021 French Open final, lost just five points on serve before taking the set 6-3.
His father Srdjan was again absent from Djokovic’s players’ box, having opted to stay away from his semi-final win after being filmed with pro-Russia demonstrators at Melbourne Park last week.
Tsitsipas, a Greek at 24, continues his wait for a first Grand Slam triumph, being his childhood dream.
If he made it, he would have become the 29th player to be the number one since the ATP rankings were introduced in 1973.
On the other hand, Djokovic’s victory ensured he extended his own record of being the top-ranked player and he will be there for a 374th week when the latest rankings are released on Monday January 30, 2023.
