Novak Djokovic has cemented his place as one of the greatest tennis players of all time after claiming an incredible tenth Australian Open title. The historic achievement earned him the title of “Hard Court King”, and has firmly established him as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history.
The Serbian-born tennis star has enjoyed a remarkable career, having held the number one ranking for five different periods and securing a record-breaking 35 Masters Series titles. He has also won a staggering 18 Grand Slam singles titles, second only to Roger Federer.
Novak Djokovic Stole The Final Night
Any intensity in the match was brought on by the tiebreaks that ended the second and third sets. Early leads in both of them were held by Djokovic, but he tightened up and let Tsitsipas come back, particularly in the first tiebreak when the significant Greek population in Melbourne’s audience appeared to overwhelm him. The primary cause of Djokovic’s subsequent victory in both tiebreaks was Tsitsipas’ forehand errors.
Tsitsipas’s forehand, one of the greatest in the game and one that is long, fluid, and usually devastating, is his strongest stroke. It’s intriguing that Djokovic chose to put it to the test right away in the match by repeatedly hitting balls toward Tsitsipas’s forehand wing, changing his pace, height, spin, and depth, making unexpected errors even in routine mid-court rallies, and possibly eroding Tsitsipas’s confidence in his strongest shot. In the second set tiebreaker, Tsitsipas missed two forehands and then missed another.
In the third set, with Djokovic serving at 6-5 in the tiebreak—championship point—Tsitsipas flew one final forehand long in the closing moments. Djokovic then smashed a forehand to Tsitsipas’s forehand corner. Methodical. Inevitable.
The path to Novak Djokovic’s tenth Australian Open title began in 2008, when he took home the trophy after beating world number one, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Since then, he has gone on to win nine more titles at the Australian Open, beating Roger Federer in five of them. His most recent win came in 2020, when he defeated Dominic Thiem in a tense five-set final.
Novak Djokovic’s success at the Australian Open and beyond is rooted in his superior athleticism and stamina, which help him to stay in a match for long periods of time. The Serbian also boasts a powerful serve, and a formidable forehand, enabling him to dominate the majority of his opponents.
In addition to his Australian Open titles, Novak Djokovic has also won multiple titles in other Grand Slam tournaments, including Wimbledon, the US Open, and the French Open. His impressive record of 18 Grand Slam titles places him third in the all-time list, behind only Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
