Novak Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open on Sunday in Melbourne, equaling the record 22-time Grand Slam title held by Rafael Nadal, and will return to world number one on Monday.
The 35-year-old Serbian player beat Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in the final. The latter will again become third in the world on Monday, behind Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who missed Melbourne through injury.
Once victory was confirmed on one last mistake by his opponent, Djokovic climbed into his box to kiss his team including his coach Goran Ivanisevic and his mother Djana and there he broke down in tears.
He was in control the whole game and didn’t seem at all bothered by his hamstring injury. He also played for the first time in the tournament without a bulky bandage.
Like Nadal at Roland Garros, Djokovic has never lost in the final in Melbourne where he now holds the record ten titles.
After being expelled from Australia last year before the start of the tournament, Djokovic could not help but notice the strong return of Rafael Nadal, who took a step forward in the race for Grand Slam titles with his 21st coronation (20 for Djokovic and Federer). A few months later, the Spaniard pushed his advantage at Roland Garros.
After winning Wimbledon but being denied entry to the US Open, the Serb had to wait for the Australian major to return to Nadal on Sunday.
These impossibilities of playing and the lack of points distributed at Wimbledon saw him lose his No.1 spot last year.
He won it back on Sunday and will start his 374th week on Monday at the top of the world hierarchy, a new record. Since 2021, he also holds the record for number of seasons ending at N. 1.
For his part, Tsitsipas was playing his second Grand Slam final after Roland Garros in 2021 where he had already been beaten by Djokovic, but in five rounds and after winning the first two rounds.
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