Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas meet on Sunday (05:30) in the Australian Open final not only for a Grand Slam title, but also for ATP number 1 and a page in history.
One year after being deported from Australia and see from a distance how Spanish Rafael Nadal broke the men’s record for Grand Slams, Novak Djokovic is one step away from matching the 22 grand of the Spaniard, who fell in the second round in this edition.
Only stands in his way tsitsipaswho will seek revenge for the Roland Garros final lost in 2021 against the Serbian and become the first player from his country to win a Major, in addition to leading the ATP world ranking.
Always trailing behind the duo Federer-NadalDjokovic went to Melbourne with a clear objective: “I want to be the best, I want to win the biggest tournaments in the world. It’s no secret“He said before the championship.
Undisputed favorite in a tournament he has won nine times Y where he has not lost since 2018a left thigh injury at the beginning of January clouded the prospects of the Serb, who even considered at some point whether to participate or not.
At times in pain, at times barely able to run, a half-gas Djokovic raffled the first week and only missed a set in the second round against Frenchman Enzo Couacaud, world number 191.
Instead of training on rest days, he spent the day hooked up to recovery machines and undergoing anti-inflammatory treatments. And in eighths, the pain suddenly disappeared and his best tennis emerged to take it fiercely to the end.
Determined to send “a message” to his rivals that the Melbourne king was back, he crushed Australia’s Álex de Minaur and Russia’s Andrey Rublev, conceding just 12 games in those two rounds and advancing to his 10th semi-final at this tournament.
Even far from that sublime level, affected by the controversy surrounding his father, who appeared in some images with pro-Russian fans and chose not to watch the game live, he also got rid of American Tommy Paul with solvency.
“I am a different tennis player”
Now he only has the final left at the Rod Laver Arena, where the Serbian star has never lost a title match: “Never having lost an Australian Open final serves as a dose of confidence. But, of course, the work must be done on the pitch.”
His record against the Greek also accompanies him. Although he lost two of his first three games, the Serb accumulates nine straight wins against himincluding the Roland Garros final.
Nevertheless, tsitsipaswho already put him against the ropes in Paris advancing with two sets, seems like a more important rival in a tournament in which he also feels at home and covered by the Melbourne’s large Greek community.
After losing three semifinals since 2019, Tsitsipas reaches his first final after two weeks in which, beyond his indisputable tennis qualities, he has shown unusual maturity at critical moments, with more than 80% of break points saved.
“I am a different tennis player, I play different. my mentality is different. When I’m on the track, I don’t really think about the negative things. I just go out and play my game,” said the 24-year-old.
Enshrined in the elite, with four years in the top-10Tsitsipas wants to enter the Olympus of tennis and join the limited list of six players who in recent years have managed to snatch a big title from the ‘big four’: Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray.
