Novak Djokovic used all his talent and nose to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas for his 10th Australian Open and record-equaling 22nd Grand Slam men’s title.
Serbia’s Djokovic started strongly and dug deep in the second set en route to a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) victory.
The 35-year-old, who is tied with Rafael Nadal for major wins, will return to the world number one ranking.
The 24-year-old Tsitsipas of Greece is eyeing her maiden Grand Slam win.
“It’s been a long journey, but a very special one,” said Djokovic, who dropped just one set during the tournament.
“I honestly played some of my best tennis at the Australian Open. Fourth round, quarter-finals, semi-finals, really comfortable on court, hitting the ball well.”
Tsitsipas lost to Djokovic in his first major final at the 2021 French Open after giving up a two-set lead but, this time in Melbourne, he was always chasing the match.
He threatened Djokovic on a few precious chances – notably a set point to level the match at one set – but the third seed couldn’t take them.
Djokovic has not lost at Melbourne Park since 2018 – spanning a record 28 matches in men’s singles.
They have regained the crown they were unable to defend last year Deported from Australia Follow a line on their Covid-19 vaccination status.
Tsitsipas showed resilience to save two championship points but Djokovic had his third chance – this time on his own serve – when his opponent sliced a forehand after a short rally.
Djokovic turned to his team and family members – including mother Dijana, though father Srdjan was not present – and stood motionless before pointing to his head and his heart.
After climbing into the box to celebrate with them, he broke down in tears as the scale of his achievement hit him and was sobbing under his towel as he returned to his chair.
“I broke down there emotionally and I think I was in tears with my mom and my brother as I hugged them,” Djokovic said.
“Until that moment I didn’t allow myself to be distracted by things off the court or what was happening in dealing with the injury.”
A masterful Djokovic shows why he is the greatest
In Sunday’s final, Djokovic said he felt no difference “in terms of pressure” as he aimed to create more history and move closer to cementing his place as the greatest player of all time.
Although such a title remains subjective and a matter of debate, the number of major titles is a decisive factor.
Djokovic tied with Nadal, 36 – and now trails only 24-time champion Margaret Court and Serena Williams, who has 23 on the women’s side – and has shown over the past two weeks that she is capable of winning even more. .
Mentally and physically, his abilities are showing some signs of diminishing.
He was hampered by a hamstring injury at Melbourne Park and had to deal with it Controversy surrounds his father Srdjan, pictured at the tournament with supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. against American Tommy Paul before Friday’s semifinal.
But he shows up time and time again to overcome difficult situations and produce in big moments. This was a recent example.
A confident and collected start against Tsitsipas – targeting the Greek’s one-handed backhand, which is beautifully effective but liable to break – set the stage for Djokovic to take the opening set comfortably.
However, as in his semi-final win over Paul, his mood turned and a spell of technicality forced his opponent back into the contest.
After getting animated and regularly piercing his team, Djokovic dug in to stave off set point with a brilliant inside-outside forehand winner.
Locked in again, he dominated the tie-break for a two-set lead and was unlikely to lose his grip on the match from that point.
Tsitsipas broke in the first game of the third set, unable to consolidate the advantage and Djokovic again showed his spirit to complete another masterful win in the tie-break.
A raucous atmosphere as Djokovic regains the upper hand
The match was played in a colorful and boisterous atmosphere – both inside and outside Rod Laver Arena – as thousands of Serbian and Greek fans descended on Melbourne Park.
The two European nations have large communities in the Australian city, adding further emotion to an occasion that means so much to both players.
Not just a Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park but also a world number one ranking.
Djokovic’s win extended his own record as the top-ranked player and will be in week 374 when the latest rankings are released on Monday.
Tsitsipas was looking to fulfill his childhood dream by lifting the trophy and becoming the 29th player to become number one since the ATP rankings were introduced in 1973.
Instead, Djokovic moves up to third ahead of Spanish 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who drops to second after missing the tournament through injury.
In his on-court speech, Tsitsipas said: “I’ve had the privilege of playing a lot of difficult and high-intensity matches but I want to say again that Novak brings out the best in me. He’s one of the greats in our sport and he’s definitely one of the greats holding a tennis racket.”
‘Djokovic reigns supreme in extraordinary era’
BBC Tennis Correspondent Russell Fuller at Melbourne Park
Unbeaten at Melbourne Park since 2018 and powered by tennis history and a lousy 12 months ago, is Novak Djokovic ever likely to go down?
A restored world number one could make winning the Australian Open easier. But this is a trick of the eye.
Take the first set, in which the 35-year-old maneuvered the ball around the court seemingly effortlessly. He got first serves, penetrating deep returns – and a few mental blows.
Djokovic has won five of the last seven Grand Slams he has contested. His coach Goran Ivanisevic thinks he can play at this level for two or three more years.
Ken Rosewall was 37 years and 72 days old when he won his last Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros in 1972.
He is the oldest man to win a Grand Slam in the Australian Open era.
But Djokovic will be old at the 2024 US Open, while Rafael Nadal will be old at this year’s US Open. It was truly an extraordinary era.
