Djokovic Wins 10th Australian Open – Novak Djokovic outclassed Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets to capture his 10th Australian Open title and duplicate Rafael Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles on Sunday. Djokovic, 35, overcame a hamstring injury and off-court drama to beat the Greek third seed 6-3, 7-6(7/4), 7-6(7/5) at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. The Serbian will move up to world number one on Monday when the latest ATP rankings will be released. The win over Tsitsipas was the climax of Djokovic’s triumphant return to Melbourne Park a year after he missed the 2022 edition of the Grand Slam event after he was deported before the start of the tournament over his coronavirus vaccination stance. The victory gave online sports betting fans who counted on Djokovic to win the Australian Open extra money and cashed in a bit more when they guessed that Tsitsipas will be the Serbian great’s final opponent.
Tsitsipas Moves to Third Despite Loss
The 24-year-old Greek sensation was a pleasant surprise in the event that expected a Djokovic-Nadal clash in the final stages of the tournament. However, when the Spaniard was ousted in the second round, many were looking at the rising star to likely face the Serbian in the final. But in the winner-take-all clash, Tsitsipas looked erratic despite playing in his second Grand Slam final. He succumbed to the precise play of Djokovic, who is on his 33rd Grand Slam final of his career. The Serb showed no ill effects from his left hamstring injury at the start, as he took an early 3-1 lead. Tsitsipas tried to retaliate but the more experienced Djokovic dominated the following games en route to winning the first set. The Greek star battled back in the second set even earning a set point, but the Serbian held on to his serve and forced a tiebreak where he rolled past Tsitsipas to move a set closer from winning the title. Tsitsipas kicked off the third set, breaking Djokovic’s serve but the Serbian retaliated with a break of his own after a long rally that went in his favor. The set went into another tiebreak and Djokovic dominated Tsitsipas again en route to winning the title.
Djokovic Wins 10th Australian Open: Djokovic Hailed by Federer
Djokovic’s victory was praised by another great – 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer. The Swiss maestro went to Instagram to hail the Serb’s 10th Australian Open triumph and 22nd Grand Slam overall to tie Nadal. He congratulated Djokovic and called the victory an “incredible effort.” On the other hand, beaten finalist Tsitsipas expressed excitement about the future despite succumbing to his veteran opponent. He said that winning 10 matches in a row to start the year – and making it to the Australian Open final against Djokovic – was an incredible feat already. The Greek netter called the effort a “step forward” and he wants to see himself fighting for more trophies this year.
With regard to Djokovic’s injury, the Serbian great said that he is unsure how quickly his injured hamstring will heal as he is 35 years old. In an interview with scribes in Melbourne a day after winning his 10th Australian Open, Djokovic said that he will ask the specialists about the condition of his injured hamstring before making a return. He plans to play again next month. The Serbian pulled his hamstring before the Australian Open and was badly affected at times at Melbourne Park, particularly in the early rounds. Djokovic’s amazing comeback and dominance in the Australian Open despite suffering from a hamstring injury was one for the books and he will be the favored netter by ATP tennis odds once he is fully healed.
