History beckons if Novak Djokovic can shut out the noise

Stefanos Tsitsipas is so beloved in this part of the world that the city’s most famous Greek restaurant sells food named after him in Melbourne Park.

And the fact that the Stef Gyro can be bought by his thousands of fans of Greek origin here gives a hint, perhaps strange, of how he could defeat Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open.

Djokovic remains at or near the peak of his power and has few vulnerabilities, especially in this place where he has won nine times. After the events of 12 months ago, none of them would make a statement as big as the tenth. He would represent an amazing deportation rebound from him following his decision not to get a Covid shot and will have to be admired for it.

If the Greek wants to stop him, several things must happen, one of which is for his opponent to feel the significance of the occasion. As he demonstrated in his semifinal against American Tommy Paul in the first set, the 35-year-old Serb can be unsettled by what he perceives as hostility from the crowd.

With Tsitsipas being something of the golden boy in Melbourne, due to his nationality, flowing game, flowing mane and quirky personality, there is a chance a partisan atmosphere could develop if the challenger is able to establish himself in the match.

After nearly a month back in Australia, the public has been reminded how the Serb not only has a genius for tennis but also for stirring up controversy.

Claims that his father’s stance with Vladimir Putin’s supporters outside Rod Laver Arena was an innocent mistake are met with skepticism by the less witty, and Srdjan has form for outrageous statements. Novak isn’t responsible for his father’s sins, but he won’t thank her if he ends up playing in a hostile environment.

What the incident has actually obscured is the other main controversy surrounding him this fortnight, which ranks ahead of his self-reported bathroom break in the first week and the exaggerated questions about him being transported energy drinks on the pitch.

That is the true extent of his hamstring injury, which has been the biggest determining factor of the men’s tournament. Last weekend, some in and around the locker room openly questioned the seriousness of it and words were spoken in the inner confines.

Coincidentally or not, since then there have been few signs of any restrictions in the affected area. Certainly nothing theatrical falls to the ground, like after set point against Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.

Arguably no one in the history of the sport has moved better than Djokovic and, as talented as Tsitsipas is, he is likely to find him an impenetrable wall. It is also a key fact that the Serb’s return of service is still clearly superior to that of all the others. As long as he stays calm in a not-too-feverish environment, it’s hard to see displeasure.

Djokovic is a shrewd and experienced trader. In the midst of her calm and eloquent defense of his father on Friday night, his response was masterful when asked what the crowd would be like. “I’m really excited and privileged to be in that final against Tsitsipas,” he said. ‘Historically, the Serbs and the Greeks get along very well. I just don’t think there’s going to be any conflict on and off the pitch in terms of crowds. On the contrary, I trust that people will support their respective players in a respectful way.’

The stakes are high for both men, as whoever wins will take the world number 1 ranking and in Djokovic’s case, there is no doubt that it would be his rightful position.

In large part because he cannot enter the United States because he is not vaccinated, a position he will occupy at least until April, he has only played 15 tournaments that count towards his classification, while Tsitsipas has 23.

The Greek has reached four Melbourne semi-finals and is instinctively at home in Australia, one of the few players whose presence triggers a surge in ticket sales wherever he appears.

For four years he has been at the forefront of the challenger pack, failing to make a breakthrough. Djokovic will be careful that the closest he got was when they met in the 2021 French Open final. The Greek led by two sets to nil, but the next three were nowhere near as Djokovic found a way. He leads their head-to-head series 10-2.

There was a moment of levity earlier in the tournament when the Serb considered his rivals and, referring to Tsitsipas, had clearly forgotten that the two had met in the championship match at Roland Garros.

Djokovic, who has apologized, could be excused as he will now have played in a record 33 Grand Slam finals. With Roger Federer retired and Rafael Nadal’s body letting him down, chances are he will play and win quite a few more.