Novak Djokovic equals Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles by winning Australian Open

An emotional Novak Djokovic completed an extraordinary turnaround from events a year ago when he resumed his hegemony at the Australian Open.

The 35-year-old Serb, detained and deported over visa issues related to his unvaccinated status last January, won his 10th title when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 in two hours and 56 minutes in of a rowdy Rod Laver. Sand.

In doing so, he equaled Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 Grand Slam trophies in what was his 33rd final, one in which the crushing weight of experience was applied.

Novak Djokovic won a record 22 Grand Slam title in Melbourne on Sunday

A short tournament of big matches came to life in the second set as the Greek put his opponent under heavy pressure, but ultimately it was a family story of Djokovic being the strongest when it mattered most.

That included the third-set tiebreaker, in which he built a 5-0 lead and then kept his cool as Tsitsipas took the next three points. Djokovic sealed it with a forehand on his third match point at 7-5.

He pointed to his head before climbing on his box to celebrate and then collapsing.

He regains the number one position in the world, despite playing fewer tournaments than his rivals, and that cannot be argued. In game mechanics, particularly in areas like the return, he is clearly ahead of the chasing pack.

The Serb defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 7-6 7-6 to claim a record tenth Australian Open title

Djokovic was not at his best for big stretches of Sunday’s final and had to push hard to secure a 10th title at Melbourne Park.

Tsitsipas rallied in the second set but squandered several glorious chances to level the score.

The Greek led Djokovic to two tiebreaks but ultimately had no answers for the Serb

Just before the match, the roof was opened after previous rain, and it also became apparent that Djokovic’s controversial father, Srdjan, had voluntarily stayed away from his box.

There was also no sign of the usual hamstring straps that had been evident in earlier rounds, superfluous though they were.

If that was to avoid a distraction, it seemed to work, as Djokovic was completely marked from the start.

Serbian fans roared at Djokovic in the stands of Rod Laver Arena throughout the match.

But her father was absent after the uproar of his highly publicized appearance at a recording with pro-Russian supporters, leaving the seat next to her mother (second row) empty.

Tsitsipas had no answers to his relentless consistency and each grab was hard work compared to a walk for the Serb.

He broke for 3-1 thanks to a double fault and was in no danger of losing the lead.

Only in the third game of the second set did Tsitsipas begin to think he could make more of it, firing off his forehand and drawing the first murmurs into his box from the previously composed Djokovic.

Moving his return position, Tsitsipas continued to thrive until, with the crowd increasingly behind him, he created a break and set point at 5-4, which Djokovic saved with a forehand winner.

The tiebreaker was a strange, tense, rudimentary affair with neither player wanting to seize the moment.

Tsitsipas was on the rise when he took advantage of mistakes to turn from 1-4 to 4-4. That’s when it became apparent who owns 21 Grand Slam titles compared to zero.

The errors spilled over into the third set when they traded breaks early on, but soon Djokovic looked unbreakable on serve, reclaiming the keys with ease.

Tsitsipas searched well to get him into the tiebreak, but again he didn’t have the composure to match his opponent.