Novak Djokovic claims 22nd Grand Slam title with Australian Open victory

Novak Djokovic returned to the summit of men’s Tennis as the Serbian clinched his tenth Australian Open title with his straight-sets victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s final. The 35-year-old comprehensively beat the third seed 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) to extend his meteoric run at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. With this victory, Djokovic also returned to number one in the ATP rankings for the first time in over six months and equalled Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic entered the Australian Open final in the form of his life. The Serbian dropped just one set on his road to the final, dominating his opponents in a devastating fashion. Djokovic beat Tsitsipas in a thrilling five-setter in their previous meeting at a Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in 2021, but their encounter was much more one-sided this time around in Melbourne Park as the veteran dominated from start to finish.

The Serbian stole the early initiative, breaking Tsitsipas’ serve on the second time of asking. Djokovic was faultless throughout the opening exchanges, peppering the Greek’s backhand to comfortably see out the first set and establish an early 1-0 advantage.

Tsitsipas hit back to start the second, with his serve and booming forehand starting to find their mark. The third seed matched Djokovic blow for blow throughout the set and even fashioned a break point at 5-4 (40-30) to level the scores at 1-1. However, the nerveless Djokovic saved the set with a stunning forehand and outlasted Tsitsipas in the tie-break, taking a 4-1 lead before seeing out the set with three consecutive points.

The youngster threatened to mount a challenge to start the third set as well, claiming his only break of the match in the first game. The Greek’s optimism was short-lived, though, as Djokovic instantly hit back with a break of his own before eventually outmatching his opponent in another tie-breaker, taking an early 5-0 lead and securing the title on his third championship point.

Djokovic is now only the second man in history to win ten titles at a single Grand Slam event, following Rafael Nadal’s 14 French Open crowns. The Serbian has also won 10 of the last 18 majors on the tour, and based on the level shown by the new world number one in Melbourne, there may be plenty more titles on his way in the years to come.