Unstoppable Djokovic defeats Tsitsipas to secure record-extending 10th Australian Open title, reclaims World No.1 crown
Living up to his ‘favourite’ tag in the first Grand Slam event of the 2023 season on Sunday, World No.4 Novak Djokovic eased past Stefanos Tsitsipas to secure an unprecedented 10th Australian Open title at the iconic Rod Laver Arena.
Extending his undefeated streak at the Melbourne Park, the Serbinator upstaged the World No.3 from Greece 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to become the new Australian Open champion for the record 10th time. The 35-year-old Serb has never lost a Grand Slam final at the Australian Open.
Tsitsipas, who was eyeing his first-ever Grand Slam win at the Rod Laver Arena had also tasted a defeat against Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final. Crossing swords with Tsitsipas in his 33rd major final, Djokovic extended his Australian Open winning streak to 28 games by winning the summit clash. Djokovic’s remarkable winning run had come to a standstill when the Serbian was famously deported from Australia for not being vaccinated against COVID-19 in 2022.
Breaking the serve of World No.3 in the fourth game of the opening set, Djokovic remained ahead of Tsitsipas after taking a 3-1 lead. After the fourth-seeded upstaged Tsitsipas in the first set (6-3), the Greek was eager to restore parity in the Australian Open 2023 final. However, Djokovic emerged triumphant in the seesaw second set which was decided on a tiebreak. Djokovic sealed the second set 7-6 (7/4) in 70 minutes.
Djokovic, who has the longest winning streak at the Rod Laver Arena, secured his win No. 28 by wrapping up the third set 7-6(5) against Tsitsipas. Improving his head-to-head record (11-2) against the World No.3, Djokovic thrashed Tsitsipas in straight sets to win his 22nd Grand Slam at the Australian Open 2023. With the historic win, Djokovic has matched Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam title wins. Nicknamed the Djoker, the 35-year-old Serb has also reclaimed the World No.1 spot in the men’s rankings following his 10th title triumph at the Australian Open. Earlier, World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka outclassed Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open 2023 on Saturday.