The final of the Australian Open 2023 is forecasted to be tense with Novak Djokovic. Because despite having an overwhelming head-to-head record compared to Stefanos Tsitsipas (won 10 in the last 12 matches), Djokovic has not completely recovered from his calf injury.
Tsitsipas also had a memorable tournament when he defeated many strong opponents such as Jannik Sinner, Karen Khachanov to be in the final. However, Djokovic is at a completely different level than Sinner, Khachanov or Tsitsipas himself. The Serbian has won 27 consecutive matches, won 3 consecutive Australian Opens and is very hard to beat in Melbourne.
Djokovic overwhelmed his opponent.
Djokovic has proved that the statement “age 35 to me is like turning 25 again” is not an empty word. The number 4 player in the world overwhelmed Tsitsipas from the very first ball. After missing two consecutive break points in Tsitsipas’ second serve game, Djokovic subdued his opponent in the third game.
Djokovic’s strategy of pressing left with very heavy strokes and spins came into play, making Tsitsipas, even though he expected it, could not move in time. The Serbian moved wisely and continuously pushed deep into the court, forcing Tsitsipas to defend hard. After winning the break, Djokovic defended the serve games to win 6-3 overall.
In the second set, Tsitsipas caught up with the match better. The number 3 player in the world plays well, creating a chase and balance with Djokovic. After drawing 6-6 in 12 official games, Tsitsipas pulled Djokovic into the tie-break series.
However, Tsitsipas no longer serves stably in the series that requires bravery. Djokovic broke up to 5 points of his opponent’s serve and won 7-4, thereby closing the final 7-6 victory in the second set.
Djokovic moves flexibly and persistently.
In the third set, Tsitsipas preempted Djokovic. He attacked well forehand, cornered the opponent and won the break early. However, Djokovic quickly reclaimed the break point in the following game and continued to chase the tie-break series.
Tsitsipas did all he could to stop Djokovic. The Greek player saved 22 points in overpowered situations, saving 2 Championship Points. In the tie-break in the third set, Tsitsipas shortened the score from 0-5 to 4-5, then 4-6 to 5-6. However, the efforts of the world number 3 were not enough.
Djokovic remained steadfast as a rock under the pressure of Tsitsipas, and then won the final 7-5 in the tie-break set 3. Winning Tsitsipas 3-0 (6-3, 7-6, 7-6), Djokovic had won the Australian Open for the 10th time, keeping the percentage up to 100% in the semi-finals and finals in Melbourne and raising the winning streak here to 28.
More importantly, Djokovic equaled Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slams. The Serbian tennis player will return to the world No. 1 position next week.