Melbourne: Novak Djokovic was simply too good at the most crucial moments and claimed his 10th Australian Open championship and 22nd Grand Slam title overall by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 7-6(4) 7-6(5) in the final at Rod Laver Arena Sunday night.
The victory allows Djokovic to return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
The 35-year-old from Serbia did not compete in the Australian Open a year ago after being deported from the country because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Government restrictions have eased since, and he was able to get a visa this time despite still not having gotten the shots against the illness caused by the coronavirus.
Now Djokovic has run his winning streak at the hard-court tournament to 28 matches.
🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 CHAMPION 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆@DjokerNole has mastered Melbourne for a TENTH time!@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/ZThnTrIXdt
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2023
His 10th trophy in Australia adds to the record he already held. His 22 major championships — which include seven from Wimbledon, three from the US Open and two from the French Open — are tied with Rafael Nadal for the most by a man in the history of tennis.
Tsitsipas fell to 0-2 in major finals. He also lost to Djokovic at the 2021 French Open.
AP
