MELBOURNE, Australia – Novak Djokovic plays tennis at Rod Laver Arena. It is a feeling that every year we are, who is standing on the other side of the net and how skewed the support of the crowd can be the support of their opponent, it is always Djokovic will win. Djokovic, 35, did that on Sunday night for the 28th time in a row at Melbourne Park.
The Serbian dispatched third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to win his 10th Australian Open title, tying him with rival Rafael Nadal for the most positions (22). ) in men’s tennis – the pair left long-time leader Roger Federer in their 20s.
As Djokovic hugged everyone in his matchbox, and before he could lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, a familiar chatter began to circulate. Who is the tennis goat? And while it’s almost impossible to answer that question definitively until the big three are over, there’s no doubt that Djokovic’s fortnight Down Under has seen him stuck his nose in the face, one more time.
Federer has hung up his racquet and Nadal is facing another injury. Meanwhile, this is the Grand Slam champion Djokovic. Earlier in the tournament, he said: “I know that I am in the last quarter of my career”, and although that may be true, his tennis would suggest that there is no close to completion. In fact, what he showed during the last two nights in Melbourne, while he was fighting a persistent hamstring, was not the height of his Djokovic strength.
For the third time in his career, Djokovic has dropped just one set en route to the Australian Open. He took down local hero Alex de Minaur in the fourth round, repeated the dose against fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals and got past American Tommy Paul in the semifinals.
Tsitsipas, world number 4, expected it to be his biggest challenge, but he passed the test easily, repeating the final result of Roland-Garros 2021. He limited the unforced errors as he hit the ball behind the baseline and dribbled after everything Tsitsipas sent over the net. As always, Djokovic found speed when the situation called for it.
Two broken bones? No problem. “I did everything I could, I couldn’t come up with anything else. Novak is a player who forces you to your limits,” said a deflated Tsitsipas last time.” “I think he’s the greatest tennis player ever. The numbers speak for themselves. He achieved it through dedication and skill.”
The outstanding and unprecedented return game is what made Djokovic such a force on the ATP tour for 15 years. In the tournament, he hit more return winners than anyone else and was the only man to win 40% of first serve points and 60% of second serve points on returns.
Perhaps it was his message that attracted him the most. Djokovic leads the pack in service games won (94%), is in the top 10 for first service points won and saves 79% on break points. He was broken just once in 17 games in the final. “It was honestly some of the best tennis I’ve ever played on this court,” Djokovic said after the match, referring to his excellent night at Melbourne Park. “I’ll take it up there. Perhaps the second, three best Grand Slam careers of all time.”
So Djokovic is now at 22. But it doesn’t matter if your support is in Federer, Nadal or Djokovic, there is no denying that the number of Serbian Slam winners can increase significantly in the last 30 months, not for epidemics and some self-destructive decisions. .
She missed the opportunity to defend her Wimbledon title in 2020 when the event was canceled due to COVID-19. Of course, the title is not guaranteed, but he has not played a match at Wimbledon since 2017. Two months later, Djokovic was ejected from the US Open after hitting a player with the ball during his fourth round match.
Again, there is no guarantee that he will lift the silverware, but with many of his rivals absent from the event for various reasons – including Nadal and Federer – few have the courage to challenge him. . In 2022, he could not participate in the Australian Open or the US Open because the condition of vaccination against COVID-19 did not allow him to enter any country legally. .
Djokovic is or would have been the absolute favorite in these four tournaments. Even playing it safe, he’ll probably add at least two more to his total. If one of them is last year’s Australian Open, it will be easy to sit at 25 after a new victory, leading Nadal 21. An unconquerable space.
But enough hypotheticals. The truth is that Djokovic and Nadal are stuck at 22-22. Regardless, it’s worth it, Djokovic. Djokovic has won five of his last seven tournaments – his two losses in the 2021 US Open final and the 2022 French Open quarter-final – and by all accounts he is the best player in the world.
Heck, we haven’t had him for 18 months before he falls one match short of the coveted Slam series. Meanwhile, Nadal, 36, will miss up to two months of tennis after suffering a grade 2 iliopsoas injury in his second round win over American Mackenzie McDonald. But even before the injury, the Spaniard could be in the midst of a major crisis of his professional career. Some players doubt he will ever return to his best.
“[Nadal’s defeat to McDonald’s] is already the first step towards retirement,” tennis great Boris Becker told Eurosport Germany’s Matchball Becker show. “Such an injury is difficult, and at that time it takes a long time to get back in shape. I think his days are over.”
On the other hand, Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanišević believes that his man can continue to play at the highest level for the foreseeable future. “The way he takes care of his body and approaches everything … two to three years, really,” Ivanišević said later. “The man is amazing. I don’t know how to describe him in words.”
Djokovic, also said that he is not looking at the finish line. “I’m motivated to win as many Grand Slams as possible,” he said. “At this stage of my career, these cups are the motivation for me to continue competing. I don’t want to stop here. I have no intention of stopping here. “I know that when I feel good physically, mentally, I have a chance to win any Slam against anyone. Of course, 35 is not 25, even if I want to believe it, but I always thinking it’s time ahead.mine. Let’s see how far I can go.”
Although Djokovic is the favorite to finish his career with a men’s Grand Slam title, that shouldn’t be the only metric used when evaluating tennis’ GOAT.
Djokovic also holds the men’s record for most weeks as the No. 1 player in the world (373) and most Masters 1000 titles (38), and he has won more awards than anyone else in the game. He has collected ATP Player of the Year awards (seven) and is tied with Federer for the most ATP Finals wins (six).
Think of any man’s tennis record, and Djokovic’s name is always at the top of the list. Another factor working in Djokovic’s favor is his winning record against his two opponents. He leads points to points Nadal 30-29 and Federer 27-23. The GOAT tennis debate will be debated for years to come. Tens, probably. Some will say Federer, others will say Nadal. Others will say Serena Williams or Margaret Court. But if no one hits a tennis ball anymore, you’d be hard-pressed not to have Djokovic on top of the pile.