Novak Djokovic wins 10th Australian Open, ties Rafael Nadal with 22 Grand Slam titles—and will rightfully return to No. 1

Championship Point: Novak Djokovic makes history in Melbourne

Six years ago today, in an Australian Open final that will be remembered forever, Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in five scintillating sets to win his 18th Grand Slam singles title. At the time, Nadal owned 14 Grand Slam singles titles; Novak Djokovic, who had exited the tournament five rounds earlier, owned 12. Federer’s total major haul was as close to Djokovic and Nadal’s combined collection as it was to the Serbian’s alone.

Six years later, in an Australian Open final that will be remembered more for its significance in the history books than for its drama on the court, Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), to win his 22nd Grand Slam singles title. With the win, Djokovic has distanced himself from Federer by two Slams for the first time, and is tied atop the all-time Slam count with Nadal, and only Nadal—Novak has never been closer to taking the undisputed lead in a race that redefines the word exclusive.

That is a numeric view of the race, of course. In reality, full-steam-ahead Djokovic has blown by Federer in the rearview mirror, and feels further away from Nadal than ever. He’s now won 10 of the last 18 majors—only Federer had a more productive run, winning 10 in 15 and 11 in 16 from 2004-07—and, in sharp contrast to a hobbled Nadal, is fit and full of momentum. The last four times Djokovic has played the Australian Open or Wimbledon, he has left with the trophy.

Physically and mentally, Djokovic appears to be at his peak. You could say the same for Tsitsipas, despite his second loss to Djokovic in a Slam final. (Tsitsipas lost from two sets up at the 2021 French Open.) You could say the same for Carlos Alacaraz, whom Djokovic will supplant at No. 1 in the rankings tomorrow. The difference is that Djokovic is 11 years older than the Greek, and 16 years older than the Spaniard. His ability to blend tenacity with longevity is something only Nadal could similarly lay claim to, but while Rafa owns 22 Slams and appears on his last legs, Djokovic owns 22 with no end in sight.

Djokovic has been able to achieve all of this for many reasons, but they all boil down to one essential trait: he’s not only the best returner of all time (something often said during today’s final), but he’s the best pressure player ever. Any Federer fan can attest to this after some of the Swiss’ cruel, late-round losses to Djokovic at majors despite holding match points. Nadal, despite an outstanding record against Djokovic—29-30—has been a first-hand witness to his rival turning the tables just when you think he’s out of it. And Tsitsipas—now 3-10 against Djokovic—experienced it Sunday in Rod Laver Arena.

After dropping the first set in routine fashion, Tsitsipas finally fashioned a break point at 5-4 in the second. The match was nearly 90 minutes old, and everyone could sense the significance of this moment—especially Tsitsipas, who played a fine set point. Problem was, Djokovic sensed it even more. Ultimately, he was the player who pulled the trigger, firing a projectile forehand down the line and snaring the point away from his opponent.

Perhaps that played into a later rally, at 4-4 in the subsequent tiebreak. Djokovic had let a 4-1 lead slip; with new life, Tsitsipas (correctly) determined that he needed to assert himself. Except that his stroke, on this pivotal point, found the net.

Before the second-set tiebreaker:

After the second-set tiebreaker:

Two points later, Djokovic held a two-set lead, numerically. In reality, the match was over.

All credit to Tsitsipas for inspiring added grandeur from Djokovic in the third set. After an early exchange of breaks, the two played a tense tiebreaker, which wasn’t anticipated after Djokovic took a 5-0 lead. At one stage, Djokovic had won 22 consecutive points on his serve. But Tsitsipas’ shotmaking and fortitude pushed Djokovic all the way to his third championship point, at 6-5.

When Djokovic won that point, and then subsequently made his way to his player box, all the emotion of the moment—and of his last 12 months, which included deportation from Australia, due to his Covid vaccination stance—poured out:

“He’s the greatest that has ever held the tennis racquet,” Tsitsipas said afterward.

“I’m touched by Stefanos’ words,” Djokovic said in reply. “This is definitely not your last Grand Slam. You have lots of time—lots more than me.”

Djokovic may be right about Tsitsipas one day holding a major. But for Stefanos’ sake, he’d better hope Djokovic is also right about the very end.

Live blog from the final: