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 on Sunday night. The victory allows Djokovic to return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
After the win, Djokovic said: "It's been a great journey for my family and my team. You face the ugly side of me day-in-day-out. Thank you for your patience. This has been the most challenging tournament I have ever played in my life."
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.
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.
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