Melbourne, Jan. 29 (BNA): The ruthless Novak Djokovic resumed his run at Melbourne Park by winning his 10th Australian Open title on Sunday and crushing the Grand Slam dream of Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in a one-sided final.
In a rematch of the 2021 French Open, Djokovic claimed a 6-3, 7-6(4) 7-6(5) win at Rod Laver Arena to regain the world No. 1 ranking and once again deny Tsitsipas his first title, Reuters reports.
The atmosphere was charged and the fans often angry with Serbian and Greek fans sitting in the stands as if they were trolling football teams.
But in the end, the “Nool! Noul” chants won out as Djokovic took a 5-0 lead in the final tiebreak and sealed the match with a powerful forehand down the line that Tsitsipas could only hit so long.
The 35-year-old Serbian tapped his temples and then turned his heart as he walked forward to shake hands with Tsitsipas before leaping into his players box where he hugged his mother and wept.
Djokovic’s victory was the ultimate salvation a year after he was sensationally deported from Australia on the eve of a Grand Slam tournament due to his lack of a COVID-19 vaccine.
That dark episode seemed like ancient history on Sunday as he satiated the cheers of his army of Serbian supporters and after his victory in the struggle of generations.