The Grand Slam Equation

Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open for the tenth time. After a three-game victory over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 35-year-old Serbian has 22 Grand Slam titles, the same number as former sole leader Rafael Nadal. In addition, thanks to this success, Djokovic returned to first place in the world rankings, overtaking another Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz there.

This final, among other things, was supposed to answer several questions that looked very fundamental in terms of the balance of power that is emerging in the world elite this season. These questions, of course, concerned specifically Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Has the psychological background of their confrontation changed, in which the Serb is clearly succeeding, and if so, by how much? Will a very talented but not always consistent Greek, who actually had a great tournament, be able to fundamentally affect the self-confidence of one of the greatest tennis players of our time, whom he has not been able to beat since the fall of 2019? Or will Djokovic once again prove his Melbourne invincibility by lifting the championship trophy at the Rod Laver Court for the tenth time, 15 years after it happened for the first time?

After 2 hours 56 minutes after the start of the game, it turned out that everything remained the same. Tsitsipas had to experience about the same sensations as survived on Friday his semi-final opponent Karen Khachanov. Now the Greek has no serious reasons for self-flagellation. Of course, he did not avoid certain flaws, perhaps the most noticeable of which was a double mistake on a break point in the fourth game, which allowed Djokovic to win the first set in just 36 minutes, but on the whole he played a quality match, losing to a greater extent not from -for his own missteps, but because of the magnificent actions of his opponent.

Tsitsipas’ main problem was that Djokovic had been too good for the past two weeks.

Having started the tournament in a state of extreme internal mobilization, which may have been associated with a small injury to the left hip, he only allowed himself to relax a little twice in seven matches. For the first time, this happened during the second round match against the Frenchman Enzo Cuaco, one of the winners of the qualification, who turned out to be the only tennis player who managed to take one set from the future champion in two weeks. And Djokovic’s second failure occurred in the first game of the semi-final against the American Tommy Paul, when the Serbian, leading 5:1, gave up four games in a row. The rest of the time, the Serbian was simply magnificent, and neither the tension associated with the increased responsibility in the final, nor the great tennis all over the court, which Tsitsipas demonstrated, could bring down his impeccably adjusted game mechanism.

The Greek had a tiny chance only after Djokovic, having taken a tie-break of the second set, gave up his pitch at the very beginning of the third installment. Probably, the only claim that Tsitsipas can still make to himself is connected with the Serb’s instant response break, although here we must again pay tribute to Djokovic, who quickly overcame a momentary weakness. His perfect combination of density and accuracy on the back line with sudden exacerbations with the help of a smashing backhand looked like a masterpiece. To defeat such a Djokovic, it was necessary to reach an exorbitant level, but Tsitsipas, as before, was not ready for this. Therefore, Daniil Medvedev, who won the US Open in September 2021, remains the only representative of his generation who defeated the Serb in the decisive matches of the Grand Slam tournaments.

The impeccable mood of Djokovic was once again confirmed in the tie-break of the third set. Leading 5-0, the Serbian made a mistake when performing a cut left hand after an overly emotional fan literally barked at his arm. In such situations, Djokovic used to lose his cool, splash out emotions, asked the judges to take control of the situation. But in this case, he just goggled his eyes for a moment and continued to do his job as if nothing had happened. The last kick of this Australian Open – a twisted right along the line – turned out to be as perfect for Djokovic as the entire tournament. Tsitsipas was powerless to send the ball into the court, having made one of those mistakes that are called forced. In three sets, the Serbian won by 18 points more, which is considered a very significant advantage for three games, two of which ended in tie-breaks. And this once again proves that his triumph is absolutely logical.

Having won the last point, Djokovic did not fall on the court. He lived his moment of triumph with an almost impenetrable face, after which he went up to the guest box of his team, where he spent a little more time than usually happens on such occasions, and wept on his mother’s shoulder. And then there was an awards ceremony, which ended with a worthy speech by a real tennis king. Djokovic, of course, not directly, but quite clearly expressed his attitude towards the scandalous expulsion from Australia last year, connected with the lack of a coronavirus vaccine, a country in which he last lost in 2018 and has already won 41 matches in a row. “Only my team knows what I went through. Therefore, taking into account all the circumstances, this victory is the largest and most important in my life, ”said the Serbian tennis player.

Thus, at least until the end of Roland Garros in the dispute between Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for the record of men’s tennis in the number of Grand Slam victories, the balance was restored.

Both outstanding masters have 22 such titles each, and the outcome of their rivalry is currently absolutely unclear. Given that Djokovic turns 36 in May and Nadal turns 37 in June, the Serb seems to have some time to spare. Yes, and in his physical condition there are much fewer questions than in the case of the Spaniard.

But in terms of the amount of time spent in first place in the world rankings, where Djokovic will return on January 30 after a break of more than six months, he has long been unmatched. Now his indicator will be equal to 374 weeks, which is 64 weeks more than the second indicator in history, owned by Roger Federer. After the Australian Open, the Serb will have 7070 points on his account, and until October he needs to defend relatively little – about 2000 points. Thus, there is reason to believe that Djokovic will be able to bring his record to 400 weeks, although much will depend on whether he manages to take part in the two spring Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. The fact is that, unlike Australia, foreigners without a coronavirus vaccination are still prohibited from entering the United States.

Evgeny Fedyakov