Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic remains on course to win a record-equaling 22nd grand slam title after beating American Tommy Paul in straight sets in the Australian Open ...

After that I was swinging through the ball more and I am just pleased to get through another final.” Djokovic holds the record for the most time spent as the world No. Long rallies and you could feel the heavy legs in the first set but I was fortunate to hold my nerves. It’s a grand slam final, I’m fighting for the No. 5 in the world, the Serb played a limited schedule in 2022 because of his decision not to be vaccinated against Covid-19. “I just see no downside or negativity in what I’m trying to do out there,” Tsitsipas said. Djokovic was able to correct the skid and close out the opening set. It might not go the way I want it to, but I put 110 percent out there.” I know what’s expected and I have been in so many positions in my career,” he said in his on-court interview immediately afterwards. The final is set to be a thrilling encounter and whoever wins will be crowned the new men’s world No.1. But, Paul – the huge underdog after a dream run to the semifinal – fought back by breaking Djokovic’s serve twice to level the set at 5-5. “Long live the Russia,” he says.

Novak Djokovic faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open men's singles final, bidding to tie Rafael Nadal's men's Grand Slam titles record.

He got into a bit of a discussion with the chair umpire. That drought will continue for now, because even though Djokovic was not at his best in the opening set, he was good enough at the end of it, breaking in the last game, and never relented. He got broken when serving for the set there. Djokovic saved that, but then another missed backhand provided another break chance to someone playing the biggest match of his life. In the first game, Djokovic flubbed an overhead, a weakness he’s never solved. The serving was so-so. The 25-year-old was born in New Jersey and grew up in North Carolina, playing tennis at a club where the walls were festooned with posters of Andy Roddick — the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title, way back at the 2003 U.S. The shotmaking was subpar. There was a pause in that string of victories a year ago, of course, when Djokovic was deported from Australia before competition began because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. If he can add one more to go alongside his seven titles at Wimbledon, three at the U.S. 1 in the ATP rankings. 1 there back in 2008, but his father stayed away from this match after getting caught up in a flap connected to spectators who brought banned Russian flags on site earlier in the week.

Novak Djokovic will look to his experience as a nine-time Australian Open champion when he meets Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final in Melbourne.

“[A] personal reason is that I feel on the tennis court I always have an opportunity to learn something new about myself [and] fight with my own demons, that I guess we all have,” said Djokovic. Tying Nadal in the Grand Slam titles race with victory in Melbourne would set Djokovic up to push for more historic achievements in 2023. Yet he will take nothing for granted in the knowledge that the 24-year-old third seed has more than enough incentive to bring his best to [Rod Laver](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/rod-laver/l058/overview) Arena. “When we're on the tennis court in the midst of a battle, some of the things surface, and I have to deal with it. Then [it] was quite smooth sailing, I would say, from the beginning of the second towards the end of the match. The Serbian led 5-1, 40/30 but allowed the American back into the set at 5-5, before Djokovic regained his composure just in time to clinch a set in which he hit 24 unforced errors. He could equal [Rafael Nadal](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/rafael-nadal/n409/overview)’s record of 22 Grand Slam crowns with victory over Tsitsipas, while whichever player wins is also set to claim the No. “Of course, still the job needs to be done on the court,” said Djokovic, who has won his past nine tour-level meetings against the Greek. “I think that the experience of being in this particular situation and circumstances before helps. I'm really glad to overcome that crisis towards the end of the first set. “I'm of course very satisfied and pleased to be in another Grand Slam final,” said Djokovic after riding out his rough patch to reach his 10th championship match at the hard-court major. “I know his game pretty well.

The 35-year-old is scything his way through the Australian Open in a haze of righteous fury after being deported a year ago.

He remains, for example, a disciple of the wellness guru Chervin Jafarieh, who has a podcast with the amazingly terrible/brilliant name Wake The Fake Up, who starts each day with an hour and a half of trampolining followed by a mouthful of “longevity mushrooms”, and who basically wants to sell you his wellness products via Novak’s Instagram page. Is this all forbidden fruit, a tennis version of the good bits with the devil in Paradise Lost that you’re not supposed to enjoy? Is it wrong, is it weak, is it politically suspect to appreciate the dark pleasure in this revenger’s story, the extraordinary dramatic arc? Now, a year on, we have this, a 35-year-old scything his way through the tournament in a haze of righteous fury. By the end Djokovic was playing at something close to his most irresistible pitch, a level of intensity and precision where the opponent basically becomes irrelevant, an ominous prospect for Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday afternoon. And yet aged 35 he is now on the verge of completing one of the most mind-bogglingly cinematic narrative arcs in sporting history.

Novak Djokovic speaks to reporters after defeating Tommy Paul at the Australian Open. William West/AFP/Getty Images. CNN —.

“Of course, it wasn’t, again, pleasant not to have him in the box [on Friday],” he said. “I hope to have him. “The photo that he made, he was passing through,” said Djokovic. “As my father put in a statement, we are against the war, we never will support any violence or any war. But I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war initiatives or anything like that. “I heard what he said in the video.

He was hardly troubled in setting up a clash with third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

In the first game, Djokovic flubbed an overhead, a weakness he’s never solved. Serbian flags were displayed throughout the stands and the air was filled with chants of Djokovic’s two-syllable nickname, “No-le! The 25-year-old was born in New Jersey and grew up in North Carolina, playing tennis at a club where the walls were festooned with posters of Andy Roddick — the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title, way back at the 2003 US Open. The serving was so-so. Djokovic is now a perfect 19-0 over the last two rounds in Melbourne, and his nine triumphs there already are a men’s record. The shotmaking was subpar. “Winning Grand Slams and being the No. There was a pause in that string of victories a year ago, of course, when Djokovic was deported from Australia before competition began because he was not vaccinated against Covid-19. It’s not something that I want or need,” said Djokovic, who defended his father, Srdjan, for standing with a group of people waving Russian flags — at least one showing an image of Vladimir Putin — after the son’s quarterfinal victory against a Russian opponent. That is what the No. And so, not surprisingly, he overcame some shaky play in the early going and took over the match, beating Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 to close in on a 10th Australian Open championship and 22nd Grand Slam title overall. We both had heavy legs in the first set.

Novak Djokovics father misses semi-final after emergence of a video showing him posing with fans holding Russian flags; nine-time champion says the incident ...

Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way. "There was a lot of Serbian flags around. "It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level. It really hurts and I don't understand how this can be possible." Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that. I hope that people will let it be, and we can focus on tennis.

Tennis superstar launches fierce defence of his "anti-war" dad's actions, admitting the escalating saga has taken its toll during his title quest.

“Of course, it's not pleasant for me to go through this with all the things that I had to deal with last year and this year in Australia. “I hope to have him. “There was no intention ... Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way,” Djokovic said. He went out to celebrate with my fans. “As my father put in a statement, we are against the war, we never will support any violence or any war. I was not aware of it until last night. That's what he thought. I hope that people will let it be, and we can focus on tennis.” He said, 'cheers'. He thought he was making photo with somebody from Serbia. Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that.

Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic defends his father, after he was filmed standing with a group displaying a banned Russian flag that was ...

I hope to have him. It has got to me, of course, as well." [We] just didn't know how things will play out, I guess. But I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war initiatives or anything like that. He moved on." That's what he thought.

The fourth seed can also reclaim the world No.1 ranking with victory over Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.

ATPTour.com looks back at six epic matches between Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Earning the second of four consecutive Top 10 wins in Toronto, Tsitsipas opened this ATP Head2Head series with a victory that helped propel him into stardom. Djokovic cruised to the opening set, but Tsitsipas claimed the second with his first break, then saw home an early advantage in the decider. I wasn't really thinking too much in the future, and I think that helped a lot." Tsitsipas improved to 2-1 in this young rivalry with a stirring comeback to earn his first win against a reigning World No. In a match played across two days in Rome, Tsitsipas slept on a set-and-a-break lead before Djokovic began to find his footing on the clay. With new life, Tsitsipas continued to pummel his groundstrokes and attack the Djokovic backhand. With his first comeback from two-sets-to-love in a major final, Djokovic won his 19th Slam title and his second in Paris. But Djokovic left the court after losing the second set and emerged as a "different player", shifting the match decisively when play resumed. Djokovic's dominant serving made the difference, as he won 84 per cent (41/49) of his first-serve points and did not face a break point in the first or third set. He did not face a break point in the final three sets, controlling each one behind an early break. Djokovic extended his winning streak to eight straight matches against Tsitsipas with this gutsy victory, claiming the final four points of the match after falling behind by a mini-break in the decisive tie-break. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Serb has looked as dominant as ever but sleeping on his opponent's storming season would be a misstep in Melbourne.

Tsitsipas knows how well he can serve, how he can dominate the baseline with his forehand and use his athleticism and deft touch to stay with Djokovic in the cat-and-mouse exchanges to come. They have clearly helped produce his best tennis and the prospect of achieving history under these circumstances, as the first Greek grand slam champion and No 1, means even more to him than if it were anywhere else. For two sets he showed all of his colours, from his resilience to snatch the first set tiebreak, to the level he maintained in consolidating it. Aside from the possibility of Djokovic’s hamstring derailing him, a final against Tsitsipas was clearly the biggest threat. [fourth-round demolition of Alex de Minaur](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jan/23/australian-open-tennis-novak-djokovic-blasts-past-de-minaur-and-into-quarter-finals), Novak Djokovic discussed a field that contained no other grand slam champion in the draw. Djokovic identified Stefanos Tsitsipas as the most experienced player left, but as he spoke of the various milestones in Tsitsipas’s career, Djokovic’s memory failed.

Djokovic will play for his 22nd Grand Slam title on Sunday against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Will his father, Srdjan, be in his usual seat in the stands to cheer ...

He has won four of the last six Grand Slams he has played and is often most dangerous when facing adversity. Despite wobbling in the third set with the finish line in sight, Tsitsipas came out strong in the fourth set and cruised into his second Grand Slam final, a test he said he has never been more ready for, especially with the Greek-Australian Mark Philippoussis helping his father coach. The atmosphere is likely to be even more spirited on Sunday against Tsitsipas, who is a local favorite because of Australia’s significant Greek population, among the largest in the world outside of Greece and the United States. At 4-4 in the second set, Tsitsipas turned a tight match, scrambling for a series of overheads and winning the 22-shot rally with a rolling forehand winner to break Khachanov’s serve, then clinched the set in the next game. “We are against the war, we never will support any violence or any war,” he said. “Even if it doesn’t work, I’m very optimistic and positive about any outcome, any opponent that I have to face. Djokovic jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, but after he complained to the chair umpire about a fan who was harassing him he fell into a temporary funk. He appeared on a glide pattern to yet another Australian Open men’s singles title and the 22nd Grand Slam title of his career. “So there is no disruption to tonight’s semifinal for my son or for the other player, I have chosen to watch from home.” The organization noted Srdjan Djokovic’s decision not to attend the match. Djokovic, Serbia’s favorite son and most famous citizen, will play for his 10th Australian Open championship on Sunday against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, but the glide pattern is officially over. Djokovic will play for his 22nd Grand Slam title on Sunday against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan is facing an anxious wait over whether he will be allowed to attend his son's Australian Open final after his interaction ...

I think the decision not to be there on Friday night was on the fact that there was a lot of intensity around that action. And that there was no purposeful position to do it. "We’re in a different situation, and [on Sunday] night, whether or not that has an impact on it or not... My family has lived through the horror of war, and we wish only for peace." He moved on." [Djokovic](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/novak-djokovic) is targeting a record-extending 10th Australian Open title in Sunday's showdown against Stefanos Tsitsipas in Melbourne.