Tennis has completed its first major of the season and a familiar face has once again achieved glory at the Australian Open. We are, of course, talking about Novak Djokovic who claimed his 10th singles title in the land down under. He claimed victory in the early hours of the morning while most Americans were asleep. Djokovic needed just three sets to dispatch Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was playing in his first Australian Open final. The two players had met in the final of a major tournament one time prior at the 2021 French Open. Djokovic won that match in a thrilling five sets. Djokovic’s 2023 triumph at the Australian Open comes one year after he was forced to leave the country due to being unvaccinated and it propels him back to the top of the world rankings. In addition to it being his 10th title in Melbourne, it was also Djokovic’s 22nd career major singles title. This puts him into a tie for first all-time by a mens tennis player with Rafael Nadal who also has 22 major singles titles. There are also three women tennis players with 22 or more major singles titles. Steffi Graf has 22, Serena Williams has 23, and Margaret Court has 24. Djokovic might someday pass those three players. What’s more impressive is that Djokovic has won all of his majors while competing simultaneously with both Nadal and Roger Federer in the era of the “Big Three”. Yet, this title carries higher significance than his previous 21 major singles titles combined.
Novak Djokovic won his first Australian Open title 15 years ago when he defeated French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2008 final. It was also his first major singles title. He has won the Australian Open title an impressive 9 additional times since then, including three straight from 2011 to 2013 and three straight from 2019 to 2021. Djokovic was unable to compete in the 2022 Australian Open due to the Covid-19 vaccine mandate and his decision to remain unvaccinated. Thus, Djokovic could not pursue a 4th straight title at the hard court major.
Novak Djokovic entered the 2023 Australian Open with 21 career major singles titles after he won his 4th straight Wimbledon title in 2022. Djokovic won his first round match against Roberto Carballes Baena. He then beat qualifier Enzo Couacaud and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov to reach the 4th round. He won his 4th round match-up against Alex de Minaur to set up a quarterfinal clash with Russian Andrey Rublev. After defeating Rublev, Djokovic defeated American Tommy Paul in the Semifinals. He faced Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. Djokovic won that match in straight sets to claim his 10th Australian Open title. In doing so, Djokovic became just the second mens player to win double digit titles at a single major. Rival Nadal has 14 French Open titles. The win also allowed Djokovic to regain the world number one ranking.
There are a number of reasons why Novak Djokovic’s recent triumph is the most significant of any of his previous 21 major singles titles. The first being that it was his 10th title at the Australian Open. The fact that it is only the second time a mens player has won 10 or more titles at a single major, after Nadal’s 14 French Open titles, highlights how long-term dominance at a single major is exceedingly rare. Another factor as to why this is his most significant win ever stems from the fact that he is now tied with Nadal at 22 major singles titles for most all-time among male tennis players. This is the second time such a tie has occurred. Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer were all tied at 20 major singles titles as recently as last year. Many people believe that Djokovic will eventually finish with the most major singles titles, but for now he is tied with Nadal. Nadal’s future is uncertain. Finally, the last thing that makes Djokovic’s 2023 victory at the Australian Open so impressive is that he was able to come in and win just 12 months after being kicked out of the country over the Covid-19 vaccine mandate drama. It’s a statement win, if you will. The “you can knock me down, but I’ll get back up” motto that played out so brilliantly in this tournament. So, there you go. Once again, Novak Djokovic showed the world exactly why he is still the best player in the world and is in the running for greatest of all time.
Novak Djokovic’s next chance to win a major will be at the French Open, which starts on May 28th.
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