The 13th ATP Head2Head matchup between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas will play out on Sunday in the 2023 Australian Open final, with the contest doubling as a straight shootout for No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Ahead of the title match, ATPTour.com breaks down six classic matches between the pair.

2022 Rolex Paris Masters SF, hard, Djokovic d. Tsitsipas 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4)
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. In a high-quality contest that ebbed and flowed, Djokovic was at his best early and late, though Tsitsipas nearly snatched victory after edging ahead 4/3 in the tie-break.

The pair combined for 63 winners and just 23 unforced errors with clean hitting at the ATP Masters 1000 event. 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.

“Deservedly so, we went into — both of us — into an even battle all the way until the last point, until the last shot,” the Serbian said. “Some incredible points towards the end. I’m just really glad to overcome this challenge.” Read Match Report.

Djokovic won all four of his 2022 matches against Tsitsipas, dropping just one set across matches in Rome, Astana, Paris and Turin.

2021 Roland Garros Final, clay, Djokovic d. Tsitsipas 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Tsitsipas was within touching distance of his first Grand Slam title after a battling performance in set one and a dominant display in set two, with the Greek firmly in the ascendency behind his attacking game. But Djokovic left the court after losing the second set and emerged as a “different player”, shifting the match decisively when play resumed.

Suddenly it was the Serbian on the front foot as he dialled up the aggression and introduced doubt into his opponent’s game. He did not face a break point in the final three sets, controlling each one behind an early break.

“I managed to make a break, early break in the third,” Djokovic said post-match. “After that, I felt like I got into his head. I feel like I started swinging through the ball better. The momentum was on my side, it shifted. There was no looking back from that moment.”

With his first comeback from two-sets-to-love in a major final, Djokovic won his 19th Slam title and his second in Paris. The victory also sealed a historic feat for the Serbian, making him the first player in the Open Era – and only the third player in history – to achieve the career Grand Slam twice. Read Match Report.

2021 Internazionali BNL d’Italia QF, clay, Djokovic d. Tsitsipas 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
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. Trailing 6-4, 2-1 overnight, the Serbian forced a deciding set on Saturday, then twice battled back from a break deficit to advance to the Rome semi-finals for the eighth straight year.

Tsitsipas served for the match at 5-4 in the third, but fell victim to his opponent’s unrelenting consistency and depth in the closing stages, several untimely errors proving his undoing.

“There are many things to say about today or yesterday’s match. It kind of felt like we played two matches,” Djokovic reflected. “The one yesterday, where he was the better player. He started better today also. I managed to somehow to hold my nerve [and] break his serve in the important moments in the second and third sets.” Read Match Report.

2020 Roland Garros SF, clay, Djokovic d. Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1
Djokovic nearly scored a straightforward victory in his first Grand Slam meeting with Tsitsipas, but the Greek’s heavy hitting erased a match point at 5-4 in the third set and set the stage for a lengthy battle that clocked in at just under four hours.

With new life, Tsitsipas continued to pummel his groundstrokes and attack the Djokovic backhand. He fought off 10 of 11 break points in the fourth set, converting two from two on return, but ran out of steam in the fifth as Djokovic reasserted himself on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“I was definitely not pleased with the way I played the finishing stages of the third and fourth sets, but I was very pleased with the way I kept my composure mentally throughout the entire match,” said Djokovic. “I did feel that even though I lost the third and fourth, I still felt like I was the better player on the court. I had more control. I just felt comfortable playing.” Read Match Report.

Djokovic improved to 37-1 on the 2020 season with the victory, though he would be turned back by Rafael Nadal in a three-set final.

2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters QF, hard, Tsitsipas d. Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
Tsitsipas improved to 2-1 in this young rivalry with a stirring comeback to earn his first win against a reigning World No. 1. Djokovic cruised to the opening set, but Tsitsipas claimed the second with his first break, then saw home an early advantage in the decider.

After hitting two aces as he served out the match, the Greek punctuated his statement win with an overhead.

“It’s the best comeback that I have ever had probably,” Tsitsipas reflected. “It was a very difficult victory mentally too. I wasn’t really thinking that long term that I have to win two sets. It just went step by step. It happened. I broke him, I won the set, I stayed there, broke him again, eventually I got the win at the end. I wasn’t really thinking too much in the future, and I think that helped a lot.” Read Match Report.

2018 National Bank Open R16, Tsitsipas d. Djokovic 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3
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. Just days before his 20th birthday, the Greek introduced the world to his fearless game, closing out the win in fitting style with a ripped forehand winner.

“I feel very proud for me, myself, and my country. I’m putting Greece more deep into the map of tennis,” the then 18-year-old said after the victory. “So I’m pretty sure I’m making my family proud, all of those people that are watching, my coach, my father. It was a very emotional win. I’ve never felt so many emotions after a victory.” Read Match Report.

The Greek would go on to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final with wins against Thiem, Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Kevin Anderson.

The Australian Open has been a home away from home for Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas throughout their respective careers. In Sunday’s final, both men will chase major milestones in Rod Laver Arena, on a court that helped each rise to stardom.

In addition to the Grand Slam glory at stake — Djokovic is playing for a record-tying 22nd men’s singles major title, Tsitsipas for his very first — the final will also determine the new No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Djokovic, who has spent a record 373 weeks as World No. 1, is bidding to return to the top spot for the first time since last June. Tsitsipas, in his first Australian Open final, is chasing a historic debut at the pinnacle of the men’s game, with the opportunity to become the first Greek to hold the honour.

“These are the moments I’ve been working hard for. To be able to play finals like this, but finals that have bigger meaning that just a final,” Tsitsipas said after his four-set semi-final win against Karen Khachanov. “It’s a Grand Slam final, I’m fighting for the No. 1 spot. It’s a childhood dream to be capturing the No. 1 spot one day. I’m close. I’m happy that this opportunity comes here in Australia and not somewhere else, because this is a place of significance.”

With the sizable Greek and Serbian populations in Melbourne, a raucous atmosphere can be expected in the stands on Sunday. The tennis we’ve seen from the two competitors this season guarantees there will be fireworks on the court, too. Neither man has lost a match in 2023, with Djokovic 11-0 and Tsitsipas 10-0.

Djokovic played two near-perfect matches as he breezed past Alex de Minaur (fourth round) and Grigor Dimitrov (quarters), his lingering hamstring injury firmly in the rearview. He was again untouchable against Tommy Paul in the semi-finals, except for a late wobble in the opening set and a weary few moments early in the second — both of which could fuel Tsitsipas’ belief heading into Sunday.

“I was really tight on the court… I was struggling also physically and emotionally,” Djokovic said of the late stages in a 7-5 first set, when he surrendered a 5-1 lead before closing it out. “I guess in these kind of particular matches, at the final stages of a Slam, you can expect to have a crisis, one or two or three crises. The less the better. But I did have [one].”

Tsitsipas has also been otherworldly at times during his run, though he lost three sets to Djokovic’s one in reaching the title round. Both times he was truly tested, he responded with a champion’s resolve.

After Jannik Sinner flipped their fourth-round match on its head, dominating sets three and four after Tsitsipas’ blistering start, the Greek leaned on a sublime serving performance to claim the final set in one of the matches of the fortnight, escaping with a 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 victory. When Khachanov saved two match points in the semi-finals to force a fourth set, Tsitsipas again regrouped to seal his second Grand Slam final appearance.

The third seed now has an opportunity to avenge his defeat to Djokovic in the 2021 Roland Garros title match, when the Serbian battled back from two-sets-to-love down to lift the title. It was the first time in Djokovic’s career that he managed such a comeback in a Slam final.

“I won that match, so my recollections are very positive,” Djokovic said with a smile in an on-court interview following his semi-final win. “It was a really physical, mental, emotional battle. It always is with Stefanos. I respect him a lot; he has improved over the years. I actually think he is one of the most interesting guys off the court, with his interests off the court, his hair style and all. But it’s all business on Sunday, for both of us. Let the better player win.”

Days earlier, Djokovic momentarily forgot that the pair had met with a major title on the line. Tsitsipas, asked about that oversight in his post-semifinal presser, delivered a deadpan reply: “I don’t remember, either.”

That Roland Garros win was the fifth of what is now nine straight for Djokovic in the pair’s ATP Head2Head, in which he owns a decisive 10-2 advantage. The Serbian has won both of their Grand Slam meetings (their 2020 Paris semi-final also went five sets) and all four of their contests last season, dropping just one set in four matches.

Djokovic has an equally impressive overall record dating back to his run to a fourth consecutive (and seventh overall) Wimbledon title in July. The Serbian is 37-2 since the start of the grass-court Slam, including his 11-0 mark in 2023. He has won five of a possible six tour-level titles in that span, including a record-tying sixth trophy at November’s Nitto ATP Finals (matching Roger Federer) and the Adelaide International 1 crown earlier this season.

Tsitsipas, who lost a 6-4, 7-6(4) decision to Djokovic in Turin, is seeking his first title since his Mallorca triumph last June, just before Wimbledon. But there is no better place for him to return to the winners’ circle than Rod Laver Arena, the sight of his stunning 2019 upset of Federer — a result that put the Greek on the map as a then 20-year-old rising star. 

After defeats in his first three Melbourne semi-finals against Rafael Nadal (2019) and Daniil Medvedev (2021-22), Tsitsipas has broken new ground at what he calls his ‘home Slam’. Having broken through that barrier, he now faces one of tennis’ toughest test as he seeks the double prize on offer in Sunday’s final.

For Tsitsipas to succeed, he must deal Djokovic his first loss in an Australian Open semi-final or final. The Serbian will enter the title match with a 19-0 record in those two rounds in Melbourne, having lifted the trophy in each of his nine previous runs to the last four.

Did You Know?
The 11-year age gape between Djokovic (35) and Tsitsipas (24) is the largest in an Australian Open final in the Open Era, and the sixth largest in any major final.

After a six-year absence from Belgium, the ATP Challenger Tour shifts its attention this week to the indoor hard court event, the BW Open. David Goffin’s misfortune at the Australian Open that led to his participation has been a massive boon to the tournament, which has been close to a sell-out in its debut year.

Tournament director Vincent Stavaux, who has worked as an agent for players such as Justine Henin, Marin Cilic, Pablo Andujar, and Kristof Vliegen, is at the forefront of Belgium’s return to the Challenger calendar. Stavaux explained that his aim is to provide a warm experience for players and fans. And the Challenger 125 event is making a strong impression.

“For me the most important thing is that we have a good hotel, good food, and a nice facility,” Stavaux said. “We try to welcome players in the best conditions. For the first edition, we have players that are saying that they’ve never seen so many people attending the first-round matches at a Challenger. We have just a few tickets left for Saturday, the rest of the days are sold out. Fans are close to the court, even in the highest places you are still very close, it makes it a really special atmosphere.”

The Mons, Belgium Challenger, which ended in 2016, earned back-to-back selections as one of the ATP Challengers of the Year (2015, 2016), a player-voted system that recognises the season’s top events. Now the only Belgian Challenger event lies some 60 kilometers from Mons, in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve (population 31,000), where fans have flocked to the Centre Sportif de Blocry to watch world-class tennis.

Locals already holding red-hot tickets received a last-minute surprise just one week before the tournament: Home favourite Goffin suffered an illness in Melbourne which forced him to miss the season’s first Slam. The World No. 50 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings was given a wild card to come home and play the Belgian Challenger.

“Unfortunately, David got food poisoning in Australia. For us, it has been an incredible use to have him here,” Stavaux said. “That’s what we say in life, ‘The bad news for some is good news for others.’ We were really sorry for David, but for us, ever since he said, ‘I’m coming!’ the website and tickets exploded.”

The calm before the storm: practice session ahead of the 2023 BW Open. Credit: Wild Shot Production

Saturday’s semi-final tickets may not be available much longer. Goffin, seeded first, is set to compete in the final four against countryman Gauthier Onclin. Goffin’s last Challenger title before rising to a career-high No. 7 in 2017 came three years prior on home soil (Mons 2014). The seven-time Challenger champion hopes to repeat the same result this weekend.

The star-studded field didn’t end at Goffin’s presence. Fresh off a third round appearance at the Australian Open, Frenchman Ugo Humbert flew directly to Belgium and kept his commitment to play the BW Open. World No. 69 Mikael Ymer advanced through qualifying and is set to play in Saturday’s semi-final against Turkey’s Altug Celikbilek.

Belgian fans can also get a glimpse of the sport’s brightest future stars who are using the Challenger Tour as a springboard before competing for the most prestigious titles in tennis. Perhaps no example is better than the previous time Belgium held a Challenger.

“Someone who doesn’t know the Tour well doesn’t know that the Challengers have a nice combination and balance of Next Gen players and guys with a lot of experience who have been in the Top 100,” Stavaux said. “In 2016, Andrey Rublev made the quarter-finals in Mons and Daniil Medvedev was a semi-finalist. That’s the proof that at Challengers you can see the next generation of the top ATP players.”

So which Challenger Tour youngster will next rise to a standout professional career? Only time will tell.

As Novak Djokovic steps on court to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s championship match in Melbourne, one specific statistic from his career may well put him at ease — Nine Australian Open finals played, nine Australian Open finals won.

To increase that record to 10 from 10, Djokovic will look to pull through any difficult moments as calmly as he did against Tommy Paul in Friday’s semi-finals, where he recovered from losing four games in a row in the opening set to seal a 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 victory.

“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 mean, this is exactly what I’ve imagined and hoped that will happen when I came to Australia, with the intention to be in a position to fight for another Australian Open trophy.

“I think that the experience of being in this particular situation and circumstances before helps. I think also the fact that I never lost the Australian Open finals definitely serves as a great confidence booster prior to Sunday.”

Unlike in many of his past Australian Open final appearances, however, It is not just the Norman Brookes Trophy on the line for Djokovic this year in Melbourne. He could equal Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam crowns with victory over Tsitsipas, while whichever player wins is also set to claim the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic leads the Greek 10-2 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series, including a five-set championship match comeback victory at Roland Garros in 2021. 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 Arena.

“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’m going to play against Tsitsipas, who is in a great shape, great form, has been playing some of his best tennis. I’m sure that he’s going to be very motivated to win his first Grand Slam title.

“I know his game pretty well. He knows my game well. We played several times in different surfaces… I know what’s ahead of me, and I’m excited. Fortunately for me at this stage of my career, because of all the achievements, it is always basically every match or every tournament there is always something on the line, particularly when the Grand Slams are played.

“Of course, I’m privileged to be in this position, and I’m hoping for the best.”

In order to defeat the high-flying Tsitsipas, Djokovic will likely have to avoid any lapses in his level like the one he suffered in the opening set against Paul on Friday. 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.

“Today in the first set, obviously [I was] 5-1 up, serving for the set [with] a set point, then things quickly changed, and I was really tight on the court,” said Djokovic. “He came back to five-all. I was struggling also physically and emotionally.

“I guess in these kinds of particular matches, [in the] final stages of a slam, you can expect to have a crisis, one or two or three crises. The less the better, but I [had one today]. I’m really glad to overcome that crisis towards the end of the first set. Then [it] was quite smooth sailing, I would say, from the beginning of the second towards the end of the match.

“Early in the second, early in the third I managed to make an early break, distance myself results-wise, and finish out the match in good style.”

Tying Nadal in the Grand Slam titles race with victory in Melbourne would set Djokovic up to push for more historic achievements in 2023. When asked about his longer-term plans for his playing career, however, the 35-year-old acknowledged it was not just the prospect of setting more records that is driving his continued commitment to the sport.

“[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. “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. So, it’s a great school of life for me.

“Then at the same time, of course, I have professional goals and ambitions. Those are Grand Slams and being No. 1 in the world. Those two [are] probably pinnacles of the professional tennis world [and they] have always been there as goals for me. So, I do want to make more history of this sport, no doubt.”

Novak Djokovic stands on the brink of a record-extending 10th Australian Open title after he overcame a sluggish start to defeat Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 on Friday in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.

The Serbian struggled to find his best level at times during his maiden tour-level meeting with the American, but that did not apply to his trademark razor-sharp returning. Despite dropping four straight games from 5-1 to let Paul back into the opening set on Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic ultimately converted seven of 11 break points to move within one win of equalling Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 major crowns.

Djokovic’s two-hour, 20-minute win set a championship match clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who earlier defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. Sunday’s final will also be a straight shootout for No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, with the winner set to leapfrog Carlos Alcaraz into top spot on Monday.

“Of course it [adds extra significance],” said Djokovic, when asked about the World No. 1 scenario. “Winning Grand Slams and being the No. 1 in the world are probably the two biggest peaks that you can climb as a professional tennis player. Let’s see what happens.”

Although he did not hit the lights-out levels of his past two matches against Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev, Djokovic was comfortable throughout the majority of his clash with Paul. The only exception was an uncharacteristic lapse in the first set, when Paul took advantage of a flurry of uncharacteristically wayward groundstrokes from the Serbian to recover a double-break deficit and level at 5-5.

Despite hitting 24 unforced errors in the opening set, Djokovic regained his composure to claim it, with some clinical groundstrokes earning him a decisive break in the 12th game. He carried that momentum through to dominate the second and third sets, winning the first four games of both to deny his less-experienced opponent any opportunity to settle.

“I was really fortunate to hold my nerve toward the end of the first set,” said Djokovic. “It was a key. After that I started swinging through the ball more, so I’m just really pleased to get through to another final.”

Friday’s win extended Djokovic’s winning streak at the Australian Open to 27 matches. After another dominant display, the 35-year-old reiterated how much he relished the vocal support of the fans on Rod Laver Arena, where he first lifted the Australian Open trophy in 2008.

“It means everything, especially at this stage of my career,” said Djokovic. “I need that engine, I need that energy and I’m really thankful that I still have enough gas in my legs to be able to play in this level on one of the biggest tennis courts in the world.”

Paul will be rewarded for reaching his maiden Grand Slam semi-final this fortnight in Melbourne with a spot in the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time. The 25-year-old has risen 16 places to No. 19 in the Live Rankings behind his best major run.