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Stef: Novak Dominance 'Not A Curse'

  • Posted: Jan 29, 2023

Stef: Novak Dominance ‘Not A Curse’

Greek was competing in his second major final

Defeated but not downbeat, Stefanos Tsitsipas was eager to take the positives from his Australian Open run after losing to Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final.

The Greek, who would have climbed to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings with victory, produced a series of impressive performances in Melbourne, leaving him confident that a maiden major title and the No. 1 ranking are close.

“I’m just happy that I’m in another Grand Slam final. Of course, I was dreaming about the trophy, lifting that trophy. I even dreamt it last night in my sleep. The desire is really there. I really, really want it badly,” said Tsitsipas, who lost to Djokovic in his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in 2021. “But just dreaming about it won’t make it happen. You got to act. You got to do something out there. You got to be present even more and do better.

“[It is] definitely much better playing finals than being stuck behind in the semi-finals. I’ll take that for sure. I just need to take that one more step where I can consistently lift trophies and win Slams and Masters 1000 events.”

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Djokovic and Tsitsipas entered their 13th ATP Head2Head meeting knowing victory would take them atop of men’s tennis’ mountain. Up to a joint career-high No. 3 following his 11th defeat against Djokovic, Tsitsipas revealed reaching No. 1 is a major goal.

Having fallen in the third round in Indian Wells and the fourth round in Miami last year, the Greek will have the opportunity to climb to the top before he defends his Monte Carlo crown in April.

“I want to max out in what I do in my profession. No. 1 is on my mind,” Tsitsipas said. “It doesn’t come easy, I know that. I got to work harder to make that happen. Today was my opportunity to be a World No. 1. I had a better opponent on the other side of the net who did things much better than me. He deserves that spot currently.

“I am born a champion. I can feel it in my blood. I can feel it as a competitive kid that I was when I was young. It’s something that is within me. I want to harvest that, make it bloom, make it even stronger and fonder, work hard towards those goals.

”It’s that beautiful number, the number ‘1’, that will make things extremely emotional when converting that.”


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Tsitsipas arrived in Melbourne having advanced to the semi-finals on three previous occasions at the hard-court major. Two weeks later and the 24-year-old has added a final appearance to his Australian Open CV.

While he is pleased with his progress, the Greek is hungry for more.

“There are definitely things that I can improve and get better at, given the circumstances today. But I don’t think there’s any reason for me to be affected by today’s loss,” Tsitsipas said. “It is a step forward. I’m looking forward to scoring more points during this season, making bigger results, fighting for bigger trophies.

“I very much enjoy the way I play, my attitude on the court, my mental stability, my concentration levels. There’s still a little bit more to add to the whole structure of my game. I couldn’t be more excited to be heading towards that path.”

Despite falling short, Tsitsipas produced a strong performance against Djokovic. He fired 40 winners and had the opportunity to win the second set, squandering one set point on the Serbian’s serve at 4-5.

Tsitsipas praised the impact Djokovic has had on him when he reflected on his display.

“I did everything possible in order to get a good match against him. My team is working exceptionally to give me the best way that I can approach this, especially today. There is nothing that I didn’t use in my advantage,” Tsitsipas said. “There’s nothing that I could have extracted more for today. I did everything possible.

“Novak is a player that pushes you to your limits. I don’t see this as a curse. I don’t see this as annoying. This is very good for the sport, to have competitors like him, to have champions like him. He has made me a much better player. He has made my levels of concentration higher and higher every single time I get to play him. You have to be really involved and you have to be dedicated to the game when you play against him.”

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Social Media Reaction: Kyrgios: 'We Created A Monster'

  • Posted: Jan 29, 2023

Social Media Reaction: Kyrgios: ‘We Created A Monster’

Del Potro, Jabeur among others who congratulate the Serbian

Novak Djokovic earned a historic win on Sunday at the Australian Open, where he claimed a record-extending 10th title and tied Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam trophies

From Nick Kyrgios to Billie Jean King, stars quickly took to social media to congratulate the champion on his victory at Melbourne Park.

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Djokovic's Historic Australian Open Win Extends 'Big Titles' Lead

  • Posted: Jan 29, 2023

Djokovic’s Historic Australian Open Win Extends ‘Big Titles’ Lead

Serbian claims record-extending 10th AO title

Novak Djokovic claimed a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title on Sunday when he won the Australian Open, extending his lead in the ‘Big Titles’ Race’ over Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

The Serbian defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the championship match at Melbourne Park to claim his 66th ‘Big Title’, which encompasses trophies at Grand Slam championships, the Nitto ATP Finals, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and Olympic singles gold medals.

Djokovic is seven ‘Big Titles’ clear of his biggest rivals. Nadal owns 59 of them and Federer, who retired at last year’s Laver Cup, completed his career with 54.

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Djokovic has won one ‘Big Title’ for every 3.2 events played (66/210), while Nadal has earned one for every 3.5 tournaments he has played (59/208). The only other players who have won a ‘Big Title’ at a greater rate than once per five events played are Federer (4.4, 54/240) and Pete Sampras (4.9, 30/147).

It was a historic fortnight Down Under for Djokovic, who claimed a record-extending 10th Australian Open crown. The 35-year-old has lifted more trophies at the season’s first major than at any other Grand Slam, with Wimbledon (7) next on the list.

Djokovic became the third-oldest man in the Open Era to triumph at the Australian Open, trailing only Ken Rosewall and Federer, who both accomplished the feat aged 36. With his victory against Tsitsipas in the championship clash, the Serbian has also won 17 consecutive matches against Top 5 opponents at the tournament.

The triumph will return Djokovic to World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, when he will begin his record 374th week in top spot. 

Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990)

Player Grand Slams Nitto ATP Finals 1000s Total^ (Avg)
Novak Djokovic 22/68 6/15 38/123 66/210 (3.2)
Rafael Nadal 22/69 0/11 36/128 59/208 (3.5)
Roger Federer 20/80 6/17 28/138 54/240 (4.4)
Pete Sampras 14/52 5/11 11/83 30/147 (4.9)
Andre Agassi 8/61 1/13 17/90 27/164 (6.1)
Andy Murray 3/56 1/8 14/109 20/176 (8.8)
Boris Becker* 2/26 2/6 5/51 9/84 (9.3)
Thomas Muster 1/29 0/4 8/53 9/87 (9.7)
Stefan Edberg** 3/28 0/4 4/45 7/79 (11.3)
Gustavo Kuerten 3/33 1/3 5/67 9/105 (11.6)
Jim Courier 4/38 0/4 5/71 9/114 (12.6)
Marcelo Rios 0/26 0/1 5/56 5/84 (16.8)
Marat Safin 2/41 0/3 5/87 7/133 (19)
Michael Chang*** 0/50 0/6 7/86 7/144 (20.6)
Andy Roddick 1/46 0/6 5/75 6/129 (22.5)

^ Includes Olympic Games gold medals and tournament participations
* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
*** Chang’s one Grand Slam title came before 1990

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Djokovic Takes First Set Vs. Tsitsipas In Australian Open Final

  • Posted: Jan 29, 2023

Djokovic Takes First Set Vs. Tsitsipas In Australian Open Final

Serbian two sets away from equalling Nadal’s record of 22 major crowns

Novak Djokovic is two sets away from a record-extending 10th Australian Open title after claiming the first set against Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 in Sunday’s championship match in Melbourne.

Djokovic came into the match with a 9-0 record in Australian Open finals and has won his past nine tour-level meetings against the 24-year-old Tsitsipas. Should he go on to complete victory on Sunday and extend his ATP Head2Head record against the Greek to 11-2, the Serbian will draw level with Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles.

It is the second meeting between Djokovic and Tsitsipas in a major final. At Roland Garros in 2021, Djokovic rallied from two-sets-to-love down to down the Greek and claim victory on the Paris clay, but he gave Tsitsipas few opportunities to establish a similar early lead on Sunday in Melbourne.

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Despite Tsitsipas scoring an early morale-booster by saving two break points from 15/40 to hold for 1-1, Djokovic’s typically consistent and accurate groundstrokes dominated the first set on Rod Laver Arena. He frequently piled pressure onto the Tsitsipas backhand and the Greek was unable to repeat the escape in the fourth game, when Djokovic clinched the only break of the set.

Whoever prevails in Sunday’s final will enjoy a double reward for their success in Melbourne. Both Djokovic and Tsitsipas know that victory at the first Grand Slam of the 2023 season guarantees them the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

More to follow…

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