Australian Open: Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas? The winner takes it all
In the Australian Open final betweenNovak Djokovic andStefanos Tsitsipas , not only the title is at stake, but a lot more.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Jan 28, 2023, 06:24 pm
It is not known whether the Swedish pop group ABBA will watch the men's final of the Australian Open on Sunday. With their song "The Winner Takes It All", the cult band at best provided the appropriate description of the initial situation. Because for both Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas , January 29 of this year is about much more than "just" the triumph in Melbourne.
With his tenth strike at the Australian Open, Djokovic could catch up with record holder Rafael Nadal in the all-time Grand Slam leaderboard. The Serb currently has 21 major triumphs, his long-term competitor from Spain has 22. And despite his amazing fitness at the age of 35, Djokovic does not want to miss any opportunity late in his career. Especially not at his favorite tournament.
With Tsitsipas, only one man has the chance to stop Djokovic from this project in 2023. But there is also a lot at stake for the Greek himself, as he is still waiting for his first Grand Slam trophy. In 2021 Tsitsipas was already close to triumph in Roland Garros, but in the end Djokovic had the better end for himself.
If the excitement is not enough, the winner of the Australian Open will also take the lead in the world rankings on Monday. In that regard, the pressure is more likely to be on Tsitsipas as the 24-year-old could fulfill two lifelong dreams in one fell swoop. Djokovic, on the other hand, knows the feeling of being at the top of the rankings like no other. In total, he has led the world rankings for 373 weeks, longer than any other player.
Here is the individual tableau in Melbourne
laver arena