Novak Djokovic: "Grand Slams are the reason why I still compete"
Novak Djokovic won his 17th Grand Slam title with his razor-thin final victory over Dominic Thiem at the Australian Open. The Serbian is now only three titles short of being able to catch up with the current record holder, Roger Federer . This is also one of the major goals that the 32-year-old is still pursuing in the autumn of his career.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Feb 04, 2020, 08:53 am
By the middle of the fourth sentence, it almost looked as if Dominic Thiem could make the big coup. After losing the first set, the Austrian found himself better and better in this final of the Australian Open, in the meantime even with 2: 1 sets in the front. Dominic Thiem had to find out a little later that in a very painful way that such a lead against an opponent of the Novak Djokovic brand meant nothing. Novak Djokovic won round four, broke Dominic Thiem in the deciding set and served after 3:59 for his eighth triumph at the Australian Open. Grand Slam title number 17 for Serbian number one was perfect.
In this final, Novak Djokovic again showed those virtues that make him the exceptional athlete who has shaped tennis like no other in recent decades. To be more precise: like only two others - his two “Partners in Crime”, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It is also the men from Switzerland and Spain who are still very thin in terms of Grand Slam titles. Roger Federer leads this eternal leaderboard with 20 trophies, the first pursuer is Rafael Nadal, who is just behind the "Maestro" by one title win.
Novak Djokovic and the race for number one
In the press conference after his final triumph, Novak Djokovic also made it clear that the fight for this record had only just begun for him: “Grand slams are one of the main reasons why I still compete. Trying to become historical number one is a big goal. ”With the triumph in Melbourne, the season had already started well:“ The start of the season defines what the rest of the year will be like. Starting the season with a Grand Slam victory naturally increases your confidence. ”
This race for the most Grand Slam victories was far from the focus of Novak Djokovic: "It was more about winning as many Grand Slam tournaments as possible." It was only when the Serb could finish as the world's number one for a few years , the 32-year-old started to see the bigger picture. However, the place at the top of the eternal Grand Slam ranking list is one of his biggest goals.
Dominic Thiem gets involved
With the victory in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic has come a step closer to this goal. Rafael Nadal seems to be his biggest competitor for ever number one. The Spaniard is only a year older than Novak Djokovic and, in Roland Garros, is the man to be beaten. The Spaniard could catch up with Roger Federer at the beginning of June and extend his lead over Novak Djokovic. The Swiss, on the other hand, did not look as if he could celebrate many triumphs at the major level at the Australian Open. At the age of 38, Roger Federer is by far the oldest of the "Big Three".
The Serb, in turn, has the best chances to expand his Grand Slam title collection at Wimbledon and at the US Open. Roger Federer will also want to have a say in the Grand Slam on grass. Quite apart from the "Big Three", the new generation has been working for some time to break the grand slam dominance of Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. In the person of Dominic Thiem there was really not much missing in Melbourne.