Novak Djokovic was simply unstoppable as the Serb defeated first-time Australian Open finalist Stefanos Tstisipas 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) at the Rod Laver Arena to win a record-extending 10^th Australian Open title. Moreover, the victory took him to 22 Grand Slams and he is now level with Rafael Nadal at the top of the charts in men’s tennis.

Even at 35 years of age, Djokovic had been in outstanding form and the Serb didn’t even drop a single set in his pursuit of the illustrious trophy. While he had initially feared a left hamstring issue and even had doubts that it would force him to withdraw from the competition, it eventually proved to be smooth sailing for Djokovic.

Following the win in the final, ‘Djoker’ ,as he is also known, has now joined an exclusive club in tennis. Only Margaret Court (24), Serena Williams (23), Steffi Graf (22) and Rafael Nadal (22) can also claim to have lifted 22 Grand Slam titles besides Djokovic.

Becoming the Australian Open champion has also allowed Djokovic to take back his World Number 1 ranking from the talented Carlos Alcaraz who had to miss this tournament. Djokovic is still not showing any signs of slowing down and has put the remainder of the young generation to shame by constantly outclassing them at every opportunity.

This victory will be particularly sweet for Djokovic who had to endure bitter humiliation after getting deported from Australia last year in light of flouting COVID-19 rules and regulations. That public embarrassment caused him a lot of mental trauma while also belittling his image off the court.

However, things have returned back to normal and Australian has proven to be a stomping ground for the Serb once again. He won a 28th consecutive Australian Open match and a 41st in a row in the country as a whole.

“This has been one of the most challenging tournaments I’ve ever played in my life. Not playing last year, coming back this year. I want to thank all the people that made me feel welcome, made me feel comfortable to be in Melbourne, to be in Australia.

“This probably is the biggest victory in my life considering the circumstances,” an emotional Djokovic said during the trophy presentation.