“Greatest that has ever held a tennis racket,” Stefanos Tsitsipas heaps praise on Novak Djokovic despite losing the Australian Open final
Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas could not stop Novak Djokovic from clinching his record extending 10th title in Melbourne.
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Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas
Novak Djokovic, the man, the machine, the phenomenon. The Serbian icon has conquered the world. He has been crowned the 2023 Australian Open champion in front of a roaring crowd at Rod Laver Arena. In a history-setting match, Djokovic defeated Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 to clinch his record-extending 10th title Down Under.
No words will suffice to capture the feat that the 35-year-old has achieved. The man from Belgrade has immortalized himself in the history books of the game. Before the tournament, Djokovic was the overwhelming favorite. And, he did not disappoint anyone despite facing a host of hurdles.
A hamstring injury tried to slow him down. An unfriendly media pushed hard to discredit his achievements. Even at one point, the debris of the Russian war on Ukraine came falling around him as his father faced some scarce calls of deportation. But, in the end, nothing mattered and the Serb proved his mettle once again.
Djokovic did not defeat Tsitsipas, he just thrashed him as if to avenge all the wrongs done to him. All he needed to decimate his opponent was little more than three hours. From the first point of the game, it was clear that there was no change in the script. Tsitsipas tried to challenge him in between but the result was written in stone already.
After losing the first set, Tsitsipas made a fighting comeback in the second, taking it to the tiebreaker. Djokovic looked annoyed for a moment but it was just a detour. He did not take long to take a two-set lead over Tsitsipas. The third set too went to the tie-breaker but this time again, Djokovic was the winner.
Stefanos Tsitsipas thanks Novak Djokovic for pushing him to do better
The result definitely did not go the way Stefanos Tsitspas expected. The Greek fighter put everything on the line in the fortnight. In the semifinal, he overcame Karen Khachanov in four sets and was ready to face Djokovic.
But in the end, Tsitsipas fell short. He just could not keep up with Djokovic. Nevertheless, in the post-match conversation, he did not fall short of praising a genuine champion. “I don’t know what to say but it speaks for itself. It’s all in the numbers. You make me a better player when I am on the court. I have had the privilege to play a lot of high-intensity games but these are the matches I have been working for my entire life for. He’s one of the greatest in our sport…. He’s the greatest who ever held a tennis racket,” Tsitsipas said about Djokovic.
Despite the loss, Tsitsipas was hoping to come back stronger and thanked the people around him who supported him in his journey. In the end, Tsitsipas thanked everyone involved in the Australian Open who made the tournament a success. “Hope to see you next year,” Tsitsipas concluded sounding hopeful.
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Abhinavendu Singh
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