Djokovic and Tsitsipas .. a confrontation between two generations in the final of the “Australian Open”

Novak Djokovic is looking forward to overcoming the drama that affected him at Melbourne Park and clinching his tenth Australian Open title tomorrow in a clash between two generations against Stefanos Tsitsipas. One year after he was deported from Australia on the eve of the start of the major tournament for not being vaccinated against the Corona virus, Djokovic suffered from a strain in the hamstring muscles, and his father disturbed the fans and a media storm because of his appearance with fans raising the Russian flags banned in tennis.

Despite this, Djokovic excelled in dealing with all these matters and took control of the situation. The Serbian player’s semi-final victory over American Tommy Paul on Friday extended his winning streak at Melbourne Park to a record 27 victories in the professional era, surpassing American Andre Agassi’s 26 victories between 2000 and 2004.

Djokovic has never lost at Melbourne Park after reaching the semi-finals, with the fourth seed becoming the favorite to win the title once again under the spotlight on Rod Laver Arena. Nevertheless, the final will present the best match the fans were hoping to see after the early exit of the injured defending champion, Rafael Nadal.
This match represents a repeat of the exciting final of the 2021 French Open, where Djokovic came from behind in two straight sets to snatch the title, breaking the heart of the Greek Tsitsipas.

Djokovic, 35, needs one major title to equal Nadal, 36, who has won 22 grand slams and holds the record for most major titles. On the other hand, Tsitsipas, the third seed, is desperate to become the first Greek to win a major tournament, after putting his country on the tennis map. The winner of them will take first place in the world, replacing Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who missed the tournament due to injury.

At 24, Tsitsipas may feel his time has come. And he got rid of his misfortune in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park by defeating Russia’s Karen Khachanov in four sets yesterday, after stumbling three times before in this round.