The fourth game saw Djokovic win the only break of the set, and the Greek was unable to replicate that escape as he constantly applied pressure to Tsitsipas' backhand.
Digital Desk: At the Rod Laver Arena, Croatian Novak Djokovic defeated Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in the men's singles final match by scores of 6-3, 7-6(4), and 7-6(5) to win the record-breaking 10th Australian Open championship. The Serbian equaled Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Grand Slam titles with this triumph.
The 35-year-old reclaimed the top position in the ATP Rankings with his victory over Tsitsipas for the first time since last June. For his 10th straight tour-level triumph, Djokovic upset Tsitsipas, who with a victory in Sunday's final would have overtaken him as the leader. Djokovic will now succeed Carlos Alcaraz as the world's top ranking.
The opening exchanges in the first set were controlled by Djokovic's normally dependable and accurate groundstrokes, despite Tsitsipas saving two break points from 15/40 to hold for a tie. The fourth game saw Djokovic win the only break of the set, and the Greek was unable to replicate that escape as he constantly applied pressure to Tsitsipas' backhand.
Tsitsipas' powerful forehand and thundering serve didn't begin to go off until he realized he needed to change the game's tempo. In the second set, when the Greek replied to winning crucial points by inspiring his fans in the audience, the third seed frequently raised his level by taking advantage of the passionate atmosphere at Rod Laver Arena.
Despite Tsitsipas having the sole break point opportunity of the set (which also doubled as a set point) at 4-5, 30/40, Djokovic was still able to win. He conceded a 4/1 lead after losing three straight games, but he arrowed a spectacular forehand winner to save the set point and remained cool to win the tie-break.
Tsitsipas once again posed a threat of a comeback with his lone break of the match occurring in the opening game of the third set. But as he has done regularly throughout his career on venues this enormous, Djokovic responded right away. He broke back in the ensuing game before clinching a third set that was dominated by serve and his historic victory with a strong tie-break effort.
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