The 2023 Australian Open ended as predicted on the eve, i.e. with the victory of Novak Djokovic. The Serbian phenomenon obtained his tenth seal in Melbourne Park, catching Rafael Nadal at the top of the all-time Grand Slam rankings (at 22).
As if that weren’t enough, Nole returned to the top of the world rankings by ending the reign of Carlos Alcaraz. The 35-year-old from Belgrade suffered in the first week of the Happy Slam due to a left hamstring injury, managing to raise his level from the round of 16 onwards.
Goran Ivanisevic’s protégé left no chance for Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, winning in three sets and bursting into loud tears when he went to celebrate with his team. The ‘Djoker’ took revenge after the events of last year, which had led to his sensational expulsion from the country.
Speaking to Eurosport, Tim Henman underlined the enormous importance of this triumph for Djokovic.
Henman opens up on Djokovic
The image is strong. After his victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas, synonymous with 10th coronation in Australia and 22nd Grand Slam title, Novak Djokovic joins his team and his family in the stands.
He then collapses completely, on the ground, overwhelmed by emotion. Tim Henman reacted to this scene for Eurosport. “It was difficult for him on the court with his injury and the game today was tight at the end of the last two sets.
When he celebrates and the tears flow… He cries in his box with his family… I’ve never seen that. It shows how physically and emotionally it drained him. A 22nd Grand Slam is simply an incredible achievement. It’s an accumulation of so many things: winning in a country from which he was expelled (in 2022, editor’s note).
His preparation seemed good until he got injured. He was getting so close to the record, and we know what that means to him. This is another important step,” said the former world number 4. In a conversation during the No Challenges Remaining podcast, Carayol expressed how impressed he was with Djokovic, who put all of his thoughts about last year to the back of his mind.
“I was just impressed by how… whether you wanna debate about how much it was his fault… just look the way he put all of that thoughts about last year to the back of his mind and focus on the moment, on the matches,” stated the journalist.
