Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets to win the Australian Open for the 10th time in his career. The Serbian champion managed the important moments of the match better than his rival and, especially in the tie-break of the second set, he did not allow himself to be conditioned by a series of gratuitous errors that did not allow him to take advantage of the initial advantage.
Djokovic’s success in Melbourne restored parity in the fight for the Grand Slam lead, which now sees both the Belgrade native and Rafael Nadal at 22 Majors. Regarding one of the most talked about topics in the world of tennis, Boris Becker made some interesting statements to the “Das Gelbe vom Ball” podcast of Eurosport Germany.
“Novak is 35 years old and he knows that when he turns 40 he won’t be able to handle this type of performance. I think it will be one hell of a race after the Australian Open. Everything will be different at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Succeeding is his life’s dream, he wants to be the most successful tennis player. As a child he used to say: ‘I would like to be the best’ And he was right. Roger Federer is probably the ambassador of this sport. The world has never seen anything like it.
You can also take footballers, basketball players, etc. into account. With Roger everything is so perfect, almost too good to be true. It will never happen again in tennis, which also thanks to him has become such a global sport.
We are witnessing a generational change. Federer has retired, Nadal is very close. He will play in Paris, then there will be a big question mark. Novak will try to do his best this season. But he will be 36 years old, and if he wins his 23rd Slam, it will also be a matter of time for him.”
Goran Ivanisevic reflects on Djokovic
In the aftermath of the final, Goran Ivanisevic told reporters that Novak Djokovic’s path to the title win was not easy.
“You know when a President visits a foreign country and they give him a list of 37,000 things to do, meeting etc. Novak had 37,000 therapies and treatments. All of those emotions came to the surface after he won. I mean, the guy spent more time in his car than in his previous 16 Australian Open tournaments combined.
Incredible medical team, incredible,” Ivanisevic said. “I still cannot believe what he has been able to do. I can only be proud of the opportunity to work with such a man, because I can always learn something new, something crazy. It’s great that we are both temperamental, emotional,” Ivanisevic said.
