It was a final in which the winner would win it all: a Grand Slam title and the top of the ranking. For Stefanos Tsitsipas it would be the first Grand Slam trophy, making him a new Grand Slam champion; for Novak Djokovic, title number 22, equaling Rafael Nadal as the most successful tennis player at the Grand Slam level; for the Greek, he would be the first in the classification; for the Serb, it would be another week to add to his personal record.
In the end it was the tennis player from Belgrade who triumphed, in a final that ended in three sets on the stage of the Rod Laver Arena. Thus, in addition to the glory of the title and the record, the twenty-two-time Grand Slam champion also becomes number one in the world.
With this achievement, the Serbian sets a new record: he is the first tennis player to go from fifth place in the ATP ranking to first place. He is the first to jump like this: before him, the jump was a maximum of four positions.
Like Carlos Alcaraz, who after winning his first Major in Flushing Meadows went from number 4 to world number in September 2022. The same climb was also made by Pete Sampras, in September 2000, by Andre Agassi, in July 1999 and by Carlos Moyá, on March 15, 1999.
With the Australian Open title, Novak Djokovic regained number one in the rankings and surpassed himself: now he has spent 374 total weeks at the top of the world rankings. Among men, at least for now, the Serbian’s record is safe: among active players, behind him is Rafael Nadal, with a total of 209 weeks as world number one.
The goal, however, now shifts to the women’s ranking: the all-time record for weeks as number one is held by Steffi Graff, with a total of 377 weeks.
Ivanisevic on Djokovic’s win
Goran Ivanisevic, Novak Djokovic’s coach, stated that he was most scared of Grigor Dimitrov during the Serb’s 2023 Australian Open campaign.
“In the first two rounds, the opponents were easier, so we figured it was going to be okay. But Dimitrov just played in the wrong way, his coach and himself didn’t have the proper plan, the right tactics. Novak couldn’t move and Grigor played maybe two or three drop shots, I would’ve played 300!!
But he is our Balkan brother, so he helped (laughing),” Ivanisevic said. “Dimitrov is a tricky opponent even if you’re ready – he slices a lot, everything happens fast with him. That was the match I was most afraid. Afterwards, Novak’s game astonishing, everything went smoothly,” he added.
