MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — When Novak Djokovic held a celebration Sunday in the same city where he was deported a little over a year ago, it felt like a perfect circle occasion.
It felt like the cycle was over. Reclaiming the Australian Open title and No. 1 ranking, he cried in a way he had never cried before, at his park in Melbourne, or perhaps at any competition. After he hugged his family and team, he returned to the players box, fell to the ground, and beat it all.
When I finally got up and went back to my courtside seat, I buried my face in a white towel and sobbed.
“I felt this huge burden off my back with all that we’ve been through,” he said.
Djokovic has had no shortage of powerful sensations at the Rod Laver Arena. Sweet misery that he beat Rafael Nadal in 2012 in his singles final, the longest in history.
But Sunday will certainly occupy a separate category. Not for the final itself, but for the relatively simple win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), but everything that made it and Djokovic about how they reacted.
“He’s got it all inside,” said his coach, Goran Ivanisevic. “Sometimes you have to explode”
Djokovic’s decision not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus has had far-reaching ramifications, and returning to Australia after being forced out on the eve of last year’s Australian Open is enough to take care of itself. But then a left hamstring injury staggered Djokovic at times in the early rounds.
Ivanisevic said “97%” of players would have withdrawn from the tournament if they received magnetic resonance imaging results similar to Djokovic’s.
But not him. He came from outer space,” Ivanisevic said, pointing to his temple. “His brain works differently.”
Djokovic, who said he would have dropped out if it hadn’t been for a Grand Slam tournament, said he didn’t practice on his off days. . This time he also required extensive treatment.
“You see, a lot of people suspected and still doubt that I was injured,” he said, explaining that at some stage he would provide evidence. I don’t think I have to, but it affected me, especially the first week, and after the fourth round, I felt like I was behind myself.”
Then came the latest controversy sparked by his father Srujan, who took a picture with Russian supporters holding a flag inside Melbourne Park after Djokovic beat Russia’s Andrei Rublev in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. .
Djokovic explained that his father intended to celebrate with the Serbian fans, as he had done throughout the tournament. was Djokovic.
“It took an enormous amount of mental energy to stay in the present, to focus, to take things day by day, to really see how far I could go,” Djokovic said.
However, it had little impact on earnings. He also played in the semi-finals against unseeded American Tommy Paul, where he defeated Djokovic in two of his first three matches, but is now losing the shaggy-haired 24-year-old Greek man. He didn’t lose a set in the final against the stars Tsitsipas. Give him 10 times in a row.
On Sunday, Tsitsipas’ best shot, a forehand, cracked too often under Djokovic’s pressure. But Tsitsipas, who should have been No. 1 for the first time in his first major title, didn’t look as depressed as he did after losing a two-set lead to Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final.
“Paris was heartbreaking,” he said.
Instead, whether he was aware or not, he tried to grab a page from Djokovic’s early career playbook on Sunday night: The Serb has been criticized by established players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Despite his frustration and disappointment, Djokovic came to see playing against his skilled rivals as an opportunity to get the most out of himself. .
Tsitsipas said, “Novak is a player who pushes players to the limit. “I don’t see this as a curse. It’s very good for the sport to have him, he’s very important to us who want to get to his point one day.”
This seems like a more sensible approach than boiling down to the negative. But the reality for Tsitsipas is that Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at the age of 20 in Melbourne in 2008, and won his four more Grand Slam titles before turning 25. is. More titles, more ways to win.
He and Nadal, who won the Australian Open last year without Djokovic, are back in a tie with 22 Grand Slam singles titles each. Djokovic wants to take the lead and win as many majors as possible in time, but the young men will inevitably rob him of his chances.
Federer was able to find success on tour well into his late 30s thanks to the support of his wife, Mirka. Djokovic’s wife, Jelena, gives him the same flexibility with his young son and his daughter. He has not been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus and is still barred from entering the United States at this time, but policy changes will allow him to do so in time to play in Indian Wells, Calif. in March. I hope that
“I still have a lot of motivation. Let’s see how far we can go,” he said. “I don’t know how many more years I’m going to play or how many more Grand Slams I’m going to play. It depends on a lot of things. It doesn’t just depend on my body.
“I think it’s very important to me first to get the support and love from the people closest to me and the ability to go out and have a balance with my private life. Let’s say I have a desire to really work hard to pursue these trophies. I feel that is ahead.”
Federer, 41, retired last September, and Nadal, 36, will undoubtedly remain a threat in good health, but has been out of action again for at least a few weeks. .
Ivanisevic hopes Nadal will regain strength in the spring for a clay-court season that culminates at the French Open.
“What I feel Nadal and I are doing, what we are still fighting for, and what still drives us the most is winning the biggest titles in our sport. “I think tennis is doing well with great characters, great personalities and great players, but we’re not going anywhere yet.”
Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open title, joining Nadal in a double-digit club in major tournaments.
It was quite a duel, uplifting and at times exhausting for both men. Whatever its source, it is even harder to track it through adversity.
Djokovic can make difficult matches look easy with his great timing and flexible moves, but his emotions in Sunday’s aftermath made it clear how difficult this tournament and this cycle had been. A little over a year ago, he and Ivanisevic were at Melbourne Airport, being escorted on a flight out of the country.
Now Djokovic is back top down under.
“Given the situation, I think this is probably the biggest win of my life.”
