Novak Djokovic dispatched Stefanos Tsitsipas at Rod Laver Arena to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open title.
Just a year removed from being deported from the country, the Serbian returned with a vengeance to take the crown with a 6-3 7-6(4) 7-6(5) win over the Greek challenger.
In a rematch of the 2021 French Open final, Tsitsipas struggled from the start with Djokovic needing no second invite to storm to a 4-1 lead in the opening set. Djokovic’s dominant start set the tone for the contest in which Tsitsipas was always the second best.
The Greek did improve after going a set down matching Djokovic’s intensity much to his dismay and even managed to get to a setpoint before Djokovic awakened his competitive fire once again to take the set into a tiebreak before eventually succeeding in taking a 2-0 lead.
In a last-gasp attempt, Tsitsipas managed to break the Serb in the very first game of the third set but dropped his right after to signal the end of his final stand.
The tie-break was one-way traffic as Djokovic marched to another Australian Open crown 15 years after lifting the trophy for the first time.
His 10th Australian Open title also ties Novak Djokovic with Rafael Nadal for the most grand slams won with 22. The 35-year-old will also retake the world no1 ranking after his win.
