Novak Djokovic will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the Australian Open. Records are on the line.



CNN

It all comes down to this. With history and a place at the top of the world rankings at stake, Novak Djokovic Stefanos Tsitsipas will face off against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the men’s Australian Open final on Sunday.

The winner will be named the new racket of the world. 1; It will be a first for Tsitsipas, but it will be a return to the top for Djokovic, who spent a record 373 weeks at the top of the men’s rankings.

But it’s not just a place at the top of the standings that’s at stake, both players have individual milestones in their heads.

For Djokovic, Sunday’s win would be a record 10th Australian Open title, his 22nd Grand Slam, equaling the overall men’s record currently held by Rafael Nadal.

Sunday’s victory will also overcome numerous topics of discussion over the past two weeks, from a hamstring injury to a photo of his father at a demonstration with fans holding Russian flags expressing their support for Russia.

After beating American Tommy Paul in the semi-final, Djokovic explained how he handles criticism, saying that he just needs to “take it”.

“In my case, I feel like things are just piling up, adding up for one reason or another,” he told reporters. “It’s not an ideal situation or circumstance where you have to deal with all these other external factors that aren’t really needed during such an important event.

Djokovic celebrates winning the quarterfinals of the Australian Open against Andrey Rublev.

“But it was part of my life. Unfortunately, the last few years have been longer. I’m just trying to develop from that. I try to become more resilient, stronger. I think with the experience I have with my routines, I feel like I’m strong enough to know what I need to do when I need to do certain things. I can switch off.”

He continued, “But one way or another, information is coming to you today. When it happens, it’s there, so you need to find a way to just accept it, let it go, just don’t let it consume your day or turn your state of mind into something you don’t want, especially before Grand Slam semi-finals or finals.

“These are the moments when you just think, ‘OK, now it’s about locking up, creating your own space with your people, being comfortable and just trying to focus on what’s important.’

On the other side of the grid, Tsitsipas will play in his second Grand Slam final, while Djokovic will play in his 33rd final.

His composure, accuracy and powerful shot have impressed him en route to the final and he is now within arm’s reach of claiming his first major title.

The 24-year-old wants revenge on Djokovic after the pair met in the 2021 French Open final in which Djokovic came out of two sets to defeat the Greek.

And when so much was at stake in the final, Tsitsipas remembered the days when he looked up to those who are in the position in which he is now.

“I remember watching[Grand Slam winners]on TV and saying to myself, ‘I want to be there one day myself. I want to recreate this feeling in myself, ”he told reporters after the semifinal victory over Russian Karen Khachanov.

Tsitsipas celebrates after defeating Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

“I knew it was a very long road to get there. There are certain steps you must take to give yourself a chance to compete for something like this.

“But I really believed in it. I really believed in it. First of all, your ego says. You either have it or you don’t, you know? As a child, I was very confident in myself. Thank God, I felt good in my country .

“Starting from that, I knew that if I could leave my country and compete in other countries, European leagues, European tours, I proved to myself over and over again that I was really good. I finished as a junior. 1. Now I want to do it on the men’s team, men’s pro tennis.”