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There is only one King of AO.  Djokovic sat down on the bench and cried.  tears of “Goliath”

There is only one King of AO. Djokovic sat down on the bench and cried. tears of “Goliath”

No other tennis player has recently caused quite a stir like Novak Djokovic in connection with the Australian Open. Twelve months ago, upon arrival, he had his visa revoked and deported, with the COVID-19 vaccination in the background. And if it’s about anyone else, but we’re talking about a player who has won the event a record nine times in men’s singles. On the one hand, there were loyal sympathizers and defenders, on the other, critics. And the 35-year-old Serb triumphed on Sunday that he can turn negative comments about himself and trouble into his strength.

The perfect line-up for the final. Djokovic survived all the troubles

“High Profile Match” – this is the name in Grand Slam terminology for matches that enjoy so much interest that journalists have to apply for special passes to be able to enter the press grandstand. There were three such cases during this year’s edition, and only Sunday’s final was without the Australian in the cast. You had to be on the waiting list. I managed to enter the stands only when the score was 3:2 in the third set. Was it worth waiting so long in the press office in line? To experience the atmosphere created by the full audience at the Rod Laver Arena and see how Djokovic was overcome by emotions after the match live – it’s worth it.

Considering the lack of an Australian in the final, the Greek-Serbian cast was perfect for the organizers. Both communities are very numerous in this country. “Djokovic’s army” has been gathering in crowds in Melbourne Park for years and celebrates in full after each match he wins. And since he wins there very often, there has been a lot of fun.

There are also a lot of Greeks in Melbourne. Therefore, although Tsitsipas is still working to join the group of the biggest stars of world tennis, the organizers put him in the foreground on one of the posters advertising the tournament. The world’s fourth-ranked player so far on the antipodes has reached the semi-finals three times. Now he has taken it a step further, equaling his greatest achievement in a Grand Slam. He had previously played in a title match once before, losing to Djokovic at Roland Garros.

With the Serbian before Sunday, the Greek had a not very optimistic record of 2-10. Plus, no one feels as comfortable in Melbourne as the 35-year-old from Belgrade. His previous nine wins at the event were a men’s singles record. After one of the matches of this edition, he also said that if he had to choose one playing conditions, he would bet on the evening session at the Rod Laver Arena.

Fans of the 24-year-old from Athens hoped that, apart from his good game, the task would be facilitated by the rival’s recent troubles. Because the confusion about the previous edition was only the beginning. He was asked about the deportation from a year ago many times before and during the tournament. Once he said that he had already thrown it out of his mind, other times that it motivated him additionally. Just before the tournament there was a thigh injury, and a few days ago there was a commotion about the tennis player’s father.

After his son won the quarterfinals, Srdjan Djokovic went out to the fans, but along with those holding Serbian flags, there were also people with Russian ones banned on the tournament courts, and it was his photos with them that aroused the indignation of many people. He was accused of expressing support for the war in Ukraine.

Tsitsipas failed to oppose Goliath. Djokovic’s eloquent tears

Before the tournament, Djokovic said that his parents came with him to the antipodes after a 15-year break. It was then that he won the title there for the first time. Winning it now is of particular importance – it means not only breaking his own record for wins at the event, but equaling Rafael Nadal’s all-time men’s singles record for Grand Slam titles.

At this important moment, the father of the 35-year-old was not in the box. Together, they decided that due to the confusion surrounding Wednesday’s incident, he would not appear in the stands during the semi-final. At the time, the tennis player said he would like his father to come back for the final, but his seat on Sunday was empty.

Already when Djokovic junior went out on the court before the semi-final, it was – watching his face expression – one could get the impression that he treats another problem as motivation. He exuded confidence. Throughout the tournament, there have been physical tough times, but he has never been in serious trouble.

Knowing the Serbian’s combative disposition and his achievements in Melbourne, one of the Australian newspapers headlined the match announcement “Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Goliath”. On Sunday, both in the stands and among the audience watching the match nearby, Djokovic fans prevailed on large screens. And they had reasons to be happy most of the time, although at the end of the third set the Greek had additional support from neutral fans who just wanted the show to last longer.

The supporters of Nadal were also keeping their fingers crossed for him. The 24-year-old cannot be denied the effort, but in some important moments he lacked good and courageous plays. He showed his will to fight in the tie-break of the third set, losing 0-5. Djokovic was already breathing very heavily at the time, he had been angry before. But the last word was still his.

And how much this success cost him was best shown by the pictures we saw right after the meeting. First, he went to his booth and let out a loud scream, then climbed up and drowned in the arms of his loved ones to cry hard. When he returned to the court after a while and sat down on the chair, tears flowed from his eyes again. And in his speech during the decorations, he admitted that it was one of his biggest challenges in his career. The icing on the cake can be treated as the fact that he will return to the leader of the ATP ranking, from which he was knocked off in June last year.

Source: Sport.PL

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