When the dream final of the Australian Open was perfect, the mind games began. He was “one of the most interesting guys on the tour, with his off-court interests and his hairstyle and everything,” said tennis star Novak Djokovic, smiling about his Greek final opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas with the blond mane.
The Serb had previously expressed that he no longer remembered the 2021 French Open final, which he was able to win after falling 2-0 down against Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas’ counter immediately after reaching the final in Melbourne was: “I can’t remember either.”
The organizers of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year hope that not only the protagonists will remember the final on Sunday (9.30 a.m. CET / Eurosport) for a long time to come. Mood in the Rod Laver Arena is guaranteed given the numerous and noisy Greek and Serbian fans.
Historical brands
History will be written in any case: Either the 24-year-old Tsitsipas becomes the first Greek Grand Slam tournament winner, or Djokovic sets the record of the Spaniard Rafael Nadal with his 22nd triumph in a major tournament. The fact that the winner replaces the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz as number one in the world rankings increases the appeal of the duel.
The clear favorite is Djokovic, who had to put up with a wide variety of difficulties in Melbourne. He was under surveillance from the start because of the immigration fuss a year ago, his behavior because of thigh problems raised suspicions, he publicly defended himself over a controversial toilet break, and he had to tell his father about an incident involving a pro-Russian spectator -Defend group.
Lots of background noise
“In my case, I feel like things are piling up for one reason or another,” said the 35-year-old with a sigh. It’s “not an ideal situation” to have to deal with things like this off the field, “but it’s part of my life”. He tries to take advantage of it and become “more resilient and stronger”.
In the course of the tournament so far, the nine-time Australian Open winner, who was not allowed to start in Melbourne last year due to a visa that was declared invalid, only lost one set. Here he has been unbeaten for 27 games. Tsitsipas also played extremely stable and indicated that he was the only one who could pose a threat to the dominator. For the “big game” on Sunday he “couldn’t be more ready,” said the fourth in the world rankings.
