Novak Djokovic clearly is not done dominating his sport.
He says so.
His coach says so.
And, most importantly, his performances throughout a draining run to a record-extending 10th Australian Open championship and record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title, plus his return Monday to No. 1 in the ATP rankings, say so.
His message Sunday night, essentially, was: Look out.
“I still have lots of motivation. Let’s see how far it takes me. I really don’t want to stop here. I don’t have intention to stop here,” the 35-year-old Djokovic said after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas, a man more than a decade his junior, by a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) score in the final at Melbourne Park. “I feel great about my tennis. I know that when I’m feeling good physically, (and) mentally present, I have a chance to win any Slam against anybody.”
Hard to argue.
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Not only has no man won more major trophies (Rafael Nadal also has 22; Margaret Court, with 24, and Serena Williams, with 23, are the only players in history with more), but Djokovic just keeps applying constant pressure on opponents — regardless of the surface or any apparent obstacles in his way.
He returned to Australia with some trepidation, unsure of what sort of reception awaited a year after he was deported for not being vaccinated against COVID-19, and was fine. He dealt with a sore left hamstring, and was fine, dropping one set along the way to the title. He was bothered by the unusual circumstances that kept his father — who had last attended the Australian Open 15 years ago — away from Rod Laver Arena for Djokovic’s semifinal and final, and was fine.
Well, able to bottle all of that up, anyway, until the last point was played. That’s when Djokovic “emotionally collapsed,” as he put it, sobbing in the stadium.
“It required an enormous mental energy, really, to stay present, to stay focused, to take things day by day,” he said, wearing a white zippered jacket with “22” printed on the chest, “and really see how far I can go.”
His strokes are pure as can be. His athleticism, too. His resolve? Off the charts.
“Novak is a player that pushes you to your limits,” is the way Tsitsipas explained it.
He would know. He has lost 10 consecutive matches to Djokovic, two in Grand Slam finals.
“I don’t see this as a curse. I don’t see this as something, like, annoying,” Tsitsipas continued. “This is very good for the sport — to have…
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