One of the greatest tennis players of all time, Novak Djokovic clinched his 22nd Grand Slam title on Sunday when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open final. Djokovic won the Australian Open trophy for a record 10th time in his career, matching Nadal’s tally of 22 Grand Slam singles titles. Seeing the Serb match his record of ‘most Grand Slam tirumps’, Nadal took to Instagram to congratulate his rival on the brilliant performance.
“Congratulations Nole, to you and your team for this great achievement.
Enjoy the moment!” Nadal wrote on Instagram with a photo of Djokovic.
Tied with Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic sparked debate over who is the greatest men’s tennis player of all time.
For some, the Serb settled it with his record-extending 10th Australian Open crown.
Sure, his vanquished opponent at Rod Laver Arena thinks so.
“He’s definitely the best tennis racket ever to hold,” said Stefanos Tsitsipas after losing 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).
It seems inevitable that Djokovic, who returned to world number one with his dominant victory in Sunday’s final, will win more Slams.
At 35, he is a year younger than great rival Nadal and apart from hamstring problems early in Melbourne, he appears to be in great physical shape.
Nadal’s battered body, on the other hand, broke down again at the Australian Open and he stumbled out with a second-round defeat, his title defense over and the Spaniard aching with a hip injury.
Roger Federer, the third of the “Big Three” to have dominated men’s tennis for the past 15 years, retired last year with 20 Grand Slam titles.
Federer will always remain the “people’s champion” in the eyes of many due to the graceful way he played, but it’s Djokovic who looks poised to pull away with the record number of men’s major crowns.
With UKTN inputs
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