Photo: Collected-
Metropolis Desk-
When he won the Australian Open on Sunday, Novak Djokovic tied the record for most Grand Slam victories with 22. This victory increased his advantage over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the “Big Titles’ Race.”
In the championship match at Melbourne Park, the Serbian overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to win his 66th “Big Title,” which includes medals at Grand Slam competitions, the Nitto ATP Finals, ATP Masters 1000 competitions, and Olympic singles gold medals.
Seven “Big Titles” separate Djokovic from his main competitors. Nadal has 59 of them, while Federer, who called it quit at the Laver Cup last year, finished his career with 54.
Nadal has won one “Big Title” for every 3.5 tournaments he has competed in, compared to Djokovic’s one for every 3.2 (66/210). Only Roger Federer (4.4, 54/240) and Pete Sampras (4.9, 30/147) have won a “Big Title” more frequently than once in every five events they have competed in.
Djokovic had a remarkable fortnight in Australia, winning a record-breaking 10th Australian Open title. The 35-year-old has won more medals at the first Grand Slam of the year than any other Grand Slam, with Wimbledon (7) coming in second.
Djokovic passed Ken Rosewall and Federer, both of whom won the Australian Open at 36, to become the third-oldest man to do it in the Open Era. The Serbian has won 17 straight games in the competition against opponents ranked in the top five after his victory over Tsitsipas in the title match.
With the victory, Djokovic will resume his record-setting 374th week at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.
