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Beating Novak Djokovic in the last four in Melbourne, no one has ever done it. Neither did Tommy Paul this Friday. Qualified for the tenth time in the semifinals of the Australian Open, the Serbian has always gone all the way and will once again have the opportunity to win the title, his 10th in Melbourne and 22nd in the Grand Slam. Against the American, he won without really shaking, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. Curiously, Nole seemed very tense during the match. He even got angry with the referee, Damien Dumusois, saying that the clock to serve was not set correctly and that he had to hurry. In any case, Novak will be playing in his 33rd Grand Slam final on Sunday and will have the opportunity to challenge Rafael Nadal and his 22 major titles. In addition, if he wins against Stefanos Tsitsipas, he will take the number one spot in the world. Throne that he does not have since June 13, 2022. A success would be a strong message to launch 2023.
In a press conference, the Djoker first tried to explain his nervousness, particularly visible in the first set of his semi-final. “I don’t think it’s particularly different in terms of stress or what I’m experiencing on the court compared to most other Grand Slam tournaments I’ve played in my life. I mean, look, you know, the final stages of a slam at this point in my career, I know that every Grand Slam is a golden opportunity for me to try to get another trophy. I don’t know how many more opportunities I’ll have. Of course, I feel it. I feel the pressure. I feel stress like any other player. I feel nervousness. I feel excitement. There are a lot of different emotions that go through it.”
“Today, in the first set, I was leading 5-1, serving for the set and had a set point, then things changed quickly and I was really tense on the court. He came back at 5-all. I was also struggling physically and emotionally. I think in this kind of match, at the end of a slam tournament, you can expect to have fits, one, two or three fits. The fewer the better. But I’ve had them. I’m really glad I got over that crisis towards the end of the first set, and then it was pretty smooth sailing, I would say, from the beginning of the second set until the end of the match. At the beginning of the second and third sets, I was able to break early, get my distance and finish the match strong.”
On a mission since the beginning of the fortnight, Djokovic has given himself the right to have the long awaited final. No doubt, the Serb is ready and eager. “I am, of course, very satisfied and happy to be in another Grand Slam final. I mean, this is exactly what I imagined and hoped for when I came to Australia, with the intention to fight for another Australian Open trophy. I think the experience of having been in this particular situation and circumstance before helps. I also think the fact that I’ve never lost an Australian Open final has helped my confidence going into Sunday. But, of course, the work still needs to be done on the court. I’m going to play Tsitsipas, who is in great shape and has been playing his best tennis. I am sure he will be very motivated to win his first Grand Slam title. I know his game pretty well. He knows my game well. We have played many times on different surfaces. We played a Grand Slam final on clay at Roland Garros a few years ago. I know what to expect and I’m excited. Fortunately for me, at this point in my career, because of all my successes, there’s always something at stake in every match or every tournament, especially in Grand Slam tournaments.”
Finally, Nole had a word about the fans. What will the fans choose? Maybe both players because the Serbian and Greek communities are very present in the stands. The atmosphere should be electric. “Well, I hope that all the people who come to the final will be there for the tennis and the sport, because that’s what we all want. We all want the players, the fans to focus on tennis, to celebrate this beautiful sport, to marvel at one of the most special matches of the year, which is the Slam final. There are four slams, and this is one of them. Again, I’m really excited and privileged to be in this final against Tsitsipas. You mentioned the communities, the Serbian and Greek communities, which are important, for sure. Serbs and Greeks historically get along very well. I don’t think there will be any conflict on and off the court as far as the crowd is concerned. On the contrary, I think people will support their respective players in a respectful way, and we’ll see what happens.”
