The Australian Open was full of unexpected scoreboards from the beginning. Although one of the predictable outcomes had Novak Djokovic reaching as far as possible in the men’s draw. His final against Stefanos Tsitsipas could give him more than just one reward in case of a win.
Djokovic is chasing Rafael Nadal in their total Grand Slam titles. The Spaniard has 22 championships of the highest caliber so far, only one more than the Serbian. Beating Tsitsipas in the Rod Laver Arena would be meaningful for the race to retire as the leader in the category.
There is another achievement for him if he ends up victorious. This would be his 10th Australian Open trophy to put him in an extremely reduced group. He may be only the third tennis player in the history of the sport to have at least 10 celebrations in one Grand Slam. Nadal with 14 Roland Garros along with Margaret Court’s 11 Australian Opens are the other legends to do it.
What does Novak Djokovic need to be N°1 in the ATP ranking?
The possibility of a new N°1 in the ATP ranking was likely since the beginning of the Australian Open. Who entered the championship in that spot was Carlos Alcaraz, but his withdrawal opened the door for three players to claim it. Casper Ruud was one of them, although the Norwegian was eliminated early. Djokovic was another participant aiming to take the place again and it is still in the run. For the Serbian to become the top ranked option he only has to defeat Tsitsipas.
What happens if Stefanos Tsitsipas defeats Novak Djokovic in the final?
One other focus of this game will be here. The Greek was the third man that got to the Australian Open with the N°1 of the ranking at striking distance before it all started. He is going for his first Grand Slam championship, but if he beats Djokovic he will be the best in the ATP tour.