For Novak Djokovic (35, Serbia, 5th in the world rankings), the meaning of this victory was extraordinary.
Djokovic scored 3-0 (6-3, 7-6<7) in the match against Stephanos Tsitsipas (22nd, Greece, 4th place) in the 2023 Australian Open men’s singles final held at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia on the 29th. -4>, 7-6 <7-5>).
Djokovic has once again proven himself to be the current ruler of tennis. He continued his overwhelming streak of 28 consecutive victories at the Australian Open, and did not lose in the final, recording a truly insane record of 10 victories in 10 Australian Open finals.
But most importantly, with this victory, Djokovic has won 22 of the four major tennis tournaments, including the Australian Open. This put him on par with Rafael Nadal (36, Spain, 6th). This is a record that is tied for first place in history.
With this victory, Djokovic has gained an edge in the tennis GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate. If the debate has been sharp, it is because Djokovic now has a de facto advantage over Nadal.
As expected, the most important thing to look at when choosing a tennis GOAT is the number of major tournaments. As mentioned earlier, Djokovic and Nadal are tied with 22 times. Therefore, it is necessary to judge by looking at other records.
Djokovic has held on to world No. 1 for a longer period of time than Nadal. Djokovic was also ahead of the year-end number of times. Compared to Djokovic, who won six tour finals, which is equivalent to the king of tennis, Nadal has not won even once. Djokovic also has the upper hand in the number of Masters wins. 메이저사이트
Djokovic has also achieved a non-calendar Grand Slam, winning four majors in a row. This is another record that proves that he has a lot of time to reign as an absolute. The Golden Masters is also a record that he has.
If Djokovic is behind Nadal, he was about as good as an Olympic gold medal. Djokovic did not win an Olympic gold medal, while Nadal did.
So it was reasonable to see Nadal as the GOAT until Djokovic won the Australian Open this time. It was because he was the sole 1st in major competition championships, which is the most standard, and there were records that only Nadal had, such as the Olympic gold medal.
However, given that Djokovic has reached the number of major championships, it seems reasonable that he is the GOAT, who can be seen as leading the way in detailed records. In other words, winning the Australian Open this time can be seen as a tournament that allowed Djokovic to rise to the GOAT.
In fact, there is a sense that Djokovic has twisted his career by being disciplined due to the Corona 19 controversy. Now, it can be seen that it has been released and has risen to GOAT.
Time is also on Djokovic’s side. Djokovic is younger than Nadal. Also, compared to Nadal, who has recently been sluggish, Djokovic is showing the appearance of late plastic surgery. If Nadal wins a major again, the controversy could ignite. But rather than that, Djokovic seems more likely to win another major championship. Therefore, it is highly likely that Djokovic will maintain his current position or rather widen the gap with Nadal.