Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas labelled a dream final

James Richardson
January 27, 2023

Boris Becker has hailed the Australian Open championship match between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas as a dream final.

Becker feels that the fact that World No 1 status is also on the line adds that extra something into the mix.

For Djokovic it might be an incredible return to the top after a rollercoaster 2022 while Tsitsipas has a chance to win his first Grand Slam.

“This is a dream final!” Becker declared on Eurosport Germany’s Matchball Becker. “When it is also about the world No. 1 ranking in a Grand Slam final, it fulfils childhood dreams. Tsitsipas has already said that.

“Sure, Djokovic has already been world No. 1, but he is looking at a 22nd Grand Slam singles title. He can equal Rafael Nadal’s record. So either way, tennis history will be made.”

Becker says that fans should savour every moment that Djokovic gives tennis because his achievements are unlikely to ever be matched.

“I don’t know if a tennis player can achieve something like that again,” Becker said.

“We are watching tennis history live here. We all take it for granted: The Djoker, he will do it… No, guys – that’s not normal!

“Novak is getting older, too. He is now 35 years old. You could also notice on the court that he was catching his breath a bit more than usual. Let us enjoy it while we can see it because at some point it will be over.”

Djokovic has faced little opposition as he seemingly steamrollered towards the title in Melbourne.

However, Tsitsipas is expected to put up a much greater fight than any of the opponents that Djokovic has seen off so far.

Tsitsipas won four of his six matches en route to the final in straight sets but was pushed all the way in the Round of 16 by Jannik Sinner and dropped a third set tiebreaker to Karen Khachanov in the semi-final.

Meanwhile, Djokovic has dropped just one set over the course of his run, also losing a tiebreaker to Enzo Couacaud in the second round.

History is overwhelmingly in Djokovic’s favour with the Serbian having won ten of the 12 meetings between these two men.

They have met five times in finals with Djokovic winning all five of those encounters.

Tsitsipas achieved his last win over Djokovic back in 2019 at the Shanghai Masters. At that time he took a 2-1 lead in their head to head but since then it has been all one way.

Novak Djokovic