Novak Djokovic breezed past Tommy Paul to set up a World No.1 showdown clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open 2023 final on Sunday.
Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic breezed past America's Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 on Friday to set up a World No.1 showdown clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas at Melbourne Park.
semifinals: ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️ finals: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆❓
Will X mark the spot for on Sunday? • • • • pic.twitter.com/lcx6Wnm3dT
During his first tour-level encounter with the American, the Serbian occasionally struggled to perform at his peak, but it did not affect his renowned razor-sharp returns.
On Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic dropped four consecutive games from a 5-1 lead to allow Paul back into the first set, but he ultimately converted seven of 11 break points to get within one victory of Rafael Nadal's record of 22 major titles.
Following his two-hours and 20-minute victory in the semi-finals, Djokovic will play Tsitsipas in the championship round. The Greek sensation previously defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 to seal his maiden Melbourne final.
The Pepperstone ATP Rankings' No. 1 spot will also be decided in Sunday's final at Melbourne Park; the victor will overtake Carlos Alcaraz on Monday.
"Of course it [adds extra significance]," said Djokovic when asked about the World No. 1 scenario. "Let the better player win. Winning Grand Slams and being the No. 1 in the world are probably the two biggest peaks that you can climb as a professional tennis player. Let's see what happens."
"Turn your TV off Stefanos!" 😳 The mind games for the final have already begun! 👀
🖥️ LIVE | https://t.co/80XjQpwd6J pic.twitter.com/d7Pubpf8Kr
Despite not performing at the same level as in his previous two matches against Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev, Djokovic seemed at ease for the entire encounter against Paul. The lone exception came in the first set, when Paul capitalised on a barrage of errant groundstrokes from the Serbian to overcome a double-break disadvantage and tie the match at 5-5.
"I was really fortunate to hold my nerve toward the end of the first set," said Djokovic. "It was a key. After that I started swinging through the ball more, so I'm just really pleased to get through to another final."
Djokovic's winning run at the Australian Open now stands at 27 games after his victory on Friday. The 35-year-old emphasised after another impressive performance how much he appreciated the loud backing of the crowd at Rod Laver Arena, where he first won the Australian Open trophy in 2008.
"It means everything, especially at this stage of my career," said Djokovic of the fan support in Laver. "I need that engine, I need that energy and I'm really thankful that I still have enough gas in my legs to be able to play in this level on one of the biggest tennis courts in the world."