Nadal sends message to Djokovic after Australian Open champion equals Spaniard's 22 Grand Slam titles' record
Novak Djokovic equalled Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Grand Slam titles after he clinched his 10th Australian Open crown with a 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday.
FollowNovak Djokovic accomplished an incredible turnaround from the circumstances of a year ago as the Serbian clinched his 10th Australian Open crown on Sunday.
The 35-year-old Serbian, detained and deported in January 2022 due to visa problems associated with his unvaccinated status, won the Australian Open 2023 final by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 7-6 7-6 in two hours and 56 minutes inside a boisterous Rod Laver Arena. By doing so, Djokovic equalled Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Following this feat, Nadal, knocked out in the second round at Melbourne this year, congratulated Djokovic for winning the trophy in Australia for the 10th time.
"Congrats Nole, to you and your team for this great achievement. Enjoy the moment!" wrote the Spaniard in an Instagram post. The post featured a picture of the new World No.1 holding the Australian Open 2023 trophy and the text - 'Amazing achievement Nole @djokernole. Many congrats to you and your team! Well deserved. Enjoy Nole! - was written in bold.
Meanwhile, former World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz took to Instagram to congratulate Djokovic after the Serb's victory in Australia dethroned the Spaniard from the top spot. "Congratulations @djokernole for the Australian Open and the world number 1. Very well deserved! Hope to see you soon on court!" he wrote in his post's caption.
Presented with the runner-up trophy, Tsitsipas lauded Djokovic as 'the greatest player ever to hold a racket'. Meanwhile, the Serbian credited his family and team for the stellar victory.
"What a journey it has been for my family my team and myself. I appreciate the patience and love you are giving me. This has been one of the most challenging tournaments I have ever played in my life, not playing last year, coming back this year and I want to thank all the people who made me feel comfortable," Djokovic said during the presentation.
"There's a reason I have played my best tennis on this court. Only the team knows what we have been through in the last five weeks, this is the biggest victory of my life, considering the circumstances," he added.
