The year-long journey that Novak Djokovic talked about had taken him all the way from a detention hostel for asylum seekers to what has become his second home.
On the Rod Laver Arena, the place where he has become invincible, the sheer scale of the voyage was there for all to see.
After climbing its wall to celebrate a 10th Australian Open title with his support team he fell, sobbing into his brother’s arms. Then he collapsed on his back to the floor, his chest heaving and the tears still flowing.
Novak Djokovic won a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title in Melbourne on Sunday
‘Only my team and family know what we have been through these past four or five weeks. This is probably the biggest victory in my life considering the circumstances,’ Djokovic said while clutching the Norman Brookes trophy after a 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
At the end the Serb had pointed to his head, his heart and his private parts, explaining later: ‘It takes big heart, of course a lot of mental strength, and the third thing as well to make it.’
This success elevates him to 22 Grand Slam titles alongside Rafael Nadal, with Roger Federer forever stuck on 20.
Having completed this extraordinary return to Australia, it looks only a matter of time before Djokovic leaves behind the great Spaniard, whose body is becoming increasingly uncooperative. A by-product of this latest triumph is a return to the world No 1 position, despite having played fewer tournaments than his rivals due to his refusal to be vaccinated.
Djokovic was emotional after his win which came a year on from being deported from Australia
Controversy stalks Djokovic as relentlessly as he chases down the balls of his flailing opponents. Even on Sunday there was the question of whether his father Srdjan would attend, after the unfortunate photo opportunities he had provided Vladimir Putin supporters earlier in the week.
In the end he stayed away from the support box, but was there in the bowels of the stadium for the celebrations.
There had also been the questions over how injured Djokovic really was earlier in the tournament. All this, of course, pales into insignificance compared to January 2022, when he was slung out of the country amid a national furore.
Due to Rafael Nadal’s injury issues, it’s a matter of time until Djokovic leads in titles won
‘After last year’s event, coming to Australia this year I was extra nervous and I didn’t know how I would be received,’ he said. ‘I was also motivated to try to make a mark. There were things happening, the events of the last few days with my father, that were not easy for me to handle. I had to hold it together.
‘A lot of people doubted I was injured. I don’t feel I need to prove anything. It did affect me in the first week — from the fourth round I could run free. I highly doubt if it wasn’t a major I would keep on playing. I didn’t practice between the matches.’
Never has Djokovic shown such raw emotion in public as in the moments after victory. ‘You don’t plan these things,’ he said. ‘The match was so close, I knew he (Tsitsipas) doesn’t mind going the distance. I teared up because I felt the burden off my back, it was a huge release.’
Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic (above) described the Serbian as being ‘from outer space’
Whatever happens off the court, Djokovic wins upon it because he is still clearly more skilled than anyone, and never more so than at Melbourne Park, where the conditions suit him so perfectly. Ominously for the chasing pack, he remains ridiculously flexible for a man who will have turned 36 by the end of the French Open.
By then he may have played relatively sparingly. He is due to compete late next month in Dubai, but is presently excluded from travelling to Indian Wells and Miami in March.
His coach Goran Ivanisevic, who described Djokovic as being ‘from outer space’, believes there are more Slam titles to come. Asked how much time his player has left in which to collect them, he said: ‘Definitely two, three more years. The way he is taking care of his body, the way he approaches everything, the food, it’s amazing.’
Stefanos Tsitsipas had the backing of the neutrals in the crowd and his own fans
Tsitsipas said: ‘Novak is a player that pushes you to your limits. I don’t see this as a curse. He has made me a much better player. Getting our backsides kicked is a very good lesson every single time.’
The Greek had the backing of the neutrals in the crowd and his own fans, but failed to get them into the match early on as he was being outplayed and making too many mistakes.
Only in the second set did he come alive and he was the better player in that, creating a set point at 5-4 only to be out-rallied. The first tiebreak was tense and scrappy, and from 4-4 Djokovic’s greater composure under pressure saw him reel off the last three points.
His return of serve remains a thing of wonder, a dividing line between him and the rest. Tsitsipas struggled to stay in the third set after handing back an early break of serve and in the second tiebreak he could not recover from going 5-0 down, with Djokovic clinching it 7-5 on his third match point.
When someone like the Greek finally wins a major that situation might switch around, but with Djokovic and Nadal having taken 16 of the last 19 Slam titles between them, this kind of experience proves near impossible to gain.
