Grand Slam Race “tightened” with Novak Djokovic’s impressive victory at the Australian Open. The tournament is one of the major tennis events in the world. It takes place annually in Oz, at the beginning of the calendar year.
Because of the smoke, the air was really dense, which made it hard to breathe. Several players, including Djokovic, experienced dizziness and a real difficulty to be physically active.
Moreover, the death of the basketball legend Kobe Bryant, a very close friend of Djokovic made it even harder to concentrate on the game. It made the whole sports industry representatives very upset. It is easy to understand why they might have been so emotional in their responses.
Despite the difficulty of the match, Djokovic still managed to win the last game against the Australian, 26-year-old Dominic Thiem. The victory in the Australian Open brought Djokovic the 17th Grand Slam singles title and allowed him to reclaim his No.1 ranking. Djokovic is one of the Great Three tennis players. He is just behind Roger Federer, with 20 record number of singles titles and Rafael Nadal, with 19 titles. Djokovic, the youngest player out of the three, now firmly holds the third position, with 17 titles.
Djokovic VS Thiem
It has been an exceptionally long, almost four-hour match between Djokovic and Thiem. It was their fifth match together. In the previous four times, Djokovic was defeated by Thiem. Thiem has also defeated top opponents like Federer and Nadal.
The match with Thiem was a challenge for Djokovic, due to his health condition. He felt a distinct lack of energy for the entire game, even prompting his doctor to conduct a quick check-up. He was not diagnosed with anything severe, though his fatigue and constant dizziness probably came down to dehydration.
Despite his condition, Djokovic came out victorious, after the breakpoint on serve at 1-1 in the fourth set. There was only one set separating the players, and the match could have easily taken a completely different turn. The two-set-to-one was the crucial moment for Thiem, and he was given no more chances to break the fourth set. He continued playing a very shaky game, dropping at 3-4.
According to many keen observers, there are two “mission impossibles” in tennis. First is to defeat Nadal at the French Open and the second is to defeat Djokovic at the Australian Open. Indeed, Djokovic has never lost any semifinals. Djokovic is now 8-0 in finals. Meanwhile, Nadal is on a 4-1 lead. Just up until Djokovic had closed the set, Thiem was able to get back to 4-4.
Djokovic is forever-loved by the audience, due to his manner and fond character. He had proved it once more, while honoring Bryant, Giana and all the victims of the helicopter crash. At the finals, he turned his thoughts to the victims, adding that this was a powerful reminder for humanity. He urged everyone to stick together and spend more time with the people we love and value.