Novak Djokovic Wins Record-Tying 22nd Grand Slam Title. How Many Will He Finish With?

One year after being forced to miss the Australian Open because of his vaccination status, Novak Djokovic reclaimed the title he feels is rightfully his.

To the surprise of almost nobody, the 35-year-old Serb and No. 4 seed won his 10th Australian Open — and record-tying 22nd Grand Slam crown — with a clinical 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) victory over No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final in Rod Laver Arena. Djokovic also re-claimed the world No. 1 ranking with the win.

Djokovic closed it out with a forehand winner that Tsitsipas sailed long, and the Serb then pointed to his head and raised his hands above his head while waving to the crowd.

Djokovic won his 28th straight match in Melbourne to tie his long-time rival Rafael Nadal atop the men’s all-time leader board. Both men are now two clear of the retired Roger Federer’s 20 Slams, and both are eight ahead of the great Pete Sampras’ 14. He also added about $2 million in prize money to his career earnings of close to $165 million.

Djokovic and Nadal will enter the year’s next major at Roland Garros this spring with a chance to break the tie and win No. 23.

Djokovic earned back the title despite a nagging left hamstring issue and controversy surrounding his father, Srdjan, who was not in attendance for the semifinal or final after posing with pro-Putin demonstrators earlier in the week.

Nadal, of course, has won 14 of his 22 majors in Paris, yet it’s fair to wonder how much longer his body will hold up. He was upset in the second round in Melbourne by American Mackie McDonald and will be sidelined 6-8 weeks with a Grade 2 injury in the iliopsoas of his left leg. He is expected back for the French Open, which begins May 28.

Djokovic, meantime, battled a left hamstring ailment that he sustained in Adelaide before the Australian Open, but still won seven straight matches to capture the title.

“He’s clearly the best player in the world,” Patrick McEnroe said on ESPN.

John McEnroe, who won seven career Grand Slam events, joked on air that Djokovic could fill up a room with trophies from “just your majors.”

Patrick McEnroe had called Djokovic the “clear favorite” entering the tournament and believes he will continue to add to his total in the coming months and years.

“I think 24, 25 is possible,” McEnroe said before the fortnight. “But I also think that people underestimate, because of how great these guys are — it’s not easy. It’s not as easy as they’ve made it look.”

It will also depend on Djokovic’s availability going forward due to his vaccination status. He was deported from Melbourne on the eve of the tournament in 2022 because he wasn’t vaccinated against Covid-19, and Nadal went on to win the title by coming from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev for his 21st title.

Nadal then was first to 22 when he won his 14th Roland Garros title, beating Djokovic in a four-set quarterfinal before taking out Casper Ruud in the championship match.

Djokovic was not allowed into the United States for last year’s U.S. Open, and won’t be permitted into the country this spring for the “Sunshine Swing” at Indian Wells and Miami.

“The other X factor is will Novak be allowed into the U.S.?” McEnroe asked. “At the moment he’s not. That’s cost him a couple opportunities already [at majors], and it may cost him another couple.”

But going forward, Djokovic will be at least the co-favorite in Paris, where he has won twice, and the favorite at Wimbledon, where he is the defending champion. He will remain the favorite at the Australian Open for the foreseeable future.

Nadal recently became a father for the first time and has struggled with physical issues after winnng the first two legs of the calendar Slam in 2022.

Though there is speculation this could be Nadal’s final season, McEnroe says his desire to finish ahead of Djokovic in the all-time majors race keeps him going.

“I know that Rafa likes to say that he doesn’t care about Novak’s numbers or Roger’s numbers, but I’m not sure, as much as I love Rafael Nadal, that I totally believe him on that, because yes, he’s always amazed me with his ability to play for the love of the game,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it, and the competition.

“But let’s be honest, the guy loves to win. He’s not going to go to the French Open or anywhere if he thinks he can’t win and he knows…that there’s very few guys that can beat Novak Djokovic if Novak Djokovic is at his best, but he’s one of the guys that can, certainly on clay and even on a medium-paced hard court, he can.

“I think that’s got to be factoring into part of his decision and also part of all of these guys’ motivation to keep going. They’ve all pushed each other. We see what Roger even was able to do when he came back and won the Australian after the knee issue at, what was he, 37, and play a great level until 38, 39. So they’re like, well, if Roger can do it, why can’t we do it?”