Australian Open 2023: Meet the men's singles finalists
Third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas will face fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final at the Australian Open 2023 on Sunday. Tsitsipas, a nine-time ATP Tour titlist, beat Russian Karen Khachanov in four sets to reach his maiden AO final. 21-time Grand Slam winner, Djokovic, beat American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 to reach his 10th final in Melbourne. We look at the key stats.
Djokovic has a massive lead over Tsitsipas
Djokovic has a 10-2 win-loss record over Tsitsipas on the ATP Tour. The former has won each of their last nine matches. The tally includes a historic five-set win by Djokovic in the final of the 2021 Roland Garros. The Serb beat his rival 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to claim his second French Open honor.
Djokovic attains these feats
As per Opta, Djokovic is the fourth-oldest man (Open Era) to reach the Australian Open final. He is only behind Ken Rosewall (1972 and 1971), Mal Anderson (1972), and Roger Federer (2018). Djokovic is also the third man in the Open Era to drop 20 of the fewest games combined in the R16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals to reach the Australian Open final.
Djokovic seeks his 10th Australian Open title
Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open winner, could become the only man with 10 titles at the tournament. So far, he has three more titles than Roy Emerson and Federer (6 each). He could be the second man after Rafael Nadal with 10 or more titles at a major. Djokovic currently has an 88-8 record at Australian Open.
27 consecutive wins at Australian Open
Djokovic is unbeaten at the Australian Open since January 2018. He now has 27 consecutive wins at this Grand Slam, breaking his previous record of 25 successive wins. Notably, his previous streak commenced in 2011 and ended when he lost the quarter-finals in 2014.
40 consecutive wins in Australia
Earlier this month, Djokovic won the Adelaide International 1 after beating Sebastian Korda in the final. Djokovic won his second title in Adelaide after sealing the tournament back in 2007. Djokovic is now tied with Nadal for the fourth-most men's singles titles in the Open Era (92). The 35-year-old has now won 40 consecutive matches in Australia.
Djokovic eyes his 22nd Grand Slam honor
Djokovic claimed his 21st Grand Slam title, breaking a tie with legend Federer, last year. He won his seventh Wimbledon title to achieve this feat. At the Australian Open, Djokovic would want to emulate Nadal, who owns most major titles in men's singles (22). Notably, Djokovic has a 340-47 win-loss record across majors.
Tsitsipas has a 21-5 win-loss record at AO
Tsitsipas has raced to a win-loss tally of 21-5 at the Australian Open. It's his first career Slam final in Melbourne and second overall, having finished as runner-up in the 2021 French Open. Tsitsipas wound up as a semi-finalist at AO in 2019, 2021, and 2022. Overall, he has a 49-21 win-loss record across Slams.
Tsitsipas attains these records
As per Opta, Tsitsipas (24 years) is the youngest male player to reach the final at the Australian Open since Djokovic and Andy Murray, who faced each other in 2011. Khachanov is one of three players against whom Tsitsipas has a 100% win record (6/6), besides Alex de Minaur 8-8 and Mikael Ymer 5-5 (minimum five matches played).
How have Djokovic and Tsitsipas fared in 2023?
Djokovic boasts an 11-0 record this season, including a titular run in Adelaide International 1. Meanwhile, Tsitsipas has raced to a 10-0 record in men's singles in 2023. Notably, the winner of the Australian Open will become the world number one in the ATP Rankings on Monday, surpassing Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
