Sportish recorded the cornerstones of the course of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open and presents them to you.
On Sunday morning (January 29, 10:30 a.m., Eurosport 1) Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic will face each other in the final of the Australian Open.
The two come from different starting points, but their goal is the same. On the one hand, the 24-year-old Greek (No. 4) wants to win his first Grand Slam title, while the 35-year-old Serbian (No. 5) is aiming for his 22nd.
Whoever wins will climb to the top of the world rankings on Monday morning. But how did they manage to reach the finals and what do their progress numbers show?
Your way to the final
It is with these two elements that we will deal in this article. Both Tsitsipas and Djokovic managed to reach the Australian Open final in complete control, losing just a few sets in the process.
The Greek tennis player dropped just three sets en route to the final. He first eliminated Alis, Hijikata and Kriekspur without. His first major test came in the fourth round, where he needed five sets to break the resistance of Yannick Sinner while beating Khachanov in a set in the semifinals.
On the other hand, Djokovic only lost one set despite his injury. Nole went unbeaten in the first round against Karbages Baena, lost a set against Koakod and then went unbeaten against Dimitrov, De Minor, Rublev and Paul.
your past numbers
Let’s see what Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic have done so far in their course at the Australian Open.
We picked specific points from the stats to get a better picture of what they performed on the pitch. Of course, we should note that the 24-year-old Greek has spent more time on the pitch as he has played two more sets than Nole.
So far, Stefanos has Tsitsipas 69 aces, but 22 counts too double fault. For his part, Novak Djokovic counts 59 aces with the same number Double fault (22).
Nole Djokovic stands out for the points he earns after returning his opponent’s first serve with 144 while Tsitsipas counts on the other side 120
Two other stats that are likely to play a role in the finals are breaks. How many chances will each create to break their opponent’s serve, but also how many will they manage to save.
Both are doing great in this area. Novak Djokovic scores 35 won Break points while Stefanos has Tsitsipas 25
At the same time, their performance on saved breakpoints is also impressive. Tsitsipas has faced break points 55 times and managed to save 44 of them while Nole is doing even better.
The 35-year-old Serb had 26 break points and his opponents only broke his serve five times.
These should be avoided
Continuing the analysis using the numbers, let’s focus on specific numbers that the two had that could play a crucial role if repeated in the final.
Let’s start with Stefanos Tsitsipas. We already mentioned it on the positive side that he saved 44 of the 55 break points he faced. This statistic has a double reading.
A good example is his confrontation with Yannick Siner. The Italian has created 26 break points and that number will be devastating if repeated against Djokovic.
At the same time, Stefanos Tsitsipas wants a more stable first serve. It is characteristic that in the first set against Khachanov he had a quota of just over 40% for the longest time.
Let’s now turn to Novak Djokovic. No doubt Nole doesn’t want to repeat the first set he made against Paul, regardless of whether he took it.
The 35-year-old Serb made 24 unforced errors and nearly lost a set in which he was 5-1 up, only to be saved by his immense class.
Another element that can be crucial to the outcome of the final is the backhand. Djokovic had 16 of his 33 unforced errors in the semis when Paul hit his backhand and he certainly wouldn’t want to see that in the final.
I am Annie Mcadams, a news author at Sportish. I specialize in covering different sections of sports and have been writing for the past five years. My passion lies in uncovering new stories that are informative, interesting and captivating to the audience. I have a knack for finding the right sources who can provide reliable insight on trending topics.
Elina Svitolina New photos showing how the preparations are going and a few shots of daily life were published on social networks.
In the photos, the tennis player works out under the guidance of a trainer in the gym, does strength exercises and maintains excellent physical shape.
Brighter photos from the life of athletes on the Telegram channel LIFESTYLE on Sport.ua
The athlete also shared Christmas photos from her home – a festive dinner and family atmosphere. Separately, Elina showed a rapid test, noting a slight malaise that did not affect the training process.
The publication received an active response from fans who wished Svitolina health and all the best.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
(Paris) Nick Kyrgios won the exhibition match presented as a new episode of the “Battle of the Sexes” against Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday in Dubai.
The rules had been modified to balance the debates, the Australian playing on a field 9% larger than the Belarusian, which immediately made any interpretation of the result difficult. Furthermore, the two opponents only had one serving ball.
Kyrgios, former Wimbledon finalist (2022) fell beyond 650e world number one, who is preparing to make yet another return to the circuit at the age of 30, won 6-3, 6-3, against the world No.1 without running much or hitting the ball very hard, without us knowing if it was because the field opposite was smaller or for other reasons.
The title of the event referred to another “Battle of the Sexes”, which in 1973 pitted former American champion Bobby Riggs, then aged 55, against the two best players of the time, Margaret Court Smith and then Billie Jean King.
At that time, it was about women asserting their worth while their professional circuit was being organized and King’s victory over Riggs, who had initially dominated Court Smith, had a certain impact.
Nothing like this this time, because women’s tennis is firmly established, as shown, among other things, by the equality of winnings in major tournaments.
This return still attracted 17,000 spectators to Dubai, including celebrities like Brazilian footballer Ronaldo, who did not attend a major tennis match.
The Australian seemed to control the situation and allowed himself some fantasies like a spoon serve (winning), a weapon he had already used in serious matches.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
The first racket of the world, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, said that she would like to have a rematch against Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios.
On Sunday, Sabalenka lost to Kyrgios with a score of 3:6, 3:6 in an exhibition match in Dubai (UAE). According to the regulations, athletes could only serve with the first ball – if a mistake was made, the opponent received a point. In addition, the size of the side of the court where Sabalenka played was 9% smaller than the standard.
“I feel great, I fought really well.” Nick struggled, and I’m glad the man had a hard time in the match against me. I liked the show. I think next time I will already know his tactics, strengths and weaknesses. I want revenge, I would play again.
Of course, playing against a man is a completely different tennis, everything happens faster. I hope that I will recover in a couple of days. I understand that I’m ready for the season,” Sabalenka said after the game.
Kyrgios admitted that Sabalenka at times played at the level of a good tennis player.
— Honestly, it was very difficult. Sabalenka is a very serious opponent. I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be quite a battle. It was a great opportunity for me. I had to work hard, because Arina performed great shots. I’d love to play with her again.
I was a little nervous because I was in a difficult position. Arina almost made a break, and I had to answer. Due to the injury, I couldn’t really play with my right hand,” Kyrgios noted.
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
