A first title of the year secured, a public appeased and a four-year unbeaten record preserved. It was touch and go at times, but Novak Djokovic completed a resoundingly successful return to Australia with a dramatic win over Sebstian Korda on Sunday, recovering from championship point down to win the Adelaide International and issue a statement of intent ahead of the Australian Open.
With his 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory, Djokovic earned the 92nd title of his career, drawing him level with Rafael Nadal at fourth on the all-time men’s winners’ list. Only Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer and Ivan Lendl – with 109, 103 and 94 titles respectively – have won more. Djokovic will now head to Melbourne Park, where he has lifted the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup a record nine times, hopeful that he can equal another Nadal landmark by claiming a 22nd grand slam title.
It is all a far cry from this time last year, when the unvaccinated Serb fell foul of the country’s strict Covid regulations and was sent home. Having arrived in Australia uncertain about what kind of welcome he would receive, Djokovic has been feted in Adelaide. In return, he has embraced both the locals and the locale, insisting that he bears no ill-will over the events of last January.
It has not all been plain sailing – a bothersome hamstring briefly threatened to overshadow a superb semi-final performance against Daniil Medvedev, while he testily ordered his brother Marko and agent Edoardo Artaldi to leave his box after dropping a tight opening set against Korda – but Djokovic looks to be in fine fettle heading into the first major of the season.
“Five great matches,” said Djokovic, reflecting on his week’s work following his 34th straight win on Australian soil, a run that dates back to early 2019.
“Tough two tiebreakers against [Quentin] Halys, who is playing very well. Then I had [Denis] Shapovalov, Medvedev and Korda, who is on fire, playing some high-level tennis, striking the ball amazingly. I couldn’t ask for a better preparation and lead-up to the Australian Open.
“Of course, the Australian Open is the biggest reason I’m here in Australia, but at the same time I want to win every tournament I play, regardless of the level of the tournament. I love playing in Australia. My results are a testament to that. I wouldn’t be able to play so well in a place where I don’t feel well.”
Djokovic did not look in particularly robust health when he took a medical timeout to have treatment on a hamstring injury late in the opening set of his semi-final win over Medvedev. But treatment that went “deep into the night” before the final had the desired effect, with the 35-year-old largely untroubled physically against Korda.
“It was all right,” said Djokovic. “A few times in the match I felt the muscle was tightening up, but nothing that would worry me for my performance.
“I look forward to Melbourne. Rod Laver [Arena] is my most successful court in my career. I love playing there. I look forward to it. I have a week off for recovery now and working on specific things in terms of my game, my body, getting my mind in the right state for the best-of-five and two long weeks hopefully.”
However strongly Djokovic may have pulled up physically, such serenity looked a long way off when Korda, son of former world No 2 and Australian Open champion Petr Korda, converted his seventh set point to take early command of the contest. Bold and imaginative from the baseline, willing and incisive at the net, the 22-year-old American matched Djokovic step for step from the outset and, at 6-5 in the second set, held a match point on the top seed’s serve.
Djokovic confronted the danger head on, working his way to the net behind a backhand approach to draw a lunging defensive lob from Korda. There are worse positions in which to put the Serb on a key point. His overhead is probably the least reliable weapon in his arsenal – although, given that he is one of the most technically rounded players in the sport’s history, that is not saying a great deal – but the Serb backpedalled brilliantly to slot away the opportunity and, having held, he dominated the ensuing tiebreak.
It remained a nip-and-tuck affair down the stretch until, ironically, Korda missed a far simpler overhead to gift Djokovic a match point of his own. As the American glanced skyward in dismay, he must have known what was coming. Sure enough, Djokovic converted at the first time of asking Yet he can only be encouraged by a week that brought wins over Andy Murray, Roberto Bautista Agut and Jannik Sinner before Yoshihito Nishioka retired after falling a set down in the semi-finals.
“I think it shows me that I definitely have the game to disrupt whoever’s on the other side of the net,” said Korda, who will be assured of a seeding at the Australian Open after rising two places to 31 in the rankings.
“I take a lot of pride in that. I think going forward, it’s just only going to help me to get these kind of experiences under my belt, even though it hurts.”
In the women’s final, Aryna Sabalenka won her first title since the 2021 Madrid Open, prevailing 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) against the rising Czech star Linda Noskova. Sabalenka, who did not drop a set all week, was forced to draw deeply on her experience and fighting spirit.
“This young lady is going to play a lot of finals and she’s going to be a top player,” said the Belarusian world No 5. “I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a lot more finals for her, and hopefully for us [both]. She’s playing really great tennis.”
Novoska, 18, advanced to the final after twice saving match points, first in qualifying and then against Victoria Azarenka, the former world No 1, in the quarter-finals. Over the course of an outstanding week, she also defeated Daria Kasatkina and Ons Jabeur, the top seed, to rise from 102 to 56 in the rankings.
“I think that when I trust myself and my game especially, I can just freely go for it, I can definitely play and actually beat some of the best players in the world right now,” said Novoska.
“That’s a really great feeling. But I’m obviously going to have to develop my game. There are a lot of blind spots. There’s always things to work on.”
Novoska could do worse than follow the example of fellow 18-year-old Coco Gauff, who stormed to the third title of her career at the ASB Classic in Auckland with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Spanish qualifier Rebeka Masarova. Gauff, whose steady improvement propelled her to the French Open final and a career-high ranking of fourth last year, dropped just 22 games over the course of a dominant week in New Zealand.
“Couldn’t ask for a better start to my season,” said the American. “First title on hard since I was 15. I’m happy to be successful on a surface that I love.”
Djokovic will know how she feels.