​Novak Djokovic respected his status as a big favorite and won in three sets (7-5, 6-1, 6-2) the match against Tommy Paul (35th in the world). However, this was not the kind of argument in which the Serb went from one end to the other, and Joker had enough unforced errors.

Novak Djokovic beats Tommy Paul – the Serbian finishes the match with 39 unforced errors

A nine-time winner in Melbourne, Nole started the match strongly, winning 5-1, and seemed to have everything under control, although the Serb had already made many unforced errors and looked quite nervous.

Amid Djokovic’s dramatic fall, the American clawed his way back into the match and went from 5-1 down to 5-5, with Tommy also saving a set point.

The end of the set was unexpectedly tight, but in the end, experience paid off and Jokerul finished the set 7-5.

However, it was a set in which Nole committed 24 unforced errors (!), and the percentage of points won on serve was far from the standards to which the Serb is accustomed.

Coming out of a difficult moment (to date, the most difficult in the tournament, and this through the prism of the level of play shown), Djokovic rode a wave of confidence, and Paul was the first to feel it on the scoreboard at Rod Laver Arena. The former ATP leader won the second set 6-1, much closer to the expectations of his fans.

The decline of the American continued in the third set, and the approach of the end of the match strained Tommy a little more (4:0 in favor of Djokovic).

After an impressive Nole streak, Paul also managed to win his second game in the last 14 games played.

He served until the end of the set, one of which the Serb won 6-2. The match at Rod Laver Arena lasted two hours and 20 minutes.

Djokovic finished the match with 31 winners and 39 unforced errors.

Know:

• According to the results in Melbourne, Tommy Paul will break into the ATP TOP-20 for the first time – from next week he will be on 19th place (a jump of 16 positions).

• Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas have met 12 times on the world stage so far with a score of 10-2 in favor of the Serb. The final of the Australian Open will take place on Sunday from 10:00 (LiveBlog on HotNews.ro and live broadcast on Eurosport).

• By the way, the last victory of the Greek dates back to 2019, with the Shanghai Masters, and Novak won in the last 9 direct meetings.

• Stefanos’ most painful loss to Novak came in the 2021 Roland Garros final (the Greek’s first Grand Slam), when Tsitsipas led 2-0 in sets before succumbing in dramatic fashion.

• The stakes of the Australian Open final are twofold: in addition to the Grand Slam title, the winner will become the world leader from next week.

• If it would be a habit for Nole to return to the leader’s chair (he would accumulate the 374th week in the first position of the ATP), then for Stefanos it would be the first time.

• For Djokovic, this will be the 10th final in Melbourne, all others have been won by the Serb.

• If he wins in the final action on Sunday, Nole will match record holder Rafael Nadal for the most Grand Slam titles won at 22 each.