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As the reverberations of the squeaky sounds of the synthetic court fade away from memory, the magnitude of Novak Djokovic’s latest accolade at his favourite Melbourne Park event starts to appear vividly. The accomplishment of the Serb, who came back after a year’s wait to clinch what was rightfully his to defend, following one of sport’s most unique expulsion, gives a glimpse into the mentality and psyche of the player who comes from a tough war-worn childhood.

Djokovic broke down in tears after recapturing the Australian Open title on Sunday following his straights sets victory over Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas, the tennis fraternity acknowledged the tenacity and mental fortitude of the Serb to pushback during times of adversity, which has been emblematic of the career of a star who grew up during the harsh battle-ravaged times in Belgrade.

This was Djokovic’s tenth title at Melbourne Park, making him the unquestionable King of the city where he hoisted his first-ever Grand Salm title.

He levelled long-time rival Rafael Nadal’s tally of a record 22 Major titles with his 6-3, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) win over the 24-year-old Tsitsipas and it was pretty evident for the beholder to take stock of the gulf in class between the finalists in Australia.

The domination of the 35-year-old was on display as he clinched the first set to dictate the pace of the game and held on to a couple of set point breaks before dispatching the second and third set tie-breakers with as much poise.

A year ago, he was deported from Australian shores because of his vaccination status against COVID-19, which the Serbian star maintains to this date and which might keep him out of the US Open later in the year.

But, Nole, as he is fondly known on the streets of Belgrade, did not budge. Neither did he give in to the pressure nor did he give up.

When questioned if he felt his stand against taking the immunity-increasing shot against the virus was worthy of sitting out a Grand Salm, despite being a clear favourite to lift the title, the Serb replied without skipping a beat, ‘Absolutely!’.

Djokovic had to contend with multiple factors en route to the top. A war-plagued childhood could get the better of most human beings alive as some might retort to pointing to such incidents of devastation as an excuse. But, not Djokovic. And as he clearly mentioned moments before he hoisted his record-extending 10th Australian Open title high up in the air, “The more disadvantaged childhood you have and the more difficulties and challenges that you face, the stronger you become”.

And Djokovic himself is a living embodiment of the statement.

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The traditional top three of tennis in the open era, Swiss maestro Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, have a staggering 64 Grand Salm titles between them.

And as the curtains on one of sport’s most iconic trifecta loom large with Federer already having called time on his illustrious career, it has indeed been father time that has caught up with the trio instead of the up-and-coming generation, who still look long chalk away from the stalwarts of the open era.

Of course, it was Carlos Alcaraz, the shimmering light of the so-called up-and-coming crop of tennis professionals, who clinched the US Open to go atop the ATP rankings after Djokovic’s testing year in 2022, but the top dogs of the sport are still the ones ruling the roost and are pitted as the ones to beat heading into any Grand Slam.

That is probably the status that comes along with dominating a turf for over a decade. Djokovic on the Melbourne blue, Nadal on the Parisian red and Federer on the most prestigious of all, the English green.

Since the personification of elegance on court, Federer, lifted his barrier-breaking 20th Grand Slam title as he brushed off challenges to clinch 2018 Australian open, 15 of the 18 following major titles have been split by none other than the other two, who have made up the holy triumvirate of the Open era, Djokovic and Nadal.

The only exceptions coming in the form of a Dominic Thiem victory at the flushing meadows in the USA in the year 2020, Daniil Medvedev’s triumph on the American hard court in the year 2021 and young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz’s triumph at the very same grounds the following year.

In a nutshell, following Federer’s prolonged injury layoff and the subsequent decision to call time on an incredible career, the season-opening major in Australia, the crown jewel of world tennis, Wimbledon and the clay courts of Roland Garros have been absolutely dominated by the Serbian and the Spaniard, who have time and again defied constraints of tournament time injury to keep the old guard alive and kicking.

Nadal playing under the effect of local anaesthetic on his injured feet enroute to his latest French Open crown and Djokovic battling past a 3cm tear in his hamstring during the latest edition of the Melbourne Park major are examples that live fresh in the memory of avid fans of the sport.

But, perhaps fighting through such physical strain is a walk in the park for someone who witnessed destruction on a massive scale at the tender age of 11 during the tumultuous times in the old Yugoslavia.

The work rate and tenacity of Mallorca’s favourite son, Nadal, is well documented as he has made a career out of chasing down nearly unreachable crosscourt forehands and far-reaching strokes down the line any player would give up the point at the sight of. But, no Nadal. It was nearly impossible to get the ball legally to the board behind the Spaniard during his peak. Such was his fight and grit of character.

And one needs to look no further than the previous edition of Roland Garros, in which Nadal battled his way through injury to lift an insane 14th clay court masters in Paris. The 36-year-old master of red, romped his way to the tile, which he can claim as spiritually his own, while performing at the highest level under the effects of an anaesthetic that he used to numb the pain in his troublesome foot.

Such tales are probably the reason the tennis fraternity that rallied behind Nadal started swooning and crooning his name in the first place. While it can be argued that such levels of unperceivable passion for the sport and success can never be replicated by players to follow, Djokovic brings in his definition of grit each time he sets foot on court.

But, Djokovic’s perseverance to hold out and push back during crucial game stages, thanks to his athleticism and agility, need to be noted as a character trait that has only strengthened his rise to the top.

The 35-year-old’s determination to not give in during adverse circumstances despite the pressure he might be subjected to as a result of the numbers on the scoreboard aided him on his path to the twenty-two triumphs and counting.

Djokovic’s conviction can be illustrated by the interview he had participated in following his infamous expulsion from down under ahead of his title defence last year. When questioned why he would refrain from taking the vaccination shot and seize the opportunity to go clear of any other men’s player in history in terms of Grand Slam titles, Nole said in the blink of an eye, “Because the principles of decision-making on my body are more important than any titles or anything else.”

Australia did put the Serb through an arduous odyssey as she does to all her favourite lads, but as a testament of poetic justice in reality, she witnessed Djokovic prevail as he added to the magic and pertinence the number 10 holds in the world of sports.

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