The season got off to a great start for Novak Djokovic, who won the title in Adelaide. Novak celebrated in this city 16 years after it was where he won his third ATP title. He also tied Rafael Nadal for the most ATP wins with 92. It looks like he will pass Nadal by the end of the year.
The title match was between Djokovic and the young American Sebastian Korda. Djokovic won 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 in three hours and nine minutes. The Serb saved a match point near the end of the second set and made a late break in the decider.
Novak got 14 more points than Sebastian, stayed focused, and beat the young gun with a more reliable showing in the final. Djokovic had good control over his shots and hit about the same number of winners and unforced mistakes.
There were 50 unforced mistakes by Korda, but he did hit more winners than Djokovic. Novak was stronger in the shorter and mid-range matches, while Sebastian had a slight edge in the longer contests.
They got ready for a huge battle in the first game and fought for 73 minutes. Korda saved two set points and won the most important points to get ahead early. The foes started the match with eight easy holds, and at 4-4, they were tied.
In the ninth game, Sebastian raised his level on the return, which gave him two break points after Novak made a mistake. The American went for the first and won it with a backhand down the line. This put him ahead.
At 5-4, Korda served for the set and made three set points. He threw them away, including a simple backhand on the third.
Novak Djokovic won the in Adelaide for the ATP 250 title
After Korda made a mistake with his backhand, Djokovic broke back and won five straight points to extend the set.
In the 12th game, Sebastian had more trouble with his serve. He hit a backhand wide, giving Novak a set point. With a strong serve, Korda saved the match and set up a tie break. After Djokovic made a mistake with his backhand, the young player got off to a better start and took a 5-2 lead.
After Djokovic got back to 6-6, Korda won two set points with a backhand down the line. This made the match last longer. With a service winner, Sebastian saved the second set point at 6-7, but he missed another chance at 8-7.
After a great fight, Korda moved ahead with his seventh set point at 9-8 after Djokovic made a backhand mistake. In the second set, Novak served well, and Sebastian did the same. In the 12th game, the American had match point on the return, but the Serb saved it with a smash winner.
At 2-1, Novak got two mini-breaks and at 6-1, he had five set points. After two hours and seventeen minutes, Djokovic scored the third goal, which set up a tiebreaker. To start the last set, Korda had three good holds. In the fourth game, she had two break points.
After two good forehands, the American got out of jail and held for 2-2. After a backhand winner in the ninth game, Djokovic held at deuce, making his opponent serve to stay in the match. Following a loose smash, Sebastian lost game points in the tenth game and had a chance to win the match.
Novak won after his opponent made a mistake with a forehand. He celebrated after more than three hours and got off to a great start to the season.
Related:
- Rafael Nadal’s Ambition: Beyond Titles, Embracing the Joy of Play
- Novak Djokovic won his 23rd Grand Slam title, and Rafael Nadal talks about it.
- Reilly Opelka’s father criticises the former teacher of Serena Williams and backs Djokovic
- “It was interesting to watch Roger Federer… Novak Djokovic has the stats, is automatic, and never gives up.
