Novak Djokovic Wins Australian Open A Year After Deportation Over Jab

Serbian Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-3, 7-6, 7-6, officially emerging as the Australian Open men’s singles champion Sunday.

“I’m super blessed and grateful,” Djokovic said after winning his match in Melbourne Park.

A Twitter user congratulated Djokovic on his win, writing, “So happy for you and thank you for being a man of principle in a classy way. Oh, and you were right about the vax!!!! Keep being the voice of reason and example of class!!”

The Sunday game was the second time Djokovic and Tsitsipas faced off against each other in a major final match, with the Serbian player emerging victorious both times. Tsitsipas previously lost a set of five against Djokovic in 2019.

Djokovic’s win marks the 10th Australian Open title of his career and comes a year after he was barred from playing at Melbourne Park and later deported by the Australian government because he chose to not take a COVID-19 inoculation.

Australian government restrictions have since been lessened, allowing Djokovic to get a visa for the trip despite him holding strong and refusing to take the shots.

“Obviously what happened 12 months ago was not easy for me, for my family, team, anybody who is close to me. It’s obviously disappointing to leave the country like that,” Djokovic commented in regard to the deportation.

“You can’t forget those events… But it is a valuable life experience for me and something that as I said will stay there, but I have to move on.”

The famous tennis player now holds the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings.

Tsitsipas’s loss was not unexpected, especially given that Djokovic has a long and largely successful history playing in tennis championships. As the New York Post reported, Djokovic has participated in 22 major championships, including three from the US Open, two from the French Open, and seven from Wimbledon. This record for most championships played by a man in tennis history is tied with only one person, Rafael Nadal.