In what position of the ATP ranking does Novak Djokovic stand after winning the 2023 Australian Open?

There was not a spare seat in the house, as all of Melbourne turned out to see world number four Stefanos Tsitsipas take on world number five Novak Djokovic in the Men’s Singles final of the 2023 Australian Open.

With the crowd evenly split between Greek and Serbian flags, the support for both men was extremely vocal, often bordering on cacophony. With each shot and smash carrying a loud “ooh” from the crowd, chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell had to call for quiet several times through the match.

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Novak Djokovic did not disappoint in the opening set, looking almost unstoppable as he romped to 6-3 in almost record time, winning serve after serve.

Any thoughts that this would be a simple, clinical dispatching of Tsitsipas were put to rest when the Greek stormed back in the second set, leaving Djokovic looking rattled and frustrated through a tough slog. With increasingly vocal fans, both players were shouting up to their coaches in between points and the proceedings threatened to descend into mayhem on several occasions.

A back-and-forth set saw each man unwilling to bend, with Tsitsipas keenly aware that dropping the set would be close to fatal for his chances, and Djokovic increasingly aggressive and angry as he was unable to break the Greek’s game. The second set went to an emotional tie-break as Djoko was finally able to squeak through 7-6 and take a two-set lead.

The third set picked up where the second left off, neither man giving an inch of ground to the other, and the supporters ramping the volume into levels not frequently seen in tennis. Tsitsipas jumped out to a one point lead, but Djokovic came back, winning the next two points. The pendulum swung again and the Greek evened the score before the two men traded leads.

In the end, it was the unforced errors that were the difference, with Tsitsipas racking up 24 to Djokovic’s five. The young pretender was his own worst enemy as he left too much open for the old master to capitalize on.

While Tsitsipas kept things uncomfortable for Novak, it was never going to end but one way, and although it took a second tie-break to do it, the title went the way of the Serbian legend in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5).

ATP Rankings

The prize on offer for the winner coming into this final was more than just the cash and kudos of Melbourne, as both men would vault into the world number one spot if they won it. Coming into the match, the top five looked like this:

Both Tsitsipas and Djokovic leapfrogged Ruud and Nadal by virtue of being in the final, no matter the outcome, but winning the event has brought Novak Djokovic back to the spot that many feel is rightfully his, leaving Tsitsipas in a career-high world number three spot. This is now the 10th Australian Open title and 22nd Grand Slam for the Serb, tying Rafa Nadal’s record for most slam wins.

The current ATP top five looks like this: