Novak Djokovic has the chance to match Rafael Nadal's tally of 22 Grand Slam titles when he takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's Australian Open final.
The mercurial Tsitsipas won two of the pair's first three meetings but has failed to defeat his rival in their nine matches since, including going down in the final of the 2021 French Open.
On that occasion, he raced into a two-set lead, only to be overwhelmed by his opponent, who roared back to become the first man in the Open Era to complete multiple Career Grand Slams.
Djokovic's first Grand Slam success came in Melbourne in 2008 and with a record nine Australian Open titles to his name, there is every chance he will extend his benchmark to 10 on Sunday.
Australian Open Men's Final Tips
- Djokovic to win 3-1 @ 5/2
- Tsitsipas Second Set Winner @ 9/4
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Djokovic to win 3-1 @ 5/2
Djokovic has still to drop a set in Melbourne this year, even with the added difficulty of a thigh injury. However, a look at his run to the final reveals that he has been relatively untested and faces a step up in quality on Sunday.
There might be fears in the 35-year-old's camp that he could be undercooked but it is unlikely to be the case for Tsitsipas, who was taken to five sets in the fifth round by Jannik Sinner, while he also dropped a set in the semis against Karen Khachanov, albeit via a tie-break.
The 24-year-old has also been wound up by opponents in the past, most notably Nick Kyrgios last summer at Wimbledon and the size of his task against Djokovic might still be too much.
Tsitsipas has of course between Djokovic before, while he has also taken sets off the Serbian in defeat, and although he can do so again in Melbourne, the nine-time champion's class on these courts will tell in the end.
Tsitsipas second set winner @ 9/4
It is not coming as a surprise if Tsitsipas takes a set and he looks a good price to win the second.
The Greek has failed to win a set against Djokovic in three of the pair's last four meetings, including at last year's ATP Finals, but that might change on Sunday.
He took two off him at Roland Garros two years ago but failed to capitalise and there remain doubts as to whether he has the edge to see out the big moments.
However, he has won the second in all of his matches this year in Melbourne and may place an extra focus on winning that, with Djokovic expected to come out and stamp his authority on the match from the off.
A price of 9/4 for Tsitsipas to win the second set appeals, especially as he did just that in their meeting at Roland Garros in 2021.
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