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On February 21, 2021, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic won his ninth Australian Open men’s single championship title after beating Russian tennis icon Daniil Medvedev in the final by 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, at the iconic Melbourne Park. Djokovic was defending the title in the tournament as he was winning the tournament for the previous two editions (2019 and 2020). Prior to the competition, the veteran tennis player was the top-ranked player according to ATP rankings and he justified his role with his scintillating success at the event.
While it was also the 18th Grand Slam title of his illustrious career, Medvedev was the fourth-ranked player then. During his journey, Djokovic got the better of illustrious names Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final and Aslan Karatsev in the semi-final to set the final against Medvedev.
Before the tournament, Djokovic almost saw himself getting ruled out of the competition after doctors declared his abdominal muscles were torn. However, he didn’t lose courage and managed the injury superbly to script history. The competition was the 109th edition of the Australian Open, the 53rd in the Open Era, and as usual the first major tournament of the year.
Djokovic continued his dominance with his 2023 Australian Open victory
After the 2021 success, Djokovic failed to defend the title next year but in 2023, he won his record-extending 10th Australian Open title after hammering Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas by 6-3, 7-6, 7-6. However, he failed to continue his dominance as young Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner emerged winners in the next two editions (2024 and 2025).
Sinners’ 2025 success made him the first and only Italian to win two consecutive Australian Open titles. The 23-year-old became the youngest player to achieve the feat after America’s Jim Courier, who won the titles in 1992-93 at the age of 22 years.