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MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic was simply too good at the most crucial moments and claimed his 10th Australian Open championship and 22nd Grand Slam title overall by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in the final at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night.
The victory allows Djokovic to return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
The 35-year-old from Serbia did not compete in the Australian Open a year ago after being deported from the country because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
![Novak Djokovic reaches for a backhand during his straight-sets victory in the Australian Open final, his 22nd career major title.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Novak-Djokovic.jpg?w=1024)
![Stefanos Tsitsipas hits a backhand during his Australian Open loss.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Stefanos-Tsitsipas-1.jpg?w=1024)
Government restrictions have eased since, and he was able to get a visa this time despite still not having gotten the shots against the illness caused by the coronavirus.
Now Djokovic has run his winning streak at the hard-court tournament to 28 matches.
His 10th trophy in Australia adds to the record he already held. His 22 major championships — which include seven from Wimbledon, three from the U.S. Open and two from the French Open — are tied with Rafael Nadal for the most by a man in the history of tennis.
Tsitsipas fell to 0-2 in major finals. He also lost to Djokovic at the 2021 French Open.
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