DailyExpertNews
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Twelve months after being expelled from the country, Novak Djokovic is back in Australia, winning titles and preparing for the Australian Open.
Djokovic won his first title in Australia since last year’s deportation, defeating American Sebastian Korda in an epic three-setter final 6-7(8) 7-6(3) 6-4 at the Adelaide International on Sunday.
With a championship point at 5-6 in the second set, it looked like the Serb would succumb to a shock defeat to the world number 33.
He had seemed visibly frustrated after Korda won the first set, yelling and gesturing to his player box.
“I want to thank my team for dealing with me, tolerating me in good times and bad today,” Djokovic said afterwards, according to Sky Sports. “I’m sure they didn’t like me going back and forth with them, but I appreciate them being here.”
But the 21-time Grand Slam winner’s experience showed, and he fought back from championship point to take the second set in a tiebreaker and clinch the title in the third.
The win was Djokovic’s 92nd tour-level trophy, tying Rafael Nadal’s win for the fourth most singles titles in the Open Era, behind only Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (103) and Ivan Lendl (94).
“It was a great week and you made it even more special. For me it is a gift to be here, absolutely,” Djokovic told the crowd afterwards, according to the ATP website. “I gave everything today and all week to get my hands on the trophy.
“The support I’ve received over the past 10 days is something I don’t think I’ve experienced too often in my life, so thank you very much [to] everyone to come out every game.”
It provides Djokovic with the perfect platform to launch his Australian Open campaign as he seeks to win his 10th title and equal the men’s record of Grand Slam singles titles, currently held at 22 by Nadal.
The Australian Open kicks off in Melbourne on January 16.