Novak Djokovic defeats Tsitsipas to clinch Astana Open title

Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4, in the final to win the third edition of the Astana Open.

Djokovic clinched the 90th title of his career and the fourth of 2022 with a dominant straight-sets victory over Tsitsipas in the ATP final in Astana on Sunday.

It was the ninth consecutive match victory for the fourth seed, Djokovic, who won the title a week ago in Tel Aviv. This was the 90th tour-level title for the 35-year-old and it required only 75 minutes.

It was the ninth time Stefanos Tsitsipas played in an ATP 500 final—and the ninth time he came up empty. Djokovic now leads their ATP head-to-head series 8-2 and has won the past seven.

As a result of the win, the Serbian star secures himself a top 20 spot in the ATP Live Race to Turin after the 2022 Paris Masters, meaning the reigning Wimbledon champion qualifies for the 2022 ATP Finals as a current-year Grand Slam winner. It was the 90th career tour-level title for Djokovic and the fourth of 2022.

When the on-court interviewer observed that Djokovic probably never dreamed of 90 ATP Tour titles, Djokovic shook his head.

“I dared to dream, actually. I always hoped that I would have a great career,” he corrected.

“Obviously, I didn’t know the number of finals I was going to play, the number of tournaments I was going to win, but my intention was always to reach the highest heights in our sport,” he added.

Tsitsipas will return to the Top 5 in the ATP Rankings on Monday, and the 24-year-old Greek still leads all ATP Tour players with 53 match wins.

Djokovic began the match with an extraordinary level of play, winning the first game at love in a little over one minute. With Tsitsipas serving at 3-4, Djokovic took the only break point of the first set. 

Djokovic earned another break in the fifth game of the second set when a Tsitsipas drop shot fell into the net. The Serb converted his third match point with a backhand winner into the open court.

Employing the drop shot that undid Daniil Medvedev in a semi-final tie-break, Djokovic went on to create the only break point of the first set. After Tsitsipas over-hit a forehand, Djokovic served it out, finishing with a flourish—an ace outside.

Djokovic scored another break in the fifth game of the second set when a frustrated Tsitsipas attempted a drop shot that fell into the net. Later, Djokovic converted his third match point with a backhand winner into the open court.

“I’m just very grateful and blessed to be able to play this well at this stage of my life,” said Djokovic.

“You know, 35 is not 25. But I think the experience, probably, in these kinds of matches and big occasions helps as well to approach mentally in the right way,” he added.

Djokovic was banned from the US Open and the entire North American hard court swing after his refusal to be vaccinated before returning for Roger Federer’s farewell in the Laver Cup team event in London last month.

When asked about whether the three months away from tennis after his win at Wimbledon made him hungrier for success, Djokovic said, “Well, it did. I could not ask for a better re-start of the season. I’m super-pumped and motivated to end the season as well as I have done these past couple of weeks.”

Tsitsipas consistently struggled to land his forehand, while Djokovic won 87% (33/38) of his first-serve points. He did not face a break point, hitting 15 winners and committing only seven unforced errors. 

This was the 10th all-Top-10 final of the year and the second at an ATP 500 event after World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Tsitsipas at the 2022 Rotterdam final.