MELBOURNE, Australia — There was at least one cry of ‘C’mon Ali,’ and later one fan waved a photo of boxing legend on Sunday at the Australian Open, bringing the charged atmosphere of a title fight to this tennis final.
After about three hours, it was all about the man with a four-letter nickname, Nole. That would be third-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia, not his opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, the young-looking Ali.
If there was any confusion, the proud Djokovic family firmly stayed on message despite the historical implications and wave of jubilation following son and brother Novak’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (2) victory against the unseeded Tsonga in 3 hours 6 minutes.
They spelled out his nickname, each wearing a letter on their white shirts. Dad, Srdjan, wore, N, mother, Dijana, O, middle brother, Marko, L, and the caboose and youngest brother, Djordje, E.
You had to admire their precision. If dad had moved too far after Tsonga hit forehand wide on match point, it would have been OLE, a perfectly apt expression. Or a little jumbling could have produced NOEL.
Well, it was going to be Christmas in Belgrade after the 20-year-old Djokovic’s first major, becoming the first Serbian male to win a Grand Slam singles title. (Monica Seles won multiple Slams competing under the Yugoslav flag in the early ’90s.)
“I can imagine what is happening on the streets of Belgrade,” said Djokovic, who upset No. 1 Roger Federer in the semifinals.
“We’re a small country, and this is something amazing for us. This is something that is unexplainable.”
His often boundless self-confidence stayed in check … well, sort of, when he was asked whether the Federer era of dominance had ended. Federer had appeared in 10 consecutive Slam finals before he lost to Djokovic.
“No, I don’t think so, no,” said Djokovic, who lost one set in seven matches. “I mean, it’s not possible that only one tournament is changing the history. Of course, I mean, I played amazing tennis here, so I think I absolutely deserved to win, even against him in the semifinals.”
Now there’s now a three-way race for titles with Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and, perhaps, Tsonga, if he can avoid the one-Slam wonder tag so often hitting Australian finalists.
That, hopefully, won’t be the line on the 22-year-old Tsonga.
Djokovic captured the title but never quit working and talking, trying to win the pro-Tsonga crowd over during the trophy ceremony.
“I know the crowd wanted him to win more,” he said. “That’s OK. It’s all right. I still love you guys, don’t worry.”
Tsonga, who was ranked 38th in the world — he jumped to 18 Monday — arrived in Melbourne with ample promise, having climbed back slowly after a series of potentially career-threatening injuries. His great leap forward, however, was supposed to come in months, not mere weeks in 2008.
But Tsonga beat four players ranked in the top 15, including a straight-set dismantling of No. 2 Nadal in the semifinals. He won over Melbourne Park, always ready to embrace a charming newcomer, with his sheer power, artful touch and Ali-like joy.
“It’s just unbelievable because the crowd was unbelievable. A lot of noise and everything. I had frisson (goosebumps). It was crazy,” he said, smiling.
Tsonga had the crowd on its feet with back-to-back sensational shots to take the first set, breaking Djokovic in the 10th game. At 30-30, Djokovic couldn’t put away a smash and Tsonga cracked a forehand passing shot. One point later, Tsonga won the set with a lob winner from off balance.
That rarefied level was always going to be difficult to sustain.
The butterfly eventually got tired, and Djokovic, though tiring himself, was better able to absorb the sting from his shots. And Tsonga, perhaps showing the tension, complained to the chair umpire on a couple of occasions about Djokovic’s habit of taking too much time between points, bouncing the ball almost endlessly before his own serve.
Djokovic later said he knew if he could stay close he could “get control of the match.” Though younger than Tsogna, he had considerably more Grand Slam experience, most notably losing to Federer in the U.S. Open final last year, in which he blew seven set points in the first two sets.
So could an often jittery Djokovic finish an often physically punishing match? It looked dubious when he needed treatment at one point for his left hamstring, but he would save a break point in the 11th game of the fourth set with a poised backhand volley.
Tsonga’s nerves finally surfaced, at least more visibly, in the final minutes. He did not double fault until the 2:58 mark, and then had two within five minutes, the first in the 12th game of the fourth and the second coming at 1-4 in the tiebreak.
Three points later, Djokovic was the champion.
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