Novak Djokovic will always be the favorite but Stefanos Tsitsipas can make life difficult for the Serb in Australian Open final, says John McEnroe
Tennis legend John McEnroe said that while Novak Djokovic is the favorite to win the Australian Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas is capable of making life difficult for him if the two meet in the final.
Tsitsipas and Djokovic are the highest-ranked players left in the men's singles tournament of the Asia-Pacific Major, and there is a good chance we could see them lock horns in Sunday's title clash.
While speaking on Eurosport, McEnroe said that Tsitsipas has certain elements in his game which could make life difficult for Djokovic if the two meet in the final. However, the American claimed that the Serb would always be the favorite to win.
"Tsitsipas has options in his game that can make life difficult for him in the final, but Novak will always be the favourite," McEnroe said.
The 63-year-old added that he wouldn't be surprised if an outsider won the Australian Open in 2023. He also called this year's tournament the "Grand Slam of surprises."
"However, we see surprises in the tournament, so it will not surprise me if the outsider wins the title. This is the most unpredictable Grand Slam I can remember in years. It is the Grand Slam of surprises," McEnroe said.
Novak Djokovic has won 10 out of 12 matches against Stefanos Tsitsipas
Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas have locked horns on 12 occasions, with the Serb winning 10 of those.
Tsitsipas' only Grand Slam final so far was against Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open. The Greek won the first two sets but the Serb bounced back to win the next three and win the clay-court Major. Tsitsipas and Djokovic met four times last season, with the latter winning all of them.
The Greek was asked in his post-match press conference if he felt this could be the year when he would win a Grand Slam. Tsitsipas responded by saying that he was compelled to say yes as he felt great with his tennis and his mentality was different.
"I'm feeling great with my tennis. I don't think I felt so good in a long time. I will definitely say yes to it. I've said it, I'm a different player, playing different. My mentality is different. When I'm out on the court, I don't really think of negatives, to be honest. I just go out there and play the game," Tsitsipas said.