T O P
CastYourBread

The only way Alcaraz won’t lose #1 now is if the great Tommy Paul can win it all


Laogama

That's also the only way Tsitsipas keeps his current live ranking of #2. Otherwise, it's #1 or back to #3.


IncendiaryIdea

Imagine reaching a GS final and dropping in ranking :(


dumb_commenter

Hahaha


yablebab

Come on Tommy, do it for Carlito!


ForgotttenByGod

He'll be out of top 10 within 4 months. Nr.2 is just a start. No way he'll defend all those titles.


yablebab

I thought a bit about it and decided I am not interested in this opinion, but thanks anyway


ForgotttenByGod

No problem, didn't expect you think...


chris_umbra

A few years ago I used to think people were stupid staying up late to waydn UFC or the Super Bowl. Now, after discovering tennis during lock down and seeing Tsistipas play, here I am waking up at 3.45am to watch him on the SF of the Australian Open. Glad it was worth waking up for. Now off to work.....🤦‍♂️


callitajax

So happy for stefanos especially after the heartbreak of FO 21. Makes sense after his most likeable post match interview, that he becomes one of the next gen to finally make the jump.


RVDHAFCA

We give stick to Tsitsipas on this sub in a regular basis, but this is a pretty good performance. He is basically the he only human being that did what he was expected to do this tournament


xtianspanaderia

Some people on here can't even give him proper credit for getting to the final. It's not his fault the other seeded players couldn't get past their respective brackets. -_-


Cappucino_delight

And he played tougher opponents than Djokovic (although I think Djokovic would have won against all of them).


panos_akilas

4 out of 5 times making at least the Semis at AO in the past 5 years...that's pretty good no? Still just 24 years old.


Litmanen_10

It's actually a fucking crazy stat with his age. Can it even be the leading stat? Did anyone from the big three so well in AO before age 25?


panos_akilas

I mean im sure they won it earlier but not sure about consistent deep runs.


PigsLiveOakland

fed won it at 22, reached semis at 23, won it at 24 and again at 25


Tarsiz

All three had won it. Federer won it in 2004 at age 22. Djokovic won it in 2008 at age 20. Nadal won it in 2009 at age 22.


Qwertyui606

Hats off to Stef. When so many seeds lost early, he kept trucking on. He was incredible for the vast majority of this match. Should be a good final, even if Djokovic is heavily favored.


NoleFandom

Stef found it difficult to close out the match in three sets, despite being 2 points away while on serve, and having 2 MPs in the 3rd set tie break. He was especially nervy in the tie break. But a win is a win. Congratulations to Stef for making it to his second GS final. Good luck next time, Karen.


DuarteN10

Which gives you a good indication of how he’s going to feel Sunday


Tranquili5

I don’t think he’ll be facing any match points on Sunday.


BaradaraneKaramazov

Odds are pretty high that he will though


althaz

It's these sorts of nerves which make me think he doesn't have a shot vs Novak. He has the game to beat any guy on the tour. But he doesn't have the mind to beat goats.


Purple-Local-4338

Different pressure when you have nothing to lose v a goat and when you are in a slam SF as a favourite. He's beaten Novak before, do I think he'll beat him here no, cause it's AO, but I'm sure he'll get another win.


Purple-Local-4338

Also beaten both Rafa and Roger at AO so....


[deleted]

[удалено]


Purple-Local-4338

Okay, but saying he doesn't have the mindsets to beat the goats is inaccurate when he has beaten all 3. Like I said don't expect him to break the streak here, but I back him to get more wins in the future


FabulousMarch7464

Idiot


dhillonaire

Out here we believe in Tommy Paul supremacy.


althaz

I hope you're right, but I do not believe.


panos_akilas

> But he doesn't have the mind to beat goats. Literally one of the few players to have multiple wins over all of the big 3. One the few to have beaten them at slams as well. What are you on about?


Floridamanfishcam

Disagree. He's not beating Djokovic on this surface with that backhand even if he had the mind of an all time great.


BabaDuda

That hubris with that 3rd set match point man Djokovic will eat him alive if he ever gets to that point


dhillonaire

It’s one thing to come back from against Khachanov but not against the likes of Nadal, Federer and Paul.


theo7777

Great mental fortitude by Khachanov in the 3rd set breaking to stay in the match and saving a match point on Tsitsipas' serve in the tiebreak. And Tsitsipas didn't really drop his level that much, it was mostly credit to Khachanov. But it didn't last, Tsitsipas was just the better player.


Metazz

The "Tsitsipas Center for Small Kids Who Can't Tweet Good and Who Wanna Meet Margot Robbie Too" in Victoria is just now one match away!


Dongsquad420BlazeIt

Maybe Tommy Paul can beat Nole and both of them can finally realize their dreams. The odds are about the same.


vaireddy

Hahaahaha, this is a fucking brilliant comment. Well done, Sir.


tsamo

Honestly, as long as he did not lose the match, I did not mind that he lost the 3rd set to a clutch Khachanov. This kind of matches build character and temper your nerves, something that Tsitsipas is in need of. Very impressed with how composed came out in the 4th set after not getting that third one though!


SelfishMercury

(African word)


TrWD77

How do you even spell the word he wrote? I tried googling to find out


SelfishMercury

I thought he meant to write "Ubuntu" but like... He put w`s in there for some reason. Also, I love that he thinks African is a language.


TrWD77

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on not thinking African is the name of a language, and just that it's a word from one of the African languages. I am still confused by the things he says and does that aren't hitting tennis balls


Bullets_and_Tears

Yeah it's a word spoken in my country, South Africa, and as such it's a word in an African language. We're part of the African continent, so he wrote nothing wrong.


moanit

Ok but all of Africa doesn’t speak the same language. It’s like calling something a “European word.”


Significant-Secret88

You can probably say Indo-European word, as a word from Indo-European languages though no one would say that really. So "African word" sounds weird at least from a European standpoint, which would be Tsitsipas' too. It might still sound ok to African or South-African people, as another user pointed out. To complicate matters, Afrikaans is also a language, though the word that Tsitsipas wrote is not in Afrikaans I believe, and Afrikaans even belongs to the Indo-European language family.


Bullets_and_Tears

Yeah, I'm an Afrikaans speaking South African. He wrote "Ubuntu" (slightly misspelled), which means 'I am because we are' in Zulu, which is one of our 11 official languages. I think Stef was referring to the crowd support. I'd love to know where he picked up the word though. By the way, you're very knowledgeable, I'm impressed! 😁


roamiedumbass

Second Slam final for Tsitsipas. An AO final was a long time coming, he’s made the SF four times. /u/jsnoodles in the opposite of shambles


Zloggt

For all the shit (heh) we like to give him…he *is* among the top players in the ATP for a reason! Now…he might just try and hope for Paul to win, or at least have more sets like the fourth one once Stefanos plays the final…


gleba080

He might overcome Zverev this year when it comes to achievements


noBlitzPls06

If he wins a grand slam, he will immediately eclipse him


SmurfinWolf

Very entertaining match in my opinion! Congrats to Tsitsipas for pulling through to the final. I've been awake for over 25 hours already (from germany) and took today and monday off work to watch the semis and the final, gonna be up for a few more hours to watch Djokovic vs Paul, so excited!


liamwilde

Watching from Germany aswell..


SmurfinWolf

It's hard being a german tennis fan during the Australian Open.


RVDHAFCA

I actually enjoy watching AO from Europe. And imo its way better than watching USOpen


Bullets_and_Tears

And a South African fan. Up till now the matches started at 2am. Thankfully Stef's match started at 6am.


vanderBoffin

It's hard being an Australian tennis fan during literally the rest of the year.


liamwilde

Move to Europe!! Perth to Hamburg.


vanderBoffin

I lived in Germany for four years actually! It was great for the tennis!


Random-Dude-736

You took monday off, for a match that starts sunday at 09:30 ? 😂


SmurfinWolf

Yep because my sleep schedule is gonna be all messed up.


Less_Prize4895

Respect


RaySwift17

Leessss goooo Djoko-Stef finall!!!


_THIS_IS_THE_WAY_

Crowd will be 100% in favour of Stef since its for the education of all children in Victoria (the state of education). A Novak win will mean a generation of illiterate, uninspired children. Crime and violence will skyrocket and Australia will spiral into anarchy. If you are considering supporting Novak in this final it's time to take a long, hard look in the mirror and reconsider your priorities. There are more important things than tennis.


stewieeeeeeeee

Adds yet another meaning to this https://i.redd.it/dwv4mkrp8uda1.jpg


aqua_cap

Hhahhahahhhahahhahahahhhahhahahahhahahhhahahhahahh. Thank you for the laugh man!


UnKarl_Marx

Novak in his victory speech:- "admiring the great gesture made by Stef I have also decided to donate my prize money for the education of all children in Victoria. See you again next year, Australia"


SausageSandwiches

Eloquently put. Whch is why I've looked in the mirror, did some soul searching and IDEMOOOOOOO.


Falz4567

In the words of the great moralist Micheal Jordan. Fuck them kids


Chaymite

😂


Late_Ad7156

Soooo 3 sets to love for Novak then?


_Maelstrom

novak will lose the first set, regardless of the final result


Dongsquad420BlazeIt

Novaks leg is fucked and he has to play a match today, so Novak in 4.


nozinoz

Okay, I’ll give you Novak in 3 with one tiebreak EDIT: I mean the first set was close enough…


althaz

His leg does not seem to be troubling him at all in the last two matches.


SillyLilHobbit

I think you mean Tommy-stef. And Tommy takes it all in 3!


FalconBF

Tsitsipas absolutely has the game to win this whole thing, if he can put it all together. minus a little bit of choking, that is some of the best i've ever seen him play. but this is Djokovic's turf, and Djokovic had an easy path to the final, so Tsitsipas will need to play the absolute best match of his career. this is Djokovic's trophy to lose but Tsitsipas has such an exciting game, i hope he can put it together


dumb_commenter

The thing is, I’m not sure the absolute best of tsitsi’s career beats djoker right now.


theo7777

The best of Tsitsipas most likely can't beat the best of Djokovic in hard court. His big chance was RG 21 but his level dropped when he saw the finish line.


Tranquili5

Toilet breaks incoming.


Floridamanfishcam

I strongly disagree, unfortunately. The reason Djokovic has beaten him 9 times in a row is because his backhand just isn't there yet. It doesn't have the power or variety to be a weapon and your backhand has to be a weapon to have a shot against Djokovic. I am hoping Tsitsipas can at least make it competitive but the last 9 matches make me feel not too optimistic.


No-Reference-6319

Amen 🙏


Professional_Elk_489

Tsitsipas can be 2-0 up in the final and no one will rate his chances to win


AngloAlbanian999

Ah Stefanos, I like you so so so much. But if you wobble like that against Djokovic it won’t end well.


jiggerriggeroo

It’s hard not to feel like Djokovic is on a mission


q19q19

Stef’s path to the finals: R1: Q. Halys R2: R. Hijikata R3: T. Griekspoor R4: J. Sinner [15] QF: J. Lehecka SF: K. Khachanov [18]


BookkeeperFalse

only sinner was a threat to him


AverageBeef

Lehecka was really solid


_ancora

How was Khachanov not a threat


theo7777

Khachanov has looked better recently but still he shouldn't be considered a big threat to beat Tsitsipas unless Tsitsipas beats himself. Tsitsipas had to play on a higher level to win vs Sinner compared to vs Khachanov.


danny_B01

Considering Karen has never beat him in 6 attempts I'd say not a threat


_ancora

So you didn't watch the match then.


danny_B01

I did. I saw Stef win convincingly. He could've taken it in 3 but choked a service game


theo7777

I didn't think Stef choked in his service game, Khachanov played great in those points. He could have played better in the tiebreak though.


JoeDwarf

How many first serves did he miss that game when it was 5-4? How many UEs?


ilijazunic55

What exactly about this match made you think that Karen was a threat? That he won the third set? I'd call that a slightly nervous finish from Stef, not really brilliant play from Karen. The fourth set was as dominant as you'd like. Stef is just a better tennis player at the moment, nothing more really needs to be said.


_ancora

Perhaps the two giant forehands to save match point? The first 3 very tightly contested sets that could've gone either way?


ilijazunic55

First set sure, the second not so much. Stef played better the longer the match went on and kinda whiffed the tiebreak but recovered quite well and controlled the fourth. Karen wasn't bad but this is his ceiling at the moment.


vartholomew-jo

I'm not gonna downvote you cause you know what they say about opinions, but I'm almost sure we watched a different match.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Rs_swarzee

Very similar to Ruuds path to USO F, which he got a lot of hate for. Wonder why it’s not really mentioned for Stef


No-Reference-6319

I think Stef has already proved his pedigree at AO by having made SF three times prior.


Rs_swarzee

Excellent point, probably the main reason. Thanks


BaradaraneKaramazov

Sinner in R16 who lost the QFs in 5 sets against the eventual champion in his last two slams is much tougher than any opponent Ruud faced. Ruud also gets a lot of hate for being a total non-show in the final losing 11 games in a row.


panos_akilas

List of players Stef has beaten in Slams : Federer , Nadal , Medvedev , Zverev , Murray, Sinner x2 , Rublev , Fritz, Bautista Augut, Dimitrov. Probably why people don't question it either. Proven to be able to advance through tough draws.


noBlitzPls06

Yea even though he isn’t top 10, Sinner is definitely around the level of one (superior to Rublev/Fritz for example)


ChanceVance

And a former RG finalist. He's not some chump that fluked his way to a final.


That-Side-79

Ruud was also a former RG finalist, earlier that same year.


DoctorProfessor69

Ruud is fraudulent


noBlitzPls06

The difference is Tsitsipas has beaten top 10 players several times in Grand Slams, including Roger in AO 2019 and Rafa in AO 2021


BaradaraneKaramazov

And Djokovic at the AO23, it all comes together


Meecs18

His record is generally good in Australia


Itoxicdemon

Great question, not sure why you're downvoted for that.


Available-Phase6972

Probably one of the easiest routes to a grand slam final


theo7777

Yeah, the second easiest route to the final of this tournament.


FalconBF

almost as easy as Djokovic not having to play a single top 10 player en route to both of his last 2 Wimbledon finals, as well as getting to face Tommy Paul in the semis here in Australia


bluegeronimo

Literally not even the easiest route in this grand slam...


MattGeddon

Kyrgios at Wimbledon going to take some beating


studiousmaximus

foot faults, time penalites, choked serving out a set twice… and he still won convincingly. proud of stefanos for making his first AO final! and credit to khachanov for the amazing way he clutched that third set breaker. unreal redlining to steal the set.


Jeffersons_Mammoth

He proved that he can recover from disappointment in convincing fashion. Now there’s just the final boss between him and number one


AaronJ2

Third set tiebreak\* but semantics


kinkybrownkid

first grand slam final for stef!


homesicalien

I see what you did there


yablebab

Found Djoker’s secret Reddit account


jsnoodles

AO Stef >>>> RG Stef.


Familiar-Stock6693

But I love RG Stef 🥹


FeeFooFuuFun

Credit to Stef, he choked a few points but just kept pushing. Pumped for the finals!


modeONE1

Stef will have to build up an even bigger lead than 2 sets to love to chance a chance against Novak lmao. Maybe 2 sets and a break? 😂😂


Vasst13

Scenes when Novak comes back from 0-2 0-5 down and delivers the classic "at this moment I knew he had something to lose" in his champion speech


homesicalien

>Maybe 2 sets and a break? Not enough. It will just make Nole smile in the desire for revenge.


OhNoMoMan

Beating Djoker in the final of an Australian Open makes Tsitsipas the dude going forward and gives him a chance to turn into whoever he wants to be. Still see him winning the first set and then getting eaten but ya can't ask for a better opportunity.


Tranquili5

Losing gives us a stream of brilliant and deep Twitter and Instagram posts though. I know my preference.


shegotofftheplane

Tsitsipas really took the scenic route for that win but managed to get the job done. Tommy Paul in straights.


yablebab

InshAllah


ConsultMass

Pretty awesome for Stef. Gives him a chance to play Novak in the finals and secure the #1 spot. If anything, if he does win, it'd be deserved. You gotta beat the best to be the best.


MrBombastic21

Nice things to say to Eurosport Greece: [https://twitter.com/EurosportGR/status/1618900101493133314](https://twitter.com/EurosportGR/status/1618900101493133314) He was asked about the Big-3 and how they made each other better. Which 3 he would pick as the rivalries that made him better and he chose Djokovic, Medveved saying he is someone that has improved him as a player and also Rublev because he hits stronger than anyone else and you need to have him constantly under pressure. And as a bonus he said Rafa because he helped him grow, especially on clay.


Collecting_Cans

Stef was the better athlete with the wider array of skills, end of story


overkoalafied24

Thank fuck. Holy shit that match was giving me heart palpitations


Bullets_and_Tears

Same here.


Semi-Delusional

The skill ceiling difference between Tsitsipas and Khachanov was clear today


Classics22

Great recovery. That shit takes mental strength after giving away a set like that


Rs_swarzee

Honestly scoreline makes it look closer than it was, stef was levels above today (except 15 mins at the end of 3rd).


MrBombastic21

Υeah, he played against himself in many moments. He could have won it 3-0 with only one TB.


ConsultMass

In both the 1st _and_ 3rd set he needed only two serve it out to win the set and avoid the tiebreak. Could have convincingly won 3-0 without the TBs. He's not even a terrible server, just gets nerved out when he's up and needs to clutch it.


MrBombastic21

Exactly my point. I'm not even talking about the 2 MP. These things happen. But he could have served it out twice.


Bullets_and_Tears

Very happy for Stef, hope he gives Novak a run for his money.


ZaatarCrusted

At some point in the first set, maybe right after Tsitsipas’ double double fault, I felt a bit of an existential void. Just a feeling of, “why does this even matter? Novak will toy with either of these two pretenders in the final”


nozinoz

With that kind of thinking the entire tournament doesn’t matter since Djokovic was a clear favourite before it started


ZaatarCrusted

Oh it’s not about winning, it’s about “toying”. His matches have been very non-competitive. Not his fault obviously, but you feel a bit robbed not watching anyone actually give him a game.


Dongsquad420BlazeIt

His hamstring is destroyed. But he also absolutely slaughtered his last 2 opponents, so maybe he loses 20 games over the next 2 matches.


Arteam90

His hamstring is fine?


ZaatarCrusted

I predicted that he loses no more than 2 sets on his way to the title. He’s lost 1 so far. Maybe Stefanos takes 1 set in the final: https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/10dg6u4/how_many_sets_will_djokovic_drop_on_his_way_to


Real_Pizza

I'm just here to find out what the African word was ¯\\\_ (ツ)\_/¯


Bullets_and_Tears

Ubuntu, he just misspelled it slightly. It means 'I am because we are'. It's an Nguni (Zulu) word, spoken here in South Africa. I think Stef was referring to the crowd that supported him so much.


Real_Pizza

Nice thank you for the explanation.


Bullets_and_Tears

You're welcome. I'm kinda chuffed that he used it 😂


ZhtWu

If Tsitsipas manages to reiterate his FO 2021 final feat, we might need to equip this sub with a defibrillator for u/jsnoodles.


jsnoodles

I’ll be at the first aid room in RLA.


Parianos

Stefanos has been playing amazingly well so far. I believe he has unfinished business against Djokovic, who is cruising against Paul right now, but has a destroyed left leg and looks quite gassed. The final will be much closer than people anticipate. Djokovic in 4.


Jeffersons_Mammoth

Dare I believe that the Small Kid can fight against Nole?


FalconBF

he absolutely has the game to do it, the only other two grand slam matches they’ve played have gone to 5 sets each


sarmatron

that backhand will absolutely not hold up against a healthy Novak.


FalconBF

more than likely not, but assuming Novak is healthy (big if, based on his own words) i still feel like Tsitsipas has more of a chance than most of this sub seems to be giving him. Tsitsipas has taken Novak to 5 sets both times they’ve played in slams, both times Novak was 100% healthy


andrefishmusic

I think so, specially with how he's been playing


ktssaiteja

Hey Novak, Stefanos just made it into his *first* GS final!


skincarethrowaway665

Small kid put up a good fight


CantThinkOfAUser_Yet

Normality seems to be resuming in tennis


No-Reference-6319

AO finalist! Who would have thunk it when he went out in the first round to Galan of all people at the last USO? So happy for him!


Sweaty_Manager_2517

He didnt even celebrate that one that much because he know who he will meet in the final lol


[deleted]

His strategy for the final has to be just swing and be fearless. its the only way


koticgood

People that say tennis is mostly mental are insane. Karen was better mentally today, but Tsitsipas just outclassed him. Can see why some commentators might say that, since tennis does really feel like a battle against yourself and a pursuit of perfection/focus, but at the end of the day, talent is talent. Tsitsipas just dominated the court with his forehand, matched or exceeded Khachanov on serve, and shrunk the court with his superior defensive skills. Khachanov made it a good match, for sure. Very solid, aggressive when he could be, served great. Just not enough dimensions to his game to break through.


[deleted]

at this level i don't think he has a chance against Novak. Nice match tho.


SausageSandwiches

Stefanos, so hot right now. Well done Tsitsipas, he's playing some exceptional tennis. Hopefully he'll give Novak something to remember him by in the final.


matterpink1

i’m good with this matchup for the finals


q19q19

Tsitsipas v. Tommy Paul?


matterpink1

Greek God vs American Underdog, a tale as old as time


ankhar_premium1

For some reason I thought it was gonna go 5 or at least a tight 4 setter after Khachanov’s comeback…


crypto_diddy

At least now Novak gets to play someone in the final, that is not lost in the space and time...


FultonHomes

It's time to be champion


brokenearth10

Tsitsipas is playing the best tennis of his life right now. It's time he gets a grand slam?


randomtoken

I love Novak, I really do, but please for the love of God PLEASE let Stef win this thing 😩


mrstat88

Has Stef always ripped his forehand like this? It looks to me like he’s hitting it harder and better than ever


explorer0333

The Australian open trophy(Runner up) where 127 players play each other to lose against Novak Djokovic in the Final goes to Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greek this year.


SharksFanAbroad

Boy you shoulda known by now, Tsitsi does it.


sw2bh

African word?!??


samplespacefree

[REDACTED] should be very proud of his Australian Open, played quite well and put up a good fight in this match too. Looking forward to see the form [REDACTED] brings to the rest of this year’s season!


SeparatePromotion236

Good to see Khachanov took a set off Tsitipas. Didn’t have time to watch except followed the live scores, hope it was a respectful but well contested match.


Bullets_and_Tears

It was respectful, no dramas of the wrong kind.


cloutier85

Can't wait for tommy Paul to win joker


Dark_Vengence

Tittypass is in career best form. Will be a big challenge for nole. I think it will be five sets.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

that would be a shitty final for a GS.


Melony567

if if if does not exist but a rune and korda winning in qf would have been more unpredictable


squeeze_it_do_it

Worst aus open in a long time games been so dull


trala7

Fuck now I have to support Novak in the final 😔