On a warm January evening in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic fell to the court and let the moment overwhelm him. The 20-year-old from Belgrade had just beaten Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(7–2) to win the Australian Open, becoming the first Serbian man to claim a Grand Slam singles title.
An underdog storms the opening act
The final paired a world No.3 against an unseeded Frenchman ranked No.38 who had captured the crowd’s imagination. Tsonga had stunned Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the semifinals and carried that fire into the first set, breaking Djokovic in the ninth game with back‑to‑back winners. He took it 6‑4 and looked capable of running away with the trophy.
Patience undoes the power
Djokovic did not retreat. He absorbed Tsonga's pace, gradually pulled the match onto his own terms, and levelled the contest by claiming the second set 6‑4.
As Tsonga’s energy began to fade, Djokovic’s consistency tightened its grip. A clean 6‑3 third set pushed the Serb within one set of his breakthrough.
Tsonga leaned on his serve to force a fourth‑set tiebreak, but Djokovic locked it down 7–2 with a disciplined finish. His camp, wearing shirts that read “Nole,” erupted as their player dropped to the hardcourt.
Where the record books split
The victory ended Roger Federer’s run of ten consecutive major finals — Djokovic had beaten the two‑time defending champion in the semifinals. It also produced the first major final since the 2005 Australian Open without either Federer or Nadal. At 20, Djokovic had opened a new chapter entirely.
The match remained Tsonga’s only Grand Slam final. For Djokovic, it was the seed of an all‑time record 24 major titles. “I know the crowd wanted him to win more,” Djokovic told the Melbourne crowd during the ceremony, “That’s O.K. It’s all right. I still love you guys. Don’t worry.”
The Belgrade boy who had entered the top 100 barely three years earlier now stood alongside the sport’s champions. It would take him another three years to win a second major, but when that 2011 season arrived, it reshaped the game.
