ADELAIDE – Novak Djokovic had been thankful to Australian fans on his return to the country and the Serb expressed his gratitude once again on Sunday after winning in the Adelaide International 1 final.

The 35-year-old dug deep to save a match point en route to a 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory over American Sebastian Korda as he built up the momentum ahead of the Jan 16-29 Australian Open.

“It’s been an amazing week and you guys made it even more special. For me to be standing here is a gift, definitely,” Djokovic told the crowd during the trophy ceremony.

“I gave it all today and throughout the week in order to be able to get my hands on the trophy.

“The support that I’ve been getting in the past 10 days is something that I don’t think I’ve experienced too many times in my life, so thank you so much (to) everyone for coming out every single match.”

A day after he overwhelmed Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final despite suffering a hamstring injury, Djokovic moved freely on court but was pushed hard by Korda before he made a late charge to deny his 22-year-old opponent a potentially career-defining win.

Korda broke for a 5-4 lead in a tense first set and was 40-0 up on serve when Djokovic hit back to level the scores, but the world No. 5 came undone in the tiebreak as the American soaked up the pressure to convert his seventh set point.

A fuming Djokovic yelled at and banished two members of his entourage from their courtside seats before the second set, in which he uncharacteristically struggled with his returns to allow Korda to dominate the rallies.

But with the crowd behind him on his Australian comeback following his deportation in 2022 due to his unvaccinated coronavirus status, the Serb raised his game to save a match point before forcing a tiebreak which the top seed won.

Djokovic held for a 5-4 lead in the final set and closed out victory with a break of serve as Korda finally felt the pressure and double-faulted before making two errors.

Djokovic also thanked his team for tolerating him in good and bad times.

“Today I’m sure they didn’t have a blast with me going back and forth with them,” he said, while congratulating Korda on his good run to the final.

“Amazing tournament, amazing effort today. I’d probably say that you were closer to victory today than I was,” he told his less-heralded opponent.

“Tough luck today, but the future is bright for you, so just keep going, and you’re an amazing player. Well done.”

Djokovic is gunning for a record-extending 10th Australian Open title to draw level with his great rival Rafael Nadal on 22 Slam titles.

In the women’s final, Aryna Sabalenka said she was ready for a “big fight” at the year’s first Grand Slam after firing a warning shot by winning her first title since 2021.

The world No. 5 ended a slump of three consecutive defeats in WTA finals with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) victory against 18-year-old rising Czech teenager Linda Noskova.

The Belarusian double-faulted on the first of three match points but sent over a serve winner on the second to wrap up the afternoon.

“I’m super happy with another title, it was a great week,” Sabalenka said. “I enjoyed every moment here in Adelaide, I’m happy with my performance.

“My serve helped me a lot, today especially. I was able to put her under pressure on her serve. I think that’s why I won today.”

The second seed, a holder of 10 titles, added one more to her career total as she put her veteran’s experience to good use, ending the week without the loss of a set.

The 24-year-old last lifted a trophy at the Madrid Open in May 2021 and is optimistic about her Australian Open chances after her week in South Australia.

“I just feel that I’m ready to show my best. I’m ready for a big fight,” she said. REUTERS, AFP