Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has proved his mettle as the world's best player once again when he defeated his Russian counterpart in Daniil Medvedev in the men's singles division of the Australian Open. His victory in the championship stage earned him the 18th Grand Slam title of his illustrious playing career, via ESPN.

Despite being tagged as the No. 1 seeded player, Djokovic still encountered a handful of close calls in the early stages of the tournament. An unranked opponent in American Frances Tiafoe held his ground against Djokovic and even threatened to pull off an upset in the second round of the Australian Open. However, the Serbian star still emerged victorious on a 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 victory to advance to the next round.

The following bouts turned out to be challenging for Djokovic as most of the competitors in the men's singles division were eager to dethrone him. Taylor Fritz, Milos Raonic, and Alexander Zverev proved to be worthy opponents as they all stretched their matches against Djokovic to at least four sets each.

He eventually found himself matching up against the overachieving Aslan Karatsev in the semi-finals tilt of the tournament. However, Djokovic's veteran experience proved to be the difference as the 33-year-old escaped with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory to advance to the championship stage.

In the finals, Djokovic was caught by surprise as Medvedev held his ground in the opening set. After winning 7-5, the Serbian then pulled away in the succeeding sets, 6-2, 6-2, to grab the ninth Australian Open title of his career.

It may not have been an easy path to the crown but Novak Djokovic managed to show that he still has a lot left to give for the sport of tennis in the years to come.