Russell Fuller
Tennis correspondent at Melbourne Park

I think there is very good reason to be hopeful for a great final.

Tsitsipas has been playing fantastically well and he's up against Djokovic and it goes without saying he is in prime form.

For Djokovic a 22nd Grand Slam title will bring him level with not just Rafael Nadal but with Steffi Graf. It will be a first for Greece as well as for Tsitsipas if he wins the title. and I can't remember a more crowded Melbourne Park on the final day.

There's a huge Greek population in this city, a sizeable Serb one too and many of them are wearing national colours and wearing or carrying national flags.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park

Image source, BBC Sport

This group of Tsitsipas fans were among the early-birds down at Melbourne Park today.

Voula Bitsikas was born in Greece but you can tell she's been in Australia for a while by the word she chooses to desribe how she feels about seeing Tsitsipas in the final.

"Stoked!" she says. "He's putting Greece on the map."

If Tsitsipas wins, the celebrations in Melbourne tonight will be "madness" says Voula's friend Olga Georgatos.

"The Greek community will go crazy, especially in Oakleigh - that's the suburb which we call 'Little Athens'.

"Head down there if he wins - that's where the action will be."

Annabel Croft
Former British number one on BBC Radio 5 Live

Djokovic doesn't know how many more times he is going to be able to put himself in this position, and there is 11 years difference between these two. Tsitsipas is a young pretender coming up and there are a lot of younger guys coming through. Carlos Alcaraz wasn't able to compete here and he's world number one at the moment. Djokovic knows that this is important today.

During the tournament I thought Djokovic was the favourite but I'm not so sure now. I think it is 50/50 today.

I think the crowd will be very vocal but there is also going to be a huge amount of Greek support as well. Djokovic has to be careful. He's so experienced in these situations. He has played Roger Federer in Arthur Ashe Stadium in the US Open final and has had 20,000 people baying for his blood. Even at Wimbledon actually, and he's able to block it out and it says so much about the strength of character the man has.

Today he will need to really focus and he can't let that crowd get on top of him emotionally.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park

Image source, BBC Sport

Watching Novak Djokovic is a family occasion for many Serbs.

Bobby Stanisic is here with his grandma Srbijanka and his auntie Bogdana - who were both born in Serbia before emigrating to Melbourne.

It turns out Srbijanka, who tells me she left for Serbia "for a bit" in 1972 and is "still here", has been attracting attention herself.

Why? "Because she's an 84-year-old grandmother who has been cheering on Novak like she is 24!" says Bobby.

"People have been taking photos of her left, right and centre."

Srbijanka and Bogdana have been watching Djokovic's matches here ever since he first came to Australia as a young player, including many of his nine previous triumphs.

Needless to say they are certain he will win number 10 today...

Image source, Getty Images

Despite the results, it hasn't been the easiest tournament for Djokovic on or off the court.

In the early rounds, he was hampered by a hamstring injury picked up prior to arriving in Melbourne, while in recent days, he also had to deal with controversy surrounding his father Srdjan, who was pictured with supporters of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Despite those potential distractions, he's fully focused on the job at hand.

"I don't think it's particularly different in terms of stress or what I'm going through on the court comparing to most of the other Slams I played in my life," he said.

"Of course, I feel it. I feel pressure. I feel stress as any other player. I feel nerves. I feel excitement. There's a lot of different emotions that go through.

"The experience of being in this particular situation and circumstances before helps. The fact that I have never lost in Australian Open finals definitely serves as a great confidence booster.

"But, of course, the job still needs to be done on the court."

It's been 15 years since Djokovic won the Australian Open for his very first Grand Slam title.

He was just 20 at the time. Little did he, or we, know what he would go on to achieve.

Image source, Getty Images

Annabel Croft
Former British number one on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think this is going to be really close and if anything, I am slightly edging towards Tsitsipas being able to do it.

Obviously there's so much on the line. It's not just the title, it's the history books as well with Djokovic trying to tie with Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slams and the unfinished business of last year where he wasn't able to compete at the Australian Open. He wants to come back and win his 10th title.

But there is also the world number one on the line and for Tsitsipas he wants his first Grand Slam title.

When they met at the French Open in the final, Tsitsipas led by two sets to love and wasn't able to get the job done so there is so much bubbling around under the surface with this particular final today.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park

Image source, BBC Sport

One of my favourite fun factoids - and apologies to those who have seen this multiple times - is Melbourne is claimed to be the city with the biggest Greek population outside of Athens and Thessaloniki.

The large wave of Greeks migrated to Melbourne when the Australian government provided assisted passage to tens of thousands in 1952, paving the way for the explosion of Greek migration.

About 180,000 Greeks live in Melbourne, according to a 2021 census.

Unsurprisingly that has led to a strong influence on communities, culture and culinary.

One of the most famous Greek food joints even offers a 'Tsitsipas Souvlaki' every year during the Australian Open, with the proceeds going to the Australian Tennis Foundation.

Maybe not one for a Sunday morning in the UK but if you are wondering, it's rammed with marinated lamb, hot chips, tomato, feta, tzatziki, pomegranate seeds, onion and mint.

Image source, BBC Sport

Stefanos Tsitsipas is bidding to win his first Grand Slam title today.

This is the 24-year-old's second appearance in a major final - he faced Novak Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final, leading Djokovic by two sets before losing in a five-set battle.

Win today and Tsitsipas would become the first Greek player in history to win a Grand Slam. He would also become the youngest man to win the title in Melbourne since 2011, when, yep, you guessed it, Djokovic won the title at 23 years and 253 days.

Image source, BBC Sport

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park

As well as the Serbs in Melbourne, millions more will be excitedly jumping out of bed back home and glued to their television screens this morning.

"It will be 9:30am back there and I imagine people will mainly be watching at home," Serb journalist Nikola Djukic tells me.

"We have tradition of watching sport in cafes and bars - mainly football and sometimes big Djokovic matches - but I think most people will watch at home today because of the time."

If Djokovic wins a 10th title - the deseta as it is being described in Serbia - then it is expected he will return to Belgrade for a civic parade - known as a svecani docek - in front of thousands of supporters at the capital city's Gradska Skupstina city hall.

"This is a big celebration where he meets the president, other politicians and, of course, all the people who idolise him," adds Djukic.

"There have been a few of these occasions over the years, although they are saved for his biggest wins.

"A 10th title here, and a 22nd to equal Nadal's record, would fall into that category."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

A stupid question really. This man needs no introduction.

Novak Djokovic is one of tennis' greats, and the king of Rod Laver Arena.

He has won a record nine Australian Open titles, and should he win one more today, would equal Rafael Nadal's men's all-time record haul of 22 Grand Slam titles.

If he wins, he will be just the second male player to win at least 10 titles at a single Grand Slam event, behind Nadal's 14 Roland Garros titles.

Djokovic has never lost a final at Melbourne Park.

Image source, BBC Sport

For the second successive Grand Slam men's singles final, the winner is guaranteed to become world number one when the new rankings are published on Monday.

Novak Djokovic would begin a 374th week in the top spot, while Stefanos Tsitsipas would become the 29th player to hold the world number one ranking since they began in 1973.

These two have met on 12 previous occasions, Djokovic coming out on top in 10 of those.

Image source, BBC Sport

Fourteen days later, it's arrived. The final day of the Australian Open.

And what a cracker it's set to be, as Novak Djokovic takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the men's singles final.

Let's get this show on the road.

Image source, Getty Images