Djokovic savours Grand Slam success

Djokovic became the first Serbian to win a grand slam singles title after beating French surprise package Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7/2) in the men's final on Sunday.

The third seed showed just why he was tipped throughout all of last year as the player most likely to end the dominance of Federer and Nadal, who had won the past 11 grand slam titles between them heading into this year's Australian Open.

Djokovic becomes the first player other than Federer or Nadal to win a grand slam title since Marat Safin at the 2005 Australian Open, but the talented 20-year-old, who last year rose from 16th to third in the world rankings, is far from satisfied.

And while he knows his life will change as a result of his first major win he is determined to remain focused.

"You have to be proud of yourself but it is important to keep the balance in your life and that is what I am trying to learn right now," he said.

"I am still young, still getting into the business and more people will pay attention to me now so I have to try and keep my focus on my tennis and that is what I want to do for the next 10 to 15 years."

Djokovic's first grand slam title has come in only his 13th major, and although he has been tipped as the man most likely to dethrone Roger Federer as world number one, the Serbian was determined to keep his feet on the ground.

Djokovic dropped just one set in the entire tournament, as well as beating Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals, but he had no doubt the Swiss master was still the man to beat for in 2008.

"It's my first grand slam win and I am going to take it easy now and not start thinking about reaching higher goals (just yet)," he continued. "I want to enjoy my success with my family first.

"It's only one (major) tournament win so it's not changing history yet but I think I deserved to win against him (Federer) in the semi-finals.

"He accepted it in the right way and I'm sure he will come back in big style."

Djokovic, who had played 178 tour matches compared to just 40 for Tsonga going into the final, showed his experience in a tight match as he not only overcame a first-set deficit but also an injury scare in the fourth set when he hurt his hamstring in the fourth game.

But the 20-year-old showed his mental toughness in not panicking - despite the Melbourne Park crowd being firmly behind his French opponent who at number 38 would have been the second lowest ranked man ever to win the Australian Open behind Mark Edmondson in 1976.

"I found myself in the strange situation of being the favourite in a grand slam final but I managed to cope with the pressure well to win," Djokovic said.

"Obviously playing in a grand slam final before gave me a lot of experience (compared to Tsonga) and I was more focused.

"And although I asked for treatment for soreness in my hamstring, mental strength played a big part in this match and it is important you stay focused."

Djokovic was not only delighted for himself but also for his nation, who had representatives in both the men's and women's final in Melbourne with Ana Ivanovic losing out to Maria Sharapova on Saturday.

"We didn't have a grand slam champion and even now I don't realise what a big deal this is (for Serbia)," he said.

"I am really overjoyed with this victory and very happy that the people in Serbia appreciate what we have done."