MELBOURNE, Australia — What began as a display of youthful exuberance, athleticism, and brilliant shot-making ended, as many tennis matches do, with two tired young men breathing heavily and beating back their nerves in hopes of a first major title. In the end, Novak Djokovic, the world no. 3 who long ago announced his intention sit atop the tennis world, showed that his confidence is not undeserved with a 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(2) over Australia’s newly adopted son, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Early in the fourth set, Djokovic tweaked his left hamstring, and it seemed, for a moment, that he might not be able to keep Tsonga from pushing the match to a decisive fifth set. He received treatment on his leg and conserved energy when he could, but at 5–5, 30–40, Djokovic had to go for broke. Luck was on his side. He hit a poor drop shot that Tsonga easily attacked with a forehand down the line. Djokovic had no choice but to guess where Tsonga would hit the ball, and he guessed correctly; after he knocked a backhand volley cross court for a winner, he slowly shook his head as if he knew all along that he would win the point in such dazzling fashion.

In the fourth set tie-break, Djokovic held his nerve and didn’t miss a ball as Tsonga suffered through a brief wild spell and a double fault. The astonishing offensive game that had so convincingly beaten Rafael Nadal was not enough this time. Though the 20-year-old Serb lost the first set when Tsonga, 22, hit a beautiful forehand passing shot and a running lob winner, Djokovic made Tsonga work harder and harder with each rally. He returned serve exceptionally well, limiting Tsonga to 15 aces, despite a first serve percentage of 71%. Djokovic not only retrieved Tsonga’s forehand blasts, but he returned them deeply enough, and with enough pace, to repeatedly turn losing positions into neutral ones. That skill, perhaps, is the best of his many assets — the man is dogged and in the hunt until the last. He beat Roger Federer in straight sets in the semifinals and survived the pressure of being a favorite against Tsonga, despite being two years Tsonga’s junior and never having won a major title.

What will Djokovic be like as a no. 1? For the last four years, tennis has been ruled by the most gentlemanly of men: a well-spoken, classy, polite Swiss whom fans and fellow players have praised to the hilt. When Federer wins, he does so convincingly, but somehow pleasantly enough that his opponents usually thank him for the privilege.

Djokovic won’t carry the top ranking in the same way. Once he arrives, instead of quiet confidence at the top, we’ll have an almost ruthless competitive spirit, a man brash enough to wag his finger at the crowd and shake his head after an ace as if he knew he would hit one. Instead of a man who glides gracefully about, we’ll have a sturdy, stocky, and supremely athletic figure who bulldozes opponents more than carves them up. Instead of a man who shows little emotion on court and no antics off of it, we’ll have a one who pounds his chest to the beat of his raucous, flag-waving fans and imitates his fellow players, even the women, with precision. As James Blake pointed out last week, Federer intimidates with his tennis, not his personality —”You go out there, he beats the crap out of you, you come back in the locker room and he’s one of the guys,” Blake said. Djokovic, like Rafael Nadal, is physically imposing, and he knows it.

Perhaps fans of Federer will never warm to Djokovic, but when the 20-year-old Serb does become no. 1 in another few years, or perhaps sooner, he’ll be every bit as deserving and perhaps as good for the sport. Tennis at its best thrives on contrasting personalities and styles of play, and we now have as strong a top tier as the game has had in years. Federer is a few major titles away from breaking Pete Sampras’s record of 14. Nadal has held on to the no. 2 ranking for more consecutive weeks than anyone in history, and he has never lost a match at the French Open. Djokovic has won a major title, reached the final of the U.S. Open, and reached the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon — he is the youngest player in the Open Era to reach the semifinals or better of all four major tournaments. Like Federer, he can win on any surface. Years from now we might conclude that this trio was better, in terms of overall talent, than any before it.

In a chat with a small group of reporters, Djokovic said he is a “step closer” to his ultimate goal of attaining the no. 1 ranking, but he’s in no rush. It’s clear, though, that he doesn’t think there is as much distance between him and Federer as there once was.

“I used to go into matches against him just to prove that I’m a good tennis player,” Djokovic said. “Now I’m going into matches against him to win.”

The first Serb to win a major title has a ways to go before he has Federer in his rearview mirror — he might need another few years or more of seasoning, especially with the 26-year-old Swiss in the middle of his prime. Djokovic will get there, though, for the simple reason that he is hell-bent on doing it.

Mr. Perrotta is a senior editor at Tennis Magazine. He can be reached at tperrotta@tennismagazine.com.