Novak Djokovic remains the king of Melbourne Park after winning a ninth Australian Open title with a comfortable win over Daniil Medvedev.
The world number one had never been beaten in a final in its most successful tournament, but that record seemed seriously threatened given the form of his opponent, who went into his second Grand Slam final with 20 consecutive wins.
But Djokovic recalled what makes him one of the greatest exponents the sport has ever seen and relentlessly showed the baselines to win 7-5 6-2 6-2.
The win earned him a third title in a row in Melbourne and an 18th overall slam crown. He was within two points ahead of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the top of the men’s overall standings.
This was one of the most notable of the 18 players. Djokovic looked down and out after a third-round stomach injury against Taylor Fritz and a fight against Milos Raonic and Alexander Zverev.
After beating Aslan Karatsev in straight sets in the semifinals, he declared himself to be in top form again, which turned out to be bad news for Medvedev.
The Russian’s strengths are very similar to Djokovic’s. A relentless hitter from the baseline, especially on the backhand side, the 25-year-old is a terrific athlete for his 6-foot-6-inch frame.
He had won three of his last four games against Djokovic, including in straight sets at the ATP final in London in November, but he quickly realized that the Serb is a different beast in Melbourne.
Djokovic prevailed 3-0, only that Medvedev was able to hit back and equalize.
The serve of the number 1 in the world was particularly impressive in this tournament. He probably held him there when he was physically struggling, and from there he stayed comfortable before taking the first set.
Tactically, it was a very smart feat by the top seed who let Medvedev play from the middle of the field, especially outside of his forehand, and draw the mistakes he was looking for.
Djokovic’s consistent excellence resulted in the pitch appearing smaller and smaller to his opponent, and Medvedev began to overprint, aiming closer to the lines and missing.
A break in serve at the start of the second set was quickly obliterated by four games in a row for Djokovic, and even hitting a bat did nothing to alleviate Medvedev’s frustration.
Another break gave Djokovic the second set, and the match was as good as over when Medvedev, who just lacked the steam from his ears, threw a volley into the net to take a 2-0 lead in the third set.
Medvedev had fought his way back from two sets to bring Nadal to a fifth set in his previous slam final at the 2019 US Open, but that was never at stake here, and Djokovic took his first match point with an overhead.
With his ninth title, the 33-year-old is only the second man after Nadal in Paris to have won a slam more than eight times.
Djokovic’s success also continues the unprecedented dominance of himself, Federer and Nadal, who have now won 15 of the last 16 slam titles, despite all being well over 30 years old.
After finishing second, Medvedev said: “It’s never easy to speak when you’ve just lost a Grand Slam final, but I’ll try to do my best, hopefully better than on the pitch.
“First of all, congratulations to Novak and your team. Nine Grand Slams in Australia are incredible and probably not your last. I have no words to say.
“To tell you a little story, I first practiced with Novak when I was 500 or 600 years old in Monaco. He was already number one and I was like, “Okay, he’s not going to talk to me or anything” because the guy was a god to me.
“Because I was shy, I didn’t speak, he asked me questions, talked to me like a friend, and you never changed. You’re a great sport, a great person. “
Djokovic held up the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup and then said, “I want to return nice words to Daniil. First of all, classmate, you are a great guy, a great person, you show again why.
“We used to spend more time together in Monaco. You haven’t called me in the last few years. But it’s nice to see you think good things about me. I really like Daniil as an out of court person.
“On the pitch he’s definitely one of the toughest players I’ve ever faced in my life. It’s a matter of time when you host a Grand Slam, that’s for sure. If you don’t mind waiting a few more years. “
PA Media
