Novak Djokovic thrashed great rival Rafael Nadal to win a historic seventh Australian Open title as he clinched a 15th Grand Slam today. The world No. 1 thumped the Spaniard from start to finish in their 53rd meeting, playing a level of tennis that has perhaps never been seen before. Considering his opponent, and the occasion, the 6-3 6-2 6-3 win in just over two hours was breathtaking and he moved beyond Roy Emerson and Roger Federer to become the most successful man in Australian Open history. Djokovic also stormed past Pete Sampras in the all-time Grand Slam charts, closing the gap with Nadal to two and Federer to five, while becoming the first man to put together three separate streaks of three or more back-to-back Slams.
Heading into the tie, the Serb – who has never lost a match in Melbourne beyond the semi-finals – had ominously claimed he was feeling fitter than ever and it almost feels inevitable the 31-year-old with a 20-year-old’s body will catch Federer’s total. While Djokovic – who hit 34 winners and just nine unforced errors – was phenomenal, the match itself was somewhat disappointing, particularly when considering their last meeting on this stage was the longest major final in history. The result, in hindsight, was perhaps predictable: Nadal hasn’t beaten the Serb on a hard court since 2013.
The much-hyped Nadal serve was torn to shreds – a symptom perhaps of not facing a returner anywhere near Djokovic’s ilk throughout the rest of the fortnight – while his forehand fell apart under continuous waves of pressure from the top seed. Nadal, who has now lost four finals at Melbourne Park, hadn’t dropped a set coming into the heavyweight bout but simply couldn’t rise to the level required to even make this match competitive. Even at his best, it’s doubtful he could have delivered a knockout blow.
For Djokovic, there is now the intriguing opportunity to hold all four majors at once again. Surely, though, Nadal will provide more formidable opposition on the clay courts of Paris. Should he somehow overcome the 11-time French Open champion at Roland Garros, he will become the first man in the Open Era to win every Grand Slam event twice or more. In this form, it’s not inconceivable he will go on to win a first calendar Grand Slam in the Open Era. Djokovic is simply on another level to everybody else. Of course, that is all a long way off but the man who dominated the sport so ruthlessly in 2011, 2015 and the second half of 2018 looks unstoppable. For now, he can bask in the glory of another epic triumph.
Nadal, 32, had not been broken since the first match of the tournament but he was broken to 15 in his opening service game as Djokovic came out firing. Three games in, the Spaniard had won just one point with the Djokovic serve back in Sampras mode while he ruthlessly attacked the Nadal forehand. The second seed got on the board after fighting off another break point but he couldn’t land a glove on the world No. 1, who didn’t drop a single point on serve in his first four games.
In the fourth of those, Nadal endured a rather embarrassing moment. Swinging and missing, the air shot is something most club players in the UK will no doubt have experienced. The orange-vested Nadal finally won a point on the Djokovic serve at the 17th attempt. It was the only one he lost in the entire set. It was clear the Serb was in the zone. He raised his fist to the sky for what felt like an eternity, milking the adoring crowd’s rapturous applause. The next point he’d wrapped up the opener in 37 minutes. Coming into the match, Djokovic had lost just five of 229 matches at Slams when he’s won the first set – roughly 2.2%. Another ominous sign for Nadal that life wouldn’t get much better.
Rather bizarrely, the second set was accompanied by some drum and bass music from a nearby music festival but there was no sign of the Pendulum swinging, Djokovic broke again on the hour mark after some more relentless return pressure. Under a glorious red sunset, Nadal’s ferocious running forehand appeared for the first time in his best return game of the match but after a couple of deuces the Serb held. The fist pumps were becoming more frequent for Djokovic and he broke again on his way to a two-set lead after an hour and 16 minutes. Two more breaks arrived in the third, dampening any hopes of a Nadal revival and the super Serb stormed on to the title.
-Metro
