Warrior Win for Djokovic Makes it Three Majors in a Row
January 29, 2012 -- Neither man would yield, making it the longest final and longest continuous match in tennis major history.
Then Rafael Nadal misfired a backhand and gave Novak Djokovic a green light to serve for his third Australian Open championship after close to six hours of staggering tennis that redefined the meaning of fitness, mental acuity, and heart.
Djokovic did not waste the opportunity and grabbed the title, his fifth overall Major and third consecutive slam victory: 57 64 62 67(5) 75.
"This is the greatest win of my life," Djokovic said.
The number-one seed is now 3 for 3 in Australian Open finals. Only one other tennis champion has been able to win every final he's contested in Melbourne ... Andre Agassi, who is 4 for 4.
Djokovic joins Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and Ivan Lendl as having won three consecutive Majors.
The fourth and fifth sets of this final laid new ground for tennis, too, a fitting close to the fortnight Down Under. The tournament's attendance -- 686,006 -- broke the all-time high from 2010. All of these historic markers scored during this, the 100th anniversary of the Australian Open.
By the time the match ended, the birds that circled Rod Laver Arena were asleep and replaced by chirping crickets. Rafael Nadal began his finalist speech by saying 'good morning everyone.' It was 1:30 AM in Melbourne.
Although this defeat may haunt Nadal, his acceptance of the outcome in front of thousands of excited fans was humble and classy. Nadal has now lost to Djokovic in seven straight finals, three of them slams: Wimbledon; U. S. Open; and this Australian Open.
With the wind at his back, Djokovic has to be considered the man to beat for the remainder of the season. His tennis abilities and rock-solid mental capacity, plus the love and support from his team -- he calls them 'his family' -- have permanently altered the Serbian.
He enters the spring hard-court swing through Indian Wells and Miami with monstrous momentum. His personal goal for the year, "I want to get [to] my first final in Paris. I think I'm ready."
Nadal tipped the scales today, though, when he broke through in the fourth set and extended the match to five. They had never played a five-set match. But his unfortunate backhand net cord figured mightily into Novak's mind, a vast sea of grit and stamina even as he limped from point to point at the very end.
Federer has a good handle on Djokovic. The Swiss stopped him from winning an authentic Grand Slam in 2011 by winning their semifinal match at the French Open. We know Nadal owns Federer, given their head-to-head on all surfaces. However, Novak may have unleashed a Nadal that now knows he's an inch from turning the tables on the world's number one player.
"No mental problems against him," Nadal said, this time. "Played a lot with my heart and a lot with my mind. [The] match gonna be in my mind, not because I lost because of how we played."
Nadal exerted his most positive form after 4 1/2 hours. He was the man to beat. His forehand clicked. He stood at the baseline in an offensive position.
He was within reach of dispelling all the evil spirits of six consecutive losses to Novak. He definitely should take that to the bank.
"I suffered during the match," Rafael told the press. "But, I enjoyed all the trouble that I had during all the match."
There were two, of many, crucial moments for Nadal during this record-breaking final.
In the fourth set, Novak held 3 break points on Nadal's serve at 3/4. Nadal defended all three, which injected him with much needed confidence. His first and second-serve percentages improved after that game. He trusted his tennis.
In the fourth set tiebreak, Novak was displaying his proudest tennis. He seemed invincible, the look in his eye, the ease with which he swung away at the ball... he did not hesitate. But Nadal pressed, forcing three forehand errors off his rival and slipping in one un-returnable serve. He fell to his knees as if the match had ended.
At that moment the match was 4 hours and 45 minutes. The fifth set was about to begin.
On the other side of the net, Djokovic's return of serve remains the best shot in tennis. It undermined Nadal's ability to win off first- and second-serves.
"There's no way to dictate on service games," Lleyton Hewitt said, announcing for Australian TV and reported by Steve Tignor on Twitter.
Djokovic's first serve, too, remains a legitimate weapon. He has not backed off an inch, and it produces prodigious results when he's cornered.
We also saw a new defensive tactic from Djokovic -- a high loopy forehand that confounds Nadal's two-handed backhand, similar to Nadal's forehand into Federer's backhand.
In his acceptance speech, Djokovic told fans that he had played 'one of the best players ever,' and that 'we made history together tonight.' He hoped for more.
The world of tennis and sports hopes for more, too.
