World number one Novak Djokovic (right) has retained his Australian Open title after winning one of the greatest tennis matches of all time. He overcame the world number two Rafael Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 in a match lasting a staggering 5 hours and 53 minutes.
At the end Djokovic fell to the floor in exhaustion while Nadal was left to wonder what could have been.
Djokovic describes this as his greatest triumph.
"This one I think comes out on the top because just the fact that we played almost six hours is incredible, incredible," he said. "I think it's probably the longest finals in the history of all Grand Slams, and just to hear that fact is making me cry, really. I'm very proud just to be part of this history."
Nadal gave it his all however it was ultimately not enough to overcome the powerful Serbian. The array of shots and rallies by both players was sublime. The number of time that Djokovic found the line was unreal and this forced Nadal to possibly go for shots he did not want to. Having said this Nadal also played some magnificent shots. The quality of the tennis remained high throughout the match despite the tiring of both players. Djokovic found himself 4-2 down in the fifth set and it looked that he would suffer due to the effort he had put into the tournament in previous rounds. Djokovic had come through another five-set clash against Andy Murray in the semi-final only two days before. In that match he was showing signs of physical tiredness however had enough to win the match. He also overcame injury problems against David Ferrer in the quarter-final. This is why pundits were tipping Nadal to have edge in the Final. The resolve shown by Djokovic to comeback in that final set is a testament to the mental and physical toughness the man. That to against a player like Nadal who has shown over the years his own never say die attitude which has won him 10 Grand Slam titles.
After the match Djokovic describes the his feeling during the match :
"It's just incredible effort. You're in pain, you're suffer(ing). You're trying to activate your legs. You're going through so much suffering your toes are bleeding. Everything is just outrageous, but you're still enjoying that pain."
Nadal described it as one of the toughest matches of his career, and that is saying something after his epic win over Federer in 2008 at Wimbledon. He congratulated Djokovic however the disappointment was clear to see after the effort he had put into the near 6-hour match. It is difficult to say that Djokovic deserved to win as had Nadal won the plaudits would have been just as much.
Djokovic becomes the eleventh man in the very prestigious list of player to win three grand slams in the row. Other players on the list include the great Fred Perry and Jimmy Connors along with his current tennis rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Djokovic had an incredible 2011. He won 70 out of the 76 matches he played winning ten titles including three out of the four grand slams. It was this record the propelled him to World Number One. His achievement is even greater as he has two of the greatest tennis players ever playing on the tour at the same time. He is definitely the man to beat in 2012.
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