Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev on Sunday in the Rod Laver Arena 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 to win his 18th Grand Slam singles title and ninth Australian Open.
The 33-year-old Serbian dominated the match, frustrating the Russian Medvedev, who has now lost both of his Grand Slam finals, following his US Open defeat to Rafael Nadal in 2019.
The defending champion started his victorious final with a 3-0 lead, but the 25-year-old fought back, winning the next three games, making for a competitive set before Djokovic broke to win 7-5.
The next two sets were less closely contested, and Medvedev floundered under the pressure in the final set, shouting at his team and throwing rackets.
Djokovic put an end to the Russian’s 20-match winning streak, beating him for the third time in a row.
Medvedev was expected to give Djokovic a close match, claiming in the runup that “all the pressure” was on the Serb, but this did not materialise as Djokovic proved in a calm and collected manner that he is still a cut above the younger competition.
Djokovic, who has never lost a final at Melbourne Park, won the title after one hour and 53 minutes.
It was an emotional win, as there were concerns earlier in the tournament that an abdominal injury would end his title defence.
The Serb is now two Grand Slam wins behind Roger Federer, 39, and Rafael Nadal, 34, who have both won 20 titles.
Djokovic’s victory has made a definite statement ahead of Roland Garros in May, where he will be competing with Federer and Nadal to try to end his career with the most Grand Slam wins.
Speaking of Medvedev he said: “On the court he is definitely one of the toughest players I ever faced in my life. It is a matter of time when you are going to hold a Grand Slam. If you don’t mind waiting a few more years!”
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Featured image credit: Carine06 via Wikimedia Commons
