Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open for the seventh time in his career after outclassing Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the final.
The two old rivals were meeting in a grand slam final for the eighth time, with fans packed into the Rod Laver Arena hoping for a repeat of the epic 2012 final, which Djokovic won in five sets.
It was Djokovic who hit the ground running, breaking Nadal’s serve at the first attempt and dominated on his own serve against an out-of-sorts opponent to win the opening set 6-3.
The first four games of the second set were shared, but the world No 1 remained on top against Nadal, who still looked some way off his best. More unforced errors from the Spaniard gave Djokovic a chance to break in the fifth, and a well-timed lob put the Serb in complete control of the match.
Djokovic was clicking through the gears ominously, and broke Nadal again in the seventh game with a series of clinical forehands. Nadal appeared to have no answer, and an ace sealed the second set, 6-2.
The six-time champion was now closing in on his first title in Melbourne since 2016 and broke Nadal in the third game of the final set, producing a drop shot on break point.
Nadal offered brief resistance, missing a chance to break back in the fifth game, before Djokovic turned the screw, hitting a winner down the line to set up match point on Nadal’s serve and sealing victory as his opponent went long.
With seven titles, Djokovic has now won more Australian Opens than any other male player in history. He has 15 grand slam titles to his name, two behind Nadal and five behind Federer, with more surely still to come.
TheGuardian
