MELBOURNE, Australia – Maybe, just maybe, he thought, Novak Djokovic would be a little more susceptible to problems this time at the Australian Open.
After all, he broke an abdominal muscle in the third round and wasn’t sure if he could continue to compete. Entering Sunday, Djokovic conceded five sets in the tournament, the maximum he lost en route to a grand final. On top of that, he faced Daniil Medvedev, owner of a 20-game winning streak.
Okay, right. We’re talking about Djokovic in Melbourne Park, where his dominance is certainly intact – nine finals, nine championships. In addition, he is still beating Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam classification, now with 18 in total, two less than the male record that these rivals share.
Djokovic used an improved serve, along with his usual relentless return and baseline excellence to grab 11 of 13 games in a stretch and beat Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 for a third consecutive Open trophy. Australia.
“Definitely, emotionally, the most challenging Grand Slam I have ever had, with everything that was going on – injuries, things off the court, quarantines,” said Djokovic. “A roller coaster ride.”
When the match was over in less than two hours, Djokovic went to the sideline, lifted his white shirt and took pieces of beige tape from his stomach.
“I was very concerned,” said Djokovic of the injury. “I didn’t (thought) realistically that I could really play. I didn’t know until two hours before the departure of the fourth round. “
Dealing with what he called “bearable” pain, Djokovic improved to 18-0 in the semifinals and finals on Melbourne’s hard courts.
“It is probably not the last,” said Medvedev. “I have no words to say.”
Djokovic, 33 years old from Serbia, won six of the last 10 major tournaments and will remain in the first place in the ranking until at least 8 March. This will give you 311 weeks there, breaking another Federer brand.
Your goals are now directly in the Grand Slams, even more than before.
Put Djokovic’s nine victories in Australia alongside five at Wimbledon, three at the United States Open and one at the French Open. The math looks good to him: he’s about a year younger than Nadal and 6 1/2 younger than Federer.
“I like success even more,” said Djokovic, “because I know that the more time passes, the more difficult it becomes.”
Medvedev with 4th place was appearing in his second final in Slam; he was Nadal’s runner-up at the US Open 2019.
The 25-year-old Russian has won 12 consecutive matches against the top 10 opponents, but trying to solve Djokovic in Australia is a unique challenge.
“He’s really good at reading his opponent’s game,” said Medvedev, “knowing what you’re going to do next, how to beat him”
As things went away, Medvedev ricocheted off his white racket on the blue court and then completely destroyed it with a spike. He continued to look at his trainer with his palms up as if to ask, “What can I do here?”
It’s a familiar feeling at this stadium: Federer, Nadal, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem – all Grand Slam champions, all beaten by Djokovic in the semifinals or finals in Melbourne.
On a cold, cloudy night, an event delayed three weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic closed with an announced audience of 7,426 at Rod Laver Arena. Spectators were barred five days earlier at the tournament because of a COVID-19 blockade, but they ended up being released at 50% capacity.
“There are a lot of mixed feelings about what happened in the last month or so with tennis players who came to Australia,” said Djokovic. “But I think that when we set a limit at the end, it was a successful tournament for the organizers.”
And for him.
Medvedev’s flat forehand, wrapping the racket around his neck, was doubtful at first, missing for a long time and inside the net in the first 10 minutes. Djokovic had 13 of the 16 starting points in the game and a quick 3-0 lead. Soon, however, it was 3-everything, then 5-everything.
But it was then that Djokovic introduced himself and Medvedev stepped back. Djokovic held on to love and then broke to claim the set when Medvedev forehanded the net shortly after someone in the crowd screamed during the point.
Djokovic started the second set with a net failure, then swung his left arm and flexed his shoulders. That point ended with him missing a backhand on the net, and he looked at his guest box. Another net backhand gave Medvedev a break.
But the extreme experience gap showed there. Medvedev immediately gave up on his next two service games. Altogether, Djokovic broke seven times and made only 17 unforced mistakes against Medvedev’s 30.
“Masterpiece,” said Goran Ivanisevic, 2001 Wimbledon champion and one of Djokovic’s coaches.
Medvedev seemed to have a small opening in 4-2 in the third, reaching 15-30 in Djokovic’s serve with a forehand winner and waving to the crowd to make some noise. As if seeing this as a personal affront, Djokovic took the next three points and the game, then pointed his right index finger at his temple and gritted his teeth.
Soon it was over.
“Coming to Australia always brings an extra dose of confidence to me,” said Djokovic, “because of my history here and because of how I play.”