Novak Djokovic routs Daniil Medvedev to claim ninth Australian Open title
- World No 1 prevails 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in one-sided Melbourne final
- Djokovic two behind Federer and Nadal after 18th grand slam
For over a decade he has made winning the Australian Open an almost yearly habit and he did so once again, holding off early pressure from Daniil Medvedev before cruising to a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 win, clinching his ninth Australian Open title. Thirteen years since he stood on the same stage with his first title aged 20, he maintains his perfect record in finals at Melbourne Park.
Novak Djokovic produced a dominant display at Melbourne Park on Sunday, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 to capture a record-extending ninth Australian Open title.
The World No. 1 returned with pace and precision and won 89 per cent of net points (16/18) to join 13-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal as only the second man to win nine or more titles at the same Grand Slam event. Djokovic also closed the gap on 20-time major titlists Nadal and Roger Federer at the top of the Grand Slam titles leaderboard with his 18th major trophy.
Most Grand Slam Men’s Singles Titles
| Rank | Player | Titles |
| T1 | Roger Federer | 20 |
| Rafael Nadal | 20 | |
| 3 | Novak Djokovic | 18 |
| 4 | Pete Sampras | 14 |
| 5 | Roy Emerson | 12 |
“Everyone talks about the new generation coming and taking over us, but realistically that isn’t happening still,” Djokovic told Eurosport. “We can talk about it all day but with all my respect to the other guys, they still have a lot of work to do. I’m not going to stand here and hand it over to them. I’m going to make them work their ass off for that.”
Djokovic snapped Medvedev’s 20-match winning run in emphatic fashion on Rod Laver Arena. The 33-year-old, who improved to 18-0 in semi-final and final clashes at the Australian Open, also gained revenge for his 6-3, 6-3 loss to the Russian at last year’s Nitto ATP Finals. Djokovic now owns a 5-3 ATP Head2Head advantage against Medvedev.
“On the court, Daniil is one of the toughest players I have ever faced in my life. It’s only a matter of time before you hold a Grand Slam trophy,” said Djokovic, in the trophy ceremony. “If you can wait a few more years, I’d appreciate it. It’s amazing that he has put together a 20-match winning streak over the past few months.”
Most Australian Championships/Open Men’s Singles Titles (All-Time)
| Rank | Player | Titles |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | 9 |
| T2 | Roy Emerson | 6 |
| Roger Federer | 6 | |
| T4 | Andre Agassi | 4 |
| Jack Crawford | 4 | |
| Ken Rosewall | 4 |
The 18-time Grand Slam champion’s win completes a memorable fortnight in
Melbourne. Djokovic lost more sets en route to the final (5) than he had conceded in any of his previous 27 runs to a Grand Slam championship match.
After a four-set win against Frances Tiafoe in the second round, Djokovic survived an abdominal injury scare and an inspired opponent to defeat Taylor Fritz in five sets in the third round. The World No. 1 was also pushed to four sets by Milos Raonic and Alexander Zverev en route to the semifinals.
“I think it was a very successful tournament and I’d like to praise [tournament director] Craig Tiley for a tremendous effort,” said Djokovic. “It was challenging on many different levels and Tennis Australia should be very proud for making it possible.”
Djokovic made a fast start to his ninth championship match at Melbourne Park. The Serbian charged into a 3-0 lead in under 10 minutes, as he returned with depth and capitalised on three Medvedev forehand errors to break serve at 1-0. Despite an immediate response from his opponent, Djokovic rushed Medvedev at 6-5 with aggressive forehands and he landed a backhand passing shot winner up the line to earn three set points. Djokovic converted his third opportunity when Medvedev fired a forehand into the net.
After dropping serve in the opening game of the second set, Djokovic reeled off four straight games to take control of the championship match. The six-time year-end World No. 1 played with impeccable depth on his returns to extract errors and Medvedev began to misfire as he attempted to shorten rallies. Djokovic broke serve for the fifth time with a huge forehand return to clinch the second set.
Djokovic capitalised on double faults to earn a break point early in the third set and he took his opportunity. Stretched out wide, the top seed flicked a backhand back into play and broke serve when Medvedev failed to control a forehand volley. Djokovic’s confidence continued to grow throughout the set and Medvedev could not find a way through his opponent’s defence. On his first championship point, Djokovic charged to the net and struck an overhead winner to clinch the title.
Medvedev was attempting to capture his maiden major championship crown. The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion has finished as a runner up in both his Grand Slam final appearances. At the 2019 US Open, Medvedev pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets in an epic four-hour, 51-minute battle.
“Congratulations to Novak and your team. Nine Grand Slams in Australia and 18 in total is an amazing thing and it is probably not your last one,” said Medvedev, in the trophy ceremony.
As a result of his run to the championship match, Medvedev will rise above 2020 runner-up Dominic Thiem to a career-high No. 3 when the latest FedEx ATP Rankings are published on Monday.
Djokovic has equalled Nadal’s Open Era record of six Grand Slam title runs after turning 30. The World No. 1 turned 30 in May 2017 and has since won major championship crowns at the Australian Open (2019-’21), Wimbledon (2018-’19) and the US Open (2018).
In the process, Djokovic pulled off numerous notable achievements. He recovered from the abdominal injury sustained in his third-round match and ended Medvedev’s rousing 20-match winning streak with a statement performance. Of the 15 times in the open era that the Australian Open men’s singles title has been defended, Djokovic accounts for five of those instances.
With his sixth grand slam title since turning 30, he moves level with Rafa Nadal in that category. He still doesn’t really seem that old. This is such a unique period in the sport, however, where every slam win and loss carries such weight, affecting how people view the history of the sport for years to come. As a result, one achievement stands above all: Djokovic has now won his 18th grand slam title.
Having burst into what once seemed a two-man race, both Nadal’s and Roger Federer’s 20 titles have rounded into view for the current world No 1. Truthfully, it seems most likely that Djokovic will catch them as he continues to line up all of the achievements that will define his career. In two weeks, Djokovic will record his 311th week at No 1 in the world rankings, surpassing Roger Federer as the all-time record holder.
Despite Medvedev’s suggestions that it would be Djokovic under the pressure of history against a challenger with nothing to lose, in the opening games it was he who looked arrested by the moment, immediately handing over his first service game. But what followed was a quality, tension-filled opening set as both players worked each other out in baseline exchanges of the highest quality.
In the inevitable long, breathless exchanges that followed, Medvedev drew numerous tired drop shots from Djokovic, while Djokovic chipped away at Medvedev with his subtle shot variation. The match seemed completely level at 5-5, but then all of a sudden it looked over. After holding serve to love, Djokovic seized the moment by transcending his level on the shot that has served him so well throughout his career – his return of serve. He swept to a 0-40 lead at 6-5 and broke to take the set.
Despite losing his opening service game of the second set, Djokovic spent the
following 40 minutes tearing Medvedev’s serve to pitiful shreds. He broke serve three times in total, constantly returning Medvedev’s boldest efforts inches from the baseline, whether on first or second serve. One of the criticisms of Djokovic over his career is that he doesn’t have a distinctive finishing shot, such as Nadal’s forehand or Federer’s serve. That is not really his fault. Most of his winning returns were not even replayed or discussed by broadcasters, but they are as spectacular as any other shot in the sport.
Djokovic ended the set by nailing a forehand return from a bold 116mph second serve straight at Medvedev’s laces. By the time the Russian fell two sets down, he had demolished a racket and seethed towards his team in French, Russian and probably also English.
Medvedev’s deeply impressive 20-match winning streak ended here with a convincing defeat that will give him plenty to think about. Still, the world No 4 has a great chance of becoming the first player other than Djokovic, Nadal, Federer or Andy Murray to reach the top two since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005. He will continue to be an irritant for years to come.
WHO IS Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Serbian Cyrillic: Новак Ђоковић, romanized: Novak Đoković, pronounced [nôʋaːk dʑôːkoʋitɕ] (
Djokovic began his professional career around the time Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal established themselves as the two dominant players in men’s tennis. At age 20, he interrupted their streak of 11 consecutive majors to win his first Grand Slam singles title at the 2008 Australian Open. By 2010, Djokovic also separated himself from the rest of men’s tennis to join Federer and Nadal in the Big Three, the group of players who have dominated men’s tennis through the end of the next decade.[a] In 2011, Djokovic was ranked No. 1 for the first time, winning three out of four majors and his first five Masters events of the year. He remained the best player in men’s tennis for the rest of the decade, leading the tour in major and Masters titles, and winning four out of his five titles at the ATP Finals consecutively from 2012 through 2015. After four consecutive year-end finishes at No. 3 through 2010, Djokovic finished No. 1 six times and No. 2 three times in the next ten years.
Djokovic had another career year in 2015, reaching fifteen consecutive finals, including all four major finals and eight Masters finals, winning three majors and six Masters events as well as the ATP Finals. The following year, he won the 2016 French Open to complete the career Grand Slam. He also became the first male player since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four major titles at once and the only male player in history to do so on three different surfaces. After long trailing both Federer and Nadal in their head-to-head records, Djokovic has since taken the lead against them. Representing Serbia, Djokovic has led the Serbia Davis Cup team to their first title in 2010, and also led Serbia to a title at the inaugural ATP Cup in 2020. He won a bronze medal in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Djokovic’s playing style is noted for his powerful and consistent two-handed backhand and his ability to turn defense into offense. He excels at returning serve in particular, and regularly ranks among the tour leaders in return points, return games, and break points won. He has also led the ATP Tour in their career Under Pressure Rating statistic since 1991, in part because of his prowess at winning deciding sets. Djokovic has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award four times. He is also a recipient of the Order of St. Sava, the Order of Karađorđe’s Star, and the Order of the Republika Srpska.
