Djokovic dominant in earning 18th Slam
MELBOURNE, Australia — Maybe, just maybe, the thinking went, Novak Djokovic would be just a tad more susceptible to trouble this time around at the Australian Open.
After all, he wrenched his midsection during a slip in the third round and said he’d torn a muscle. Entering Sunday, Djokovic already ceded five sets in the tournament, the most he ever dropped en route to a major final. And he was facing Daniil Medvedev, owner of a 20-match winning streak.
Yeah, right. We’re talking about Djokovic at Melbourne Park, where his dominance is most certainly intact — nine finals, nine championships. Plus, he’s still gaining on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam standings, now up to 18 overall, two shy of the men’s record those rivals share.
Djokovic used superb serving, his usual relentless returning and baseline excellence to grab 11 of 13 games in one stretch and beat Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 for a third consecutive Australian Open trophy.
When the match ended after fewer than two hours, Djokovic dropped onto his back on the court. After greeting Medvedev, Djokovic went to the sideline, lifted his white shirt and peeled off pieces of beige athletic tape along his abdomen.
“It has been a roller-coaster ride for me, especially in the last couple weeks,” Djokovic said, cradling his silver trophy in his left arm.
He offered “special thanks” to his personal trainer, Ulises Badio, for helping him get through it and improve to a combined 18-0 in semifinals and finals on Melbourne’s hard courts.
“Probably, it’s not your last one,” Medvedev said. “I have no words to say.”
Djokovic, a 33-year-old from Serbia, has won six of the last 10 majors and will stay at No. 1 in the rankings at least through March 8. That will give him 311
weeks in the top spot, breaking another mark held by Federer.
The No. 4-seeded Medvedev was appearing in his second Grand Slam final; he was the runner-up to Nadal at the 2019 U.S. Open.
“He’s definitely one of the toughest players that I ever faced in my life,” Djokovic said. “It’s a matter of time before you’re going to hold a Grand Slam, that’s for sure.”
And then he joked to Medvedev, a 25-year-old from Russia who hadn’t lost to anyone since October: “If you don’t mind waiting a few more years …”