Domination Down Under
Djokovic rolls over Medvedev, moves to 9-0 in Aussie finals
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 tore an abdominal muscle in the third round and wasn’t sure he could continue. Entering Sunday, Djokovic ceded five sets in the tournament, the most he ever dropped en route to a major final. And to top it all off, 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 improved serving, along with 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.
“Definitely, emotionally, the most challenging Grand Slam that I ever had, with everything that was happening — injury, off-the-court stuff, quarantines,” Djokovic said. “A roller-coaster ride.”
When the match ended after less than two hours, Djokovic went to the sideline, lifted his white shirt and peeled pieces of beige athletic tape from his stomach.
“I was quite worried,” Djokovic said about the injury. “I did not (think) realistically that I could actually play. I didn’t know until two hours before the fourth-round match.”
Dealing with what he called “bearable” pain, Djokovic improved 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 there, breaking another mark held by Federer.
His goals now are squarely on Grand Slams, even more than before.
Put Djokovic’s nine triumphs in Australia alongside five at Wimbledon, three at the U.S. Open and one at the French Open. The math looks good for him: He’s about a year younger than Nadal and 6 ½ younger than Federer.
“I do enjoy the success every single time even more,” Djokovic said, “because I know that the longer the time passes, the more difficult it’s going to become.”
The No. 4-seeded Medvedev was appearing in his second Slam final; he was the runner-up to Nadal at the 2019 U.S. Open.
The 25-year-old from Russia had won 12 in a row against Top 10 opponents, but trying to solve Djokovic in Australia is a unique challenge.
“He’s really good (at) reading an opponent’s game,” Medvedev said, “knowing what you will do next, how to beat you.”
As things slipped away, Medvedev bounced his white racket off the blue court, then absolutely destroyed it with a full-on spike. He kept looking up at his coach with palms up as if to ask, “What can I possibly do here?”
It’s a familiar sentiment in this stadium: Federer, Nadal, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem — all Grand Slam champions, all defeated by Djokovic in semifinals or finals in Melbourne.
On a cool, cloudy evening, an event delayed three weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic closed with an announced attendance of 7,426 in Rod Laver Arena. Spectators were barred for five days earlier in the tournament because of a COVID-19 lockdown, but they eventually were let back in at 50% capacity.
“There are a lot of mixed feelings about what has happened in the last month or so with players coming to Australia,” Djokovic said. “But I think when we draw a line at the end, it was a successful tournament.”
And for him.
Medvedev’s flat, wrap-the-racket-aroundhis-neck forehand was iffy at first, missing wide, long and into the net in the initial 10 minutes. Djokovic grabbed 13 of the match’s initial 16 points and a quick 3-0 lead. Soon enough, though, it was 3-all, then 5-all.
But that’s when Djokovic stepped up. Djokovic held at love, then broke to claim the set when Medvedev slapped a forehand into the net just after someone in the crowd called out during the point.
Djokovic began the second set with a fault into the net, then shook his left arm and flexed his shoulders. That point ended with him missing a backhand into the net, and he glared at his guest box. Another netted backhand gifted Medvedev a break.
But the extreme experience gap showed there. Medvedev immediately relinquished his next two service games.
“Masterpiece,” said Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion who’s one of Djokovic’s coaches.
Medvedev appeared to have a tiny opening at 4-2 in the third, getting to 15-30 on Djokovic’s serve with a forehand winner and waving to the crowd to make noise. As if viewing that as a personal affront, Djokovic took the next three points and the game, then pointed his right index finger to his temple and gritted his teeth.
Soon it was over.
Hunter Dickinson had 22 points and nine rebounds and Eli Brooks scored 17 as No. 3 Michigan held off a late flurry to beat No. 4 Ohio State 92-87 on Sunday.
In a matchup of teams aiming for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines had pulled away and led by nine with 23 seconds left. But a pair of 3-pointers from Duane Washington Jr. around a layup by CJ Walker layup got the Buckeyes within three points with 3 seconds to go.
Brooks sealed the win with a couple of foul shots.
The Wolverines (16-1, 11-1 Big Ten) won their fifth straight around a three-week pause due to COVID-19 issues.
Washington had a career-high 30 points and went 5-for-10 on 3s for host Ohio State (18-5, 12-5).
Luka Garza scored 23 points and became Iowa’s all-time leading scorer as the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes beat visiting Penn State 74-68. Garza has 2,126 points for Iowa, breaking the record of 2,116 points set by Roy Marble from 1985-89. Garza also had 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. It was the fourth consecutive win for Iowa (17-6, 11-5 Big Ten). Penn State fell to 7-12, 4-11.
Baseball: Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg said he had “numbness in his whole hand” before undergoing carpal tunnel surgery that ended his 2020 season after just five innings. Strasburg, 32, said the numbness went away after the procedure.
Golf: Tiger Woods indicated in an interview with CBS’ Jim Nantz that he hasn’t practiced since December when he underwent a fifth surgery on his back, and that he doesn’t know if he will be ready for the Masters in early April. Woods, 45, won his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship at the Masters in 2019. In last year’s event, which was contested in November due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he tied for 38th.
NBA: Brandon Ingram highlighted a 31-point performance by hitting a go-ahead 3 with 33.3 seconds left in OT, and the host Pelicans held on for 120-115 victory over the Celtics after rallying from 24 points down in the third quarter. Zion Williamson scored 24 of his 28 points after halftime and had 10 rebounds, four assists and a block in the victory . ... Celtics G Marcus Smart likely will continue rehabilitating his left calf strain through the All-Star break, which runs from March 5-10. Smart was averaging 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists before suffering the injury Jan. 30.
NHL: T.J. Oshie scored twice to end a ninegame drought, Alex Ovechkin had a late power-play goal and the Capitals erased a two-goal deficit to beat the visiting Devils 4-3. Craig Anderson made 22 saves for his first victory in nearly a year.
Soccer: Raheem Sterling scored on a header after just 80 seconds and Manchester Cuty held on for a 1-0 road win over Arsenal. It was City’s 18th straight victory in all competitions. City holds a 10-points lead over second-place Manchester United in the Premier League standings . ... Christen Press scored in the 11th minute, Megan Rapinoe added a late goal and the U.S. women beat Brazil 2-0 in the SheBelieves Cup in Orlando, Fla. It was the 36th straight victory for the U.S.