Novak Djokovic wins 2021 Australian Open over Daniil Medvedev

MELBOURNE, Australia — Perhaps, just maybe, the imagining went, Novak Djokovic would be just a tad far more prone to trouble this time all around at the Australian Open up.

Right after all, he tore an abdominal muscle mass in the 3rd spherical and was not certain he could go on to compete. Moving into Sunday, Djokovic ceded five sets in the match, the most he ever dropped en route to a major last. And to best it all off, he was going through Daniil Medvedev, owner of a twenty-match successful streak.

Yeah, right. We’re chatting about Djokovic at Melbourne Park, exactly where his dominance is most absolutely intact — nine finals, nine championships. As well as, he’s continue to attaining on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam standings, now up to eighteen general, two shy of the men’s document individuals rivals share.

Djokovic used improved serving, alongside with his typical relentless returning and baseline excellence to seize eleven of thirteen games in a single stretch and beat Medvedev seven-5, six-2, six-2 for a 3rd consecutive Australian Open up trophy.

“Definitely, emotionally, the most demanding Grand Slam that I ever experienced, with every little thing that was occurring — injuries, off-the-court docket things, quarantines,” Djokovic said. “A roller-coaster trip.”

When the match finished right after considerably less than two hrs, Djokovic went to the sideline, lifted his white shirt and peeled pieces of beige athletic tape from his belly.

“I was quite nervous,” Djokovic said about the injuries. “I did not (think) realistically that I could in fact perform. I did not know until finally two hrs right before the fourth-spherical match.”

Working with what he named “bearable” soreness, Djokovic improved to a put together eighteen- in semifinals and finals on Melbourne’s hard courts.

“Probably, it is not your past a single,” Medvedev said. “I have no words to say.”

Djokovic, a 33-year-outdated from Serbia, has won six of the past ten majors and will remain at No. one in the rankings at the very least through March 8.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 far more than right before.

Put Djokovic’s nine triumphs in Australia alongside five at Wimbledon, three at the U.S. Open up and a single at the French Open up. The math appears very good for him: He is about a year more youthful than Nadal and six one/2 more youthful than Federer.

“I do love the results every single one time even far more,” Djokovic said, “because I know that the longer the time passes, the far more difficult it is going to come to be.”

The No. 4-seeded Medvedev was appearing in his 2nd Slam last he was the runner-up to Nadal at the 2019 U.S. Open up.

The 25-year-outdated from Russia experienced won 12 in a row versus Leading ten opponents, but attempting to fix Djokovic in Australia is a exclusive obstacle.

“He’s definitely very good (at) reading an opponent’s activity,” Medvedev said, “knowing what you will do upcoming, how to beat you.”

As points slipped absent, Medvedev bounced his white racket off the blue court docket, then absolutely destroyed it with a entire-on spike. He retained wanting up at his mentor with palms up as if to question, “What can I possibly do here?”

It is a common 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 amazing, cloudy evening, an party delayed three weeks mainly because of the coronavirus pandemic closed with an announced attendance of seven,426 in Rod Laver Arena. Spectators were being barred for five days previously in the match mainly because of a COVID-19 lockdown, but they at some point were being enable again in at 50% ability.

“There are a whole lot of combined thoughts about what has transpired in the past thirty day period or so with tennis players coming to Australia,” Djokovic said. “But I think when we attract a line at the finish, it was a profitable match for the organizers.”

And for him.

Medvedev’s flat, wrap-the-racket-all around-his-neck forehand was iffy at very first, missing huge, long and into the web in the original ten minutes. Djokovic grabbed thirteen of the match’s original sixteen factors and a swift 3- guide. Shortly sufficient, however, it was 3-all, then 5-all.

But which is when Djokovic stepped up, and Medvedev stepped again. Djokovic held at adore, then broke to declare the set when Medvedev slapped a forehand into the web just right after another person in the group named out in the course of the stage.

Djokovic commenced the 2nd set with a fault into the web, then shook his left arm and flexed his shoulders. That stage finished with him missing a backhand into the web, and he glared at his guest box. Another netted backhand gifted Medvedev a split.

But the extreme knowledge hole confirmed there. Medvedev quickly relinquished his upcoming two service games. In all, Djokovic broke 7 moments and built merely seventeen unforced mistakes to Medvedev’s 30.

“Masterpiece,” said Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion who is a single of Djokovic’s coaches.

Medvedev appeared to have a little opening at 4-2 in the 3rd, getting to fifteen-30 on Djokovic’s serve with a forehand winner and waving to the group to make noise. As if viewing that as a own affront, Djokovic took the upcoming three factors and the activity, then pointed his right index finger to his temple and gritted his teeth.

Shortly it was more than.

“Coming to Australia, it constantly brings that further dose of self-assurance to me,” Djokovic said, “because of my document here and mainly because of how I perform.”