Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal battled for 5:53 in a memorable final at the Australian Open before Nole got a break to win the match in five sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5. The match began Sunday night and ended Monday morning at 1:37am in Melbourne. It was the longest final at a grand slam in history and the longest match ever at the Australian Open. The players were so drained they could barely stand for the trophy ceremony and needed to be seated.
What was impressive about the match is the way both players kept coming back. Novak lost the first set but came back to win the next two. Then Nadal was down 5-3 in the fourth set and facing defeat, but he came back to win it in a tiebreak. Nadal was also up 4-2 after getting a break in the final set, but Novak broke him back and then won 7-5.
Djokovic has now won five majors and has won three in a row. His three straight finals wins have come over Rafael Nadal, who will be looking for his 7th career French Open title. Nole’s five grand slam titles are behind Nadal’s 10 and Roger Federer’s 16.
