Novak Djokovic (Wikimedia Commons)
It could be considered one of the greatest tennis matches of all-time.
On Sunday in Melbourne, Australia, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, the world number one, defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain, the world number two 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5.
It was the longest match in terms of time for a final in Grand Slam tennis history since the ATP decided to bring in the tie-breaker in 1968.
In all the match lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes, including a ten minute rain delay as organizers had to close the roof at Rod Laver Arena. I woke up at 1:30am this morning and went back to bed at 7:30am.
There were times when Djokovic could have beaten Nadal earlier. In the fourth set, Djokovic had a triple break opportunity, but Nadal was able to hold his serve in a very gritty performance. Nadal would go on to win the set and force a fifth and deciding set.
Once again the unforced error category could have been the difference. Nadal had 71 compared to Djokovic’s 69.
With the win, Djokovic defended his Australian Open title, and won his third consecutive Grand Slam as he also won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year.
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