Men’s world number one Novak Djokovic won a record-extending ninth Australian Open title after defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday at Melbourne Park.
This is the Serb’s ninth Australian Open trophy and 18th overall grand slam title.
With the triumph at Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic is one step closer to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s all-time record of 20 grand slams.
In the final, Djokovic broke Medvedev seven times for the match and closed out the one-sided contest with a net-rush and a brilliant leaping volley.
The 33-year-old made a fast start to his ninth championship match at Melbourne Park. He charged into a 3-0 lead in under 10 minutes, as he returned with depth and capitalised on three Medvedev forehand errors to break serve at 1-0. The Serb then rushed Medvedev at 6-5 with aggressive forehands and he landed a backhand passing shot winner up the line to earn three set points. Djokovic converted his third opportunity when Medvedev fired a forehand into the net.
The Serb dropped serve in the opening game of the second set and reeled off four straight games to take control of the match. He played brilliantly on his returns to extract errors and Medvedev began to misfire as he attempted to shorten rallies. Djokovic broke serve for the fifth time with a huge forehand return to clinch the second set.
Djokovic capitalised on double faults to earn a break point early in the third set. The top seed then flicked a backhand back into play and broke serve when Medvedev failed to control a forehand volley. Djokovic’s confidence continued to grow throughout the set and Medvedev could not find a way through his opponent’s defence. On his first championship point, Djokovic charged to the net and struck an overhead winner to clinch the title.