Australian Open Final: Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal

The final battle of the Australian Open came once again down to the best two players in the world; Rafael Nadal aiming to stop the world number one, Novak Djokovic, in his run of twenty wins in Grand Slam events. With both players taking part in long physical semi-finals, Djokovic coming through in five sets against Murray just forty hours ago, both players knew it would take a battle of immense endurance and physical strength to come through victorious at the Rod Laver Arena.

In a gruelling first set of an hour and twenty minutes, both players played tremendous tennis; ruthless and ferocious in their efforts to take the first advantage, knowing the importance of an early lead. Both players held their serves, battling through twenty and thirty-shot rallies with a wonderful display of skill. Then, at 5 games apiece, a breakthrough: Nadal battling to break at last, Djokovic’s serve. Holding his own in the final game of the set, Nadal served it out, and in an incredible eighty-two minutes of sensational tennis, he had the all-important first set and a 1-0 lead.

Ever the Champion though, as the second set rolled around Novak Djokovic showed why he is best player in the world. At 1-1, Djokovic began to take control as his tennis really started to click into gear. Three games on the bounce from Djokovic, and suddenly, without warning, the momentum has switched: the world number looks at ease on the court. Tennis can change in an instance, though, and just when you think Djokovic is about to level the match, serving for the set he fails to convert his two set points, and Nadal breaks him right back. It seems there’s life still in the set yet for the Spaniard, at 5-4, but to the dismay of his coaching team watching from the stands, he can’t hold his serve, and the Serbian wins the set 6-4 to level the match at 1-1.


With the crowd loving every minute, the third set blistered into life with a lightning display of tennis, but this time from just one of the two men slugging it out on court: Novak Djokovic. In a tremendous display of exhibition tennis, the Serbian hit winner after winner across court, beginning to establish his dominance. Nadal looking dejected, the wind taken out of his sails, Djokovic rattled off a wonderful set 6-2, to give himself a 2-1 set lead, and leave himself one set away from his third Australian Open title. Could the Spaniard fight his way back into the game?

In the fourth set the crowd seemed to get behind the world number two, Nadal, wishing wholeheartedly for the match to go the distance into a deciding set. The Serbian on the other hand, seemed to have other ideas, holding his serve with ease for the early part of the set, while forcing Nadal to battle to hold his own. Nadal, always a fantastic competitor, attempted to whip up the action into a Spanish frenzy, fist-pumping and leaping into the air, trying to establish himself in the game, and break Djokovic’s serve. 4-3 in the lead, and at the most crucial part of the set, Djokovic turned on the style with a fantastic three points to lead 40-00.

Intense, and staring down the barrel, Nadal incredibly won the next two points to leave Novak with just one break point. Sensationally, he couldn’t take it, and Nadal had fought his way back to 40-40. Two points later, as the heavens began to open, Nadal had against all odds levelled the match, with an incredible fight back. With the fourth set tied at 4-4, and the game-time coming around to four hours, another twist in the tale, the rain had become too much: the game must be stopped. An agonising fifteen minutes wait for both players as the roof comes across; the game still hanging right in the balance.

With rapturous applause the two warriors returned, with Djokovic looking to wrap this up, and Nadal looking to take it the very distance – the crowd with him all the way. The combatants traded blow for blow, sublime tennis producing cheers from the crowd that shook the foundations of the Rod Laver Arena. It seemed inevitable: a fourth set tie-breaker would be required to decide in what direction this match would go.


Once more the two locked swords: smashing impossible shots and hitting returns to produce lengthy rallies that in an ordinary match would have been over many shots earlier. The advantage had been on Djokovic to wrap this game up in the fourth but it wasn’t to be; Nadal battled furiously to win the tie-break 7-5, and the crowd had been rewarded: a fifth and final set would be needed to separate the two warriors.

With the games locked at 2-2 in the fifth, history had been made. These two had officially racked up the longest grand slam final in history, just moving past the five hour mark. Sensationally, both players lifted themselves for one final effort; as they matched each other serve for serve. In the sixth game, a switch of momentum in the air as Djokovic begins to tire; a break point for Nadal and he takes it to lead 4-2. Just two short games away from victory, but as always tennis can change in just a blink of an eye.


The numbers are just phenomenal, and no wonder Djokovic is tired and looks beaten. That’s ten hours of tennis in his semi-final and final combined, whereas his first five matches took ten hours and fifteen minutes combined. Compelling stuff, made even more so by Djokovic breaking straight back. That’s 4-4, and for a moment the two trade service games once more; 5-5. Who would break first? A battle of will and endurance: a battle of the mind. The crowd have begun to forget their alliances now; they cheer every point, and if it was only possible to crown both players the winner, I’m sure everyone would agree to do so.

Both players dig deep for one last momentous effort, but for one player the strain is just too much. Djokovic believes; he strikes for the killer blow to see off the Spaniard in front of him, and with some incredible play finds the break. He leads 6-5, and serves for the match and the tournament. For Nadal once again it isn’t to be; Djokovic collapses to the ground and the cheers and applause reverberates all around the stadium. Not just for the Serbian, but for Nadal too; both players producing a spectacle that has to be listed up there with the best of the finals there has ever been.