Australian Open: bet won for Djokovic - France 24

Melbourne (AFP)

Ninth Australian Open final and ninth title: Novak Djokovic, untouchable Sunday winner of Daniil Medvedev, won his bet against the abdominal injury which almost cost him a retirement in the third round and clinched his 18th major title.

The world No.1 had announced that he was ready to take all the physical risks to try to go as far as possible in this Major which succeeds him so well, because his supreme objective is to hold the record for Grand Slam titles. .

He is therefore two lengths behind his two rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who have twenty each.

Abdominal pain?

Seeing him rise in the air for a smash that gives him the 3-0 advantage in the first set, we quickly tell ourselves that he will not be handicapped on that side.

Result, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in less than two hours ...

"I would have liked to make this match last to make it more interesting for you, but it was not the day," Medvedev apologized to the audience.

Still, the Russian seemed a tough opponent: he remained on a streak of twenty straight victories, ten of which in 2021, hadn't lost for a quarter against Kevin Anderson in Vienna in October, had won the Masters 1000 in Paris and the Masters at the end of the season, and was aiming for a 12th consecutive victory against a Top 10 player. And he had spent four and a half hours less, the equivalent of a big game in five sets, than Djokovic on the court to reach the final.

- "Still tearing apart" -

But the Serb had warned: "With all due respect to the other players (that Federer and Nadal, note), they still have a lot of work to do to take over. I will not stay there and let them do it. I'm going to force them to tear themselves apart to achieve it, "he said on Eurosport.

Promise kept and bet won, therefore: if Dominic Thiem had managed to win his first Grand Slam tournament at the US Open last year, in the absence of Federer and Nadal and after the disqualification of Djokovic, the "old" have regained control of the Majors: Nadal extended his reign at Roland Garros (13 titles) and Djokovic his in Melbourne (9).

"Daniil is one of the toughest players I have ever met. Don't worry, it's only a matter of time before you hold up a Grand Slam trophy ... But if you don't mind wait a few more years, that would suit me, ”Djokovic said, smiling at the end of the game.

At 33, the Serbian will break one of Federer's records on March 8, when his 311th week at the top of the world pyramid will begin, the Swiss being stuck at 310 since June 24, 2018 and away from the courts.

- Podium -

For his part, Mededev will still reach, at 25, his best ranking on Monday by dislodging last year's finalist in Melbourne, Dominic Thiem, from the third step of the podium.

Unlike his first major final, in 2019 at the US Open where he pushed Nadal to the fifth set of an anthology match, the Russian did not have the opportunity to really believe it this time.

Too slow to enter the match, he was quickly led 3-0.

He managed to pick up at 3-3, but gave up the first inning on his serve play.

And was never threatening again.

However, he had hopes of becoming the first Russian to win in Melbourne since Marat Safin in 2005. That year, Safin had swept in the first round a young 17-year-old who was playing his very first Australian Open ... Novak Djokovic.

Sixteen years later, the Serbian achieved his second Australian treble after having chained the titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Two other players have won at least three times in a row in Melbourne: Jack Crawford (1931-1933) and Roy Emerson who won. won five from 1963 to 1967.

And they are still only eight active players to have entered their name in the list of winners of a Grand Slam tournament: Federer and Nadal (20), Djokovic (18), Murray and Wawrinka (3), Cilic, Del Potro and Thiem (1).

© 2021 AFP